Not receiving EU from solar panel. Help?

[Blaze0]

This is my setup. I don't understand why my macerator and extractor are not recieving power. (The generator is for emergency power).

The panel.

The wire leading inside.

The wire coming inside, part of setup.

The setup.

Yes, it has sky access.

What am I doing wrong?

[inittowinitall]

I think your copper cable may be two long. My solution would be to hook a batbox under your solar panel.

[KakerMix]

See this for answers to your wiring woes.

[Blaze0]

See this for answers to your wiring woes.

Oh sweet jesus that page looks long. I don't see anything wrong, because

I think your copper cable may be two long. My solution would be to hook a batbox under your solar panel.

According to the page Kaker linked, I should still have 80% power efficiency. Meaning, I should get around 80% of the power from the solar panel. I get 0%.

[Xirema]

Oh sweet jesus that page looks long. I don't see anything wrong, because

According to the page Kaker linked, I should still have 80% power efficiency. Meaning, I should get around 80% of the power from the solar panel. I get 0%.

Then you don't understand how power works.

All generators, machines, storage units take and receive power in "packets" of some variable size. Solar panels output packets of size 1, regular coal/charcoal/fuel generators output in packets of size 10. As packets travel down cables, they lose energy at a certain rate, but packets only carry integer-sized amounts of energy, so no reductions occur until you incur a single loss of 1 EU/p (or more). In the case of (insulated) copper cable, you lose .2 EU/p/b, which is to say that for every packet that travels through the cable, you lose .2EU per block of cable. Since Solar Panels output at 1EU/t (or 1EU/p, though do NOT confuse the two) the current is only able to travel 5 blocks in (insulated) copper cable before losing all of its power. If you want it to make it through the copper cable, you need to put a batbox in front of the panel first before it goes to the machines, and before the 5-cable limit at which point the resistance is too high for the current to make it. Once it makes it past the batbox, it will be in packets of size 32EU/p, which can easily bridge the length of cable you've provided.

Alternatively, use tin cable, which can handle the output from solar panels (it has a limit of 5EU/p, Solar Panels are only 1EU/p) but unlike copper cable, they only reduce .025EU/p/b, which means that a 1EU packet can travel 40 blocks before losing all its power. Tin cable can't handle charcoal generators though (10EU/p) so you'll have to experiment and find an appropriate solution.

One more thing: Don't use Solar panels without a storage unit. You need a way to store energy overnight when the panel isn't working, or else if it starts to rain on the server.

[Blaze0]

Then you don't understand how power works.

-snip-

Thanks. I feel stupid now. I'll set up a batbox. Allthough, I own the server, and I'm almost always the only person on. I have a bed, and I can use /toggledownfall for........lag reasons.......yeah...lag....reasons...

[Xirema]

See this for answers to your wiring woes.

Please find a new tutorial. If you want, I'll even write one up for you. The information on that page is not only outdated in a few sections, but also has tons of formatting problems.

[Xirema]

Thanks. I feel stupid now. I'll set up a batbox. Allthough, I own the server, and I'm almost always the only person on. I have a bed, and I can use /toggledownfall for........lag reasons.......yeah...lag....reasons...

BTW, the usual strategy for solar panels is to build branching tin cable meshs that the panels connect to, and then having it feed into a storage unit that then sends it on its merry way. And I do mean that exactly as stated: If you want to pull in any respectable amount of power, you need LOTS of solar panels. However, if they run for long enough, they'll pay for themselves quite handily, and they're good for systems that need a low amount of continuous current.

[KakerMix]

Please find a new tutorial. If you want, I'll even write one up for you. The information on that page is not only outdated in a few sections, but also has tons of formatting problems.

By all means, write up a new tutorial. Formatting issues aside (which has everything to do with the forums switching software) it was a very good guide. Everyone would appreciate a guide of similar scope but updated.