Difference between revisions of "Solars"

Solars are often overlooked by newer chief engineers, but are a very good place to start your engineering career. They are the safest way to generate power for the whole station and require minimal experience to set up. In the event of the loss of the primary engine or some other catastrophic reason, the solars are sufficient to power the entire station, if set up correctly.

Locations

There are four solar arrays on most stations operated by Nanotrasen. On all stations, the solar arrays are generally on each corner of the station, but are not exactly the same.

The NSS Cyberiad
The four solar arrays on the Cyberiad are all connected to the station via maints shafts. The fore port (northwest) solars are located just north of the arrivals shuttle in maints. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located in maints east of dormitories. The starboard (east) solars are located at the far corner of the station in science maints. The aft port (southwest) solars are located just west of engineering.

The NSS Kerberos
The fore port (northwest) solars are located in atmospherics next to turbine. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located to the northeast tip of arrivals next to the escape pod. The aft starboard (southeast) solars are located in medmaints between the old pet store and old detective office. The aft port (southwest) solars are located between auxiliary E.V.A and old library.

The NSS Cerebron
Solar arrays on Cerebron are special in a way that they require more setup. The fore port (northwest) solars are located in maintnance north of cargo. In order to wire them fully, they require a catwalk to be built. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located north of engineering and require no setup besides simply wiring them. The starboard (east) solars are located at the very end of science maintnance, south of science chemistry. They require manual construction of solar panels, materials for which can be found nearby. The aft port (southwest) solars are located west of chapel and departures. Aft port solars, same as starboard solars, need to be constructed manually.

The NSS Farragus
The fore port (northwest) solar arrays can be found in the northwest corner of security asteroid. Fore starboard (northeast) solars are located on eastern side of cargo asteroid. Starboard (east) solars are located in the northeast corner of medical asteroid, in maintenance tunnels. Aft starboard (southeast) array has been broken by space carps and requires fixing to work. It can be found in the northwest corner of arrivals asteroid. Aft port solar array can be found on eastern side of science asteroid.

Setting up the Arrays

You'll need:

Approximately 3 cable coils per solar array.
An exosuit that permits spacewalks as well as internals.

None of the four solar arrays are connected to the station at the start. You will need to connect the solar panels and the solar tracker to the wire leading from the station. To wire a tile, hold a cable coil in hand and click an adjacent tile. This will add a wire radiating from the center of the selected tile toward your current position. You will see a tiny red knot or "node" in the center of the tile. When extending the wire across the tile, make sure to click the knot in order to form a straight wire.

Using this method, connect the solar arrays and solar tracker to the station. Wires with nodes are tricky and sometimes appear to be connected, but do not send power. Ensure that the visible wires in the image do not have any nodes on them.

NOTE: If you are wiring a solar array from scratch, ensure that there is a node underneath each solar array, as well as the solar tracker.

Calibrating the Arrays

Once the solars are all wired, it's time to link them to the system and get them searching for sunshine. The station is rotating in orbit, which means that the solar panels need to constantly rotate to face toward the sun in order to reach maximum efficiency. To make sure they are doing so, go back through the airlock and go to the computer inside of the solars egress. At the top right corner of the screen, there should be a button to search for equipment. This will make the computer check to see which solar arrays are properly wired to the system and check if the solar tracker is wired. (It's also worth mentioning that the computer itself needs to be on one of the nodes to work.) If the solar arrays are properly wired, the computer should indicate 60 connected panels. If there are not 60 panels connected on the computer, double check your wiring. After you have ensured panels are connected, there should be a section in the lower left to set the tracking protocols. Set the tracking on the computer to "auto." If you cannot set it to auto, check your wiring again. You may have forgotten to connect the solar tracker. While manual tracking is an option, the only time you will ever need to manually calibrate a solar array is when something destroys the tracking unit.

Reminder

0 degrees = North
90 degrees = East
180 degrees = South
270 degrees = West

When all the panels of an array face the sun (and are correctly wired) they produce about 90,000 watts of power. It is important to note that THE STATION BLOCKS SUNLIGHT! This means that as the panels rotate with auto-tracking, they move through a series of power levels ranging from 90k (full sun) to nothing (station obscures sun). The rotation cycle takes roughly 5 minutes to complete.

Why is this important?

Because of the SMES! See that big white thing in the solar control room? That's the SMES cell. It's essentially a battery used for holding solar energy and transferring it to the station. Also acts as a sort of capacitor to protect the station from solar flares.

