Area Power Control(APC)can't figure it out

[Bastid]

This thing is a nessary evil. I have more problems with this much needed item, then anything in game so far.

There is two sides to it. A Data Link and Voltage on one end and a Voltage Link on the other end with arrows pointing in one direction, make me think this is the direction you need to power it.

1) When I hook it up this way, the battery drains very fast and other switches it is hooked up to stop working with blinking errors on other things. When I flip the switch off on the APC, then the switch that didn't work, now works.

2) When I hook it up the other way the same thing happens as above, but add burned out wires to the mix this time.

I seen people hook this thing up, it blinks blue and red, and their batteries take forever to die. What is the PROPER way to run this darn thing?

What charges the battery, when its on, a Generator, Solar Panels? Some people say you can't hook it up with a generator. If there is nothing attached on one end for power, then the things light just stays green instead of blinking Blue and Red makes me think it is not working correctly, so I just hook up both sides anyway.

TL DR

I hate this item, it is so much of a headache to figure out on how to get this thing run stuff correctly FOR ME and charge itself up when it is on without Problems, after problems, after problems. Why not just use generators/solar panels or some other means to power EVEYTHING CORRECTLY without the need of the APC?

[Dinoabunai]

Generator -> APC(With a battery in it (Large battery)) -> Devices
Also note that APC has input and output and they are signed.

[Sasquatch]

I used to have issues like this because I had my battery charger post-APC, which meant the little battery in the APC was trying to charge all my batteries in the charger. Moving the charger pre-apc made all the difference. They also benefit from recieving full power from solar/solid fuel and charge fast while keeping everything post-APC fully powered.

For the APC the arrow pointing toward it is the input (pre-APC), the arrow pointing away is the output (post-APC).

[Dark]

Think of APC as one-way energy buffer and early game power stabilizer, can also be used as a fast battery charger.
Unlike IRL, solar panels in game do not provide constant current nor does the generator, only batteries of any kind are capable of constant current and that is where APC comes for rescue. Without a battery it works like a simple power switch.
It does not limit power and can cause wire overload, use transformer for that (common wires limited to 5k power).

[Maltavius]

So why does my APC battery run out when I have to full huge batteries between it and the solar panels. It's really anoying when the auto-solar tracking fails because the APC ran out of battery and doesn't want to charge although it has alot of power available

[Slate]

Originally posted by Maltavius:

So why does my APC battery run out when I have to full huge batteries between it and the solar panels. It's really anoying when the auto-solar tracking fails because the APC ran out of battery and doesn't want to charge although it has alot of power available

Can you post a pic of your setup?

[GD]

Sounds like you have not nearly enough raw source power. Do you have enought Solar Panels and Large (Stationary) Batteries before it? When you have a Small Transformer between the stationary batteries and the APC, have you set the dial to a value high enought to provide for the subnet behind the APC? If unsure or don't want to change it every time just set it t 5 kW to protect the wires.

The thing is, when the main power provides not enough it starts using the battery in the APC, depending on the amount of consumers, this can go quite fast. The APC's battery is more suited for an emergency energy model, e.g. to provide logic circuits enough energy in case of power outages, e.g. for solar calculation. Or for doors or airlocks to be able to go through even if mainpower is gone.

[Maltavius]

Originally posted by GD:

Sounds like you have not nearly enough raw source power. Do you have enought Solar Panels and Large (Stationary) Batteries before it? When you have a Small Transformer between the stationary batteries and the APC, have you set the dial to a value high enought to provide for the subnet behind the APC? If unsure or don't want to change it every time just set it t 5 kW to protect the wires.

The thing is, when the main power provides not enough it starts using the battery in the APC, depending on the amount of consumers, this can go quite fast. The APC's battery is more suited for an emergency energy model, e.g. to provide logic circuits enough energy in case of power outages, e.g. for solar calculation. Or for doors or airlocks to be able to go through even if mainpower is gone.

This!
I cranked it up to 1000W and it started blinking green

[Proton Decay]

You are simply too dumb