Subnetworks

[weirleader]

Because we've already largely derailed this thread, I want to halt the damage by starting a new thread specifically for discussion of subnetwork troubles.

The images below show what's been working for me, but I admit it's a bit of a workaround since I can't figure how else to configure a subnetwork with the current version of Applied Energistics (the 'directional arrow' version of ME Interfaces are not yet available). So I used Item Tesseracts to keep the subnetwork separate but allow items to be dropped into it.

http://imgur.com/wrNZQzS,qTbNsf2,MUGA3Fs,lgKnlWm

EDIT: Dewfire, maybe you could show a picture of your own setup? I can't imagine how items (e.g. frames) would keep getting sent if you only requested one.

EDIT2: corrected 2nd link

[CharlieChop]

Hey there weir, thanks for the help with this issue.

Ps. Both links take you to my thread.

[Prototype958]

Thanks Weir! I have no idea what the hell a subnetwork is but now I at least understand how to set up my Crucible/Transposer to my ME network. Those were the last few things I was still doing manually. =P

[Dewfire]

Took a couple screenshots, but I had it set up the same as my Energy Conduits, and those worked fine. For my Energy I had Magma Crucible on top of my Liquid Transposer with Redstone feeding into it via Export BUS until full. The Liquid redstone then kept the Transposer full of Redstone and ready to go. I then set an ME Interface on the side with the cfrafting pattern of One Empty Energy Cell Frame --> Energy Cell Frame Full. It worked perfectly, however, I noticed shortly there after that it never stopped with just the one, it kept filling them. I ended up having almost a stack of them.

The conduits are set up the same, and they work perfectly.

[dwwojcik]

I have an AE question for ya.

Is it possible to keep a certain number of items crafted in a system? I'm coming up with ideas for a system, and to conserve energy I thought it would be cool to maintain a set number of ingots in my system instead of automatically smelting every ore. The closest thing to what I'm looking for that I know of is an export bus with a level emitter, but that setup would make precision impossible do to smelting not being instant. If I set an induction smelter up with an interface with a pattern in it, is there a way to configure a system to automatically craft something like

2000 - [ironIngotsInSystem] = [NumberToCraft]

If this is possible it would be useful to keep small amounts of specialty items like a couple of stacks of glass in stock.

[weirleader]

Took a couple screenshots, but I had it set up the same as my Energy Conduits, and those worked fine. For my Energy I had Magma Crucible on top of my Liquid Transposer with Redstone feeding into it via Export BUS until full. The Liquid redstone then kept the Transposer full of Redstone and ready to go. I then set an ME Interface on the side with the cfrafting pattern of One Empty Energy Cell Frame --> Energy Cell Frame Full. It worked perfectly, however, I noticed shortly there after that it never stopped with just the one, it kept filling them. I ended up having almost a stack of them.

The conduits are set up the same, and they work perfectly.

did you post the screenshots? I know your conduits work, but I'm still suspecting something minor that's affecting the setup. And, out of curiosity, do you have an ME Crafting Monitor on your system? It'd be interesting to see if it somehow thought there were more items requested (e.g., you have it craft 1 but the monitor shows 10).

you're not using any level emitters and Export Buses for the Cell Frames, are you? (I know you said Interface, but just trying to think of what could be causing this; an Export Bus set to export a stack instead of a single item has definitely tripped me up before)

and, of course, it might just be a glitch/bug

Thanks Weir! I have no idea what the hell a subnetwork is but now I at least understand how to set up my Crucible/Transposer to my ME network. Those were the last few things I was still doing manually. =P

Hey Prototype, the subnetwork is a workaround for exact production of items. If I were to use a Storage Bus in my main network, it would keep the Magma Crucible full of Redstone at all times and I'd never be able to put in any Glowstone or Ender Pearls. So then you have a setup like Dewfire, where he has dedicated a Magma Crucible to Redstone. It's not bad, because by the time an ME Network is up and running you'll usually have plenty of resources to build multiple processing machines. Another option people go for (which I used before subnetworks) is to have an ME Interface drop recipe items into a chest, then pump them into a pipe network for distribution (because, for example, Energy Conduit requires materials to be dropped into two different machines and the current setup doesn't allow for this specifically).