Setting Up the SMES Units

A common mistake is to immediately set the input to 90,000 watts (the amount produced by full sunlight) and the output to 80,000 watts. However, this will not work. The SMES cells start at 20% power, but if the engine is off or the station is not supplied with any other kind of power, the station drains them to 0% in a few minutes. An input of 90,000 watts (full sun) might charge the battery for a little while, but once the sunlight is blocked by the station the battery charge begins to drain. This causes the battery to turn off. even when the panels receive sunlight again, the battery won't be sending power unless an engineer turns it on again.

After you have wired the array, set tracking to auto, and verified that the panels are indeed rotating, set the battery like so:

Charging: Auto

Input: 80,000 watts

Output: OFF!

You want to leave output off and let the battery charge before you send the power to the station. Try waiting for a charge of at least 10% (maybe more) before you turn on the output. The battery needs this charge to provide sustained power during the dark phase of the solar rotation. If the battery runs out of charge, you'll have to turn it on again or it will not provide power. While you wait for the battery to charge, you can wire up other solar arrays on the station.

Alternatively, you don't have to set the output on at all. If the engine is up and running, you can leave the solar SMES charging just in you need it later.

When you need it, you can set the output to 50,000 - 75,000 depending on how much power you need. If the output load is equal to the output value you set, it means the station needs more power than it's getting. Crank it up!

These four arms can provide enough energy to power the entire ship in the event of an engine failure. But, given the position to the engine, the wires will likely be eaten away and you will have charging solars that aren't connected to the station.

Hotwired Solars

A far more efficient way to configure the solars is to leave out the SMES cell entirely. This is done by cutting and rewiring the cables in the control room of each of the four solar arrays so that they don't connect to the SMES cell or its terminal, and instead feed directly into the station's power grid.

The practical upshot of this is that the solar arrays will supply the station with power constantly, whereas if they were connected to an SMES cell, power generated at any level lower than the set input would be lost. Setting the SMES cell to a lower input level would harvest this lower energy, but it would cause the cell to waste energy generated at peak times instead.

Wiring the solars directly into the grid removes these problems and hence generates far more power! Of course, the downside of this is that it's impossible to store energy without an SMES cell, so if something goes wrong with the arrays, the power will go out immediately. Solar flares may also sporadically occur.

During a solar flare, the solars produce exponentially more energy. Why is this a bad thing? Well, if the solars are hotwired, all of that power will go directly into the grid and cause APCs to start arcing and shocking people.

Making and Maintaining Your Own Solar Arrays

Setup

In order to make your own solars, you'll need a solars crate from cargo, lots of wire, parts for the control computer and a whole lot of glass. The solar crate should contain multiple solar arrays and a solar tracker. First, find an area outside of the station to begin. Begin the setup by wiring where the solar panels will be. Note that there should be a wiring node underneath each solar panel. If there is not, the panel won't send power. To construct the panel, simply wrench it in over the wire with the node, and then add glass. Once all of your arrays are wired, place the solar tracker onto the grid via a wire with a node on it and a wrench. Once all of this is done and the computer is set up, simply follow the previous steps to finish setting up your arrays. (Note that placing of the solar panels and solar tracker isn't super important. They all just have to be on the same grid.)

