My first foray into automation!

[RaustBlackDragon]

Surprise surprise, at long last I've finally done something with automation. This is my first automated sugar cane farm.

I basically let one sugar cane grow in front of a buddy block, and then line it up with a bunch of pistons that also have sugar cane growing in front of them. Whenever the front sugar cane reaches full height, the buddy block triggers the pistons to cut down the sugar cane to level 1 again, pushing the stuff down a stream into one of two hoppers.

I used some repeaters as well, just to make sure it didn't pull back too early.

...Yes, it sucks, I'm sure.

[Vongard]

There is defiantly more efficient ways to do it but very good work for your first attempt, better than my mangled experiments with red stone when i started...

~Von

[RaustBlackDragon]

There is defiantly more efficient ways to do it but very good work for your first attempt, better than my mangled experiments with red stone when i started...

~Von

Thanks for the input! I'd love to know how to improve it, sugar is DEFINITELY the limiting reagent in the training treats recipe. If I could just get this farm going, I could really start training up my dogs to ass-kicking levels.

[Vongard]

Thanks for the input! I'd love to know how to improve it, sugar is DEFINITELY the limiting reagent in the training treats recipe. If I could just get this farm going, I could really start training up my dogs to ass-kicking levels.

Well the simplest thing you can do so you dont loose as many reed by them landing on the dirt across is to put up a wall like this.

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This way the reeds will almost always land in the water... though it also means that you will have to tear down about 50% of your work =P your set up isn't that much less efficient so do what you will.

~Von

[RaustBlackDragon]

Thanks for the input! I'd love to know how to improve it, sugar is DEFINITELY the limiting reagent in the training treats recipe. If I could just get this farm going, I could really start training up my dogs to ass-kicking levels.

Well the simplest thing you can do so you dont loose as many reed by them landing on the dirt across is to put up a wall like this.

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This way the reeds will almost always land in the water... though it also means that you will have to tear down about 50% of your work =P your set up isn't that much less efficient so do what you will.

~Von

You can't see it from that angle, but that water pool is actually TWO wide. Does that change things?

[Vongard]

You can't see it from that angle, but that water pool is actually TWO wide. Does that change things?

YES! it means you are smarter than me! should work perfectly!

~Von

[Gilberreke]

It also works with a one wide channel and grates in between instead of a wall. That way you can still have a double farm, with one wide channels.

[RaustBlackDragon]

It also works with a one wide channel and grates in between instead of a wall. That way you can still have a double farm, with one wide channels.

Grates?

[Katalliaan]

Grates?

One of BTW's aesthetic blocks - you could also use iron bars or glass panes.

[Gilberreke]

Picture:

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[RaustBlackDragon]

I'm still getting a lot of lost items apparently. It seems to only be running at half-efficiency. Anybody know how I can improve my setup's pushing power?

[Gilberreke]

The one I posted should be 100%. I'm guessing you're still pushing the items too far onto the other half?

[RaustBlackDragon]

The one I posted should be 100%. I'm guessing you're still pushing the items too far onto the other half?

I'll check to see if that's the case...

[RaustBlackDragon]

Didn't happen this time, not sure what happened there.

[RaustBlackDragon]

Oh. Dear. God.



How. The fuck. Did that get in there. I can't see any dark spots... it got behind my machinery...

That does it, I've gotta get some creepersweepers set to wander mode near my precious machines. This happens more than I would like. Which is AT ALL.

But it's happened before, creepers spawning in well-lit houses and areas...

[MoRmEnGiL]

There are many factors that affect efficiency. The 2 most important ones are canes landing on the opposite dirt patch, and canes landing on their own one. To avoid the first grates iron bars etc work very good. To avoid the second, the pistons need to stay extended for longer. You can accomplish that with a pulse lengthener/monostable circuit.

What that does, is it takes a pulse as input, like the one from the buddy block, and fixes it's duration on it's output to a fixed length. If you search for monostable on youtube you're bound to get good results. Here's an ascii rendering of the one I usually use:

O= block T= torch on side of block, I=dust @ = block with dust on top ^ = repeater



output

T
@I
^I
OT

Input

You just add repeaters and delay on them till you get the pulse length that keeps the pistons extended untill all cane falls in the water. Hope this helps, too bored to take a screenshot :P

EDITED for clarity

[Flesh_Engine]

I built a semi-auto wheat farm recently using 1 source & 1 piston across about an 11*11 area of which i'm rather proud.
It's semi since it requires manual replanting but otherwise you harvest with the pull of a lever and procure your produce at the collection spot.

It's rather mesmerizing to see in action imo :p
I'll see if i can take a picture this weekend and post it.