Automating buckets in Factorization's mixer

[Bihlbo]

I recently built me a good old Factorization setup, but after processing 30 or so dirty gravel I realized I'm never again touching mixers until I find a way to automatically place filled buckets in the grid.

But I don't know how.

Most of the research I've done has turned up setups that use RedPower (but I'm using FTB Unleashed) or golems (I'm no where near that level of thaumic research). Has anyone else out there found a way to automatically get the water into mixers reliably and cheap?

 

[Pokefenn]

Turtles are good.
Not very hard to program it something that simple

 

[Ako_the_Builder]

I recently did this using a vanilla dispenser; cobble structure pipe with gate set to: items in inventory=redstone signal and emerald pipe set to only extract full buckets.

 

[angelnc]

I would try a setup with Translocators and TE Liquid Transposer.
But to be honest, I don't feel like the effort setting this up and automating the whole factorization ore refining process is worth it...

 

[Bihlbo]

Yeah, most of the time getting 3.2 iron out of an ore isn't so much better than getting 2 iron for you to spend the time making the setup. You're better off spending the time getting more ore. But I really like the solar powered steam setup that Factorization provides (for looks if nothing else, but also that it works without me touching it) and I want to find a way to use it.

I understand how to make filled water buckets. What I can't seem to get right is how to get empties out and filled ones in. What am I missing?

 

[angelnc]

Have you looked into Translocators? They can be set up to pull out the empty ones and keep it stocked with full buckets.

I like the looks of the solar powered steam boilers too. But I use the steam they produce for Railcraft Engines.

 

[TheUnholyTaco]

You can do this with either BC Pipes or Routers. If you do it with Routers, remember to add Machine, Item Filter, and Ejector Upgrades and set the Extract to Bottom so it'll pull from the bottom of the Mixer. BC pipes are easier/cheaper but less compact. Fill buckets with a Liquid Transposer fed from an Aqueous Accumulator. Power the LT how you like. Feed through Routers/Diamond pipes. Sludge can be Void Piped/Chested or put into the container/Furnace of your choice for processing of Clay later.

You can also use Pipe Covers in between certain pipes to keep them from interlocking/interacting with certain machines or for a cleaner looking setup. Your call.

I've included a picture gallery so you can see what the setup looks like and how I set up Diamond Pipes to route materials.

http://imgur.com/a/Wnx6C#0
^link to picture gallery
Edit: I've added descriptions to help with the pictures.

Any questions? Let me know.

 

[TheUnholyTaco]

But to be honest, I don't feel like the effort setting this up and automating the whole factorization ore refining process is worth it...

Yeah, going the Full Monte and using Crystallizers certainly isn't worth it considering it takes 20 minutes to process one set of 5 Refined Chunks into 5 Crystallines. Still, if I go up to the Slag Furnace stage, I'm still getting about 2.5 Refined Chunks per Ore (YMMV).

I used to use this process religiously when I found out about it (3.2x ORES ZOMG!) and the luster waned when the time-sink of crystallization set in. That and the amount of Silver needed for a decent Solar Boiler-Mirror setup was a bit on the ludicrous side. Then again, what ELSE am I going to do with all that Silver (barring Electrum)? Aside from making Hardened Glass, I didn't have any use for Lead after setting the whole process up either.

Now I just automate Smelter (Nether Ores) -> Pulverizer (Ores) -> Induction Furnace (Dusts and Nether Quartz) for Metals and Smelter (Nether Ores) -> Pulverizers (All Other Ores), feed Smelters with Igneous Extruder (Cobblestone) -> Pulverizer (Sand), Void Pipe the Rich Slag (can't be... well, you know... to feed it back into the system), and call it a day (all done with Routers of course ).

 

[twisto51]

Yeah, going the Full Monte and using Crystallizers certainly isn't worth it considering it takes 20 minutes to process one set of 5 Refined Chunks into 5 Crystallines.

Doing the full factorization ore process is an interesting project, but not something I'd recommend for everybody. I find the time doesn't matter at all as long as you have a steady stream of ore coming in which isn't hard to achieve. If I have 100k Iron bars in the system I'm not going to be waiting on the next batch of 100 to come out of the factorization line. Bulk process with factorization for increased yields, use faster methods which trade speed for reduced yield for on-demand stuff.

What makes it impractical is that by the time you can afford to build a high volume Factorization ore processing line you don't need the extra yield. It is quicker to increase your resource gathering on the front end instead.

 

[Bihlbo]

Here's what you do with more silver: You make more mirrors so your Factorization setup is bigger and more capable, then when it is you churn out things made of invar.
Here's why you need the full 3.2x ores: it gets you more silver per ore block so you can increase your mirror number. As for the rest of the ores, why not?

It takes 29 stacks of silver ingots to make a "full" mirror array, which produces more than enough steam to fully power four industrial steam engines without any fuel cost. "More than enough" means it's enough steam produced during daylight hours to compensate for nighttime and downpours, but if you were in a rainless, always-sunny Mystcraft age, you can easily upgrade this to more engines.

Full mirror array with aqueous accumulator below and liquiduct piping steam away:

If it's not obvious, the darker colored squares are high, and each lighter shade is one block lower, covered in mirrors, with a stack of 7 boilers in the center. The liquiducts do not block sunlight.

I can design and build it, I just can't figure out how to move the right buckets into and out of a cluster of mixers. So apparently I'm dumb.

 

[angelnc]

That's the basic Translocator setup I would use.
It can be done more compact too. A Diamond Nugget Upgrade could be added to the one supplying the full bucket.

I will try making a better setup when I return from class.

 

[angelnc]

Got it working with AE now.

The AE network is keeping one water bucket in the Interface via a Forestry Bottler.
The first Translocator pair is importing exactly one (Diamond Nugget Upgrade) filled water bucket from this Interface into the Mixer.
The ME Precision Export Bus is exporting the Dirty Gravel into the Mixer.
When the Gravel is cleaned, the second Translocator pair is extracting the empty bucket and the Clean Gravel into the Interface.

With clever arrangement, you can set one of this up for each Ore supported by Factorization and only a few Interfaces, since one Interface can be used by several Mixers.

 

[Ako_the_Builder]

Self video plug in spoiler, don't click if self plugs annoy you

Spoiler

Here's the episode in which I sort out my ghetto version using vanilla dispenser, buildcraft pipes and redstone engines: