Looking for some Fermenter Automation Help

[Brandonn Richmond]

I want to automate my biomass production.

I'm using compressed plant balls, water and fertilizer. I'm using the cpbs because I thought it would be fun to have Golems harvesting wheat fields.

They put the items into a chest, it goes to an auto-crafter then a compressor. The fertilizer I make myself. I plan on eventually getting a few auto orchards with the new muli-farms and start using mulch and apple juice in my machines.

I've been messing around in creative to decide my best layout - but I've had a few issues.

1) If I pipe the items into the fermenter it doesn't always go into the correct slot. The mulch will overflow the machine and fill the fertilizer slot and the area for the plant matter. If I place a hopper on top and the items in the hopper - it works fine. This is probably because the extra items it doesn't want aren't being forced in. I can use Advanced Clay Golems to fill the hoppers to a set amount, but they are expensive to make, and I'd need one per machine.

I don't have Red Power 2 installed, so I can't use any of those solutions.

2) I'm using a lot of thermal expansion solutions. I really like the look of the liquduct pipes, but they need a redstone signal to drain, I find this annoying, I don't like the look with a redstone torch there. So I use the build craft pipes, I tried using the gates, but it seems like the pulse is so weak. Redstone engines seem to do a better job of moving liquids but they aren't as compact as I'd like

3) I'm having difficulty getting items evenly distributed into the machines. I tried a diamond pipe that splits 4 ways with a single item in each color of the split, but it doesn't always work.

4) I'm powering the fementers with the redstone pipe, I only have these in creative. I can use the conductive pipe but I'm afraid of it asploading if the fermenters run out of stuff to do... What do?

The biomass goes into a tank, this will be processed by a still and pumped into a secondary tank that will eventually power some combustion engines that will store all the energy into some nice red mj box things (I forget what they are called.) I will then have different stations for various tasks, with slots for fresh red cubes. The idea of having a power cube that you then have to switch out once expended for a full one from the basement sounds really cool.

OK, pictures next, because they are always fun.

 

[Korenn]

1) If I pipe the items into the fermenter it doesn't always go into the correct slot. The mulch will overflow the machine and fill the fertilizer slot and the area for the plant matter. If I place a hopper on top and the items in the hopper - it works fine. This is probably because the extra items it doesn't want aren't being forced in. I can use Advanced Clay Golems to fill the hoppers to a set amount, but they are expensive to make, and I'd need one per machine.

You don't need advanced golems to supply only mulch. the cheapest clay one will do.

2) I'm using a lot of thermal expansion solutions. I really like the look of the liquduct pipes, but they need a redstone signal to drain, I find this annoying, I don't like the look with a redstone torch there. So I use the build craft pipes, I tried using the gates, but it seems like the pulse is so weak. Redstone engines seem to do a better job of moving liquids but they aren't as compact as I'd like

yeah when you're using redstone engines, you might just as well live with the redstone signal you need for liquiducts. Some levers around isn't so bad. And the pipes look nicer with fluid in them

3) I'm having difficulty getting items evenly distributed into the machines. I tried a diamond pipe that splits 4 ways with a single item in each color of the split, but it doesn't always work.

Diamond pipes do random distribution, but it gives each direction equal chance. So over large amounts of items, it'll even out. For perfect round robin splitting, you'd need redpower Theoretically you could do something with an item detector pipe and an iron pipe. Iron pipes switch direction if given a redstone signal. But I don't know how well it'll work.

4) I'm powering the fementers with the redstone pipe, I only have these in creative. I can use the conductive pipe but I'm afraid of it asploading if the fermenters run out of stuff to do... What do?

energy conduits. They look nicer and don't explode.

 

[Brandonn Richmond]

You don't need advanced golems to supply only mulch. the cheapest clay one will do.

Right, but they were giving mulch and the compressed plantballs in specific amounts so as not to over stock the machines. But your right, I could just pipe the plantballs in.

yeah when you're using redstone engines, you might just as well live with the redstone signal you need for liquiducts. Some levers around isn't so bad. And the pipes look nicer with fluid in them

So true, they look way better, and they flow faster.

Diamond pipes do random distribution, but it gives each direction equal chance. So over large amounts of items, it'll even out. For perfect round robin splitting, you'd need redpower Theoretically you could do something with an item detector pipe and an iron pipe. Iron pipes switch direction if given a redstone signal. But I don't know how well it'll work.

Thanks for that information, I wasn't sure. I'll have to keep thinking about that one...

energy conduits. They look nicer and don't explode.

That's what I meant by redstone pipes. But in my real world, I'm not even set up to make those yet.

 

[Brandonn Richmond]

No other ideas?

 

[KirinDave]

If you have Factorization installed, Routers can do a lot of this work very simply. And they aren't that expensive if you have a place where Endermen spawn frequently.

 

[Vovk]

Railcraft loaders and unloaders have the ability to supply machines next to a track exact amounts of specific items for a reasonable iron cost. I don't have the world anymore, but it's possible to have a single track with a peat bog, aqueous accumulator, autocrafting table / chest setup for bog earth, pulverizer for sand, farm, squeezer (for seeds), moisteners for mulch, fermenters for biomass and stills for biofuel all with a single chest cart running through them all in order. Item Loaders at each station supply the cart with an exact amount of a resource, and item unloaders at each station remove an exact amount of a resource. The trick is balancing the inputs and outputs so that every ratio works as an integer, but then a chest cart can indeed supply all biofuel creating machines with supplies and local hobbyist steam engines with peat creating a stable automated biofuel system.


PS: when loading into forestry machine slots, you may have to load or unload from different sides of the machine to access different inventory slots. For instance, the moisteners need cobblestone through the top and wheat through the side. They can output from the side or the bottom.