Content deleted Content added
m If we won't use "stupid easy" (for whatever reason), incredible would fit better. "Stupid easy" refers to the fact that it is so simple that even an idiot can do it. |
m Edited "Custom boilers" section. Added information about snow RTGs and changed name of section to "Bonus: Custom boilers and snow RTGs" |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
<!-- TODO: Generating power needs actual images and requires urgent improvements. The rest of this article should also be rewritten honestly.
Alternatively splitting up generating power and this may not be a terrible idea -->
Power; it is the name for the capacity to do work in Waste of Space. Without power, your machines cannot operate. As such, it is crucial to master this mechanic. Power is also closely linked with this game's electronics mechanics, such as trigger signals. This guide will cover everything from the basics of how power works, to constructing nuclear reactors to power your base. Before we can cover more advanced topics though, we must start with the basics of how power works. If you've played the tutorial, this should be familiar.
Line 41 ⟶ 43:
* The [[diode]] only allows power to flow in one direction. This is indicated by the arrow drawn on it
* The [[DelayWire]] wait (n) seconds when triggered, only then allowing a trigger signal through.
**n is equal to its configuration
* The [[button]] emits a trigger signal when clicked
* The [[transformer]] emits a trigger signal every (n) seconds when powered, the time between pulses is able to be configured
=== Triggers and polysilicon ===
Trigger signals nearly identically to power, but are transmitted by [[TriggerWire|TriggerWires]] instead ([[Antenna|Antennas]] work with both power and triggers). The [[TriggerSwitch]] is also available as trigger counterpart to the regular [[switch]]. Trigger signals are generally produced when something occurs, an example would be a [[button]] being clicked.
Unlike power, triggers cannot be stored; this is because they act as a kind of 'Message'. You can think of this message like mailing someone a blank piece of paper; it contains no information, but they know they've been sent something.
Line 55 ⟶ 58:
[[Polysilicon]] adds additional information to trigger signals. It can either be activating, deactivating, or FlipFlop - which switches through the other two modes each time it is triggered. A [[switch]] receiving a signal from activating [[polysilicon]] will turn on, and vice versa. Note this type of 'trigger' cannot be transmitted.
== Generating Power ==
One important aspect of power we haven't talked about yet is how its generated. We'll cover that now.
In waste of space, power generation can roughly be split into
* [[Coal]]-based
Line 79 ⟶ 81:
Building [[coal]]-based power generation setups is as simple as 4 steps. This makes them ideal for early-game progression or bootstrapping a base;
# Find a [[coal]] node and place an [[extractor]] on it, the front side should face away from the node. Make sure the [[Extractor]] is configured properly.
# Resize a [[bin]] to '''10×10×10''', attach it to the front of the [[extractor]]. The bin does not need to be 10x10x10,but it is recommended because 10x10x10 is the maximum size, and [[Bin|bin's]] storage capacity is based on volume.
# Place [[BurnerGenerator|BurnerGenerators]] onto the bin, or connect them to the [[bin]] using [[Chute|chutes]]. The [[BurnerGenerator|burners]] need direct access to the [[Coal]] [[Bin]]. THE MINIMUM [[BurnerGenerator]] COUNT IS 2. Any less, and it will not sufficiently power the [[Extractor]]. If you'd like, the maximum [[BurnerGenerator]] count is 8, meaning that at 8, the setup is at full efficiency.
# Connect ''<small>(wires)</small>'' the [[BurnerGenerator|BurnerGenerators]] to a [[PowerCell]] and drop a piece of [[coal]] into the [[bin]], The [[Coal]] will go into the [[BurnerGenerator|burner generators]] and generate power, going into the [[PowerCell]].
A simple diagram of a [[BurnerGenerator|coal gen setup]]:
[[File:CoalGenDiagram.png|thumb|alt=coal generator diagram]]
=== Building a gasoline-based power generation setup ===
[[File:GasolinePower.png|thumb|410x410px]]
[[Gasoline]]-based setups are a bit more difficult. They're also not a great choice for powering your base due to low efficiency (processing [[oil]]
# Setup [[Oil]] - mining [[Extractor|extractors]] <small> (if your later game, [[MiningLaser]] setups could be good as they don't have the same distance restrictions as [[Extractor]].)</small> setup. You can get [[Oil]] from any [[Stone]] node, including mountains. Power it and configure it to extract [[Oil]].
# Connect
# Connect
# Connect [[Filter|filters]] to the [[
# Connect
# Place down a [[PowerCell]]. Use somes [[Wire|wires]] or [[Antenna|antennas]] to connect the [[Oil]] [[Extractor]], [[Refinery]], and [[CombustionTurbine|CombustionTurbine(s)]] to the [[PowerCell]]
# Power the [[
=== Solar power ===<!-- Could definitely be phrased better. Surprisingly decent apart from that. -->
Line 100 ⟶ 103:
[[File:Solar.png|thumb|311x311px]]
Solar power is incredibly easy to set up. Just connect [[SolarPanel|SolarPanels]] (which have direct view of the [[Star|sun]] and are either around a [[star]] or in a [[Planets|planet]] where it's day) to [[PowerCell|PowerCells]].