Repair

Sometimes, it is necessary to repair arrays that were damaged by flying rocks, fish, cows, or syndies. Most of the time, if a solar panel is hit, it cannot be recovered. However, if the wiring is compromised, simply rewire the arrays so that the solar panels are properly connected to the grid again.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== The Alternate Power Source ==
+{{JobEngineering}}
-Solars often are left alone by all but a few people, and for some other reasons. However, they are the safest way to generate power for the whole station. In the event of the [[Singularity Engine]] failing, or some other reason, the solars are sufficient to power the entire station, if set up correctly.
+== The Gift of the Sun ==
+Solars are often overlooked by newer [[Chief Engineer|chief engineers]], but are a very good place to start your engineering career. They are the safest way to generate power for the whole station and require minimal experience to set up. In the event of the loss of the primary engine or some other catastrophic reason, the solars are sufficient to power the entire station, if set up correctly.
 ===Locations===
-[[File:Solars.png|thumb|300px|One of the station's solar arrays]]
+There are four solar arrays on most stations operated by Nanotrasen. On all stations, the solar arrays are generally on each corner of the station, but are not exactly the same.
-There are four solar arrays on the station. The first, and easiest to configure, is on the rightmost side of the station just below the escape shuttle port (Starboard Array). The second is located "north" of the chapel (Auxiliary Starboard Array). The third can be found to the left of engineering and south of robotics (Port Array). The fourth is best accessed by going through the left maintenance door of the tool storage area (Auxiliary Port Array).
+'''The NSS Cyberiad'''<br>
+The four solar arrays on the Cyberiad are all connected to the station via maints shafts. The fore port (northwest) solars are located just north of the arrivals shuttle in maints. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located in maints east of dormitories. The starboard (east) solars are located at the far corner of the station in science maints. The aft port (southwest) solars are located just west of engineering.
-=== Connecting the Arrays ===
+'''The NSS Kerberos'''<br>
+The fore port (northwest) solars are located in atmospherics next to turbine. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located to the northeast tip of arrivals next to the escape pod. The aft starboard (southeast) solars are located in medmaints between the old pet store and old detective office. The aft port (southwest) solars are located between auxiliary E.V.A and old library.
+'''The NSS Cerebron'''<br>
+Solar arrays on Cerebron are special in a way that they require more setup. The fore port (northwest) solars are located in maintnance north of cargo. In order to wire them fully, they require a [[construction#Metal Rod Constructions|catwalk]] to be built. The fore starboard (northeast) solars are located north of engineering and require no setup besides simply wiring them. The starboard (east) solars are located at the very end of science maintnance, south of science chemistry. They require [[construction#Misc Constructions|manual construction of solar panels]], materials for which can be found nearby. The aft port (southwest) solars are located west of chapel and departures. Aft port solars, same as starboard solars, need to be constructed manually.
+'''The NSS Farragus'''<br>
+The fore port (northwest) solar arrays can be found in the northwest corner of security asteroid. Fore starboard (northeast) solars are located on eastern side of cargo asteroid. Starboard (east) solars are located in the northeast corner of medical asteroid, in maintenance tunnels. Aft starboard (southeast) array has been broken by space carps and requires fixing to work. It can be found in the northwest corner of arrivals asteroid. Aft port solar array can be found on eastern side of science asteroid.
+=== Setting up the Arrays ===
 You'll need:
-* [[File:CableCoils.png]] Several [[Cable Coils|cable coils]].
+* [[File:CableCoils.png]] Approximately 3 [[Cable Coils|cable coils]] per solar array.
-* [[File:RIG.png]] A [[space suit]] or [[hardsuit]].
+* [[File:Engineer Hardsuit.png]] An exosuit that permits spacewalks as well as internals.
-* (Optional) [[File:Crowbar.png]] A [[crowbar]] to open doors if the power is out.
-* (Optional) [[File:Metal.png]] A stack of [[metal]] from which to make floor tiles so as to protect your newly placed wiring from [[traitor|easy tampering]].
-None of the four solar arrays are connected to the station at the start. You will need to connect the solar panels and the solar tracker to the wire leading from the station.
+None of the four solar arrays are connected to the station at the start. You will need to connect the solar panels and the solar tracker to the wire leading from the station. [[Wiring|To wire a tile]], hold a cable coil in hand and click an adjacent tile. This will add a wire radiating from the center of the selected tile toward your current position. You will see a tiny red knot or "node" in the center of the tile. When extending the wire across the tile, make sure to click the knot in order to form a straight wire.
-To wire a tile, hold a cable coil in hand and click an adjacent tile, this will add a wire radiating from the center of the selected tile toward your current position. You will see a tiny red "knot" in the center of the tile, when extending the wire across the tile, make sure to click the knot in order to form a straight wire. Make sure the wire coil is in your hands when you click the knot (wiring is often learnt by trial and error).
+[[File:Solars.png | One of the station's solar arrays]]
-Using this method, connect the solar arrays and solar tracker to the station. Having excessive knotting in your wiring can sometimes cause power loss, and other such nasties. Knots are best left avoided altogether for this reason - wire your junctions the same way the solar panels are already connected together, with the curving wires. You can also rewire the control room to remove the knots using this same method, especially if you're wiring the solar array into the main power grid (see SMES-less Solars below).
