Assemblers stopping

[PorkchopSammy]

Sometimes my assemblers just stop taking in materials. They'll have materials in them, and not enough for a product, but there will be a line of materials ready to go next to them and the inserter just doesn't put them in. If I add materials or reset the recipe is starts again but stops some time later.

[PorkchopSammy]

note: I wonder if this is because of the limit of how many items an inserter will insert into an assembler & some machines needing a lot of a certain item. Like, a yellow bottle needs 30 copper cables but the inserter doesn't want to put in more than 2 of anything so if it has 2 cables it won't put any more in if the machine is short on other ingredients, and then it starts again when one of those ingredients gets a nudge?

[that dumpling in the desert]

It sounds like the Assemblers are backed up, if they are unloading into something that is full like a belt or box (or with no unload inserter) the Assemblers will only build 1-2 more of that item before stopping, the inserters will detect that and stop putting stuff in so it doesn't build more than is being used, you can override it by putting the needed stuff in manually but it still with only build if the stack size of that item is'int maxed.

Make sure the items are going places or if its a temporary one for building something fast, make sure to unload it into something like a box till you got the amount you want.

on a side note the stack size is just the amount the inserter can grab at one time, for example the "stack inserter" starts off with being able to grab (I think 3 upgreaded as high as 15 or 12) more items each time it loads making it good for unloading boxes, trains or loading a boatload of stuff into something like blue circuits.

[piccolo255]

Originally posted by PorkchopSammy:

note: I wonder if this is because of the limit of how many items an inserter will insert into an assembler & some machines needing a lot of a certain item. Like, a yellow bottle needs 30 copper cables but the inserter doesn't want to put in more than 2 of anything so if it has 2 cables it won't put any more in if the machine is short on other ingredients, and then it starts again when one of those ingredients gets a nudge?

Nope, you're misunderstanding the limit. The limit is not "2 items", it's "enough items for 2 crafts". So if a recipe asks for 30 cables, inserter will put in 60 cables (or a bit more if stack size > 1) before stopping.

Your problem is the output slot. once there are 2 crafts in the output slot, the assembler will stop accepting new input ingredients. To get it moving again, empty the output slot.

[PorkchopSammy]

Originally posted by piccolo255:

Your problem is the output slot. once there are 2 crafts in the output slot, the assembler will stop accepting new input ingredients. To get it moving again, empty the output slot.

That's not the problem, my output slots are empty. The inserters have no problem taking that stuff out, they just stop putting it in sometimes.

[Warlord]

Originally posted by PorkchopSammy:

Originally posted by piccolo255:

Your problem is the output slot. once there are 2 crafts in the output slot, the assembler will stop accepting new input ingredients. To get it moving again, empty the output slot.

That's not the problem, my output slots are empty. The inserters have no problem taking that stuff out, they just stop putting it in sometimes.

The only times an inserter will refuse to put something into an assembler is:
-If the input is full. This happens in slow recipes, like engines or science packs. They only insert an additional 2 recipe's-worth of input.
-If the output is full. If there are two finished products sitting in the assemblers output slot, then inserters will not automatically move new ingredients into it. Due to already having 2 or so ingredients already, the machine may produce another few times before it runs out of ingredients. Must remove the finished product.
-If you are missing an igredient. Such as missing the steel for an engine.

Without a screenshot of your situation, we can't tell which of these 3 you fall under. But based on what you claimed, it sounded like the second one.

There's a logic to everything that happens in the game. It rarely has a "huh, this isn't working right!" bug, and certainly won't be one found by us. The devs are pretty spot-on.

[Zooblesnoops]

If the "Electricity" bar isn't green, it could be a power distribution issue.

[Zorz]

Originally posted by PorkchopSammy:

Originally posted by piccolo255:

Your problem is the output slot. once there are 2 crafts in the output slot, the assembler will stop accepting new input ingredients. To get it moving again, empty the output slot.

That's not the problem, my output slots are empty. The inserters have no problem taking that stuff out, they just stop putting it in sometimes.

screenshot? oO

[themadgunman]

This can also happen if the inserter has something in hand that isn't required by the assembler, pretty much only happens if you have changed recipes and it was loading something that isn't required which it cant drop to pick up new stuff though or if your loading multiple types of material with 1 inserter from a split belt, ie, it has ingredient A in hand, but your assembler has enough ingredient A and needs B, which it cant get cuz the inserter already has A in its little claw

[PorkchopSammy]

This continues to happen randomly, though since it's an in-motion sort of thing I'm not sure how much a screenshot will do. I will try, though!

I have ruled out:
1. No output for current product
2. Insufficient ingredients from other inserters
3. Wrong item in inserter
4. No/Low power
5. No room for output
6. Output full
7. Input full*
*In these cases it usually has enough of the other ingredients to make an item but is failing to insert the one is still needs more of, even though there is plenty of output space and there is product available at the inserter.

The issue has happened with multi-recipe assemblers and ingredient-and-fuel furnaces. I haven't seen it on a single-ingredient situation like a pipe factory or electric furnace.

At this point all my inserters can hold more than one item. I wonder if the problem might be that, like "Well I don't want to put more than 4 iron plates in here and there are 3 already but I am holding 2" makes it stop because that would be 5. I'll look for this next time it happens.

In any case, manually adding more of the failing ingredient or resetting the recipe always fixes the problem.

[Warlord]

That would not cause it. In fact, stack insertets will willingly throw in way more that it needs because they always insert a full hand. A stack inserted maxed out will put 14 plates into a gear machine and wait 7 cycles before it runs again.

Open a machine, and the instant it stops producing, screenshot that. It will tell us the recipe you are using, the ingredients inside it, any possible product not taken out yet, etc.