Ender Chest Ultimate Sorting System

[PhilHibbs]

I have started building an ultimate RP2 sorting system. I have an Ender Chest with 6 Sorting Machines coming out of it, each of which will handle different types of materials and send them in different directions for storage or processing. After each stage of processing, the results go back into the Ender Chest (via another linked chest) to be routed to any second stage of processing. Eg. Ore goes to the Macerator, Dusts go back into the chest. Dusts go to the Furnaces. So if I throw some dusts in, they go straight to the furnaces.

The problem that I am facing is, how can I handle "other" items that are not routed anywhere specific? If any of the Sorting Machines have an "other" colour, then it will suck out all the items that the other Sorting Machines are supposed to be handling.

I'm thinking maybe a Retriever that is pulsed once per minute would do the trick. It might occasionally pick up items that should be sorted. Maybe I should carry a Wireless Remote with me to pulse the Retriever as and when I want the "Other" loot flushed from the system. That way the Ender Chest also serves as additional storage space for anything that is not automaticaly sorted.

 

[Hydra]

Don't have the sorters suck out the items themselves but instead feed them the items and have them set up in a line behind each other? That's basically the default setup for such a system. Chest > Filter > Sorter 1 > Sorter 2> etc. After each sorter you have a pipe leading to the destinations of the stuff that's colored and another pipe to the next sorter with a certain color (for example white) that unsorted items get assigned.

 

[Saice]

Hydra is correct this is the system I use my self in my base.


Uplink and Main sorting cluster by Saice, on Flickr


The rainbowwall of doom by Saice, on Flickr

basicly everything go into Sorter 1 unsorted goes out light gray. Sorter 2's input is light gray it feeds into the same system its other is gray. Sorter 3's Input is gray it is set up like the others it unsortable output is black. Sorter 4's input is back its unsortable is White.. White goes to the barrel wall and then a chest.

EDIT--

I forgot heres where all the stuff comes from. My enderchest auto empties into the system to be sorted.


Ender Supply and Sorting Zone by Saice, on Flickr

 

[Abdiel]

I am just wondering, what is so "ultimate" about this system? It's the same thing I see in pretty much every other person's base/thread.

 

[Lambert2191]

I am just wondering, what is so "ultimate" about this system? It's the same thing I see in pretty much every other person's base/thread.

well, it's not really very ultimate when he has a problem he needs help to fix

 

[Unionhawk]

I actually really like the manager-feeding-the-sorting-machine idea... I might try that and see if it helps with Frame Quarry backstuffs...

 

[PhilHibbs]

I am just wondering, what is so "ultimate" about this system? It's the same thing I see in pretty much every other person's base/thread.

There's only so much you can do with a finite set of mods. One solution is probably the "ultimate" one, and it's almost ceratinly been done already. I'm not claiming that mine is better than has already been done.

And, I'm trying to do this without copying anyone else's set-up, learning about each component and working out how they work together.

Having said that, what's that white box with the black stripes in Saice's last screenie? *Edit* OK it's a Manager.

 

[trunksbomb]

That would be a manager. It's a new machine from Redpower that can be used to input and output to an attached inventory and keep it stocked with the specified items. In this case, it's set to stock the ender chest with no items, so it automatically pulls everything out of it. You can do this much cheaper with a sorting machine now with the proper settings, or the old way with a filter and timer.

However if you've got a large frame quarry hooked to your sorting system, it may not pull items out fast enough.. My frame quarry is 16x10 and a manager/sorting machine just wouldn't cut it.. had to move up to a router with bandwidth pulling things out and dropping them into a relay.

 

[PhilHibbs]

However if you've got a large frame quarry hooked to your sorting system, it may not pull items out fast enough.. My frame quarry is 16x10 and a manager/sorting machine just wouldn't cut it.. had to move up to a router with bandwidth pulling things out and dropping them into a relay.

That's the intent of the 6 Sorting Machines all directly attached to the Ender Chest. More item bandwidth.

 

[trunksbomb]

Right but then you have no way to properly handle unsorted items. One router should be able to handle everything you put in the chest, and you'd have proper unsorted handling.

 

[PhilHibbs]

I made a Router but I can't get the hang of it. And I don't have the infrastructure to make a Machine Filter.

