Need help with routing items in ME network

[asb3pe]

Direwolf20 1.6 modpack - no redpower2, so no pneumatic tubes

I used to use a factorization router and filter with pneumatic tubes to automatically insert/extract a safari net into an MFR auto-spawner. It was an awesome design but I can't find the youtube video anymore for it.

So without tubes, I'm trying to build a replacement using Applied Energistics. I plan to have a bunch of levers on the wall, and when you toggle one of the levers it will send that particular safari net into the auto-spawner. I was going to use ME Dark Cable with Precision Export Busses, when the switch is powered on, the dark cable will energize and the export bus will send the safari net into the machine.

When I'm done grinding items, I will flip the level back to the off position, an inverted redstone signal go to the itemduct at the machine to pull the safari net out and send it to an ME interface to go back into my AE network.

Does this make sense? Does anyone have any other suggestions, perhaps a much easier way I didn't think of? I'm trying to build it and its difficult to keep all the redstone alloy wiring separated even using cover strips. It's just a mess since I want to have about 8 mobs in safari nets ready to go. All I really want is to push a button and have AE send/retrieve the safari net but it's not that easy, is it...

 

[asb3pe]

I guess Itemducts are a direct replacement for the pneumatic tubes, correct? So I could still use the Factorization router and filter combo? I'd prefer to skip that altogther tho, because I have to build a power source for one of em (filter or router) and it's a pain with the lava and ice blocks needed for caliometric (unless that's changed which I don't think it has).

 

[rhn]

Direwolf20 1.6 modpack - no redpower2, so no pneumatic tubes

I used to use a factorization router and filter with pneumatic tubes to automatically insert/extract a safari net into an MFR auto-spawner. It was an awesome design but I can't find the youtube video anymore for it.

So without tubes, I'm trying to build a replacement using Applied Energistics. I plan to have a bunch of levers on the wall, and when you toggle one of the levers it will send that particular safari net into the auto-spawner. I was going to use ME Dark Cable with Precision Export Busses, when the switch is powered on, the dark cable will energize and the export bus will send the safari net into the machine.

When I'm done grinding items, I will flip the level back to the off position, an inverted redstone signal go to the itemduct at the machine to pull the safari net out and send it to an ME interface to go back into my AE network.

Does this make sense? Does anyone have any other suggestions, perhaps a much easier way I didn't think of? I'm trying to build it and its difficult to keep all the redstone alloy wiring separated even using cover strips. It's just a mess since I want to have about 8 mobs in safari nets ready to go. All I really want is to push a button and have AE send/retrieve the safari net but it's not that easy, is it...

First, use the MFR rednet cable. It carries 16 channels(colours) in the same cable. Second, forget about the dark cables and instead use the ME Precision Export bus's setting of "per pulse". Use a Button to send a signal(through the Rednet cable on a specific colour channel) to the relevant precision bus to insert the right Safari net. When you are done, click another button that triggers a ME Import bus that pulls the safari net out of the spawner and back into the ME network.

If you have problems with connecting enough ME export Bus to the spawner, you can point them all at a Hopper or a chest and pipe the nets to the spawner with Hopper ducts or Itemducts.

 

[Peppe]

What are you having issue with?

If you have trouble keeping alloy separate use bundled cables or rednet cables.

Precise export is the right bus to get the safari nets out of the ME network. From there you can use any inventory routing you like.

If you use buttons you could have a button to remove the current item and a button for each type you want to insert. I wouldn't route the AE network all the way to the spawner. I would probably use a enderchest, so all your precise export buses export to one enderchest color. That export enderchest is above the MFR spawner -- just a plain hopper would work to pull the items out of the chest and insert them.

Removal is just a hopper back to a enderchest that gets back to your AE system or an interface directly back to the AE system.

If you want to remove the manual reset button a compact method would be to use buildcraft Autarchic gate to detect when there is a new item in the chest and pull the existing item out to insert the new one.