A subnetwork is just an ME Network with differently-colored ME Cable so it won't connect to an existing ME Network. In later versions of Applied Energistics, there are ways to share power between the two networks and ways to more elegantly set up ME Interface connections; but at the moment I just send recipe ingredients via Tesseract and then rather than Import/Export, the trick is to just 'Store' items into machines. So they get dropped in and processed... then pulled back into the main network via an ME Import Bus as complete products.

[Prototype958]

I have an AE question for ya.

Is it possible to keep a certain number of items crafted in a system? I'm coming up with ideas for a system, and to conserve energy I thought it would be cool to maintain a set number of ingots in my system instead of automatically smelting every ore. The closest thing to what I'm looking for that I know of is an export bus with a level emitter, but that setup would make precision impossible do to smelting not being instant. If I set an induction smelter up with an interface with a pattern in it, is there a way to configure a system to automatically craft something like

2000 - [ironIngotsInSystem] = [NumberToCraft]

If this is possible it would be useful to keep small amounts of specialty items like a couple of stacks of glass in stock.

Yes! You can set up level emitters on specific machines or BUSes. Level emitters can be set to either turn off or send a redstone signal when a certain item reaches a certain quantity. I have my ME network set up to automatically cook up glass and stone when I get low. The level emitter monitors how much I currently have, and when I think 150-200 it kicks on, sending a signal to the export bus to stop feeding sand/cobble to the furnace. =P

[dwwojcik]

Yes! You can set up level emitters on specific machines or BUSes. Level emitters can be set to either turn off or send a redstone signal when a certain item reaches a certain quantity. I have my ME network set up to automatically cook up glass and stone when I get low. The level emitter monitors how much I currently have, and when I think 150-200 it kicks on, sending a signal to the export bus to stop feeding sand/cobble to the furnace. =P

Does it work with ME Interfaces? I'm planning on using Induction Smelters with sand.

[weirleader]

I have an AE question for ya.

Is it possible to keep a certain number of items crafted in a system? I'm coming up with ideas for a system, and to conserve energy I thought it would be cool to maintain a set number of ingots in my system instead of automatically smelting every ore. The closest thing to what I'm looking for that I know of is an export bus with a level emitter, but that setup would make precision impossible do to smelting not being instant. If I set an induction smelter up with an interface with a pattern in it, is there a way to configure a system to automatically craft something like

2000 - [ironIngotsInSystem] = [NumberToCraft]

If this is possible it would be useful to keep small amounts of specialty items like a couple of stacks of glass in stock.

Are you saying, for example, that you don't want 2005 Iron Ingots? I know if you have your level emitter sent to drop in single items you'll get closer to that specific amount, but I don't know of any way around that slight slightly fuzzy moving target effect. The way AE works, it's not like they take up a lot of extra space... but maybe you're just detail-oriented?

I've used level emitters to keep a certain level of Glass or Quartz Dusts in my system, but I just ignore that the numbers aren't 'perfect'.

[Prototype958]

Are you saying, for example, that you don't want 2005 Iron Ingots? I know if you have your level emitter sent to drop in single items you'll get closer to that specific amount, but I don't know of any way around that slight slightly fuzzy moving target effect. The way AE works, it's not like they take up a lot of extra space... but maybe you're just detail-oriented?

I've used level emitters to keep a certain level of Glass or Quartz Dusts in my system, but I just ignore that the numbers aren't 'perfect'.

Yea I guess I should have mentioned that mine was the same way. It stops FEEDING sand into the furnace when the network has 200, but what ever was already in the furnace still cooks after. =P

[dwwojcik]

Yeah, I think I'll have to live with it. I just thought it would be cool to have a wall of storage monitors in my factory with 2k of every type of metal. (Even shiny ingots! $_$)

I suppose If I really wanted to, I could hook up a computer to level emitters and add ores one by one to see how many to.... meh, whatever, I'll deal with it.

[weirleader]

Yeah, I think I'll have to live with it. I just thought it would be cool to have a wall of storage monitors in my factory with 2k of every type of metal. (Even shiny ingots! $_$)

I suppose If I really wanted to, I could hook up a computer to level emitters and add ores one by one to see how many to.... meh, whatever, I'll deal with it.

or, if you really want to, you could set up level emitters to dump excess ingots into Deep Storage when they go over 2000. :-)

That's a bit insane, but you'll have your perfect monitors!

