[PROTOTYPE] Project Monster, a solution to Steves Cart automining

[Epsilon]

Hello, recently i've gotten into the Steves Cart mod. It's great for tree farms, and farming in general, but I dont see anyone using it seriously for auto mining. I tried to auto mine and quickly realized it was incredibly ineffective due to the low internal chest of the carts. I have designed this as a solution.

I have uploaded pictures, the album is here: http://imageshack.us/g/69/javaw2013030323490499.jpg/

The base of this machine is the cargo manager setup. The cargo manager is the easiest way to empty carts, but it doesn't retain its settings so breaking it and replacing it will not work. It also needs a adv. detector rail to actually work. Using a redpower deployer and block breaker, I have set it up so it replaces the track under the cart with a ADR, then after a period of 15 seconds (ample time for the cart to empty) it replaces it with a regular track: while also using the cargo manager to refill rails and fuel. Other then that, it pumps items from the manager with a filter/ender chest, and resupplys the cargo manager with fuel and rails in the same way. It also automatically replenishes the battery supply.

The redstone part is very simple, the timer pulses every 2 seconds which causes the machine to move foward, pulse the filters to empty the cargo manager, and increase the increment on the counter to the bottom left. When the counter on the bottom left reachs 32, it will place down the adv. rail after 15 seconds. Wait 15 seconds, and then replace it with a normal rail. The counter on the middle left is set to 2, so after it breaks and replaces it, the counter will reset and the machine will continue running.

I am unsure of how effective this is compared to say, a tunnel bore or frame quarry, But in my opinion, it is alot more fun and something i've not seen before. The only issue right now is you NEED a hardened drill on your minecart, a basic drill will not drill enough space to get this machine through. It should work fine with a Galdorian drill however.

This is still a prototype machine, and I probably will make improvements on it (its not well optimized at the moment) feel free to suggest things I can do to enhance it, and if their is demand: I can put up a world download or video demonstrating how it works. One thing i want to do is optimize the redstone with some computercraft programming, as well as add more directional movement: right now it can only go forward.

Note, this machine is VERY finnicky. You have to set the cart ahead of it first, and give it a limited amount of track: you have to set the counter to this number: i'm using 32 at the moment, but i might change it. This is because if the mining cart somehow gets behind the machine, it will completely destroy it (its happened twice during testing..)

 

[Yusunoha]

with all the redpower you are using a RP tunnel bore seems a more easy choice, but ofcourse some people like the challenge.

I very much dislike the mining with SC2. if you have it going in a really long tunnel, you are wasting tons of energy and time for the cart to constantly drive back, deposit, and drive back again.
it'd be nice if there was a module you could use to automatically dispose of certain items, like cobblestone, dirt, sand and gravel. or a module that'd place down a chest to deposit the items into.
or if you want to go fancy, to have an enderchest module for the cart and onto the cargo manager that can deposit and retrieve items from the cart to the manager through the use of enderchests.

 

[Epsilon]

Well, it's definitely not the most efficient setup. It's more of a proof of concept to see if it's possible. I definitely agree with the above ideas for modules, but I know an enderchest module was proposed, but the author (VSWE if i recall) thought it would be overpowered, so i doubt we will be seeing that.

 

[Giddimani]

It's great for tree farms, and farming in general, but I dont see anyone using it seriously for auto mining. I tried to auto mine and quickly realized it was incredibly ineffective due to the low internal chest of the carts.

I didn't read your whole post because I looked at the pictures and I saw a enderchest so I am not interested in this build, but I consider 36 stacks for internal storage not really small. You can mine an tunnel about 92 blocks long with the hardened drill or 28 with the galgadorian drill.

Fuel is not a problem, I mean its mining so it refills itself, its basically running free, don't see the problem.

People don't like to use it because they want the easiest and cheapest way to get things no matter how unbalanced it is, that's just the way it is and the reason why enderchests/teseract/"flying tunnelbores running with teleported bateries" and these things are so popular.

 

[Epsilon]

Thats assuming you have only 1 type of item ^. I understand your qualm about ender chests/teseracts/flying tunnelbores with teleported batteries. I dont like it too much either, but it would be possible to do it without the chests, it would just be a bit harder to do. You'd have to resupply the tubing to connect the chests, however.

 

[Giddimani]

That's true and I forgot to add that but most port of it is stone, dirt or gravel/flint so even with 75% capacity it reaches a long distance.

My post above about enderchests and teleporting seems too whiny, because they have some reason (interdimensional) but I don't like them in one world, because for me it's just the easy way and I like it more "realistic" and if that means more complex or complicated, just more fun. Most doesn't bother "realistic" and just want to make a setup and that's also fine, each one has fun in different things.

Tubes is an option but you have to keep the whole line chunkloaded which isn't optimal.

I use a setup of a sc2 drill with a "loading zone", which puts the items in a railcraft train, which transports the items to my base. I use a locomotive so I don't have to replace some rails with powered rails and move the "loading zone" nearer to the drill every so often, which isn't too complicated (cargo manager + item loader). Easy setup, brings a lot of items and easy to maintain and - important for me - realistic.

One benefit of the sc2 drills is with the height controller you can mine wherever you want really easy, so if you are short on some things like copper, just adjust the height and the drill moves up on his own.

 

[Epsilon]

Actually, the entire line is already chunkloaded. The train idea is quite a nice one, the biggest benefit of something like that is you can move it easily. The Monster cannot move the easily: especially up and down. Guess i over thought the problem again, lol.

 

[Giddimani]

There is no such thing as "overthinking" or "too complex" if you have fun building it.

I mentioned the chunkloading because I try to keep the loaded chunks as low as possible.

I warn you, if you start using railcraft you start to love to see the trains automatically transport your stuff instead of disappearing in one place and popping up in another.

 

[Epsilon]

So I have been continuing progress in upgrading this, I have one question: is there a way so filters draw out items EXCEPT some you set, or a way to stop filters from pulling everything from a cargo manager? Finally, any way to stop mining carts from turning around when they run out of track?

 

[budge]

Regarding the first question, not that I know of. An exclusion mode for filters/sorting machines would be nice, for sure.

Managers might be able to do it.

 

[Epsilon]

Been working on the Monster some more, currently have added:
-Turtle based safety mechanism that breaks the track infront of the Monster to prevent the miner from accidently eating the monster
-Completely rewired the control mech, it activates the turtle. Even more awesome, you can set it to run a number of cycles instead of one. It's also much simpler and more reliable.
-Added the ability to drive it backwards
-Built a prototype pipe layer instead of the enderchest

New ideas:
-Railcraft storage cart integration, maybe have storage slots
-Make it easier to set up

I think ill continue on this build a bit, then work on something else. If you want pics for the updates/world file just say so and ill upload them.