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[tilly]

I have a question about them... Do they need to be connected to each individual machine?

[Porpoisepower]

No.  Each machine  can run separately with their own private power source, or as part of one vast power supply grid. Or something in between.

Although, I wonder if its better for system performance to have one giant power grid/source, or several private power supplies.  That being said,to much plumbing will suck up more power than can be produced.

[tilly]

Okay, say I was using the supply grid. how would going underground work? Would A gear assembly be overtop the hole or a vertical axle with a gear assembly right before it?

[vanatteveldt]

Okay, say I was using the supply grid. how would going underground work? Would A gear assembly be overtop the hole or a vertical axle with a gear assembly right before it?

Every mechanical device has power 'connectors', and you need to make sure that the connectors contact each other. These connectors aren't shown anywhere, but they're somewhat obvious:

- A gear connects in all cardinal directions (N, E, W, S) and top and bottom
- A horizontal axle connects on both ends (E and W or N and S), but not sideways or up/down
- A vertical axle connects on top and bottom only
- A water wheel connects on the middle of the long side
- A wind mill connects downwards in the center square

As far as I know, all power consumers act as gearboxes, i.e. they connect in all directions.

Also important is that all mechanical devices offer support to other devices, so you build an axle above a hole with a gear in it, and a wheel next to a gear.

So, suppose you have a windmill on z-0 and want to connect it to a screw pump five levels below and 5 to the right, you would build:

Code: [Select]

(side view)

  MMM         the wind mill
   G          gear assembly (not strictly necessary but useful to connect multiple mills later)
   |
   |          3 vertical axles
   |
   G----%%    gear, one horizontal axle E-W length 4, pump

To connect multiple power consumers or users, connect them at the gear boxes or consumers.

For example, a water wheel and two wind mills powering a pump stack and a millstone:

Code: [Select]

(side view)

  MMM MMM     the wind mills
   G---G      gear assemblies and connecting axle
   |
 S |          millstone         
 | |
 G-G----%%    gears, horizontal axles, pump
 |      %%    pump connected to other pump, see wiki on pump stacks
 |            vertical axle connecting water wheel to gears
WG            water wheel, gear

Note that all vertical connects* need the floor to be channeled, and hence usually depend on support from the device below it. So, the millstone cannot be ordered until the axle below it is, and if you ever decide to remove the gear directly below the millstone, the stone will be deconstructed as it loses support.

*) apparently, there is a bug in windmills that allows power to connect downwards through floor, but I've not tested this as I usually work with water wheels anyway.

[Hurkyl]

Can you use a millstone if a dwarf can't stand on the square?

[Larix]

No, you can't even _build_ a millstone when a dwarf can't stand on the place. You could build it atop a constructed wall and later remove the wall, but yeah, it's remarkably pointless.

1-tile rollers transfer power in the four cardinal directions; 2-tile and longer rollers transfer power on the sides, but normally not on the ends (you can force that through building order, but it easily breaks). They do not transfer power up or down. Since rollers only require 2 energy per tile, they can be a good alternative to gear assemblies for switching transfer direction by 90°.

[Aseaheru]

When in doubt check the wiki.