+Using this method, connect the solar arrays and solar tracker to the station. Wires with nodes are tricky and sometimes appear to be connected, but do not send power. Ensure that the visible wires in the image do not have any nodes on them.
-=== Calibrating the Arrays ===
+'''NOTE''': If you are wiring a solar array from scratch, ensure that there is a node underneath each solar array, as well as the solar tracker.
-Once you have wired an array, you need to calibrate the tracking and power so that it actually produces energy. The station is rotating in orbit, which means that the solar panels need to constantly rotate to face toward the sun. Click on the Solar Control CPU and set it to auto-tracking. You should see a degree displayed at the top ranging from 0 to 359; this is the current direction of the sun.
+=== Calibrating the Arrays ===
+Once the solars are all wired, it's time to link them to the system and get them searching for sunshine. The station is rotating in orbit, which means that the solar panels need to constantly rotate to face toward the sun in order to reach maximum efficiency. To make sure they are doing so, go back through the airlock and go to the computer inside of the solars egress. At the top right corner of the screen, there should be a button to search for equipment. This will make the computer check to see which solar arrays are properly wired to the system and check if the solar tracker is wired. (It's also worth mentioning that the computer itself needs to be on one of the nodes to work.) If the solar arrays are properly wired, the computer should indicate 60 connected panels. If there are not 60 panels connected on the computer, double check your wiring. After you have ensured panels are connected, there should be a section in the lower left to set the tracking protocols. Set the tracking on the computer to "auto." If you cannot set it to auto, check your wiring again. You may have forgotten to connect the solar tracker. While manual tracking is an option, the only time you will ever need to manually calibrate a solar array is when something destroys the tracking unit.
+'''Reminder'''
 * 0 degrees = North
 * 90 degrees = East
 * 180 degrees = South
 * 270 degrees = West
-The consoles are a bit glitchy so you'll have to turn off auto-tracking then turn it on again before the panels start to rotate. Also, auto rotation is not smooth, it jumps about every 20 seconds. Keep this in mind if it seems like nothing is happening.
-You don't need to use manual tracking. The only time you will ever need to manually calibrate a solar array is when something destroys the tracking unit.
-It is important to note that '''THE STATION BLOCKS SUNLIGHT!''' This is the biggest apparent cause of solar failure. When the panels of an array face the sun (and are correctly wired) they produce about 90,000 watts of power.
-However, if the station is between the panels and the sun, they produce 0 watts of power. This means that as the panels rotate with auto-tracking, they move through a series of power levels ranging from 90k (full sun) to nothing (station obscures sun). The rotation cycle takes roughly 5 minutes to complete.
+When all the panels of an array face the sun (and are correctly wired) they produce about 90,000 watts of power. It is important to note that '''THE STATION BLOCKS SUNLIGHT!''' This means that as the panels rotate with auto-tracking, they move through a series of power levels ranging from 90k (full sun) to nothing (station obscures sun). The rotation cycle takes roughly 5 minutes to complete.
 Why is this important?
-Because of the SMES! See that big white thing in the solar control room? That's the [[File:SMES.png]] SMES cell. It's a battery used for holding solar energy and transferring it to the station. Click on the SMES and you get a window with input, output, and charging options.
+Because of the [[SMES]]! See that big white thing in the solar control room? That's the [[File:SMES.png]] SMES cell. It's essentially a battery used for holding solar energy and transferring it to the station. Also acts as a sort of capacitor to protect the station from solar flares.
-===Important SMES Facts===
+===Setting Up the SMES Units===
-* 1. A battery doesn't charge if the input setting is higher than the actual amount of power being received!
+A common mistake is to immediately set the input to 90,000 watts (the amount produced by full sunlight) and the output to 80,000 watts. However, this will not work. The SMES cells start at 20% power, but if the engine is off or the station is not supplied with any other kind of power, the station drains them to 0% in a few minutes. An input of 90,000 watts (full sun) might charge the battery for a little while, but once the sunlight is blocked by the station the battery charge begins to drain. This causes the battery to turn off. even when the panels receive sunlight again, the battery won't be sending power unless an engineer turns it on again.
-* 2. If the battery charge drops to 0% the battery will stop sending power, even if it is charged again.
-A common mistake is to immediately set the input to 90,000 watts (the amount produced by full sunlight) and the output to 80,000 watts. However, this will not work. Solar batteries (SMES cells) start at 20% power but if the engine is off the station drains them to 0% in a few minutes. An input of 90,000 watts (full sun) might charge the battery for a little while, but once the sunlight is blocked by the station the battery charge begins to drain. This causes the battery to turn off and even when the panels receive sunlight again, the battery won't be sending power unless an engineer turns it on again.
-=== Configuring the SMES ===
 After you have wired the array, set tracking to auto, and verified that the panels are indeed rotating, set the battery like so:
@@ Line 59: / Line 60: @@
 You want to leave output off and let the battery charge before you send the power to the station. Try waiting for a charge of at least 10% (maybe more) before you turn on the output. The battery needs this charge to provide sustained power during the dark phase of the solar rotation. If the battery runs out of charge, you'll have to turn it on again or it will not provide power. While you wait for the battery to charge, you can wire up other solar arrays on the station.
