How to modify IC2 Cables

[Lycanite]

I've been searching for a while but couldn't find any information on how to alter the properties of Industrial craft 2 cables or if its even possible without diving into the source.

Basically for my server I don't like how bad the cables are such as copper insulted, gold 2x and hv 3x and I want to make them all almost as efficient as glass fiber (keeping their max EU limits but reducing their EU loss), this way players will be encouraged to use the different cable types rather than using just glass fiber everywhere. I'll probably make glass fiber never lose EU so that it can be use for huge distances, same with tin.

[disconsented]

Without modding the mod you pretty much can't. Besides the loss is quite small. If you want to transfer long range use Extreme Voltage or MFSU carts

[gavjenks]

I've been searching for a while but couldn't find any information on how to alter the properties of Industrial craft 2 cables or if its even possible without diving into the source.

Basically for my server I don't like how bad the cables are such as copper insulted, gold 2x and hv 3x and I want to make them all almost as efficient as glass fiber (keeping their max EU limits but reducing their EU loss), this way players will be encouraged to use the different cable types rather than using just glass fiber everywhere. I'll probably make glass fiber never lose EU so that it can be use for huge distances, same with tin.

The solution to this problem is not changing the cable code, but educating the player base. Most of these cables, used correctly, have plenty of uses as-is, and the losses are minimal on all of them (again, if used correctly).

If you have <5 EU packets (wind / water farms, traditional solar flowers, etc.): Obviously tin cable is the best up to 40 blocks from your farm. it can hold Eu from infinitely many solars or winds or hydros. And you can fit a LOT of solar panels in 40 block radius (6400 Eu/tick worth, to be exact).

The other cables depend on how far you're sending the energy and how long it's going to be running for. For anything short term or disposable (like mining machines in dangerous environments), for instance, glass fiber cable is almost certainly the worst choice. A single unit of glass fiber cable requires something like 350,000 EU in savings to justify the cost, and since it generally only saves you 0.5-2% or so over other alternatives, tens of millions of EU must flow through one before it pays for itself.

Similarly, by far the cheapest and most efficient way to send large amounts of electricity large distances (up to 100 blocks or so, after that I suggest using crystals and ender chests) is probably uninsulated HV cable. 100 block long uninsulated HV cable stepped up to extreme voltage will deliver over 95% of its power safely to its destination, at a pathetically low cost of about 13 iron ore for the entire length. In a pinch, 200 or 300 block long HV wouldn't even be unreasonable (85%+ transmission).

Compare the most extreme example above:

glass fiber, 300 blocks: 99.7% transmission, cost of 50 diamonds and 100 silver, can handle 512 Eu/tick

EV cable, 300 blocks: 85% transmission, cost of half a stack of iron ore and 2 diamonds (for transformers)

AND if you actually have more than 512 EU/tick you need to transmit, then glass becomes vastly more expensive. To transmit 2048 EUs, you'd need four separate fiber lines, for a total of 1200 blocks, and a cost of 200 diamonds, 400 silver, compared to half a stack of iron ore and 2 diamonds.

How much energy would you need to send through the system to make up that extra cost?

200 diamonds = 1800 UU matter. Silver can't even be made with UU, but if we go by EMC values, let's pretend it costs 1/16th as much, so another 225 UU matter.

In your mass fabs: 2025 UU = 2 billion EU. With 15% savings per pulse in the cables, you'd need to send 13.3 billion EU through the system before the extra cost of the glass fiber is paid off.

If you were getting your 2048 EU/tick from a nuclear reactor, for instance, that would mean your first 1,850 or so uranium cells would be burned before paying off your glass fiber

[Xylord]

Words

This all make sense, but there's one thing that doesn't work for me :

"To transmit 2048 EUs, you'd need four separate fiber lines"

? But, you don't. You just have to step down the voltage with an HV transformer and one fiber line will handle it perfectly. Just throwing this correction out there.

Proof : I have a CASUC nuclear reactor that makes a good 2050 or so EU/t. I have an HV transformer aside it, which take in the EV and gives HV on the other side, and I then have glass fiber until I'm at my MFSU. Just one line does it.

[Sacrieur]

Voltage isn't the same as current, people.

[gavjenks]

Oh right fair enough. Still though, it's never one clear choice. There's also the fact, for instance, that most survival players probably wouldn't have 200 diamonds sitting around to invest up front for such a project. So you might want to begin with HV even if you swap it out later. Etc.

Voltage isn't the same as current, people.

Uh well, neither really makes any sense in Industrialcraft, so appealing to common sense real world analogues is pretty misleading.

Voltage in IC isn't anything like real life voltage. There are no "packets" and IC has nothing to do with electrical potential. And current in real life is totally different, too. Unlike in IC, current is not what determines amount of work done. Wattage does. And you can obviously not send infinite current through any given wire, or you wouldn't see high tension power lines as you drive down the road... you'd see a little thing piece of doorbell wire wrapped aroud some pencils or something, carrying our national energy grid through it.

[Lycanite]

So if I had a basic nuclear reactor (I can't remember which type it is but its the most efficient of the reactors which don't overheat). Would using 3x insulated HV cables throughout my city of around 512 blocks be a good idea? I want to avoid having to use things things other than a network of cables so things are nice and simplified.

[Xylord]

So if I had a basic nuclear reactor (I can't remember which type it is but its the most efficient of the reactors which don't overheat). Would using 3x insulated HV cables throughout my city of around 512 blocks be a good idea? I want to avoid having to use things things other than a network of cables so things are nice and simplified.

No, because you'd lose a lot of power. The best would be to step down the current to HV with a transformer and use glass fiber.

[Lycanite]

No, because you'd lose a lot of power. The best would be to step down the current to HV with a transformer and use glass fiber.

Hmm I see, this is why I'd like to modify it, it would be simpler to use copper for LV, gold for MV and HV cables for HV voltage. I'm sure many people will disagree but this is what I'd like to achieve for my server.