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| {{Under construction | | {{Needs revision|reason=Needs a list of components, shells and their uses, list of things can be connected to with usb cables, list of different kinds of connection within the circuit and general updating to out of date info on most of the text}}'''Circuits''' are an efficient way to automate simple and complex actions and contraptions. You can make almost anything you can think of with circuits, such as a [https://wiki.beestation13.com/view/Machines#Bluespace_Launchpad launchpad] system that can teleport you anywhere around the station, a translator that can translate any language into Galactic Common, or a scanner gate that bolts the doors if [[Mothpeople|certain]] [[Lizardperson|species]] [[Felinids|tries]] to enter your [[Science|domain]]. |
| |reason = This feature is new and requires detailed writeups. | |
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| Research is now capable of building custom machines, that will hopefully accomplish whatever goal the creator had set out for the machine to solve, such as a health monitoring system, smart turret, a signaler controller for their bombs, or perhaps something to give Beepsky a run for their money. Or perhaps something else entirely, as more and more new parts get added to expand the metaphorical toolbox for these creators.
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| ==The Machine and Components==
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| Each machine can hold a limited amount of components, limited by both number of components, as well as an abstract 'complexity' value for each component. Complex components are generally things that interact with the outside world, like weapon systems, or a fast pulse ticker. Smaller machines will have stricter limits on how many things can be shoved inside at once, where as larger ones allow for more space, but are less space efficient when carrying it.
| | ==Integrated Circuit== |
| ==Pins==
| | The integrated circuit is the foundation for all circuits. Shells can be implanted with integrated circuits and removed with a screwdriver. You can't add components to an integrated circuit whilst it is in a shell, but you can rewire it with a multitool. |
| A component, generally referred to as a circuit, has 'pins' on it, of three different types. Pins are connected to other pins, on the same circuit or on another circuit inside the machine, and are used to pass information or activation pulses from one component to another.
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| Most components have three types of pins, but some components may have only one or two types. The three types are input, output, and activation.
| | Batteries can be removed from an integrated circuit with screwdriver. Integrated Circuits are always off and do not process inputs when not in a shell. You can interact with an integrated circuits by using it in your hand, and you can attach components to it by hitting it with a component. |
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| Input pins, as named, are what the circuit uses as input, where as the output pins are where the results go. For example, an addition circuit will sum up all the numbers it finds in their input pins, then put the result in their output pin. Activation pins are special, in that they don't carry data, but instead act as triggers for a component to do work. The addition circuit needs to receive a pulse signal to its activation pin in order for it to actually compute the sum of the inputs. When a circuit does work, and places its output in the outpin pins, it will then 'push' the data to any pins linked to the output pins, so that those pins will have the correct data. Most circuits do not 'pull' data, but instead need to have it 'pushed' from another circuit.
| | Each component has ports that input and output information. The component acts as the processor and the ports act as the input/outputs. An input can only be connected to one output but an output can be connected to many inputs. |
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| A pin can be linked to an arbitrary number of other pins, as long as they are inside the same machine. Removing a component will automatically unwire everything from it, so keep that in mind.
| | Whenever an input receives a value, it drains 1 unit of energy from the attached battery cell There are currently no components that can interact with the physical world except a built-in component for the drone shell that allows it to move. |
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| On the wiring interface, input pins are always on the left, output pins are on the right, and activator pins are on the bottom side. They are also colored red. Pins that are linked to to other pins are bolded, and will have a link to go to that circuit underneath. The data that pin holds, and the type it is, will also be visible.
| | Signal ports are number ports, but are used to trigger the execution of a component. Each component will usually have an input signal port and an output signal port. |
| Wiring
| | ==Circuit Multitool== |
| | | The circuit multitool is used to mark entities. Using it in hand will clear the current marked entity, allowing you to mark another entity. A marked entity can then be uploaded to a circuit port with the "any" or "entity" type by pressing the upload button on it. |
| To wire something, you first need a special 'wiring' tool. You will also need a custom machine item, which resembles a cube, and some special circuits. All of this can be printed in R&D, and in the future can be found in tech storage.
| | == Shells== |
| | | *Compact Remote - A remote with one button. Click on it to trigger it. |
| Other tools you may need are screwdrivers, which will remove circuits from the machine, and crowbars, to open or close machines.
| | *Controller - Remote with 3 buttons. Normal clicking, alt-clicking, and right-clicking when in your hand will trigger one of the three ports. |
| | | *Bot - A structure that cannot be picked up but is not dense. The most generic container as it has no special inputs or outputs. |
| First, use a crowbar on the machine to open it, if it is not opened already, then start sliding some circuits inside. You'll hear it slide into place if there's enough room and it's not too complex. After that, examine or hit the cube with the wiring tool, then select a circuit to look at. After that, click on a pin, then on another pin, on the same or a different circuit, and they'll link together. Remember that activation pins don't carry data, and so can't be linked to input/output pins.
| | *Drone - A mob that moves about when fed input commands by the circuit. |
| | | *Server - A structure that cannot be picked up and only operates when anchored. Can hold an enormous amount of components. |
| To unwire, just use the wire tool in your hand to change it to unwire mode, then click two pins to unwire them.
| | [[Category:Guides]] |
| Data
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| Pins can hold three types of data, which are strings (text), numbers (both integers and floating-point, because BYOND), and object references (called Refs). If there is no data in a pin, it displays 'null'.
