A new hopper filter

[The great randomo]

Linking back to the original post, would this 'chute' block split a stack of items equally over 2 sides/directions? It would be useful if it did as a sort of 'side function' to the main function of the block.

To what end? You say it's useful, but how exactly would you use that?

In soul urn factories, tree farms, wheat farms, breeding farms (animals produce multiple drops) and any machine timed to release many items at once, multiple drops are released in a single stack. This single stack can be hard to split between different things.
Take battosay's latest let's play, for instance: in the wheat farm, it was too hard for him to fully automate the collection and placing of seeds, because there was no way to split the drops equally between the dispensers with out it taking up too much space.
All the drops from the pigs and cows are collected below the building. Say he wanted to send half the porkchops to be eaten, and half to be made into tallow. This would be possible. If he wanted to equally split the amount of steak between a dung factory and a cauldron to be cooked: he could send half the meat to the wolves and half to a cauldron.
This small feature would allow for his.

[FlowerChild]

In soul urn factories, tree farms, wheat farms, breeding farms (animals produce multiple drops) and any machine timed to release many items at once, multiple drops are released in a single stack. This single stack can be hard to split between different things.
Take battosay's latest let's play, for instance: in the wheat farm, it was too hard for him to fully automate the collection and placing of seeds, because there was no way to split the drops equally between the dispensers with out it taking up too much space.
All the drops from the pigs and cows are collected below the building. Say he wanted to send half the porkchops to be eaten, and half to be made into tallow. This would be possible. If he wanted to equally split the amount of steak between a dung factory and a cauldron to be cooked: he could send half the meat to the wolves and half to a cauldron.
This small feature would allow for his.

See, what I don't get is that the single items don't combine into stacks *unless you are the one to combine them* either manually, or through sending them into a Hopper or other inventory space *simultaneously*.

In other words, just separating the single items with the chute method I describe would allow you to do everything you've described above. What you're suggesting doesn't make any of it possible, so what's the added advantage?

[The great randomo]

What I am suggesting us just a feature added ontop of this 'chute' block, that will allow it to divide stacks of blocks to 2 separate directions. The way I understand it is that the block you are proposing will send single or stacks of items In different direction, depending on a variable. This would just add to that feature, and allow any stacks passing through it to split into 2 halves of the stack.

[FlowerChild]

What I am suggesting us just a feature added ontop of this 'chute' block, that will allow it to divide stacks of blocks to 2 separate directions. The way I understand it is that the block you are proposing will send single or stacks of items In different direction, depending on a variable. This would just add to that feature, and allow any stacks passing through it to split into 2 halves of the stack.

For fuck sake man, can you just answer the bloody question? What advantages does this provide over the system I've described?

[M!C]

What I am suggesting us just a feature added ontop of this 'chute' block, that will allow it to divide stacks of blocks to 2 separate directions. The way I understand it is that the block you are proposing will send single or stacks of items In different direction, depending on a variable. This would just add to that feature, and allow any stacks passing through it to split into 2 halves of the stack.

Yes it would add to the chute block but the question was why you want to add it to the chute block.

Edit: ninja'd

[Shengji]

Randomo - we all get what you're asking for, but remember that by adding the functionality you want, other functionality would be destroyed - the ability to send stacks of wheat through and not have it split!

Please stop now!

[The great randomo]

Sorry.
Having read over the topic several times, I'm not really sure what the idea you're suggesting is. Can you explain?

[Shengji]

Right... imagine a pair of shorts, that have been starched till they're stiff as a board. Now these shorts were starched when the wearer was doing the splits (lets not asked how she got out of them).

So we have a tube with a big opening on top, and two "legs" pointing left and right with smaller openings. (This is not a how the block should look suggestion, just trying to distil what was obviously too abstract for comprehension into an understandable example)

Water flows across the top "waist" hole, but given that in minecraft, water works differently, it flows right over the top. Any item in the water stream will drop into the "waistband" hole and hit the gusset. (Oh how I enjoyed typing that!). The gusset has been starched into a peak (hence: she) so the item has an equal chance of falling left or right. Which ever way it goes, it will arrive either on a square to the left or the right of the original water stream, one block down (Again, not a suggestion, just where the example led me)

If a stack of items falls in, it either goes left or right.

Now over time, 50% of the items go left and 50% right - see? The stream has been very efficiently split.

Now if you wanted to feed say three dogs equally and have a final stream flowing to your personal food chest - you need three such pairs of shorts, geddit?

[The great randomo]

geddit?

Think so. But if I understand your analogy correctly, won't that mean that any groups of items will split equally over the 2 holes anyway?

Edit: fixed quote

[Shengji]

geddit?

Think so. But if I understand your analogy correctly, won't that mean that any groups of items will split equally over the 2 holes anyway?

