One belt, 2 lane balancer?

[Frost]

Hello, I searched on youtube and cannot find a quick balancer for one belt that remains on one belt, but balances the two lanes on the one belt so that one lane doesn't sit there while the other lane gets used.

If a lane is going left to right, and the bottom lane is not getting used, I can put a splitter so that a new belt shows up above the main belt, and then turn it down to merge with the belt.

That works to a decent degree, but it seems it ends up not being that balanced over time.

So just like they have multiple belt balancers (that I actually use as well and they work fine), can anyone point me to a one belt balancer that keeps both lanes as efficiently balanced as possible? I have yet to figure out one that is as smooth and reliable as any multiple belt balancer.

[Gravgon]

Would not over think it. if only one half of the belt is being used it just means you are making more then you need at the time. having items on the belt waiting to be used is a good thing.

[Glyph]

Your solution is a bandaid and really a balancer. The 'solution' is to balance consumption at the end of the production chain. Something down the line is only consuming one lane of the belt. Either just consume more of it so it is forced to use both lanes or re-align the assemblers or whatever so they are on both sides of the belt.

[Fletch]

Simple lane balancer that I use a lot:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411231230

EDIT: this simple balancer is an "output lane balancer" -- it'll ensure both output lanes are fully saturated as long as there is enough input supply in the other lane to fill the gap.

@Fel's exampled (below) -- is both an "input/output lane balancer" -- so it has the additional benefit of balancing the upstream input to match the mismatched consumption downstream.

Try them both out and let us know what you think.

[Fel]

A very quick google search for "factorio lane balancer" should give you all you need.
They usually use variants of something like this (not mine, just searched lane balancer in the screenshots here on steam):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2154178666

EDIT: Maybe words could help, so here is the basic concept.
First you separate the two lanes after using a splitter, usually done through tricks like the sideways underground belts (entrance or exis depending on where you want to send the items).
Then you make sure both belts have the items on the same lane/side and run them through a splitter (the actual "balancing" portion if you will) with 2 inputs and 2 outputs.
Finally you merge them back into 1 belt by forcing each belt to 1 lane of the final belt (since it's already the case for one of them, you usually just turn the other one to go on the other lane).

[Biometrix]

Originally posted by Fletch:

Simple lane balancer that I use a lot:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411231230

EDIT: this simple balancer is an "output lane balancer" -- it'll ensure both output lanes are fully saturated as long as there is enough input supply in the other lane to fill the gap.

@Fel's exampled (below) -- is both an "input/output lane balancer" -- so it has the additional benefit of balancing the upstream input to match the mismatched consumption downstream.

Try them both out and let us know what you think.

BTW, instead of "going around" just connect the line back in 1 belt instead of 2 or 4 or whatever.

[Fel]

His example only had items on one lane of the belt initially but if you want to use that setup as a "balancer" you need to force both sides to one lane each (it's not a "proper" balancer but it works decently enough at least).

[Fletch]

Originally posted by Biometrix:

BTW, instead of "going around" just connect the line back in 1 belt instead of 2 or 4 or whatever.

That won't work for both lanes though. The example I showed will balance whichever output lane has a gap that the other lane can fill. I just added a single lane of copper to visualize the effect...

EDIT: Screenshot showing how the same design works for either lane that is out of balance:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411280319

Originally posted by Fel:

His example only had items on one lane of the belt initially...

...one lane on the belt, just as an example. I use this design whenever I'm seeing gaps on the belt, and there is enough product in the other lane to re-saturate the belt.

[Khaylain]

I always prefer the top one in https://i.imgur.com/5rzoobF.jpeg (found by searching google "Factorio lane balancer")

[Chindraba]

I think the difference, to which @Fel refers, between the single splitter version and the complex one is relative to the belt feeding the balancer. In both versions, if one output lane is blocked it will send stuff to the other side to keep it moving. In doing so, however, the single splitter version will pull as much as possible from the same lane of the input and only using the other lane to "fill the gap". The complex one will end up feeding half of each input lane to each output lane. If one output is backed up it will still have the other lane filled by pulling evenly, or 'balanced' from both lanes.

The single version works, and might not cause a problem. It can, however, result in the imbalance from the output being moved back to the previous producers filling the belt - one side of the smelter working more than the other, for example.

The complex version will not shift the blame. Both input lanes will still be used equally, even if not completely. The smelter stack will back up, but it will be the same on both sides instead of mostly on one side.