If you use levers for the control you could have all levers off trigger pulling items out of the spawner and an active lever triggers the export bus.

 

[asb3pe]

First, use the MFR rednet cable. It carries 16 channels(colours) in the same cable. Second, forget about the dark cables and instead use the ME Precision Export bus's setting of "per pulse". Use a Button to send a signal(through the Rednet cable on a specific colour channel) to the relevant precision bus to insert the right Safari net. When you are done, click another button that triggers a ME Import bus that pulls the safari net out of the spawner and back into the ME network.

If you have problems with connecting enough ME export Bus to the spawner, you can point them all at a Hopper or a chest and pipe the nets to the spawner with Hopper ducts or Itemducts.

So glad I posted my question, that sounds like a much easier solution indeed - I was not aware of MFR rednet cable. Thank you rhn! Off to build it and test it out...

Edit: Whoa, rednet... Yeah, that's the Part 3 of Direwolf20's MFR mod spotlight I didn't watch. Must go watch that immediately. haha

 

[asb3pe]

If you want to remove the manual reset button a compact method would be to use buildcraft Autarchic gate to detect when there is a new item in the chest and pull the existing item out to insert the new one.

If you use levers for the control you could have all levers off trigger pulling items out of the spawner and an active lever triggers the export bus.

Aaaaand.... my server just went down. LOL

These are both great suggestions. I come from a vanilla minecraft background so I struggle with using all the tools in the FTB toolbox sometimes. For instance, buttons versus levers... it used to be you had to make a somewhat large contraption out of redstone dust to make a T flip-flop turn a button into a lever. So I stopped using buttons as levers and vice versa. But in FTB its a one block item (toggle latch I think?) to turn a button into a lever.

But this is why I post here, instead of struggling on my own you guys are always are a big huge help to get me going in the right direction. Much obliged.

 

[rhn]

So glad I posted my question, that sounds like a much easier solution indeed - I was not aware of MFR rednet cable. Thank you rhn! Off to build it and test it out...

RP2/project red also has Bundled Cable which works the same(16 coloured channels), but it is a bit more involved in using it since you need to create different kinds of coloured red alloy wires to input/output the different colored channels. With the MFR Rednet cable you just whack the little white ring on the connecting side with a Precision Sledgehammer(great name) to toggle through the different channel. You can also hit the core of the cable to toggle through different mods for the cable(forced connection, cable only mode etc).

 

[rhn]

Aaaaand.... my server just went down. LOL

These are both great suggestions. I come from a vanilla minecraft background so I struggle with using all the tools in the FTB toolbox sometimes. For instance, buttons versus levers... it used to be you had to make a somewhat large contraption out of redstone dust to make a T flip-flop turn a button into a lever. So I stopped using buttons as levers and vice versa. But in FTB its a one block item (toggle latch I think?) to turn a button into a lever.

But this is why I post here, instead of struggling on my own you guys are always are a big huge help to get me going in the right direction. Much obliged.

I believe DW20 has Project Red Integration, which has a ton of different redstone cirquits all in one block like: NOT, AND, OR, Toggle latch, Timer and so on. Just smack them down and connect them with Red allow wires and you are good to go. It is very easy to understand(if you understand the basic gates).

But MFR also has a Programmable Rednet Controller, which is basically all of the above gates and more build into the same block. And you can use variables to make one "virtual" gate in the block react with a different "virtual" gate or wave former etc. And ofc you can have it output signals though Rednet cables on all 6 sides in each 16 colour channels in each 16 strengths... Wow the possibilities
It is a very cool block that I look very much forward to using a lot more in the future.

And ofc there is always Computercraft where you can write your own LUA code to interact with items via redstone signals or in many cases by direct compatibility.

 

[asb3pe]

Okay, so now I have all my levers on the wall, each connected by rednet with a different color code. Four levers, four colored rednet cables.

