Logistics Filter

[Enterpriser1995]

Hey guys, i've been playing a modded version of the game for quite some time, but i noticed a thing.

Logistics bots don't act very well when relating to storage chests.

I mean, to me, the lognet would work way better with a filtered storage, rather than a messy one.

Unfortunately, i tried everything i could, but everything seem to go through my storage chests without an order, any tips?

[aka13]

You should imagine the bots being like an invisible conveyor network, rather than smart storage. Use passive provider chests limited to a few stacks on outputs of your machines - making a buffer for the finished product. Request items with requester chests, "overordering" items so your assemblies don't idle while the bots fly for the next input portion.

The storage chests I only use for buffering, having at most 8-20 even in the largest factories with 500+ bots - they act as an emergency buffer for the robots, in case something is no longer needed, while the bot already has it in cargo, so it has a place to drop it off. If the item is requested again, the bots will prioritize taking it from the storage chests first, instead of going to the passive providers, cleaning up the buffer.

I have not found a use for the active provider chests for now. These chests force the robots to move its content to all avaliable storage chests and pretty much clog up your system.

[Shokubai]

Some of my thoughts on Logi chests.

Passive chests - For low volume items or my personal supply, I limit the chest. For high volume items like Green Circuits I use Green inserters with a condition such as Green Circuits < 10k. They will only put Iron Plate in the box if there is under 10k in the network.

Requester Chests - I use the 1 minute rule. I shift Right Click the Assembly Plant, Shift left Click the Requester Chest. The open the chest and change all the quantities to 1 minutes worth of supply...Sometimes if Im lazy I just add a 0 to everything. For VERY slow items like engines I may get really lazy and just double the number.

Active Chests - The best use for these is when you are producing something that is simply not going to get used where you are making it. You want to use Green inserters here to control how much of an item you allow into your network. In such a case put down an active chest and then.....

Storage Chests - Are not just a place to put your trash and they are not overflow storage. Place them in a central part of your base where they will most likely receive items to be used close by. If you are using Active Chests then DO NOT PUT THESE CLOSE TO THE ACTIVE CHESTS OR ANYWHERE ELSE YOU DON'T WANT ITEMS TO BE CENTRALIZED, put them in your central area where the items from the Actives will get used.

[aka13]

Some of my thoughts on Logi chests.

Passive chests - For low volume items or my personal supply, I limit the chest. For high volume items like Green Circuits I use Green inserters with a condition such as Green Circuits < 10k. They will only put Iron Plate in the box if there is under 10k in the network.

Requester Chests - I use the 1 minute rule. I shift Right Click the Assembly Plant, Shift left Click the Requester Chest. The open the chest and change all the quantities to 1 minutes worth of supply...Sometimes if Im lazy I just add a 0 to everything. For VERY slow items like engines I may get really lazy and just double the number.

Active Chests - The best use for these is when you are producing something that is simply not going to get used where you are making it. You want to use Green inserters here to control how much of an item you allow into your network. In such a case put down an active chest and then.....

Storage Chests - Are not just a place to put your trash and they are not overflow storage. Place them in a central part of your base where they will most likely receive items to be used close by. If you are using Active Chests then DO NOT PUT THESE CLOSE TO THE ACTIVE CHESTS OR ANYWHERE ELSE YOU DON'T WANT ITEMS TO BE CENTRALIZED, put them in your central area where the items from the Actives will get used.

That does not really make sense, why would storage chests suddenly receive items unless these are pushed by active providers? If you are just trying to move something closer to the center of the base you are better off using passive provider+requester+storage instead of active provider limited by logistic network condition. Can you make an example of where you use your setup? I am genuinely interested.

[Shokubai]

That does not really make sense, why would storage chests suddenly receive items unless these are pushed by active providers? If you are just trying to move something closer to the center of the base you are better off using passive provider+requester+storage instead of active provider limited by logistic network condition. Can you make an example of where you use your setup? I am genuinely interested.

Because this is how storage chests function. A bot will look for a storage chest any time it is carrying something that it needs to put down. This could be Character Trash, Active Chest pickups, or items that no longer need to be delivered(constructions bots carrying an item you placed by hand).

you are better off using passive provider+requester+storage

3 chests compared to two plus an extra inserter for the same effect.

Actually. I will give you a save from my thumb drive that I have access to at the moment. I warn you this was probably my first go at a Logi-Base and never really got finished but the relationship between my furnaces, Active chests, and Storage chests should be of interest. In the save, I'm at about 21k Iron Plate. When it hits 20k you should see the bots switch on everywhere to go start picking up plate and move it to storage.

[Enterpriser1995]

Wait, wait, wait.

