Air Lock Discussion

[innesbrad]

im not starting this to request a fancy block to be added to the game i built my own air lock of sorts but it got me wondering what did other people decide to do on their worlds about this kind of problem...

what do people believe in important to have in a complete airlock system.

My proposed list below is taken from my standard safety airlock design:
O2 Warning Lights(displaying the pressure of the opposite side of the door in a color code)
Inner Door
Vent
Outer Door
Door Control Sensors (preferred but not required)

Door interlock Code with pressure sense code, in a program block
----

is there anything that is missing that adds functional value? or just a nice feature that should be in a airlock..

[casualsailor]

I added sound blocks both to the cycling process and to indicate the status of the airlock when approaching it.

Edit: I didn't use a programing block just powered on and off the doors with timer blocks thus preventing them from being opened in the presence of vacuum.

[innesbrad]

cool

[JD.Horx]

Sliding Doors are intelligent now. If you put two of them together on a transition from inside to outside the ship, they will pressurize or depressurize autonomously. All you have to set up is a sensor for each door to close it when leaving the block...

[Namdoolb]

I have to say, if I'm putting effort into an airlock (I.e. If I'm not just putting 2 sliding doors down next to each other) then I tend to use the airtight hangar doors instead.

It's much easier to control them via timers and there's no chance of "breaking" the system by accidentally opening a door at the wrong time.

I'll usually set it up on one button, which will be accessible from 3 button panels; outside, in the airlock, and in the ship.
Pressing any one of these buttons cycles the airlock:
It closes the open door, pressurizes or depressurizes the airlock as appropriate, then opens the other door.

This is done through the process of turning selected timer blocks on or off as the airlock runs through it's cycle. Plus points are that it doesn't need sensors, and it's pretty much impossible to make it malfunction unless you're messing around inside the control panel (even then the airlock will correct itself after a cycle or two).
Cons are that it takes quite a few timer blocks to set up (7 IIRC) and that it doesn't cycle particularly fast -about 25 seconds to complete.

Lights and audible notifications are optional, and get built into the system (or not) depending on how I feel when I'm setting it up.

[innesbrad]

i like your set up with the air tight hanger doors...
but im not so certian that buton pannels are more efective than sensors...
I use 1 sensor per door, basicly it does the same thing your pannel does (sends a request to open door/ start cycle)
but to do the same opperation with pannels would take 3 pannels wich adds to the size of my object... the trade off is your design probibly works more energy efecient when you start having a larger area to moniter...


if you would like add me and invite me to a world with your setup and ill Program a block to where you can just add that block and modify a few parts of it and do your logic with out all the added timers... and best part is you can't get it out of sequence do to the nature of how your system works...basic step logic program using timers... is equivilent to basic PLC ladder stuff that i write in daily..

[innesbrad]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=642731731
just wanted to show off some of my more recent work on air Locks, its not 100% done im working on automatically making the doors run, I would love to see some of the other designs and methods people used especially the one [UESC]Namdoolb=FILTH= posted using timers...

[Celtic Frost]

I think the outer airlock door should be a hatch. The hatch is structurally stronger, has better airtight seals than sliding doors and is not dependant on electrical power to open.

Too bad there isn't a block in vanilla for this.

[innesbrad]

Frost, i Like that thought, but i also think there should be more to doors in general...
Locks,Ability to force Open/Closed. yeah a real airlock would need a fail safe where if the computer couldn't open the door the human can try to mechanically open the door...

i tried to model this in my script because once power fails doors are like walls and can't change state... what i did was i keep a check on power and i watch power consumption and i try to predict when power is going to die... and a few minutes before power failure i throw power level critical alarm and begin venting zones and opening doors... my goal was in case of power failure to make it possible to enter the ship fly/walk to the reactor put a uranium ingot in are start a reboot of the ships on board systems with out having to chop down doors and lose O2.