How can I output one signal (lets call it the white signal) that is ON when any of the colored rednet connections is ON? (without going to the whole rednet controller thing)

I connected all the colors to one block with a forced connection, then I had one face of the block connected by white rednet for my output wire. It did not work. Apparently if you send a "green" colored rednet signal into the block, it doesn't power the block with "generic" power that any color can see/read/access, it powers the block with specific "green" colored power! So the white output doesn't see it? So how can I connect all my colored rednet cables down into one white output line?

I'm actually trying to combine rhn's and peppe's solutions into one. Might be a bad idea. LOL

Can rednet cabling be combined into a normal redstone circuit? So I could have my output wire be normal redstone alloy wire?

 

[rhn]

Okay, so now I have all my levers on the wall, each connected by rednet with a different color code. Four levers, four colored rednet cables.

How can I output one signal (lets call it the white signal) that is ON when any of the colored rednet connections is ON? (without going to the whole rednet controller thing)

I connected all the colors to one block with a forced connection, then I had one face of the block connected by white rednet for my output wire. It did not work. Apparently if you send a "green" colored rednet signal into the block, it doesn't power the block with "generic" power that any color can see/read/access, it powers the block with specific "green" colored power! So the white output doesn't see it?

Ehm not sure I understand what you mean.

The Rednet cable works this way: Have one Lever(1) connected to a White cable connection and another Lever(2) connected to a Magenta connection. Then run the wire all the way over to where you need the signals. There connect device A with a white connection and Device B with a Magenta connection.

When you throw only Lever 1, Device A will recieve the redstone signal, but device B will remain off. Throw only Lever 2 and only Device B will get the signal. Throw both Levers and both Devices are getting redstone signals.

Each colour is a unique channel that will only output redstonesignal to connections of that colour. But the strength is that you can run all 16 channels in the same cable instead of having 16 cables running parallel to each other.

 

[Peppe]

Somewhere along your rednet path you could have each color also connect to a shared redstone/red alloy line that activates the common task.

 

[asb3pe]

Well what I mean is that I have multiple inputs but only one output. When any input signal is turned on (i.e. flip a lever), I also need an output signal for the itemduct. When a lever is ON, I need a redstone signal sent to the itemduct to prevent it from operating. When I'm done with the machine, I turn the lever back to the OFF position. This will then activate the itemduct, which will pull the safari net out of the auto-spawner and send it into the tesseract underneath the auto-spawner.

The reason I am using an itemduct and not an ME import bus is an aesthetic reason - I can place a microblocks cover on top of the itemduct to make the floor seamless. If I use an ME import bus, a microblocks cover cannot fit into that same block, so the cover looks raised up and out of place. Kinda crazy to worry about, I know, but welcome to my world. [DOUBLEPOST=1394824992][/DOUBLEPOST]

Somewhere along your rednet path you could have each color also connect to a shared redstone/red alloy line that activates the common task.

This is precisely what I cannot make happen right now. Normally I'd have, say, three inputs coming into a block of cobble, and if any of those inputs was powered, the cobble would power, and the output line would then power up. I can't make that happen with rednet so far. I'm a noob (I almost typed boob but that would be accurate too LOL).

Nevermind, I've got it now.

 

[Peppe]

Well what I mean is that I have multiple inputs but only one output. When any input signal is turned on (i.e. flip a lever), I also need an output signal for the itemduct. When a lever is ON, I need a redstone signal sent to the itemduct to prevent it from operating. When I'm done with the machine, I turn the lever back to the OFF position. This will then activate the itemduct, which will pull the safari net out of the auto-spawner and send it into the tesseract underneath the auto-spawner.

