Arc Furnace and Refinery always prioritize Cobalt over Iron?

[Morphzilla]

I'd like to have my Arc furnaces and refineries automatically get filled with iron ore rather than cobalt ore. I have more than enough Cobalt ingots, but lots of excess Cobalt ore. I also have a ton of iron ore that I want to get processed.

Some ideas I had:
- Make a separate storage area for Cobalt ore, not connected to the existing tube system with all my refineries and furnaces. Sounds annoying to manage.
- Eject the Cobalt ore into space via a connector. Dig more Cobalt ore if/when I need it.
- Reorganize my tubes and conveyors somehow?

Note: I'm playing in survival, SP, 1/1/1, no mods. Everything (storage, furnaces, refineries) is connected with tubes and powered on.

[maninredagain]

All you need to do is move your iron ore in front of (to the left of) the cobalt ore if both is in the same container. If it's in different containers, just swap those container contents.

[Morphzilla]

But when the refinery/furnace starts using up the ore, it always seems to automatically add more Cobalt Ore. (when "Use Conveyor system" is on)

[FightinWelsh]

left to right from the nearest cargo contianer, cargo sorts by first letter.. hence, cobalt tends to be refined first.

[maninredagain]

Originally posted by Morphzilla:

But when the refinery/furnace starts using up the ore, it always seems to automatically add more Cobalt Ore. (when "Use Conveyor system" is on)

Just to make sure, I meant putting the Iron Ore to the left of the Cobalt Ore in the Cargo Container, not in the Refinery/Arc Furnace.
When I have some 120k-ish Iron Ore in my Large Cargo Container at the first place (top left), that will always be pulled into my Refineries/Arc Furnace first until it's all used up, not the Cobalt (or other) Ores next to it.
Sometimes the refineries pull <0.01 of all other ores they can get (I guess a unimportant bug), but that's all.
But there may be trouble with ownership i.e. if you are still using the starting platform and never changed ownership of all parts to yourself (I myself made a new Station 48km away from that thing)

This "cargo sorts by first letter" I've never heard about (or experienced).

[awfulant]

if there is only one mod you get it should be automated inventry sorting mod, does almost anything you want.

[Morphzilla]

Originally posted by Fightin' Welsh:

left to right from the nearest cargo contianer

Thanks! I assume "nearest" is based on the connection of tubes?

awfulant: I like to keep it vanilla. Maybe once the computer block is less buggy, I'll use a program from that to do the sorting though.

[dga8705]

Actually, I'm not sure it is the "nearest" cargo container, I think it bases it, strangely enough, on the order it was built. I know the refineries pull in that order, the first one built will pull everything it can and fill up first.

Your other option, although a bit more complicated, is to create a gate system to your refineries. Have your refineries and one cargo container, even a small one will work, on one side, then put two connectors in the conveyor system, then the rest of your conveyor system. This way you can turn on the connectors, move your iron or whatever you want to specifically refine first to the cargo container on the refinery side of the gate, and then turn the connectors off. Then the refineries will just keep pulling that. It just means a bit more micromanagement.

[Morphzilla]

Originally posted by dga8705:

Actually, I'm not sure it is the "nearest" cargo container, I think it bases it, strangely enough, on the order it was built. I know the refineries pull in that order, the first one built will pull everything it can and fill up first.

I was afraid of that. I find using the "oldest" container is very confusing.

Originally posted by dga8705:

Your other option, although a bit more complicated, is to create a gate system to your refineries. Have your refineries and one cargo container, even a small one will work, on one side, then put two connectors in the conveyor system, then the rest of your conveyor system. This way you can turn on the connectors, move your iron or whatever you want to specifically refine first to the cargo container on the refinery side of the gate, and then turn the connectors off. Then the refineries will just keep pulling that. It just means a bit more micromanagement.

That's a good idea. I don't suppose you've tried that and have a screenshot to share?

[Dr Fraud]

There are a few vids on youtube based on SE from a few versions back that use ejector/collector pairs as one way gates and Push/Pull interupts in conveyor systems. Use that principle along with computer block to push certain ores to certain ejectors to ensure the downstream processors will only be able to see what you expressly send to their inputs.

[Morphzilla]

Yeah, I saw some of the ejector/collector solutions but they seemed like they might be risky to add to a ship that might be in motion, or could lose items if they despawn.

I think a solution with connectors would be more safe.

[Dr Fraud]

The problem with connectors is they allow 2-way push/pull while linked. Make sure your ejector/collectors are very close and within a gravity feild. Enclose within walls if worried. Best solution is a stationary processing facility with remote miners. If the facility is moveable then power off the ejectors until parked and ready to process again.

[Morphzilla]

The other solution I'm considering if to just build so many Arc furnaces that all the Cobalt will be refined at super speeds. :)

[Dr Fraud]

To quote Lord Downey (The Hogfather), "It lacks Ellegance".

[awfulant]

Originally posted by Fatman:

To quote Lord Downey (The Hogfather), "It lacks Ellegance".

it may lack elegance but they don't take up much room, stack em in a wall, they do chew through ore. The rotating gate setup is also slow.

[HoneyBadger]

Originally posted by Morphzilla:

Originally posted by Fightin' Welsh:

left to right from the nearest cargo contianer

Thanks! I assume "nearest" is based on the connection of tubes?

awfulant: I like to keep it vanilla. Maybe once the computer block is less buggy, I'll use a program from that to do the sorting though.

Its not a programmable block, its a script that runs in the game engine itself. What you just described is very easily accomplished with a named arc of "Arc [Ore/Iron:P5:1000,Ore/Cobalt:P5:10]" Then simply moving the Iron to the front of the assembler. The quantity accepted vs the update rate of the script (1000 and ~3 seconds, respectively) ensures that as long as there is Iron Ore in your conveyer system, it will be processed by the Arc Furnace and only when Iron runs out, will Cobalt be processed.

It is the only mod I have installed in my game and it has enabled significantly more complicated engineering projects like auto-filling/auto-dumping welders and miners.