Using a router in with redpower2 sorting system?

[Jeff Fisher]

Im trying to make a sorting system with barrels and chests and I can get it to work perfect if I leave a space above the barrels for tubes but then I can fit less barrels and it looks kinda ugly.

Using a router would let me have all the barrels touching but...

If I put a router into the line of my sorting system would it be smart enough only to take the items into the router that can go into the barrels?

Like having my sorting system hooked up with pnumatic tubes and sorting machines for chests and then the tubes connecting to a router for the barrels instead of tubes connecting each barrel..

Can tubes even connect to a router? I know nothing about routers.
Thanks

 

[trunksbomb]

If your router is in extraction mode, it will pull everything out of your sorting chest unless you've got an item filter on the router.
If your router is in insertion mode, it will accept all items that are piped into it, even those which don't have a valid barrel.

Considering most router/barrel combos are used with the router in "Insert to top" mode, you'll have to either only send items to the router that you have an appropriate barrel for, or plan for items to get stuck in the router and have some way to get them out.

Easiest way to only send items to the router that have a corresponding barrel would be to attach a sorting machine inline to the barrel in the manner of tube->sorting machine->tube->router. The router will touch at least one barrel, and not touch the sorting machine to avoid interacting with it. In the sorting machine, put in all the items that you have barrels for- if you've got more than 40 barrels then add another sorting machine inline. In this way, you're using the sorting machine as a super-sized filter- if you wanted to do this without having to get into blutricity or if you don't have many barrels, you can use filters in place of sorting machines.