[Q] Using MFR Conveyor Belts to fill Planter.

[AnttiV]

Hi. I usually play with FTB Unleashed, so I wanted to try something new and made a new modpack with mostly UE power and MFR for automation. And some other stuff, but left out Buildcraft, TE and anything I considered "the usual", just to have something different. So far I've liked it, but I have a problem.

How do I use the MFR conveyor belts to fill up planters in any sane fashion?

With most other machines it is easy, but with planter when I can't just run the belts over the thing, or beside it (because that's where the farm is), I basically have to put the item collector next to the planter and run the belt straight into it. It works fine until the planter is full. But apparently the collector doesn't use an alternate output if the primary can't accept any items. So the excess just doesn't go into the collector and stays on the belt and makes a huge mess.

1) If I have a collector beside the belt, does it "pull" items from the belt if there is room in an adjacent inventory, even if the belt doesn't run straight "into" the collector?

2) I'd love for it to work thus (#: dirt, P: planter, C: collector, _:conveyor belt, -:anything, probably air used as a placeholder because forum software). But apparently collectors don't "pull in" from bottom and don't output to top? (at least wikis say that with item routers and the top not being a valid output?)

##########
####P#####
-----C-------
__________

Note: working currently so I haven't tried these yet, I've just been pulling my hair out yesterday evening when trying to come up with any working solution for this Pipes would be soooo much easier! (but that's the point really, I do know how to use them and they become "boring" after awhile if I always just use them.)

Does the collector use same mechanics for pulling/outputting items as the Item Router (besides the filter, obviously)?

ps. my modpack is using MC 1.5.2, and thus related mod versions which means not always the newest. And I'm not saying any of this is "bad", quite contrary, I've been enjoying this "new experience" (I've never really used UE before this and always just use pipes/liquiducts to move stuff around). But so far this has been fun, just that I can't figure out this one problem

 

[PierceSG]

Not sure if the 1.5 version of Mekanism have it or not, you can check out the logistical sorter and pipes.

 

[AnttiV]

Not sure if the 1.5 version of Mekanism have it or not, you can check out the logistical sorter and pipes.

I believe it doesn't. At least that version that I have doesn't. I first tried to find some other form of item transport, and at least searching NEI for "pipe" doesn't find anything useful for that. Liquids and oxygen yes, items no.


Truth to be told, I'd much rather figure a way to use conveyors, since (as I said) I've always just used pipes and this whole pack was made as an exercise for something different. Got more than I bargained for, eh?

 

[PierceSG]

Well, good luck at getting mfr to work by it self. They should because of how they were designed so just play around with it.

 

[Skullywag]

Im using MFR in my 1.6.4 pack and you can do the conveyor to collector with any machine next to it and itll place it in there. If it doesnt work in your version it is supposed to.

 

[AnttiV]

Yes, I can do belt -> collector and the collector correctly places the items in the planter. However, I start to run into trouble when the farm eventually out-paces the planter. When the planter is filled, the excess produce will just lay on the belt and does not go into any way, even if I place a belt beside it (because, as far as I can determine, it outputs only to pipes and adjacent inventories, not on belts).

It works, sort of, if I place the collector directly under the planter and run a belt straight into it, then place a chest right adjacent to the collector. It fills the planter first, then proceeds to fill the chest. However, MFR doesn't seem to have anything that can pull items from inventories and then put them into belts (or anything). So I'd have to empty the "overflow" chest under the farm manually. I can do it at first, but later I'd like to automate it, but so far I haven't come up with anything that would work.

 

[Skullywag]

The ejector can do that when given a redstone pulse, it could pull from the chest and output to a conveyor. The only annoyance is the pulse.

 

[AnttiV]

Ooh. Ejector, you say? I'd forgotten about that.. Needs leagues of RedNet cabling or some other contraption though.... Hmm. I'll check this.

Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk

 

[immibis]

Put a belt on top of the collector.

 

[Hoff]

Ooh. Ejector, you say? I'd forgotten about that.. Needs leagues of RedNet cabling or some other contraption though.... Hmm. I'll check this.

Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk

Easy pulser(ComputerCraft computer):

while true do
   rs.setOutput("back", true)
   sleep(0)
   rs.setOutput("back", false)
   sleep(1)
end

If you want to change the speed change only the second sleep time.

 

[AnttiV]

Immibis: Yes that is the easiest way out, but it doesn't really work with a planter. It works with practically every other machine, but not this one. Why? Because I'd then need to stick the collector beside, not under the planter, which would put the belts on the same level as the dirt where the plants grow... So possible, but far from ideal. The belts would take too much of the available growing space if they were on the same level.

Hoff: Yep, Computers/Turtles would be ideal for that, unfortunately - no ComputerCraft.

Well, RedNet controllers are not THAT costly...

 

[immibis]

It works as long as you don't mind sacrificing 3 blocks of growing space. If the planter is upgraded much, the 3 blocks don't really matter. If you're using fertilizer, the 3 blocks don't really matter.

Alternative idea: instead of the chest, have you tried a hopper pointing at a conveyor belt?

 

[AnttiV]

Immibis: I don't know if I should thank you, or kick you Your hopper-solution works -perfectly-, but now I'm constantly out of iron (I've made a.. decent... amount of hoppers lately

I ended up moving and rearranging the farm almost completely, and in the process upgraded the planter&harvester with emeralds. Now I've got space to spare and I just run the belts across the fields in a straight line from the harvester to the planter (and then forward to where the products will be used). Like you said, one row out of the whole field isn't that much when they are upgraded.

What I learned from/experienced with this, is that I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to once in awhile "try it differently". I've been playing with FTB Unleashed (and before that Ultimate) for the longest time, but this "foray into" UE & a completely different pack was actually very fun. UE is a very fun mod to play with and while stuff takes a whole h*ll lot more space, the factories you can make with UE + Assembly Line look much, much cooler than a few TE machines in a row

(plus UE power generation is also way cooler than a few solars or a steam boiler. Fueling the steam boiler can be fun though...)

 

[PierceSG]

I do play with UE, but specifically with only Mekanism, Atomic Science, Basic Components (needed for AS I think) and UE Core (needed?). I don't think the rest are updated for 1.6.4?