-Alternatively, you don't have to set the output on at all. If the [[Engine]] is up and running, you can leave the solar SMES charging just in you need it later.
+Alternatively, you don't have to set the output on at all. If the engine is up and running, you can leave the solar SMES charging just in you need it later.
 When you need it, you can set the output to 50,000 - 75,000 depending on how much power you need. If the output load is equal to the output value you set, it means the station needs more power than it's getting. Crank it up!
-These four arms can provide enough energy to power the entire ship in the event of a [[Engine]] failure. But, given the position to the engine, the wires will likely be eaten away and you will have charging solars that aren't connected to the station.
+These four arms can provide enough energy to power the entire ship in the event of an engine failure. But, given the position to the engine, the wires will likely be eaten away and you will have charging solars that aren't connected to the station.
+===Hotwired Solars===
+A far more efficient way to configure the solars is to leave out the SMES cell entirely. This is done by cutting and rewiring the cables in the control room of each of the four solar arrays so that they don't connect to the SMES cell or its terminal, and instead feed directly into the station's power grid.
-=== SMES-less Solars ===
+The practical upshot of this is that the solar arrays will supply the station with power constantly, whereas if they were connected to an SMES cell, power generated at any level lower than the set input would be lost. Setting the SMES cell to a lower input level would harvest this lower energy, but it would cause the cell to waste energy generated at peak times instead.
-A far more efficient way to configure the solars is to leave out the SMES cell entirely. This is done by cutting and rewiring the cables in the control room of each of the four solar arrays, so that they don't connect to the SMES cell or its terminal, and instead feed directly into the station's power grid. The practical upshot of this is that the solar arrays will supply the station with power constantly, whereas if they were connected to an SMES cell, power generated at any level lower than the set input would be lost. Setting the SMES cell to a lower input level would harvest this lower energy, but it would cause the cell to waste energy generated at peak times instead. Wiring the solars directly into the grid removes these problems and hence generates far more power! In fact, if you do this for all four of the arrays, then it's possible to power the station entirely on solar energy, making the solars a safer alternative to the singularity. This may be a good plan of action for the safety-inclined Chief Engineer, albeit an unorthodox one. Of course, the downside of this is that it's impossible to store energy without an SMES cell, so if something goes wrong with the arrays, the power will go out immediately. Luckily solars tend to be much easier to fix than more complex engines.
+Wiring the solars directly into the grid removes these problems and hence generates far more power! Of course, the downside of this is that it's impossible to store energy without an SMES cell, so if something goes wrong with the arrays, the power will go out immediately. Solar flares may also sporadically occur.
-On the other hand, if you're planning on leaving the singularity running as well, you'd be best off not doing this method. The excess amount of electricity in the power grid would cause electrified doors to be lethal, and as a result is extremely dangerous! You should only wire the solars directly into the power grid if you DO NOT use singularity engine running as well.
+During a solar flare, the solars produce exponentially more energy. Why is this a bad thing? Well, if the solars are hotwired, all of that power will go directly into the grid and cause APCs to start arcing and shocking people.
-== Danger ==
+==Making and Maintaining Your Own Solar Arrays==
-There are a few dangers on the solars, one being the electrical wires! They can shock anyone manipulating or tampering with them, so wear insulated gloves at all times. Never forget or you will get zapped!
-In addition, you are vulnerable and alone. This leaves you an easy target for space-walking [[traitor|attackers]] that need a new cover identity. Finally, there is the chance to slip and go drifting off through space. This hazard is easily solved if you act quickly. Simply throw something in the direction of your flight path, like [[shoes]], or a [[pen]]. The equal and opposite reaction will start pushing you in the other direction!
+===Setup===
+In order to make your own solars, you'll need a solars crate from cargo, lots of wire, parts for the control computer and a whole lot of glass. The solar crate should contain multiple solar arrays and a solar tracker. First, find an area '''outside''' of the station to begin. Begin the setup by wiring where the solar panels will be. Note that there should be a wiring node underneath each solar panel. If there is not, the panel won't send power. To construct the panel, simply wrench it in over the wire with the node, and then add glass. Once all of your arrays are wired, place the solar tracker onto the grid via a wire with a node on it and a wrench. Once all of this is done and the computer is set up, simply follow the previous steps to finish setting up your arrays. (Note that placing of the solar panels and solar tracker isn't super important. They all just have to be on the same grid.)
-[[Category:Locations]] [[Category:Guides]]
+===Repair===
+Sometimes, it is necessary to repair arrays that were damaged by flying rocks, fish, cows, or syndies. Most of the time, if a solar panel is hit, it cannot be recovered. However, if the wiring is compromised, simply rewire the arrays so that the solar panels are properly connected to the grid again.

Difference between revisions of "Solars"

Latest revision as of 09:35, 10 April 2023

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