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Life Support System

Life Support System (LSS) script pursues just two major goals.
First is saving power by turning OFF blocks like air vents n gas generators when they are not needed. For example, one large grid air vent consumes 100 kW of energy when it's ON, doesn't matter if the room is fully pressurized/depressurized. For comparison, one solar panel maximum output of power is 120 kW, and a wind turbine is 400 kW. But I'm sure even you run nuclear reactor and have plenty of uranium you would prefer to not waste it.
The second goal is to manage which oxygen source will use your ventilation network and keeping oxygen and hydrogen tanks at the desired fill ration.

• Keeps gas tanks fill ratio between minimum and maximum limits, allowing rare refill cycles, and giving free space for depressurization.
  
• Keeps room pressure over a specific level of oxygen.
  
• Depressurization to desired oxygen level.
  
• Keeps oxygen tanks from overfilling when hydrogen tanks refilling.
  
• Outputs summary of working/malfunctioning/stand-by tanks and gas generators, remaining stock of ice, and oxygen level for every air vent.

Due to some limitations it's considered that all managed blocks connected to one the same conveyor system. Also, the script works better if there are at least one oxygen and one hydrogen tank.

Script prioritizes sources of oxygen: oxygen tanks > external vents (must be set to depressurize) > oxygen generators.
Example: let's say our conveyor net has O2 generator, O2 tank, H2 tank, external air vent set to depressurize, internal air vent to pressure room. The internal vent will pressure room with O2 from the tank if it has some. If the tank is empty then external vent will be engaged, of course, if this vent not damaged, and there is at least some oxygen in the environment. If refilling with external air vent not possible, the gas generator will be engaged. If gas generator damaged, or run out of ice, and not O2 source if found special message will be displayed on specified LCDs. For O2 tanks refill the script first will try to use external vents, then oxygen generators.
Note: the script does not transfer ice (and any items) across inventories. If a gas generator was run out of ice it will be considered malfunctioning, until the user manually, or using sorters, or using other scripts, or by any other means, will put ice in a said generator.

The script also keeps an eye on oxygen farms, but it's not considered a reliable source of oxygen. The script can turn them OFF if oxygen is not needed, keep them always ON, even if it may lead to O2 tanks overfill.


Script support custom settings for gas tanks and air vents. These custom settings set up in block's Custom Data property, written in INI format and will override global settings defined in the script.

Example for air vent:

• 
  
• [Vent] header indicating beginign of the settings. Mandartory
  
• LowerPressureLimit sets level of oxygen for pressurisation. If room oxygention ration drops below this level the sript will start refilling process. Optional
  
• LowerDepressureLimit sets level depressurisation. The script ill not epressure rooms below this value. Optional
  
• Hide if set to true the script will not sho oxygen level for this vent in LCDs. Optional
  
• --- separator. If you have some additional text, not related to INI format, separate it with a line containing these three dashes. Optional

Example for gas tanks (both H2 an O2):

• 
  
• [GasTank] header indicating beginign of the settings. Mandartory
  
• LowerLimit sets lower fill ratio level of gas. If tank ration below this level the sript will start refilling process. Optional
  
• UpperLimit sets upper fill ratio level of gas. If tank ration above this level the sript will stop refilling process. Optional
  
• --- separator. If you have some additional text, not related to INI format, separate it with a line containing these three dashes. Optional

Any block may be excluded from script control by placing in said block's Custom Data property keyword LSS_IGNORE.


To setup script you only need Programmable Block. Put the script into PB, compile and save.

The LSS can output text data to LCD panels of Text Panel and cockpit blocks. For that, you need to put in Text Panel's or cockpit's Custom Data property LSS_display keyword and a numeric index of LCD in this block. For Text Panels, this index is always 0. For other blocks, it's from 0 to number of LCDs minus one.
For example, if the cockpit has this list of LCDs:

• Top Center Screen
  
• Top Left Screen
  
• Top Right Screen
  
• Keyboard

Then for center screen index is 0, for the left screen it's 1, for right one it's 2, and for the keyboard it's 3.
Also, it is recommended you set the font to monospace.

LSS's programmable block can output runtime info (one that could be seen in the terminal menu) in its LCD. For that in PB's terminal menu set the Content Type 'Text and image' for its main screen. Also, PB's Custom Data should be empty.

If you add or remove blocks don’t forget to recompile script in the programmable block.