A single stack won't be split into two stacks but a stream of stacks will be split equally.

Lets say you have stacks of 64 pork chops flowing from your farm at a rate of 1 a second. After the shorts you will have two streams of stacks of 64 flowing at the rate of one every two seconds.

What you won't have is two streams of stacks of 32 flowing at the rate of 1 a second.

[FlowerChild]

Ok, I'm done. I think I'd best step away from this thread as I'm heading into the mood of handing out bans for violating rule # 1 in a fit of rage :)

I'll think over the splitter-chute idea and decide on the precise implementation.

[The great randomo]

I apologise for being such a noob. :/

[STrRedWolf]

I like the splitter chute idea. Now if I can only filter out the feathers, wool, and leather from the food...

[FlowerChild]

I like the splitter chute idea. Now if I can only filter out the feathers, wool, and leather from the food...

You can already separate everything out of that list using filters other than leather from food.

[rosstafan]

Would it be possible for it to alternate between chutes.
Also if it is compatible with filters.

[Iakovosian]

Apologies for reviving this thread after it appeared to come to a natural conclusion, but I finally had time to test an idea sparked by reading it.

I understand that an item stream (a water stream with multiples of the same item floating in it) can be split by alternating the directional flow of water in a timed pattern. I felt this was a slightly over-engineered solution, and thought of this following method. Not sure if anyone else has come up with it already.

By placing a siding underneath the water flow, side-on to the flow direction, you can siphon off all items travelling on the opposite side of the stream. This can be done in two orientations, and then leaves the items that were travelling down the middle of the stream. After running several tests I found that, in my example, the number of items travelling down the middle of the stream was slightly less than those travelling on one side or the other (but this can theoretically be adjusted by moving the glass panes - that stop the BD throwing things too far - closer to the BD). When throwing 9 stacks of wheat into the input stream I got, on average, 3.5 and 3.75 stacks on either side and 2.75 stacks down the middle.

This configuration only works when the items in the water stream are (semi-)randomly distributed from side to side. This could potentially be straight from an auto-farm, if the items are taken away in the right direction, or by the setup shown in this example: A powered hopper over a pulsed block-dispenser.

Spoiler

Show

View showing the three divided outlets from the single input stream.


Top-side view of the input stream, and the three 'filter' types.


Just showing the stream from <enter location here> leading into a powered hopper, then a BD to fire the items individually in a slightly random direction. (Pistons also seem to send plants flying in a slightly random direction too, but the BD was better suited here for illustration purposes.)

Having shown all that, I still think the one-input-with-two-randomly-chosen-outputs 'chute' is a good idea and would be very useful in its own way. :)

[Shengji]

I don't think any apologies are needed here - that is really rather clever :)

[BigShinyToys]

Iakovosian Have you done any testing to see what the split is in %
Looks like it might be a little waited in favor or the sided not the middle slot ( at the end. )
Sorry bout that I skimmed the pics.

Nice design has given me lots of ideas. like having two types of item run down a single stream just on different side.

[Gilberreke]

Iakovosian Have you done any testing to see what the split is in %
Looks like it might be a little waited in favor or the sided not the middle slot ( at the end. )
Nice design has given me lots of ideas. like having two types of item run down a single stream just on different side.

The numbers are in the post man, reread it :)

[Iakovosian]

Nice design has given me lots of ideas. like having two types of item run down a single stream just on different side.

...and that's actually given me an idea too! I think you should be able to send at least 7 (on the last count) different items down the same water stream and still be able to extract them. I'll have a play and get back to you.

If this is beginning to derail the thread, as I think it may be, I'll start a new thread to continue elsewhere.

[Darken5]

what im getting from this conversation seems similar to (not suggesting to use buildcraft) the diamond pipe in buildcraft. think hopper+.

1 input.
up to 4 outputs.
and mechanical power through a side

In through the top. Out through the sides and bottom. but what gets filtered to each direction is player chosen.

Please dont yell at me for bringing up another mod. But its easier to describe what im seeing if i point to an example.

[morvelaira]

Please dont yell at me for bringing up another mod. But its easier to describe what im seeing if i point to an example.

Okay, I won't yell at you for that. However, I will yell at you for making a massive necro. (viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2614&hilit=necro#p39602)

[Darken5]

hmmm. maybe my forum settings are weird but this was the 1st thread listed under Suggestions & Idea's. gonna check them. Sorry.

[FlowerChild]

hmmm. maybe my forum settings are weird but this was the 1st thread listed under Suggestions & Idea's. gonna check them. Sorry.

Please check the date of the messages you are responding to. It's a great habit to get into when using forums in general.

[Darken5]

ahh, i see what i did there. meant to post on the page for "the tipper" but yea. ::stops necro'ing and puts on dunce cap for a day::