Am I using too many "NOT" gates for automation?

[giygus]

It feels like there are more then a few buildings that output the opposite color signal then logic would dictate for the machines intended use and likely setup.  A simple NOT gate in-between will fix the problem, but I feel like I am missing something.  3 examples in my current base: 

• Space scanner and bunker doors.  Bunker doors need red to close, but Space Scanner outputs green when detecting meteor showers.
• Material Study Terminal emits green when full, but Radbolt Chamber needs green to emit
• Radbolt Chamber emits green when full, but Radbolt Generator needs red to be turned off.

Are my setups odd in someway, am I missing something?  I understand that Space scanners and Radbolt chambers are used in more setups then the basic ones I am familiar with.  But I still feel like something is off, either the game just setup a bit odd in terms of emitted signals, or there is some automation logic I have never picked up on.

Any thoughts?

[MrAnimaniac]

I think your observation is correct. I assume, the reason is consistency in between different signalers. You would expect a sensor to return True if whatever it is measuring is detected or if the process of filling sth up is done.

For more complicated cases you can use bools algebra to see if you can simplify your circuit.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Knurek]

Hello @giygus

Space scanner can also detect things like rockets and interplanetary payloads. You may sometimes want the doors to only open when a rocket needs clearance. There are also meteor blasters in the game now and you can use automation from space scanner to turn them on only when a meteor shower is coming. For me it only makes sense for the scanners to output green when they detect something.

Generally radbolt storage in the buildings reflects the logic of smart bins and fridges - all send green when full. In some cases it's helpful - in some it is not.
Automation signals from buildings that use radbolts can for instance be used to redirect radbolts by activating a radbolt reflector in-between. For example you can put a reflector between a material study and a radbolt generator and set it to redirect radbolts to a diamond press when no research is needed and then another reflector to redirect to a radbolt engine when the press needs no more. Or you can put a radbolt chamber before each of these buildings that consume radbolts and when the chamber is full redirect radbolts to charge the next one. Green signal from the material study can also be used to for example open the door to the lab only after the study is full  (or use green signal from it's dedicated radbolt chamber) as to not waste travel time of your researcher to come back and forth and use the building with 5 radbolts left in it.

[blakemw]

Nah. The game is just not consistent. Like Smart Batteries output green when they need power, and Radbolt storages output red when they need radbolts.

Though in some cases a red signal actually means "on", a relatively common trick to automate buildings that don't ahve an automation signal (examples: planter box, manual radbolt generator) is to build the building on a mechanical airlock, and wire the automation signal into the airlock, a red signal keeps the airlock closed and the building activated. Since I fairly commonly use wheezeworts in planterboxes or manual radbolt generators I often use the red signal directly.

[Knurek]

@blakemw Except these buildings are very different because one of them has sliders to set the settings for automation output and that is completely another matter.

[pether]

17 hours ago, giygus said:

Am I using too many "NOT" gates for automation?

not.

[Gurgel]

Use as many NOT gates as you need. They are cheap and there really is no way to get rid of them. Logical circuits have tons of them. 

 

[giygus]

Thank you for the answers.  I will keep using the NOT gates as needed, and just write it off as just a little quirky.

[Saturnus]

On 7/16/2023 at 6:00 PM, pether said:

not.

More precisely:
 

Not not, NOT

[pether]

3 minutes ago, Saturnus said:

Not not, NOT

Who's there?

[Saturnus]

1 hour ago, pether said:

Who's there?

OR

[pether]

52 minutes ago, Saturnus said:

OR

OR who?

[Saturnus]

On 7/18/2023 at 12:17 AM, pether said:

OR who?

NOT wife, XOR