AUTOMATIC PILER -- Is there a way to only pull full stacks of items from a belt?

[deltaagent26]

*[like with the Fractionator -- looping the hydrogen through multiple times until it turns into Deuterium--]

When using Automatic Piler to stack items.... looping the stacks through, until they are full height (4 items per stack)...

Is there a way to set sorters or splitters to only take or redirect full stacks?

If not...
Devs --- QoL suggestion!

[josmith7]

Though a single one? Not currently - at least to my knowledge.
Nor do I believe that splitters have the option to select based on stack height.

However, one of nilaus's youtube videos showed me a trick that can help: Have a pair of pilers but connect them with a slower (Mk.I or Mk.II) belt.

Normally even if fed a full belt the first piler would create a "lumpy" output with empty spots alternating with 2-stacks -- and that would cause the next piler to do no further piling. However, using the slower belt segment to connect them causes the cargo to smush back together and so the second piler gets a full, if slow, belt of 2-stacks and so it proceeds to stack them into a 4-stacks.

But gaps in the arriving supply belt can allow lower stacking levels on the output belts; and there's no way to send stacks of fewer than 4 back for further stacking.


(Also, unless all my testing showed that stacks maxed out at 4 items per stack - same as the PLS and ILS towers can output. Did they change something in last week's patch to raise the stacking limit?)

[deltaagent26]

Originally posted by josmith7:

(Also, unless all my testing showed that stacks maxed out at 4 items per stack - same as the PLS and ILS towers can output. Did they change something in last week's patch to raise the stacking limit?)

nothing changed. the stacks are only 4 each.
when I highlighted a belts segment it was two stacks long, so counted both stacks.

Thank you for the suggestion, btw. I will give it a try.

[kris44dad]

Originally posted by deltaagent26:

*[like with the Fractionator -- looping the hydrogen through multiple times until it turns into Deuterium--]

When using Automatic Piler to stack items.... looping the stacks through, until they are full height (atm I can have 8 items per stack)...

Is there a way to set sorters or splitters to only take or redirect full stacks?

If not...
Devs --- QoL suggestion!

If you want to ensure a full stack, pass the items through a PLS. If you can't get a four stack out of that, your production is short.

[deltaagent26]

Originally posted by kris44dad:

Originally posted by deltaagent26:

*[like with the Fractionator -- looping the hydrogen through multiple times until it turns into Deuterium--]

When using Automatic Piler to stack items.... looping the stacks through, until they are full height (4 items per stack)...

Is there a way to set sorters or splitters to only take or redirect full stacks?

If not...
Devs --- QoL suggestion!

If you want to ensure a full stack, pass the items through a PLS. If you can't get a four stack out of that, your production is short.

|I don't have the research completed on this playthrough for the white cubes. Just Started making the mini colliders for the green tech.
and therefore do not have the LS-IL tech, yet.

[kris44dad]

Originally posted by deltaagent26:

Originally posted by kris44dad:

If you want to ensure a full stack, pass the items through a PLS. If you can't get a four stack out of that, your production is short.

|I don't have the research completed on this playthrough for the white cubes.
and therefore do not have the LS-IL tech, yet.

Once you have 4-stack tech, it all becomes moot. But, I am curious as to why you want to segregate out by stack size. There is a way to set up fractionators to get 4 stacks almost all the time. What else are you trying to do? The fractionator build is here.

https://www.dysonsphereblueprints.com/blueprints/factory-deuterium-new-nilaus-design-up-to-1000-min

[deltaagent26]

Originally posted by kris44dad:

Originally posted by deltaagent26:

|I don't have the research completed on this playthrough for the white cubes.
and therefore do not have the LS-IL tech, yet.

Once you have 4-stack tech, it all becomes moot. But, I am curious as to why you want to segregate out by stack size. There is a way to set up fractionators to get 4 stacks almost all the time. What else are you trying to do?

To be honest I just started using the Auto stackers, and sprayers, and whatnot, for the first time, in this playthrough.

I'm just experimenting... seeing what they are capable of, and how they can improve
production, mainly.

But the reason I would like to have the option, is so that when a stack goes to whatever various production, it is a full stack... not jagged, or stairstepped.... just to calm my OCD.... really. lol

!!! MAXIMUM THROUGHPUT !!!

[kris44dad]

Originally posted by deltaagent26:

Originally posted by kris44dad:

Once you have 4-stack tech, it all becomes moot. But, I am curious as to why you want to segregate out by stack size. There is a way to set up fractionators to get 4 stacks almost all the time. What else are you trying to do?

To be honest I just started using the Auto stackers, and sprayers, and whatnot, for the first time, in this playthrough.

I'm just experimenting... seeing what they are capable of, and how they can improve
production, mainly.

But the reason I would like to have the option, is so that when a stack goes to whatever various production, it is a full stack... not jagged, or stairstepped.... just to calm my OCD.... really. lol

!!! MAXIMUM THROUGHPUT !!!

The only way to stop the stair stepping is to use a slower belt with the pilers to allow the partial stacks to bunch up on the belt before they reach the piler. Rarely worth it, and rarely necessary if you are using level 3 sorters picking up 5 at a time, anyway. Stick a traffic monitor on your belt set to a minute cycle, for a spot check anywhere.

Remember, it's not the belt state that matters. It's how much you expect to be making, with the machines you have in place. Use one of the on-line calculators to get the number. If you're hitting it, nothing is stacking or starved, you're good.

[mark.the.fiddler]

I believe a "bumpy" fractionator loop is inevitable unless pilers can be made to wait for maximum stack resources.

A MK III Conveyor is more than 2 times faster than a mk. II. Thats 30 to 12. With 3 units left over every second.

If your conveyor has at least 3 gaps hitting the piler every second, Traffic will not back up based on conveyor speed.

However, there is another dilemma. Not all contiguous stacks can piled into a single stack. Quite simply, any two stacks that contain more than 4 units will leave the piler as 2 stacks. Each time this happens, the slower output conveyor will cause a 1 for 1.5 Backup.

In my opinion, fractionator backups are to be avoided for both input and output. You can slow down or eventually deadlock your fractionator loop.

That's why your fractionator loop does not include LSs even though they are the best stackers. It's also why your loop doesn't intersect an input conveyor. All input has to intersect the loop.

Take care all.

Bumpy fractionator loops, with most stacks being greater than 1, is better than stalling loops or dead stops.

Most of the time you'll get 4 high stacks mingled alternating between 1 and 4 high stacks if you add the piler to the loop, just prior to the loop input. There's also nothing wrong with stacking several times during the loop but you will get diminishing returns.

[kris44dad]

Ya, I think we're kind of splitting hairs at this point. With a Nilaus based design, I'm getting ~1000/min with only 8 fractionators.

[Dirkels]

If you place two pilers in the fractionator loop and refill the line with 4 high packages just before each piler you get an output that is 99.9 % filled with 4 high packages.

[mark.the.fiddler]

Originally posted by kris44dad:

Ya, I think we're kind of splitting hairs at this point. With a Nilaus based design, I'm getting ~1000/min with only 8 fractionators.

Point taken. You're right. I'm the infinite hair splitter. :)