[dwwojcik]

Well, I have a few options:

1. Live with it.
   
2. Dump extras out of the grid.
   
3. Dump extras in lava.
   
4. Set up a second fake network specifically for the monitors.
   

I'm not sure, but number one seems like it makes the most sense.

One small question: Do minium stones work in crafting recipes?

[weirleader]

yeah, living with it makes the most sense to me.

I never have tried a minium stone in a crafting recipe -- guess you just volunteered yourself to be the guinea pig!

[Karaktar]

or you could apply the level emitter to the machine instead then it wont do that it will stop the machine when it reaches your goal

or set your lvl emitter 64 below your goal that way it should hit the mark exactly

[Prototype958]

Also, despite all of these great ideas, you could just go for the 10k mark. Lol. 10k plus items and the Storage monitors convert the numbers to 10k, 11k, 12k, etc. They you don't have to be so precise. =P

Plus, having 10k of something is way more impressive then 2000. Lol

[dwwojcik]

or you could apply the level emitter to the machine instead then it wont do that it will stop the machine when it reaches your goal

=O

Genius!

Plus, having 10k of something is way more impressive then 2000. Lol

Yup.

However, my intention was to keep just as many as I needed in the network to save a bit of power, and 2000 seemed like plenty. In practice 200 might be enough.

EDIT:

Ok, I think I've got it:

[Dewfire]

Point the Level emitter at the Precision Export Bus dwwojcik, easiest to place it over it and use it in place of the cable there.

Weir, no I have not posted the screenshots, I took the BUSs off it to stop it and I have not put them back still. Will try and do that today. Yea when I looked in the crafting monitor, the requested number of FULL Cells never decreased, so it wasn't registering them as being made for some reason.

[dwwojcik]

Point the Level emitter at the Precision Export Bus dwwojcik, easiest to place it over it and use it in place of the cable there.

But then it would control the export bus, not the induction smelter.

[CharlieChop]

If the problem in these networks is the excessive fillig of energy cells and conduits... Wouldnt it be better to control it by not having empty conduits/energy cells? Both require to be built by the mac, and hardened glass, electrum ngots can be controlled via level emiters...... XD

You could basically teach the system to craft full conduits by just using 2 electrum and one hardened glass... The filling would be automatic. The redstone fill would be simple as its easy to keep a liquid transposer full of it all all times.

[KiwiUSA]

If the problem in these networks is the excessive fillig of energy cells and conduits... Wouldnt it be better to control it by not having empty conduits/energy cells? Both require to be built by the mac, and hardened glass, electrum ngots can be controlled via level emiters...... XD

You could basically teach the system to craft full conduits by just using 2 electrum and one hardened glass... The filling would be automatic. The redstone fill would be simple as its easy to keep a liquid transposer full of it all all times.

That's the easiest way I've found. I keep a pair of Liquid Transposers (Redstone and Ender) fully stocked at all times via a pair of export bus / Magma Crucible. Then just have crafting patterns in the Transposers AE Interface for 1 empty conduit = 1 full conduit etc.

A bit expensive to setup, especially for the ender, but it works well on 1.1.5. Note there is a bug in the AE included with 1.06 that stops the Energy Cell being produced.

http://ae-mod.info/Tracker/0115/

[Dewfire]

But then it would control the export bus, not the induction smelter.

Well, I guess you could control the machine...I have mine controlling the BUS so it stops feeding materials into the machine once it reaches a certain level. Your way would probably give you more control over the final number, but you'd have more stuff sitting in the machines instead of on the network.

[dwwojcik]

Well, I guess you could control the machine...I have mine controlling the BUS so it stops feeding materials into the machine once it reaches a certain level. Your way would probably give you more control over the final number, but you'd have more stuff sitting in the machines instead of on the network.

Exactly! That's that many fewer bytes of data used, and what use would ore be that it has to be readily accessible?

Anyway, this is the kind of system I'd build once I'm rich and have half a dozen quarries going.

[Dewfire]

http://imgur.com/jHUGvqA

I say PAH to your subnet! I got my Energy Cell working just perfectly now :)

[weirleader]

so what seemed to do the trick? or do you think it was a subnetwork that was causing problems?