So, If i just need, for example, to have an ordered storage of items, like, i don't know, an iron plates chest, a copper plates chest, etc, how can i integrate this in the logistic system? Passive provider --> Requester --> Inserter --> Chest --> Inserter --> passive provider?

[Shokubai]

Wait, wait, wait.

So, If i just need, for example, to have an ordered storage of items, like, i don't know, an iron plates chest, a copper plates chest, etc, how can i integrate this in the logistic system? Passive provider --> Requester --> Inserter --> Chest --> Inserter --> passive provider?

If you want ordered storage, then yes. Use A Requester Chest into a Passive Provider(dunno why you need a normal chest in there as items in it aren't counted in your logistics network). The Storage chest "MAY" stay ordered but it's just as likely to collect junk. It's sort of a fact of life about storage chests. Honestly I got over ordered storage long ago and instead rely on Green Inserters to control my stockpile. So what if there's 15 different things in storage chest. I know that my green inserters in my production won't let any one items use all the space.

You need to think about where items are used though. If you are outputting into a Passive chest and the items are used nearby then there is no reason to move them anywhere. If you are making items in an area some distance from where they will be used then you need to think about staging. As talked about above, your choices are Active -> Storage OR Passive -> Request -> Passive.

It's worth mentioning that the Requester to Passive really only works if the requester and the passive are on different logistic networks. Otherwise you get stuck in a little Active/Passive loop. This is why storage is usually used there but we've discussed that issue. I suppose that's why you put a normal chest in the middle but that messes with your green inserters since those items aren't counted.

An example I did of this recently was for turret defense. I created a requester chest in logi range of my main base that requested Laser turrets, walls, power poles and repair packs. I used a long handed inserter (to make a bigger gap...not really necessary) to insert those items into a passive provider chest. I primed the passive chest with one of each item and limited the chest space. The Passive chest was on a network comprised of roboports that ONLY served my defense line. This way my defenses get repaired and replaced and the items to do it with stay very close. Sometimes this is VERY VERY far from my core base.

[Xterminator]

Here is the rule of thumb I usually go by when using chests.

Passive Providers on all machine outputs that you want put into the Loginetwork. This way t keeps them organized and won't let other random items clog up the output chest.

Active providers or a situational thing. Sometimes I use them on train unloading stations, or if I'm doing s!all scale logistics mining on a patch I want lines out quickly.

Requesters obviously to request items. Mostly to just request stuff for assemblers but also if doing logistics based train loading.

Storage chest I never use for inserting anything directly into. Usually I will just put a few down in a central location in the base and then really the only time they should get items is from my trash slots, I'd I deconstruct something, or if a bot is carrying an item that it needs to out away because the order got canceled for some reason (like me placing by hand).

In my mind it doesn't really matter if the storage chests are all messy because theoretically there shouldn't ever be an Inserter or anything trying to grab from them. It will only be bots using them and the bots know exactly what they need from it and don't care if it is filed with tons of different items.

[Enterpriser1995]

Solved the issue, here's the solution:

Passive Provider ---> Requester (Wired) ---> Smart Inserter (Wired) ---> Smart Chest (Wired) ---> Smart Inserter (Wired) ---> Passive Provider (Wired)

First, let's start from the Wires and the CN Conditions.

The requester requests items, while the first wired inserter has this condition:

Code: Select all

OBJ < N (EX: Iron_Plate < 400K)

And the second smart inserter will get this condition instead:

Code: Select all

OBJ > N (EX: Iron_Plate > 400K)

So, in this situation, as long as iron plates are < 400K the requester will keep doing its job, while the passive provider will be empty.
In the opposite situation, Iron plates > 400K, the passive provider will begin to be filled, while the requester will not request, since the first smart inserter will not work and it will be filled.

[Shokubai]

Solved the issue, here's the solution:

Passive Provider ---> Requester (Wired) ---> Smart Inserter (Wired) ---> Smart Chest (Wired) ---> Smart Inserter (Wired) ---> Passive Provider (Wired)

First, let's start from the Wires and the CN Conditions.

The requester requests items, while the first wired inserter has this condition:

Code: Select all

OBJ < N (EX: Iron_Plate < 400K)

And the second smart inserter will get this condition instead:

Code: Select all

OBJ > N (EX: Iron_Plate > 400K)

So, in this situation, as long as iron plates are < 400K the requester will keep doing its job, while the passive provider will be empty.
In the opposite situation, Iron plates > 400K, the passive provider will begin to be filled, while the requester will not request, since the first smart inserter will not work and it will be filled.

Cool solution...IMHO unnecessary number of chests and inserters,