So do you prefer 1 master stone stocpile and then sending your stones to multiple workshops. Here is an advice how to send the same (more or less ?) amount of stone to them. With a little modification it can be used to distibute liquids to multiple reservoirs
What do you need:- 1 minecart
- 2*(N-1) pumps where N is number of workshops
- tons of mechanisms
- chains/ropes for rollers
- Urist McTrackCarver and Urist McMechanic
- source of power
- 7*(N-1) of water/magma for triggering signal (it will be recycled)
- floodgates/doors
How to set things up:1) create loading depo
--T--
where T is track stop set to highest friction and not dumping
--- track
2) set dumping area - workshops
.WWW.
.WWW.
.WWW.
..S..
--T--
T is track stop set on lowest friction dumping north
S is stocpile acception stone with no wheelbarrow only accetping from links an giving to the workshop W.
3) create way back
wR.....|.
wR...wwf.
wR--P-rr.
wR....G|.
wR.....|.
2 1
1-entrance, 2-exit
R - roller going N->S on lowest power (powered from somewhere), r - roller going E->W on lowest power
G - gear assembly (power)
P - pressure plate - trigger any minecart (here it will be empty if it is of any importance)
f - floodgate/door
w - wall
Track on this diagram is carved in a shape of big H. Duplicate this part as many times as you have workshops - 1.
Wall next the floodgate should prevent minecart from leaving the track.
4) ending for step (3)
wwwwwwwww
wR--P--\.
wR.....|.
wR.....|.
2 1
Track here is shaped like upside down U. Also pressure plate is hooked to something different then in step (3) but more on that later. Trigger minecart
5) pumps
It's nothing more that application of this:
http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/File:Mini_Resetable_Trigger_Once_Plate.PNG z 0
cwwwwwwwwww
cw_w_w_wwww
c=p=p=p===G==
cwPwPwPwwww
cwHwHwHwwww
cwwwwwwwwww
= - is axle for power
G - gear assembly (just for turning on/off the pumps)
c - just a line where the patern should continue (add as many pumps as you need)
Pp_ - pump where P is that unpassable tile (so here it pumps from north)
H - hatch cover
After you build everything fill space above hatch covers with water/magma (choose what do you find more fit to your fort
)
z -1
cwwwwww
cw.w.w.ww
cwPwPwPw
cwpwpwpw
cw_w_w_w
cwwwwwww
z -2
cwwwwwww
cwwwwwww
cwwwwwww
cwwwwwww
cwPwPwPw
cwwwwwww
P here means pressure plate activated by water/magma (I set it to 4-7 because I wanted to prevent malfunction when some part of liquid is not correctly recycled)
6) Linking mechanisms
Now I hope it won't go too confusing.
a) link pressure plate on first part of segment (3) to first hatch cover
b) pressure plate under the first hatch cover link to gear assembly and floodgate/door in first segment (3)
important: before you link the plate to the gear make sure that the gear is active (e.g. not disabled by lever or something) (aktivating plate should send off signal)
c) pressure plate under the first hatch cover link (the same as step b)) to the first track stop (2) which will minecart pass on its way
d) repeat step a), b) and c) only change word "first" to "second", "third", ... And if you counted correctly you should have as many segments (3) as hatch covers. Don't do this step with segment (4)
e) link pressure plate from segment (4) with gear assembly powering the pumps (5)
important: before you link the plate make sure that gear assembly is disabled by lever (aktivating plate should send on signal)
7) Set hauling order
Make only one stop which is on top of track stop (1).
-push (direction you need) immediately when full of desired items
-take from (master-stone-stocpile)
also as desired items you have to select stones
When stockpiles (2) are set as mention it will work and dwarves shouldn't haul the stone back.
Now I am not sure but sometimes dwarves may go completely insane and try to haul minecart back to track stop (1) right after they push it. Probably thinking the cart gone off road. Proble is I can't reproduce this behavior. It only happened to me once or twice and I absolutely don't know why was that happening.
Pictures of my testing area: (with design flaws and therefore not working properly)
Z-0
Z-1
L - loading area - minecart is pushed south
T - track stops dumping on stockpiles
G - gear assemblies - there is the flaw - They power rollers from a wrong side. Once they disengage and engage again they stop powering the rollers. The whole design should work when you power rollers as mentioned in step (3).
Also I am not sure if axles block minecarts or if you have to power those gears from above/below.
note: This design is stupid because for a dwarf to get to workshop (s)he has to cross the track and maybe get hit by a cart. This is just a testing area
Z-2
Few words at the end.Segment 3 can be created without floodgate acording to the wiki (
http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Track#Switching). But I though that this is more about luck or precise calculation so I sticked with floodgate.
Rollers on left side of segment 3 and 4 has to be set to lowest power I think. Because when I used highest power the minecart went off the track where the wall on the left ended (see picture).
I got idea for this design when I read about "Automatic dwarven 3D printer" (
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111606.0). Only open those hatches which you don't want to cast obsidian.
And to me more honest transporting liquids would be even simplier. Just replace loading depo with a reservoir which the forbidden minecart goes through (also use only rollers and no dwarf-power) and you are set.
Only problem is when you want to use more than one minecart - pressure plate canceling and false signals and something like that. I have too little will to test that as well.
I would make video of its (one time) functionality but somehow that is above my skill. If you want save just tell me where to upload.