 

[trunksbomb]

You don't need a machine filter. Ender chest -> router -> relay. Put a bandwidth and ejector upgrade on the router, two of the easier upgrades to make. Set the router to extract from any slot and eject to whichever face the relay is touching on the router. Without the machine filter it will occasionally take something out of the relay and put it right back in the relay but it's still so fast that you won't even notice.

Just make sure that there are no other machines touching the router, ender chest, or relay. Have the relay separated from the rest of the network by at least one tube. Put your sorting machines inline after the relay.

By the way, you're not going to be able to do your "ultimate" design without copying someone as it's all been done before.

 

[Guswut]

By the way, you're not going to be able to do your "ultimate" design without copying someone as it's all been done before.

There is a difference between using the same fairly limited (compared to other) system to create something that is close to identical to someone else's design as it is an optimal design, and directly copying someone else's design. It is a range, as you are not going to have a perfectly personal thought pattern that leads to the results, but it is not possible to entirely copy someone else's design (although you can come close, downloading a schematic, etc).

 

[Lambert2191]

how about 6 filters sucking from the enderchest (for bandwidth) and having it go through an inline sorting machine

 

[Guswut]

how about 6 filters sucking from the enderchest (for bandwidth) and having it go through an inline sorting machine

I have used a system of six filters pulling from a single ender chest, so I can confirm that a bandwidth of six stacks a redstone tick (up to around 50 milliseconds [computercraft computer used as a timer] between ticks, although 200ms was a LOT more stable/caused a whole lot less lag) works wonderfully for most systems.

If you need more bandwidth than that, though, make another ender chest of the same frequency and add more timers to it. My original sorting system had three ender chest with six filters as I overdesigned my system a magnitude and some change.

 

[PhilHibbs]

You don't need a machine filter. Ender chest -> router -> relay.

I'm kind of stuck with my 6 Sorting Machines. I've built way too much of the system to re-engineer it now. And, it's nice and symmetrical. Moreover it's mine.

By the way, you're not going to be able to do your "ultimate" design without copying someone as it's all been done before.

I came up with the idea without copying anyone else, even if someone has already done it. It may not be quite as "ultimate" as I thought, but 5 or 6 Sorting Machines all pumping from the same Ender Chest is cool in my opinion. I'm just deciding on whether I should make the 6th machine the Router activated by Redstone Remote. I really like the idea of a portable "flush" button. It's probably been done before though.

 

[trunksbomb]

how about 6 filters sucking from the enderchest (for bandwidth) and having it go through an inline sorting machine

How about a router/relay combo (for bandwidth) instead of using 6 machines and a timer? It seems senseless to come up with a huge workaround to such a simple problem. The only opposition I've heard of to the relay is lag, but one relay in a huge Redpower system is not going to be the determining factor for lag.

Edit: We posted at the same time, I see why you're sticking to your original design. I agree that you can't really call it ultimate if you're going to stick with a unique but less efficient design. More power to you though, I definitely can relate to the feeling of pride in your work. I try to do as much as I can on my own before consulting online resources, but if I find a more efficient plan I usually suck up my ego and have at it.

 

[Lambert2191]

how about, to stop it looking like shit (because tbh, I can't imagine it looking any less than that) have 6 sorting machines pulling out of 6 identicle enderchests?

 

[trunksbomb]

Because then you don't have any reliable unsorted filtering, and because you're really overengineering such a simple problem.

One router, one ender chest, one relay. Have as many sorting machines as you want, inline. Have an unsorted chest or whatever on the end. Expandable, reliable, easy to set up. Put sorting machines next to each other so they keep each other powered so you don't have to mess with wires, either.

With the chest surrounded on all faces by sorting machines, you no longer have access to the chest without breaking a machine and have to replace all the items inside when you put it back. Probably not such a big deal as there won't really be a need to access the chest unless you want to change the color, but it's still a consideration.

And if we're talking aesthetics, 6 sorting machines on one chest plus the wiring to power each one would be ugly, in my opinion.

 

[Lambert2191]

With the chest surrounded on all faces by sorting machines, you no longer have access to the chest

it's an enderchest, so to access that chest, you just need to access any other enderchest of the same colour combination

And if we're talking aesthetics, 6 sorting machines on one chest plus the wiring to power each one would be ugly, in my opinion.

I agree, which is why I said 6 enderchests + 6 sorting machines.