Min/Max Storage

[computerking9979]

Using a basic logistic system (not hte fancy ones with all the wires and building) is there a way to make it so that a chest is only filled when it drops to a certain amount?

For istance, i don't want my robots to always keep 50 copper wire in a chest. But when it gets down to 10 i want them to fill it up to 50 again.

Can that be done?

[NimrodAbsolution⁧⁧98]

set a limit inside the chest

[AlexMBrennan]

You can do it with combinators as shown here http://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-88 if you are filling the chest using smart inserters. I doubt it's possible for robots.

[Warlord]

EDIT: Shoot, reading for the loss. No, short of using combinators, I can't imagine you can set up a "fill only when low" option. Not sure why you'd want it, anyway. If you can't afford to take the sudden copper loss to keep a chest always full of 50 wires, then make more copper.

[Cryten]

As Taco said you can set a storage chest of any type to limit the area that inserters can store items in it. This means if you only want 2 stacks of armor piercing bullets all you have to do is click the red x in the storage box and select all but two panels to ban inserters. once the belt backs up production will stop. Congratulations you have a self limiting factory line.

[Nellvan]

Yeah the basic system is "fill up to 50" , anything beyond that needs the fancy stuff.

Also, this:

Originally posted by Warlord:

Not sure why you'd want it, anyway. If you can't afford to take the sudden copper loss to keep a chest always full of 50 wires, then make more copper.

Min-maxing to such a fine degree will just drive you insane, the best solution is usally "get more ore ".

[Kyred]

I just stumbled across this looking to do basically the same thing..

I also see why it would make sense, if you are filling from Robots grabbing from some other chest to drop in a chest full of multiple items to say run 4 factorys from making ammo's or combat robot orbs..

Because it will simply use less power, if my robot is constantly running over there with just a couple of something (or 1 copper) when the output limit is not met, I am not taking advantage of the cargo it can carry as well as using more power. I would rather load the chest up with a thousand or 500 of a few items, and have it refill when it hits 100.. then it is just a drone swarm and done..

Sorry for Necro'ing this post..

[<unknown>]

The easy solution :

let say you use blue inserter :
Output : assembly -> inserter -> chest
Link the chest with red or green wire. Click on the inserter then set : item < 10

For input it's easier
Input : assembly <- inserter <- request chest
-Set recipe for assembly
-Link the chest with red or green wire.
Shift+ right click on the assembly once you set the recipe then Shift+Left click on the chest.
It'll automatically set twice the material require.

[Emmote]

Originally posted by sidcypher:

I would rather load the chest up with a thousand or 500 of a few items, and have it refill when it hits 100.. then it is just a drone swarm and done..

The problem with using the system like that is that you will end up with a sudden call for a lot of robots, and then when they're done, nothing.

It would end up with a huge spike in the required number of robots whenever a new requester needs to be refilled. If you used the system over your entire base, you would end up robot starved sometimes, and other times not using a single robot.

You then have to consider that you would be taking materials from other factories in bursts, so that they will often not be producing anything, due to chests full or w/e, and then suddenly their chests are emptied, and now they have to produce overtime to refill.

It's far better for your factory to consistently use the same number of bots at all times, that way you can easily manage the amount you have spare, and also keep your factories running at a consistent pace.
It's also better for your power consumption too.

[<unknown>]

@Emmote : Not so sure about that! Sure the initial intake will be high when you set up new zone but once the chest is filled items will just rot there. Robots will only transport item that are consume by assembly.

Same as if you place chest between belt and assembly.

You just need to find the right number to take account transit time of robots.

[Nellvan]

Originally posted by sidcypher:

Because it will simply use less power, if my robot is constantly running over there with just a couple of something (or 1 copper) when the output limit is not met, I am not taking advantage of the cargo it can carry as well as using more power

The bots generally don't do this, they carry and deliver their maximum. Sometimes they don't, but only if there was a stack smaller than their capacity, afaik.

[!?!]

You can just put a steel chest next to the requester with an SR latch controlled inserter that turns on if there's less than X items in the steel chest and off if it reached the maximum of Y.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEOXGBYR6oM

The energy consumption won't be lower tho, it'll happen in bursts which is arguably worse.