It's a low-maintenance solution which can yield incredible results if used in the right conditions.
Its power output is affected by the time of day, as well as the proximity to your star, as well as its type (eg. [[SolarPanel|SolarPanels]] around [[Neutron Star|Neutron Stars]] generate much more energy than those around [[
=== Steam-based power generation setups ===
Line 110 ⟶ 113:
==== Boilers ====
[[File:BoilerSetup.png|thumb|460x460px]]
[[Boiler|Boilers]] are an interesting way of generating power
# Set up [[water]] extraction. Either pump it from the sea using [[Pump|pumps]] or get it by [[Melter|melting]] [[ice]] <small>This is only really used for [[Barren]] planets and other planets with no water, as it is not very efficient.</small> which you can mine from mountains or [[Stone]] nodes. Store this [[water]] in [[Container|container(s)]].
#
# Connect
# Connect
# Connect
# Connect
==== Reactors ====<!-- This one is especially awful -->
[[Reactor|Reactors]] are a great way of generating power for
# Set up [[water]] extraction via [[Pump|Pumps]] or [[Melter|Melters]] + [[Ice]]. Because of the slowness of [[Melter|melters]], it is only really recommended if your planet doesn't have [[Water|oceans]].[[Reactor|Reactors]] consume large amounts of [[Water]] (~40 a tick), so you will need a reliable source of it.
# Set up a baseplate on which you'll build the reactor.
# Onto the [[
# Attach
# Provide the [[
# Provide a [[
# Connect the [[SteamTurbine|SteamTurbines]] to your [[PowerCell|PowerCells]] using [[Wire|Wires]], [[Antenna|Antennas]] or [[Relay|Relays]] (ONLY USE [[Relay|RELAYS]] IF YOUR BASE ISN'T ON THE SAME [[Planets|PLANET]]).
# Place a
# Add a piece of [[Polysilicon]] set to Mode 2/FlipFlop to the reactor. The [[
#
# Finally, using the [[Dispenser]], add four pieces of [[Uranium]] into the [[Reactor]].
If you want the
==== Bonus: Custom boilers and snow RTGs ====
Custom boilers are machines that utilize the ability to extract snow from the part and melt it to get water anywhere, which can be used for power generation.
In earlier versions of custom boilers, it was possible to melt water into steam, which could be collected with a container and fed into a steam turbine. (See "Diagram of an early custom boiler")
Water melting into steam has been patched in as of 1/13/2024, but you can still melt snow into water which means that it is possible to recreate a custom boiler by feeding water into a reactor.
It is also possible to cycle the uranium in the reactor, which prevents it from turning into NuclearWaste and allows infinite usage of the uranium.
This new version of a custom boiler is called a "snow RTG".
This is how a snow RTG works (See "Diagram of a snow RTG");
# A microcontroller turns on all dispensers in the machine.
# An extractor or mining lasers extracts snow.
# The snow is dispensed into a completely enclosed chamber. There is a long container on top and igniters on the bottom.
# The igniters are constantly activated by a transformer. As the water piles up, it touches the container and enters it.
# Snow melting into water is technically considered as the snow igniting. This means that nearby parts have a chance to ignite. However, because the container is long, the center is far away enough from the chamber that the container does not ignite.
# Using a flip flop polysilicon, a transformer, and 2 dispensers, uranium is constantly ejected and put back into the reactor. This removes the uranium before it is used enough to become NuclearWaste and puts it back in, which means it never has to refill on uranium.
# The water in the container is fed into the reactor, which produces steam for a steam turbine.
Due to the fact that snow RTGs require dispensers, it does not work when moving.
Also, if the snow RTG is not constructed in a specific way, new water spawns on top of old water in the chamber. The old water never touches the container and despawns, which causes significant water loss and hinders power production immensely.
The model code for a snow RTG which does not have this problem can be found [https://pastebin.com/raw/7FpSTAi3 here].
[[File:SnowRtgDiagram.png|thumb|Diagram of a snow RTG]]
Snow cannot be extracted from the part in Unstable, however steam turbines are planned to turn steam back into water so that it can be recycled, which will make water generation redundant anyway.[[File:CustomBoilerDiagram.png|thumb|alt=custom boiler|Diagram of an early custom boiler]]
=== Building a DarkMatter-based power generation setup ===
To finish off this article, we'll finally cover [[DarkMatter]] setups.
<!--lol im not late enough in the game to know how this works, can someone else improve it? -->
These are quite simple, though rarely used due to reactors being a way better alternative. [[DarkMatter]] is only really ever a good choice for ships;
Line 150 ⟶ 184:
needs to redone so it actually gives some advice on what to do next as well as some recommended articles -->
If you've made it this far, <big>'''good job!'''</big> You've learnt the basics of power and triggers
That was probably a lot to read, maybe take a break?
==Also See==
*[[Building A Base]]
*[[Building A Ship]]
*[[Reactor]]
*[[Automatic Reactor]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Mechanics]]
| |||