Connecting two stations (static grids)

[ElgarL]

Is this possible? To connect two stations via a connector?
I want to put all the power/weapons/refining on one station then have the second as a docking hub, to prevent players turning things off when they dock.

[SkyeRise]

with a bunch of connectors, pistons and rotators and pleeeeenty of patience... maybe? But I am no expert :D

[a-bullet]

easiest way would be to build the things you want to build as one station,
build the conveyor line using connectors,
make sure they will stay a station (voxel support or whatever),
SAVE (in case something goes clang)
and then cut the connecting blocks (not the conveyors)

[ElgarL]

Originally posted by a-bullet:

easiest way would be to build the things you want to build as one station,
build the conveyor line using connectors,
make sure they will stay a station (voxel support or whatever),
SAVE (in case something goes clang)
and then cut the connecting blocks (not the conveyors)

I'm pretty sure that will result in a single grid still, just not a contiguous one. Cutting a block between doesn't create two grids as far as I remember. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[ShadedMJ]

Originally posted by ElgarL:

Is this possible? To connect two stations via a connector?
I want to put all the power/weapons/refining on one station then have the second as a docking hub, to prevent players turning things off when they dock.

Be careful. We just had a discussion about something very similar last week.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/244850/discussions/0/2828702372999706191/?tscn=1526131670

When someone connects their ship to a station via a connector and presses Y to power down, they will power down the ship AND the station.

Edit:... they will power down the ship AND the station AND all connected ships/stations.

[ElgarL]

Originally posted by ShadedMJ:

Originally posted by ElgarL:

Is this possible? To connect two stations via a connector?
I want to put all the power/weapons/refining on one station then have the second as a docking hub, to prevent players turning things off when they dock.

Be careful. We just had a discussion about something very similar last week.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/244850/discussions/0/2828702372999706191/?tscn=1526131670

When someone connects their ship to a station via a connector and presses Y to power down, they will power down the ship AND the station.

This is the whole reason I'm doing this. There will be no power on the hub station. It will all be generated on a sub station and passed to the hub. This will prevent them shutting anything important down.

[BurlsoL]

There are ways to align 2 grids together using merge blocks as long as one of the grids is movable.

If you're building this station, basically what you want to do is design it so that both stations are static grids. Build the first station then start the landing area using a pillar of 3 steel blocks to align a set of landing gear. Build your new station on top of these landing gear. Align your connectors in a way that they can connect when both stations are static grids. The only solid block that shouls be connecting the two pieces should be that pillar of 3 blocks between the landing gear. Keep these gear locked at all times. Before breaking the pillar, make another solid connection between the grids and replace the middle block of the pillar with a merge block so that you can re-merge the grids if needed. Then destroy this temporary connection. Split the merge block keeping the the landing gear locked. Convert to static grid. This will leave you with two distinct grids which can be linked with a connector or merged. It is suggested to box in the landing gear using blast doors so that you will remain reasonably aligned even when all else fails.

Both grids will need power generation and probably batteries. You will also not be able to make any airtight connections between the two sections. But otherwise should be suited to your purpose.

If you have two different grids that you want to somehow join, you will need one of them movable with thrusters or a tug, and need a merge block along with some other parts to assist with aligning.

[ShadedMJ]

Originally posted by ElgarL:

This is the whole reason I'm doing this. There will be no power on the hub station. It will all be generated on a sub station and passed to the hub. This will prevent them shutting anything important down.

I edited my previous post, and please review the link provided there.

This is something I tested last month I think on my archive game. I had a station grid, connected to a solar grid, connected to a few ships. I was annoyed at all the antennas from powered ships, so docked a new ship to the mess and powered it down and I powered down EVERYTHING.

[ElgarL]

Originally posted by ShadedMJ:

Originally posted by ElgarL:

This is the whole reason I'm doing this. There will be no power on the hub station. It will all be generated on a sub station and passed to the hub. This will prevent them shutting anything important down.

I edited my previous post, and please review the link provided there.

This is something I tested last month I think on my archive game. I had a station grid, connected to a solar grid, connected to a few ships. I was annoyed at all the antennas from powered ships, so docked a new ship to the mess and powered it down and I powered down EVERYTHING.

A ship docked to a station when powered down only de-powers itself and the connected station. It won't power down other connected ships. Are you saying it will power down all connected static grids?

[ShadedMJ]

Originally posted by ElgarL:

... A ship docked to a station when powered down only de-powers itself and the connected station. It won't power down other connected ships. Are you saying it will power down all connected static grids?

How many times do I have to say it? Check the darn link. YES. Try it yourself.

Just now I made an independently powered station, connected to another independently powered station, then connected a ship. So three independently powered grids and I shut down the fighter with Y and _all_three_grids_power_down. This affects solar panels too. Everything gets powered down.

Edit : What I'm really trying to say is if you want power on another grid, try small scale first to see if it will work with docking a ship and powering it down. Do a proper small scale test before spending a lot of time rebuilding a power station that might not help the issue.

[Loues.S.Cat]

I did some retesting myself with some specially designed grids and identified an error I made when testing solar panels originally.

When you hit Y all reactors on all connected grids will shot down or power up.

When you hit Y all solar panels on the same grid will shut down
All sub-grid solar panels are not-impacted. (That was a mistake I made in my originally testing when I thought control blocks impacted things. I screwed up linking and unlinking the control block structures)

When you hit Y all batteries on the same grid will shut down.
All batteries on sub-grids are unaffected.

So, you could make a multi grid system that the Y key wont utterly ♥♥♥♥ up.
But it basically means having batteries on a sub-grid and if you combine those with reactors you are paying 20% of your power just to protect against a horribly baddy implemented and almost entirely useless hotkey that you can do bugger all to get rid of.

The real fun starts with the P key
If you hit y you power down everything including docked ships! If you then hit the P key, guess what! You now have a load of drifting hunks of metal that you will have to find, approach and power up manually!
This is why the ass end of all my dockable ships now feature two landing gear side by side with the connector. Because although the ships can be powered down and disconnected from the main ship, they will remain locked on with their own landing gear so they wont be left behind by jumps or crash about when the ship moves.

And yes, the Y and P keys are still the things that irk me about this game far more than anything else

[ElgarL]

Yep, after testing its easy to split a static grid in two using merge blocks and connectors. However, powering down any connected grid shuts down the reactors on ALL connected grids. Even sub-sub grids.

Landing gear would not fit most of my ship designs to prevent offline grids from floating away.

[Azirahael]

Advanced welding mod is a must.