From: Zefram Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 16:13:28 +0000 (+0100) Subject: Start of manual chapter on powered machines X-Git-Url: http://81.2.79.47:8989/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=04e911f94b6ac2edc6a649c4360dee30688594d8;p=zefram%2Fminetest%2Ftechnic.git Start of manual chapter on powered machines --- diff --git a/manual.md b/manual.md index d4a8502..22c91bd 100644 --- a/manual.md +++ b/manual.md @@ -739,6 +739,115 @@ the electrical system which is 100% efficient in moving energy around. To transfer more than 10000 EU/s between networks, connect multiple supply converters in parallel. +powered machines +---------------- + +### powered machine tiers ### + +Each powered machine takes its power in some specific form, being +either fuel-fired (burning fuel directly) or electrically powered at +some specific voltage. There is a general progression through the +game from using fuel-fired machines to electrical machines, and to +higher electrical voltages. The most important kinds of machine come +in multiple variants that are powered in different ways, so the earlier +ones can be superseded. However, some machines are only available for +a specific power tier, so the tier can't be entirely superseded. + +### powered machine upgrades ### + +Some machines have inventory slots that are used to upgrade them in +some way. Generally, machines of MV and HV tiers have two upgrade slots, +and machines of lower tiers (fuel-fired and LV) do not. Any item can +be placed in an upgrade slot, but only specific items will have any +upgrading effect. It is possible to have multiple upgrades of the same +type, but this can't be achieved by stacking more than one upgrade item +in one slot: it is necessary to put the same kind of item in more than one +upgrade slot. The ability to upgrade machines is therefore very limited. +Two kinds of upgrade are currently possible: an energy upgrade and a +tube upgrade. + +An energy upgrade consists of a battery item, the same kind of battery +that serves as a mobile energy store. The effect of an energy upgrade +is to improve in some way the machine's use of electrical energy, most +often by making it use less energy. The upgrade effect has no relation +to energy stored in the battery: the battery's charge level is irrelevant +and will not be affected. + +A tube upgrade consists of a control logic unit item. The effect of a +tube upgrade is to make the machine able, or more able, to eject items +it has finished with into pneumatic tubes. The machines that can take +this kind of upgrade are in any case capable of accepting inputs from +pneumatic tubes. These upgrades are essential in using powered machines +as components in larger automated systems. + +### tubes with powered machines ### + +Generally, powered machines of MV and HV tiers can work with pneumatic +tubes, and those of lower tiers cannot. (As an exception, the fuel-fired +furnace from the basic Minetest game can accept inputs through tubes, +but can't output into tubes.) + +If a machine can accept inputs through tubes at all, then this +is a capability of the basic machine, not requiring any upgrade. +Most item-processing machines take only one kind of input, and in that +case they will accept that input from any direction. This doesn't match +how tubes visually connect to the machines: generally tubes will visually +connect to any face except the front, but an item passing through a tube +in front of the machine will actually be accepted into the machine. + +A minority of machines take more than one kind of input, and in that +case the input slot into which an arriving item goes is determined by the +direction from which it arrives. In this case the machine may be picky +about the direction of arriving items, associating each input type with +a single face of the machine and not accepting inputs at all through the +remaining faces. Again, the visual connection of tubes doesn't match: +generally tubes will still visually connect to any face except the front, +thus connecting to faces that neither accept inputs nor emit outputs. + +Machines do not accept items from tubes into non-input inventory slots: +the output slots or upgrade slots. Output slots are normally filled +only by the processing operation of the machine, and upgrade slots must +be filled manually. + +Powered machines generally do not eject outputs into tubes without +an upgrade. One tube upgrade will make them eject outputs at a slow +rate; a second tube upgrade will increase the rate. Whether the slower +rate is adequate depends on how it compares to the rate at which the +machine produces outputs, and on how the machine is being used as part +of a larger construct. The machine always ejects its outputs through a +particular face, usually a side. Due to a bug, the side through which +outputs are ejected is not consistent: when the machine is rotated one +way, the direction of ejection is rotated the other way. This will +probably be fixed some day, but because a straightforward fix would +break half the machines already in use, the fix may be tied to some +larger change such as free selection of the direction of ejection. + +### battery boxes ### + +The primary purpose of battery boxes is to temporarily store electrical +energy to let an electrical network cope with mismatched supply and +demand. They have a secondary purpose of charging and discharging +powered tools. They are thus a mixture of electrical infrastructure, +powered machine, and generator. + +MV and HV battery boxes have upgrade slots. Energy upgrades increase +the capacity of a battery box, each by 10% of the un-upgraded capacity. +This increase is far in excess of the capacity of the battery that forms +the upgrade. + +For charging and discharging of power tools, rather than having input and +output slots, each battery box has a charging slot and a discharging slot. +A fully charged/discharged item stays in its slot. The rates at which a +battery box can charge and discharge increase with voltage, so it can +be worth building a battery box of higher tier before one has other +infrastructure of that tier, just to get access to faster charging. + +MV and HV battery boxes work with pneumatic tubes. An item can be input +to the charging slot through the bottom of the battery box, or to the +discharging slot through the top. Items are not accepted through the +front, back, or sides. With a tube upgrade, fully charged/discharged +tools (as appropriate for their slot) will be ejected through a side. + administrative world anchor --------------------------- @@ -801,9 +910,6 @@ subjects missing from this manual This manual needs to be extended with sections on: * powered machines - * machine upgrades - * how machines interact with tubes - * battery box * processing machines * CNC machine * music player