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| Some circuits mandate that input data be a specific type of data. For example, a circuit wanting X and Y coordinates will require that those inputs be numbers. If it's given text, it will do nothing, and therefore won't work. Sometimes numbers can be converted to text, and text to numbers, with specialized circuits. For example, the number 5 can become the string “5”.
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| On the wiring interface, you can tell what type a piece of data is by looking at how it is presented, between two brackets. Strings are always wrapped in quotes, as in many programming languages, where are numbers are not, and are (obviously) only numbers. References have a [Ref] at the end of the name for the referenced object, and no quotes. Refs are somewhat more rarely used, but are powerful.
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| Numbers can be converted to strings easily with a number to text circuit. String can become numbers with a text to number circuit, so long as the string has only numbers inside of it (e.g. “28”. “Five” won't work). Refs can be converted one way to text, which will give you the name of the referenced object, using a ref to text circuit.
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| Valid types for pin data;
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| “This is a string.”
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| 98.5
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| the crowbar [Ref]
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| null
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| ==Tools== | |
| The primary method for interacting with devices is through specialized tools.
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| *Integrated Circuit Printer: Makes all the bits for your cool new toys as well as all the tools ( the wiring tool, debug tool and circuit analyzer )
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| *Circuit Wirer: allows you to wire and unwire inputs and outputs. Outputs should only be wired to Inputs of a compatible type!
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| *Circuit Debugger: Allows you write Refs, Strings, numbers or the null value to any buffer and send pulses. | |
| *Circuit Analyzer: Allows you to get a text string used to copy devices.
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| *Multitool: Writes to bools and pulses.
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| *Crowbar: Lets you open the device shells to modify them
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| ==Terms==
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| Circuits work with two kinds of signals.
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| *Pulses: used to coordinate the device and tell circuits to act.
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| *Data: a value that the circuits store act, with, modify, and transmit as outputs. | |
| **Strings are plain text values. | |
| **Numbers are a numerical value that can have math done on it. | |
| ***Booleans are a special Number expecting any number >=1(True) or 0(False)
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| **Refs are references to specific objects in the world.
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| ==Flow Control==
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| Flow Control is a term used generally for programming languages for determining in what order does code get executed. The same principal applies for custom machines, using activator pins. The proper management of how a pulse goes to each component in the correct order will be very important for complicated or big machines.
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| Fortunately, there are some components to help with organizing your flow control. For example, there are pulse splitters to allow for cleaner wiring. Delay timers also exist so that you can make sure everything goes off at the right time (although it's best if your machine is not dependent on that, which is known as a race condition in programming). Many circuits will also propagate a pulse if it passes a certain condition, for example many logic gates, ensuring that something will occur only if you want it to.
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This page needs revising!
The following page is out of date and/or needs to be revised. If the page's guide needs revision, see here for an example.
The revision reason is: "Needs a list of components, shells and their uses, list of things can be connected to with usb cables, list of different kinds of connection within the circuit and general updating to out of date info on most of the text"
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Circuits are an efficient way to automate simple and complex actions and contraptions. You can make almost anything you can think of with circuits, such as a launchpad system that can teleport you anywhere around the station, a translator that can translate any language into Galactic Common, or a scanner gate that bolts the doors if certain species tries to enter your domain.
Integrated Circuit
The integrated circuit is the foundation for all circuits. Shells can be implanted with integrated circuits and removed with a screwdriver. You can't add components to an integrated circuit whilst it is in a shell, but you can rewire it with a multitool.
Batteries can be removed from an integrated circuit with screwdriver. Integrated Circuits are always off and do not process inputs when not in a shell. You can interact with an integrated circuits by using it in your hand, and you can attach components to it by hitting it with a component.
Each component has ports that input and output information. The component acts as the processor and the ports act as the input/outputs. An input can only be connected to one output but an output can be connected to many inputs.
Whenever an input receives a value, it drains 1 unit of energy from the attached battery cell There are currently no components that can interact with the physical world except a built-in component for the drone shell that allows it to move.
Signal ports are number ports, but are used to trigger the execution of a component. Each component will usually have an input signal port and an output signal port.
Circuit Multitool
The circuit multitool is used to mark entities. Using it in hand will clear the current marked entity, allowing you to mark another entity. A marked entity can then be uploaded to a circuit port with the "any" or "entity" type by pressing the upload button on it.
Shells
- Compact Remote - A remote with one button. Click on it to trigger it.
- Controller - Remote with 3 buttons. Normal clicking, alt-clicking, and right-clicking when in your hand will trigger one of the three ports.
- Bot - A structure that cannot be picked up but is not dense. The most generic container as it has no special inputs or outputs.
- Drone - A mob that moves about when fed input commands by the circuit.
- Server - A structure that cannot be picked up and only operates when anchored. Can hold an enormous amount of components.
