Why do my NG generators run despite full batteries?

[GrimerX]

I'd like them to switch off when not needed to reduce pollution and heat - is it because fuel is auto loaded the 'Current Threshold' is not honored?

Side note : It would be useful to have a 'charge' switch with a small draw that you could use to switch off items in a staged manner as battery levels decrease as a means to prioritize power.    

Cheers,

Ian

[Nidhoggur]

Yeah, it's kida like that. As long as you send fuel to it, it works.

Charge switch isn't really needed. They just need to change it that if batteries are above the threshold, the gen doen't accept fuel.

[Masterpintsman]

The slider on the Natural Gas and Hydrogen Generators should be removed or be made functional in the sense that a duplicant will come by and en-/disable it according to the battery level (but then it should better be replaced by a two-slider thing as the massage tables to avoid a duplicant constantly toggling it).

But I would like a more general electrical switch that could detect if a wire has power (and at the same time acts as a diode on the switched line so we can build logic with it), together with the advanced version. Shameless plug, emphasis mine:

 

On 8.6.2017 at 7:23 AM, Masterpintsman said:

I would be happy to have an electrical toggled switch, 1x3 sized similar to a liquid/gas filter with input, enable (middle connection) and output - with a toggle in the interface that negates (NOT) the detection on the enable connector.

This would also double as a diode (power only flowing through it in one direction) if detection is set to NOT and enable is not connected.

A second tier version of it could have additional options regarding detection, like above/below available/consumption/production and a threshold slider.

An additional second tier version of it wouldn't hurt.

 

[CodingKitteh]

1 hour ago, Masterpintsman said:

The slider on the Natural Gas and Hydrogen Generators should be removed or be made functional in the sense that a duplicant will come by and en-/disable it according to the battery level (but then it should better be replaced by a two-slider thing as the massage tables to avoid a duplicant constantly toggling it).

But I would like a more general electrical switch that could detect if a wire has power (and at the same time acts as a diode on the switched line so we can build logic with it), together with the advanced version. Shameless plug, emphasis mine:

 

An additional second tier version of it wouldn't hurt.

 

It makes sense that a coal generator akin to a furnace cannot be switched off instantly. It also adds in resource allocation mechanics: are you going to burn that 500 kg of coal when your batteries are at 70%? That's what the slider is for. Having a bigger battery setup will consume that 500 kg of coal very easily. 

Turn on coal @ 30% then let it run to completion and it will only contribute possibly 40% to battery pool

 

You can already do simple logic (AND/OR) gates with switches when connected in series + parallel combinations

[Kasuha]

As Masterpintsman wrote, sliders on power generators are "generate duplicant jobs" switches. It works great for the wheel, it works somewhat for coal generator, and they have no effect for gas generators since they don't require any duplicant attention.

In my playing, I did not ever care much about switching natural generators off since after certain stage, the supply of natural gas is steady enough to keep them running constantly. Saving the gas only leads to your gas geysers or the fertilizer maker room going over pressure, it does not actually save anything.

However, there is a way to stop gas delivery to your natural gas generators. It's complex, you need to dedicate a dupe to it, and it's not 100% reliable but it exists. It may look something like this:

The left wheel has lower priority than the right wheel. The important part is that there's only one duplicant that has access to them, and running on them is his only job. As long as the batteries are not charged, he will run the right wheel. When the batteries are charged up, he will leave the wheel and will switch to the other wheel, starting up the pump.

The pump in the chamber acts as an invertor. As long as the pump is running, there's lower pressure in the chamber and that will deactivate the atmo switch, cutting power to the pump delivering gas to the generator.

The purpose of the transformer is to provide tiny battery that will let the dupe to step off the wheel every so often. As soon as the batteries in the main bank become discharged too much, he will return to the right wheel.

[onebit]

We need battery sensors.

[eloy2030]

On 6/13/2017 at 6:43 AM, Kasuha said:

As Masterpintsman wrote, sliders on power generators are "generate duplicant jobs" switches. It works great for the wheel, it works somewhat for coal generator, and they have no effect for gas generators since they don't require any duplicant attention.

In my playing, I did not ever care much about switching natural generators off since after certain stage, the supply of natural gas is steady enough to keep them running constantly. Saving the gas only leads to your gas geysers or the fertilizer maker room going over pressure, it does not actually save anything.

However, there is a way to stop gas delivery to your natural gas generators. It's complex, you need to dedicate a dupe to it, and it's not 100% reliable but it exists. It may look something like this:

The left wheel has lower priority than the right wheel. The important part is that there's only one duplicant that has access to them, and running on them is his only job. As long as the batteries are not charged, he will run the right wheel. When the batteries are charged up, he will leave the wheel and will switch to the other wheel, starting up the pump.

The pump in the chamber acts as an invertor. As long as the pump is running, there's lower pressure in the chamber and that will deactivate the atmo switch, cutting power to the pump delivering gas to the generator.

The purpose of the transformer is to provide tiny battery that will let the dupe to step off the wheel every so often. As soon as the batteries in the main bank become discharged too much, he will return to the right wheel.

This gave me an idea, what if u used it the opposite way? The Wheel powers up the pump that delivers gas to the generator.

[Nidhoggur]

1 hour ago, eloy2030 said:

This gave me an idea, what if u used it the opposite way? The Wheel powers up the pump that delivers gas to the generator.

Nah, it wouldn't work... The point of the second lower priority wheel is to be spinned when your batteries are charged enough. That's when you don't need the gas gen running.

[eloy2030]

13 minutes ago, Nidhoggur said:

Nah, it wouldn't work... The point of the second lower priority wheel is to be spinned when your batteries are charged enough. That's when you don't need the gas gen running.

well, but u wouldn't set it that way... but the other way around... when they are low, of course.

[Nidhoggur]

10 hours ago, eloy2030 said:

well, but u wouldn't set it that way... but the other way around... when they are low, of course.

Um, problem is, that wheel can't read the batteries which are on the other circuit. And if you put it on the circuit with the batteries, the pump will always run. even if they are charged enough

[eloy2030]

10 minutes ago, Nidhoggur said:

Um, problem is, that wheel can't read the batteries which are on the other circuit. And if you put it on the circuit with the batteries, the pump will always run. even if they are charged enough

oh, u'r right.