Adjustable Transformers -- Allow limits to power flow through a transformer.

[Zarquan]

Transformers are a bit awkward for their purpose, as a way of transferring power from one grid to another.  They are awkward because they only transfer 1 or 4 kW.  While this can be used to ensure 1-way power movement, it often causes overloads because we can't throttle them. 

I think it would be a good idea to implement a mechanism similar to the Adjustable Transformer mod into the game.  This would allow the player to limit the power flow through a transformer, giving the player more control over how their grid operates to prevent overloads. 

An example is a liquid pump that is itself throttled by a 100 g/s valve.  It, on average, consumes 2.4 W, but it causes spikes on its grid to 240W 1% of the time.  If we could put a power transformer that is set to 5 W and put the pump in with a smart battery, then it would only ever draw 5 W to the grid and still be able to run correctly. 

Another example:  I have an aquatuner in my base that only exists to run a deep freezer.  The aquatuner is massive overkill, so it only runs 1.2% of the time.  This means that it, on average, only costs about 1.4 W.  But it results in gigantic power spikes of 1200 W that can easily fry even conductive wires on an early game power grid.  If I could put in a power transformer and throttle the power supplied to 5 W and put a battery in, then I could easily and safely run this on an early game power grid without causing overloads.

This throttling could also be used to make a large transformer more useful by allowing us to throttle it to 2 kW or use it at its full 4 kW capacity if we need to connect generators to a power spine.

This change would add a large amount of versatility to grid designs in ONI and improve the gameplay experience.

[Firecart]

I feel like this would only really be useful for the heavy transformer because it's able to let 4 kW through

[Zarquan]

7 minutes ago, Firecart said:

I feel like this would only really be useful for the heavy transformer because it's able to let 4 kW through

I think the two examples that I currently have running in my base are also pretty good use cases for a small transformer having this property.  The aquatuner especially is annoying to have to run a dedicated 2 kW line from my spine when it only draws about 2 W on average.  A near-constant 5 W transformer would not overload my circuit, but a burst of 1200 W can. 

[Henlikuoth]

The purpose of the 4KW transformer eludes me to this very day.

But maybe someone can enlighten me? How and in what situations can that transformer be used reasonably?

 

[Zarquan]

18 minutes ago, Henlikuoth said:

The purpose of the 4KW transformer eludes me to this very day.

But maybe someone can enlighten me? How and in what situations can that transformer be used reasonably?

 

The reason for 4 kW existing is legacy.  It used to provide 1000 J of energy every tick,  which at the time was once every 4 seconds.  That led to 4 kW.

I use them in my colonies in 2 major ways. 

1. Transferring energy from one heavi-watt grid to another.  I often do this with solar panels to allow the main grid to use smart batteries while still being able to use battery modules on the source grid without having problems with the battery percentages.  It is a little silly that they only do 4 kW for this purpose, as I often need more than 1. 
2. On throttled grids (grids previously limited to 2 kW by 2 small transformers and no battery), they can provide more than 1 kW to a sub-grid.  This situation is rarer, but I do this with single small transformers all the time (e.g. main grid -> 2 small power transformers -> throttled 2 kW grid with no battery -> 1 small power transformer -> grid with battery and aquatuner (consumer-limited to 2 kW), which is how my current deep freezer works.)

[Henlikuoth]

41 minutes ago, Zarquan said:

legacy

Hmm, I cannot find any reason to use them. Usually, I use two small transformers to limit the current to 2KW, but that sometimes seems clumsy.

The two situations you mentioned sound interesting, but I cannot see that in my plays. 

I would have nothing against Klei refining the whole energy/electricity system and making it more elaborate, with more uses and mechanics. The way it is right now is not bad, but it is a bit simplistic once you understand the system.