First reactor, questions

Baron_Falcon · Feb 1st 2014

Good morning!

I've just spent half the night assembling everything for this reactor from the New Reactor sticky. Beginner Reactor 3:

I have a couple questions.

First, is this considered a Mk 1 reactor and is it a good first build, or am i in over my head?

Second, the reactor instructions on IC wiki say use a redstone signal to tun the reactor on and off. For some reason I can't make this work with only one block of space all the way around he reactor. I'm sure the solution is simple it's just eluding me at the moment.

And lastly, I can't find any info on which side of the reactor is the output? Probably staring right at it but my eyes are crossing at this point.

I still need to install the fuel rods and make the final connection. I've built a 3x3x2 containment room with one layer reinforced stone walls, floor, ceiling and door, and outer shell of obsidian with a hooded arrangement for the power cable.

Thanks in advance for any help.

gollark8 · Feb 1st 2014

I can't answer your first questions,I am on an iPad.
You need to apply an indirect signal-i.e.going through a block
Obsidian blastproofness is nerfed in IC.

Nonotan · Feb 1st 2014

3.33 efficiency isn't bad. You could technically do better, but it's a nice compact setup.

Reactors output to every single side. Use a lever attached to the reactor for the redstone.

Baron_Falcon · Feb 1st 2014

Quote from gollark8

I can't answer your first questions,I am on an iPad.

You need to apply an indirect signal-i.e.going through a block

Obsidian blastproofness is nerfed in IC.

Thanks!

In the sticky for new designs it is labeled Beginner Reactor 3.

I'll try the indirect, I think I like that better than a lever on the reactor as mentioned by another reply.

Obsidion nerfed? LOL, all that work *facepalm*.

/gets out diamond drill

Baron_Falcon · Feb 1st 2014

Quote from Nonotan

Quote from Nonotan

3.33 efficiency isn't bad. You could technically do better, but it's a nice compact setup.

Reactors output to every single side. Use a lever attached to the reactor for the redstone.

I'll try the lever directly attached if the indirect method doesn't work. I have visions of removing the lever and bricking the reactor back to a blank white cube. BTDT with a couple expensive machines, an FMU being the biggest heartache.

I coud have gone bigger and more complicated but I am definitely in unfamiliar waters here, so for a first build I decided to be very conservative and use this to learn.

Thanks for the reply!

edit: not sure why it double quoted, still learning the controls here.

Korlus · Feb 1st 2014

Quote from Baron_Falcon

Thanks!

In the sticky for new designs it is labeled Beginner Reactor 3.

I'll try the indirect, I think I like that better than a lever on the reactor as mentioned by another reply.

Obsidion nerfed? LOL, all that work *facepalm*.

/gets out diamond drill

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Water got a nerf too, otherwise they would basically be nuke proof. I think most other blast resistances have stayed the same.

Baron_Falcon · Feb 1st 2014

I have a very positive report!

The reactor is online and functioning perfectly. My fuel rods are at around 2/3's, and none of the components show any degradation. This seems like a nice low maintenance and economical to build power supply that fits my current needs very well and will allow me to divert time and resources from building solar, carrying lava and worrying about finding fuel sources.

Thanks so much for the forum and recipe.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I just need to figure out a circuit that will turn on the reactor automatically when the MFSU gets low.

I currently have enough uranium for around 18 cycles, and I expect to find a lot more.

Korlus · Feb 2nd 2014

Quote from Baron_Falcon

I have a very positive report!

The reactor is online and functioning perfectly. My fuel rods are at around 2/3's, and none of the components show any degradation. This seems like a nice low maintenance and economical to build power supply that fits my current needs very well and will allow me to divert time and resources from building solar, carrying lava and worrying about finding fuel sources.

Thanks so much for the forum and recipe.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I just need to figure out a circuit that will turn on the reactor automatically when the MFSU gets low.

I currently have enough uranium for around 18 cycles, and I expect to find a lot more.

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MFSUs can be set to output a redstone signal when they are full, or empty (or partially full, but that one can be problematic to use). My suggestion is either to throw another storage unit in front of it (in series), so that when the MFSU empties (and your storage gets low), turn on the reactor by sending a redstone signal.

Alternately, the easier method for automated power generation is to use the redstone signal it can give off when full, invert it (simple redstone torch on top of a block, or a NOT gate from any redpower-type mod, and use that to turn on your reactor whenever you don't have full storage capacity.

Omicron · Feb 3rd 2014

If you have a mod with logic gates, such as any Redpower replacement as suggested by Korlus, you can do a nice compact thing with a toggle latch. If you only have vanilla redstone at your disposal to build a handmade toggle latch, I wouldn't bother - those things can get pretty large (think 5x5 redstone circuit).

Set your MFSU to "emit if partially filled". Patch the signal through a NOT gate to invert it. You now have a setup that delivers a high signal whenever the MFSU is empty OR whenever it is full. The toggle latch is a special circuit that toggles its state back and forth everytime it receives a high signal. Can you guess where this is going?

Connect your signal from the NOT gate to the toggle latch, and connect the output of the toggle latch to the reactor. Now you must prime the system: make sure the MFSU is partially filled, so that the NOT gate sends a low signal and the latch is dormant. Then toggle the latch manually, for example by placing a redstone torch next to the wire between the NOT gate and the latch. Just one quick pulse is enough, then you can (and must) take the torch away again. You will see the latch toggle to high, and your reactor will start running.

It will keep running until the MFSU is full. Then the MFSU stops emitting, the NOT gate inverts that to high, which toggles the latch, which turns off the reactor. Then the MFSU maybe stays full for a while, or maybe it starts draining immediately, it doesn't matter. What matters is that at some point, the MFSU is no longer full, therefore drops back into its "partially filled" status and emits redstone. The NOT gate inverts that to low, which takes the signal off of the latch, making it ready to receive the next high pulse. That comes when the MFSU is completely empty, and thus no longer "partially filled", which has exactly the same effect as when it was completely full. Again the latch is toggled into the other state, this time turning the reactor back on.

As long as no wayward redstone signal interferes with the MFSU, the reactor or the line in between, this system will stay perfectly self-regulating for all eternity, and you don't need an expensive second MFSU to make the redstone logic work. However, beware of one corner case: if the reactor is on, and runs out of fuel, and the partially filled MFSU also reaches completely empty before you replace the fuel rods, then the system will toggle itself permanently off. You will need to prime it again as you did when you first constructed it.

First reactor, questions

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