Keeping the balance between input lanes can matter when you're trying to evenly mine an ore patch and don't want one side of the mine to dry up before the other.

[Fletch]

Originally posted by Chindraba:

The complex version will not shift the blame. Both input lanes will still be used equally, even if not completely. The smelter stack will back up, but it will be the same on both sides instead of mostly on one side.

Exactly. Both balancers are "output balancers", to ensure the output belt gets fully saturated (no gaps if there is enough product on the other lane to fill those gaps).

Keeping the balance between input lanes can matter when you're trying to evenly mine an ore patch and don't want one side of the mine to dry up before the other.

Yes, the more complicated balancer also balances the input (so its a dual input/output balancer). I rarely see the need to balance the input side in practice -- but for those that care which production machines are idle (one side vs the ones "in front"), that's where the complex balancer will do the trick.

[Chindraba]

Originally posted by Fletch:

I rarely see the need to balance the input side in practice -- but for those that care which production machines are idle (one side vs the ones "in front"), that's where the complex balancer will do the trick.

I'll take your 'rarely' and raise it to 'never', in a personal context. That said, however, I can see the desire for a meticulously planned ore patch. Having not been there yet, I can imagine that such concerns might arise on Gleba with the spoilage getting off balance if one side is used more than another. I don't care enough about the ore patches, myself. I just mine more and let the difference work itself out in production. Back pressure logistic management is likely a style I'll have to break, hard, on the other planets - when I get there.

[Fletch]

Originally posted by Chindraba:

I'll take your 'rarely' and raise it to 'never', in a personal context.

Heh, I should've said "never" too -- I never use the more complex balancer in any of my bases. I've read online where people recommend the complex version to balance out train wagon unloading -- but the train still isn't leaving the station until its empty so what difference does it make in practice if one wagon gets unloaded before the other? As long as the belts are saturated that's all I care about.

Excellent point about Spoilage though! -- the complex balancer would keep products on both input lanes moving "evenly" so both lanes are spoiling at the same rate. The simple balancer will have very fresh stuff (fresher than the complex balancer) moving on one lane, while the 2nd lane rots. Though, probably not a good base design if lanes are backing up with spoilable items in either case -- my Gleba belts intentionally have gaps and are always moving -- no need for any lane balancing on my Gleba belts.

[Fel]

I personally only use the more complex lane balancers for things like train unloading and such where the input balance can be important.
Otherwise I use the simple one like most people.

But I'm also among the ones that despise the belt balancers people throw on main buses to make it look like the bus is being fed and used (even if in most cases they don't even understand that it's what they are doing).

For Gleba my focus is usually on making sure things keep moving instead of balancing lanes and such.
I tend to use more of things like input priority splitters and splitter filters there.

[Fletch]

I agree with @Fel that none of the lane/belt balancers will solve true supply side issues -- these balancers only help in the situation where you have idle production machines caused by their output lane/belt being full, yet also have gaps on belts downstream. Lane/belt balancers can help with this. Another thing to look at is whether its time to upgrade to faster belts (each belt tier upgrade allows an additional 15 items/second on that belt).

[RiO]

Originally posted by Khaylain:

I always prefer the top one in https://i.imgur.com/5rzoobF.jpeg (found by searching google "Factorio lane balancer")

That's a 2:2 lane balancer, but it's not throughput-unlimited. Which means if you use it with only one input belt or only one output belt, it will not properly balance.

Originally posted by Fletch:

Yes, the more complicated balancer also balances the input (so its a dual input/output balancer). I rarely see the need to balance the input side in practice -- but for those that care which production machines are idle (one side vs the ones "in front"), that's where the complex balancer will do the trick.

It's actually the other way around.
Balancing the output lanes to ensure equal push, rarely matters. Inserters can pick from both sides of a belt when needed anyway, and they will actively favor the near lane which means after two or three assemblers on a line, everything is out of balance again.

It's usually balancing the input lanes, and ensuring equal pull, which matters. So that a factory upstream inserting onto both sides of a belt can have the entire factory working rather than stressing out one lane to the breaking point while the other remains near idle. Or so that chest buffers used with train stations (where each chest can only empty onto one lane of a belt in typical designs) are guaranteed to unload evenly.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that the 'simple' 1:1 lane balancer has exactly one purpose: serving as a newb-trap. It doesn't do what the majority of players think it does; and what it actually does do, is 99% useless.