The reason I am using an itemduct and not an ME import bus is an aesthetic reason - I can place a microblocks cover on top of the itemduct to make the floor seamless. If I use an ME import bus, a microblocks cover cannot fit into that same block, so the cover looks raised up and out of place. Kinda crazy to worry about, I know, but welcome to my world. [DOUBLEPOST=1394824992][/DOUBLEPOST]

This is precisely what I cannot make happen right now. Normally I'd have, say, three inputs coming into a block of cobble, and if any of those inputs was powered, the cobble would power, and the output line would then power up. I can't make that happen with rednet so far. I'm a noob (I almost typed boob but that would be accurate too LOL).

Quick test:

Pistons = output of specific colored band (in your scenario would go to the ME precision export for that item)
Lamp = common output when any is lit (would probably trigger a pulse to remove any item in the spawner)

Spoiler

 

[rhn]

I must admit that I have never used MFR autospawner myself, but with the nerf of Soulshards, I have been planning it for a while. But this is what I think I would do:

The white channel is to stop the spawner and return the present safari net back into the network.

All the ME export/import Bus would be set to "per pulse" mode so just a click of a button would be enough.

The Itemduct is being powered by a Servo so no need for a lever any more to keep it powered. Just make a servo and rightclick it onto the duct.

[DOUBLEPOST=1394825846][/DOUBLEPOST]

The reason I am using an itemduct and not an ME import bus is an aesthetic reason - I can place a microblocks cover on top of the itemduct to make the floor seamless. If I use an ME import bus, a microblocks cover cannot fit into that same block, so the cover looks raised up and out of place. Kinda crazy to worry about, I know, but welcome to my world.

ME cables and Bus can be hidden with the use of BC Facades. But you will need to make an assembly table and belonging Lasers to craft them, but it is well worth the effort IMO.

 

[asb3pe]

Wow rhn that was quick. Appreciate your help. Honestly, the fact it uses two buttons bothers me a bit, I try to make my stuff as efficient as possible (even if I never seem to get there hehe).

I have a row of levers on the wall, on the back of the wall is different colored rednet in forced connection mode so the lever signal is picked up thru the block.

When a lever is turned on, it activates the ME export bus which sends the safari net to the auto-spawner, and it also turns off the extraction itemduct so it doesn't immediately pull the safari net out of the machine.

When the lever is returned to off position, this activates the itemduct which returns the safari net into my ME network via the tesseract powering the whole setup.

I can't thank you and peppe enough for your help today! It's working flawlessly!

Edit: Now I'm wondering what's going to happen if I flip multiple switches at once. LOL Chaos!

 

[rhn]

Wow rhn that was quick. Appreciate your help. Honestly, the fact it uses two buttons bothers me a bit, I try to make my stuff as efficient as possible (even if I never seem to get there hehe).

I have a row of levers on the wall, on the back of the wall is different colored rednet in forced connection mode so the lever signal is picked up thru the block.

When a lever is turned on, it activates the ME export bus which sends the safari net to the auto-spawner, and it also turns off the extraction itemduct so it doesn't immediately pull the safari net out of the machine.

When the lever is returned to off position, this activates the itemduct which returns the safari net into my ME network via the tesseract powering the whole setup.

I can't thank you and peppe enough for your help today! It's working flawlessly!

Edit: Now I'm wondering what's going to happen if I flip multiple switches at once. LOL Chaos!

Hehe yeah each their preferences I prefer buttons(well I would prefer touch screens, but I dont know how to program those in CC).

But it is good you got it working!

 

[Peppe]

Here is what I imagined with enderchests. Minimal impact to spawning space.

I have not played in a long time, so there might be something better than buildcraft gates to detect and signal when items are in an inventory. Used to be just turtles and buildcraft gates.

Overall:

Placing an item in the white enderchest activates the buildcraft gate, which triggers the item duct on the bottom to empty the spawner.

Itemduct with servo upgrade set to always extract (ignore redstone). When the safari net slot opens up it automatically empties the white enderchest into the spawner.

Blue enderchest would head back to item storage.

New tesseracts might be able to do all those things from the side and not impact spawning space at all.