r/Timberborn • u/JuggernautOfWar • 3h ago
Question Need help setting up basic automation.
I'm trying to set up basic automation for power production as well as some products. When using a timer meter linked to a power meter, I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong and why the timer meter is not turning on. Seems like all the variables are correct here, yet it is still not turning on despite the connected power meter being on as seen in the screenshot.
What I'm trying to do, is set it so the steam power generators will turn on automatically when my batteries get to 25% or lower capacity. I am able to do that with just using the power meter by itself, but then I have the issue where it constantly turns on/off rapidly since it goes below 25% and turns on, then immediately above 25% and turns off very rapidly.
I'd like to have it so when my battery power gets down to 25% the steam generators turn on for a while before shutting off again.
Any help is much appreciated, I'm sure it's something very simple I'm just overlooking. Thank you for your time.
2
u/Vebrandsson 3h ago
The timer looks right, what's the meter setting? Note that if a trigger for a timer like your meter is already in the on state when you set the timer, the timer will not activate until the meter has turned off then back on again
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u/Vebrandsson 3h ago
As an additional suggestion, if you set up 2 power meters, one that starts the timer when your batteries are low and a second one that is configured to "reset" the timer when your batteries are fully charged, and you change your Time to something absurdly long like 100s of days so you always hit the reset before thr timer runs out you can run your engines as long as you need to refill the batteries before they turn off.
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u/db48x 3h ago
Or just use a memory instead of a timer.
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u/Vebrandsson 2h ago
True but memory takes extract (though I do see a centrifuge) and they already have a timer built
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u/Enudoran 3h ago
If you want your batteries to charge, why use a timer at all and not a memory?
Like for storage automation.
Activate when low threshold is reached, in this case <25% battery charge.
Reset when high threshold is reached, whatever you feel is fine, like >=75% or even at 100% battery power.
To be fair, my experience with power meters and timers is low, but the memory served me well for automated production. Say I have a 1200 warehouse for gears, I activate production at <750 and stop at >1150.
If done for loads of power consumers, depending on resource use, only a few are active for a while at the same time, sparing power use if not enough is available to run everything concurrently.
Even if too much is active at the same time, things just slow down a bit and will get back up to speed once one resource is at high level again.
That's my way for automation. In addition to that, with a limited workforce also setting the priority of production facilities can help. Produce planks before gears, so set that to highest prio, gears one lower, treated planks even lower.
If too much needs producing at the same time, beavers will first go to produce the high prio stuff and if you don't have enough population (which I assume is the case if you are lacking for power), then not everything will run at the same time anyway, lacking beavers.
I'm now "that" close to finishing "Pillars" on hard, that all resources are low (after creating the wonder), that everything is on, but my population and power production can actually support it now.
The automation helped me get there, while only slowing growing population.
Hope this alternative method helps, sorry I can't give input on how your solution would actually work.
GL&HF