Minor IndustrialCraft2 power issues I need help with...

[EnderPig02]

Ok, on a survival world I have been playing on, I have an IC2 power setup that I was using early on in my game:
1 generator for backup power
1 Macerator
1 Electric Furnace
1 compressor
1 BatBox
2 Regular solar panels.
(This setup has caused me so many annoyances that I have switched over to MJ almost entirely.)

The problem is, if I am running any machines on just solar power (even if the BatBox is full) they drain power and I have to use the generator, and the generator has eaten through all my coal and I can't give it enough wood quickly, as I don't have a tree farm just yet. Any ideas/suggestions?

I am running FTB Unleashed on Minecraft version 1.5.2

 

[Pyure]

Unleashed, that's oldschool, nice job

Can you provide a screenshot of your setup? Is your problem that you don't like how power is being drawn, or are you looking for alternative ways to fuel/power your setup?

 

[EnderPig02]

I will see if I can get some screenshots uploaded as I don't have them ready at the present moment but the issue is that when I run a machine on just my 2 solar panels (just default solar panels, btw) the machine drains its charge unless I am using the generator. Do I need to make more solars/power production machines?

Thanks; I like the old versions of the modpacks

 

[EnderPig02]

I had the same issue a while ago when I was using 3 solar panels I guess I just need like a ridiculous amount of these solars to produce enough energy to run my setup...

 

[Baron_Falcon]

Ok, on a survival world I have been playing on, I have an IC2 power setup that I was using early on in my game:
1 generator for backup power
1 Macerator
1 Electric Furnace
1 compressor
1 BatBox
2 Regular solar panels.
(This setup has caused me so many annoyances that I have switched over to MJ almost entirely.)

The problem is, if I am running any machines on just solar power (even if the BatBox is full) they drain power and I have to use the generator, and the generator has eaten through all my coal and I can't give it enough wood quickly, as I don't have a tree farm just yet. Any ideas/suggestions?

I am running FTB Unleashed on Minecraft version 1.5.2

You've identified the problem. Lack of fuel. You need to supply more fuel. There are many ways to skin that cat. A tree farm to an induction furnace making charcoal feeding a bank of at least 20 coal gens was my favorite early game when I used IC. Since you are just using wood at this point and don't seem to want to make a tree farm (an MFR planter/harvester is hard to beat and easy assuming unleashed has MFR, I cant recall), a tinkers lumber ax and a small local tree plantation should supply you enough wood to keep a chest filled with minimal time and resource used. However, the burn rate on wood is so much higher, you really should consider furnacing charcoal to feed the generator. Also, a coal gen is only 10 eu/t, so you might consider a higher tier like lava fed geothermal. A BC pump in nether filling Thermal portable tanks works well for a minimal setup. Ender tank is even better if you can afford it.

Also, I think it's fair to say, with only 2 solar panels (2 eu/t during day) your generator is not backup, it's primary. Those 2 panels wouldn't supply enough eu for one machine, mush less several. Even the single generator is leaving you at an eu deficit. A minimum would be one generator per machine, and I personally would use 2 per. You can visually gauge how much eu/t you are using simply by watching the charge in the batbox go down. Also, a batbox is basically pointless as storage, its more of a way to create a junction for inputs than useful storage.

So to simplify all that. The short answer is, you need to upgrade the entire system.

 

[EnderPig02]

Ok, I see what you mean, and I will indeed try to make a tree farm. Thanks for the help and I will see what I can do. Yes unleashed does indeed have MFR. Oh how this community makes me feel like an idiot xD

 

[EnderPig02]

Either tree farm or upgrade solars: both are in my reach so will do and thankyou again

 

[malicious_bloke]

Early game IC2 is a bit tricky. I would be tempted to get a couple of geothermal generators and find yourself a lava pool nearby to drain. Or another generator and the good old "go nuts and deforest an entire forest biome" thing. This used to be enough to get me through the early game until I could set up some recyclers, a mass-fab and make myself my first advanced solar panels.

After that yer set

PS - you can go solar purist and just grind out tons of basic solar panels, but it's a painfully slow way to do it, I found.

 

[EnderPig02]

lol I happen to be living in a jungle biome thanks for the tips and I will follow up on them

 

[Baron_Falcon]

Ok, I see what you mean, and I will indeed try to make a tree farm. Thanks for the help and I will see what I can do. Yes unleashed does indeed have MFR. Oh how this community makes me feel like an idiot xD

No need to feel like an idiot. I used to spend hours trying to get the best efficiency out of water mills. :/ Talk about an exercise in futility. Then trying to keep multiple turtles and some generators fed with coal. It hadn't even dawned on me to use charcoal, I don't even think I knew about it yet. Once I grasped the concept of banks of generators making massive amounts of eu the power race was on. Also, as noted by bloke, hybrid solar panels are a totally different animal tan basic IC panels. Expensive, but put out a lot of maintenance free power that rivals and/or exceeds nuclear in my opinion if used in a decent sized bank. I think ultimate hybrids are putting out 512 eu/t if im not mistaken.

 

[EnderPig02]

Thanks I will look into all your suggestions large banks of generators seem to be a highly appealing concept, but then again so do advanced solars... Why not BOTH?

 

[malicious_bloke]

Thanks I will look into all your suggestions large banks of generators seem to be a highly appealing concept, but then again so do advanced solars... Why not BOTH?

Yup. On my current infinity world i'm packing a range of generators, just because once you start trying to make iridium for advanced/ultimate solars you need every drop of power you can get.

I have generators, geothermals, semifluid generators (i found oil nearby ) in my machine room.

The only downside is once you get your ultimate solar panel it immediately obsoletes everything else. 512EU/t from a single block is just as hilarious in 1.7.10 packs as it was in unleashed.

Unless you're like me and using multiple power systems, I also have a BigReactor and a small bank of Rotarycraft Gas Turbines for things that don't use EU XD

 

[Baron_Falcon]

Big reactors and turbines have enabled being able to power systems that use well over 100K rf/t. It's amazing how easy it is to create that kind of demand for power, giant AE CPU and autocrafting monstrosities come to mind and sending thousands of EU to remote networks through quantum rings. And there's always filling the highest tier Draconic energy sphere with 1.2 trillion eu, just to do it.

 

[Baron_Falcon]

Thanks I will look into all your suggestions large banks of generators seem to be a highly appealing concept, but then again so do advanced solars... Why not BOTH?

Generally the banks of generators are simply the way to power the means to the end, which is the solar. In this case that is a lot of power requirement. Fortunately you are playing Unleashed, not Infinity, where the hybrids were nerfed to require both types of Iridium.

 

[EnderPig02]

Oh look I've started a thread! xD


This storm outside is killing my poor internet ;_;

 

[EnderPig02]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have collected the necessary materials for the tree farm and I am going to start building it. I will set up a separate powered furnace for smelting the wood into charcoal for my IC2 power. I just realized that this is also a very effective MJ to EU conversion method, albeit indirectly.

 

[EnderPig02]

The treefarm is up and running! 1 x planter and harvester being powered by 2 force engines! It has gotten me over a stack of wood so far and enough leaves to where I can start building a biomass plant. For now my main focus is remodeling my house from a wooden hut into something more substantial. But once I get a biomass plant up I might even set up more autofarms for other crops and I will start construction on more side-buildings for things like ore processing and storage at a later date. Thanks for all your tips everyone and I will see if I can get some screenshots uploaded in a spoiler tab or what not.