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[backora900]

So I created some designs of repeaters using only minecart as a trigger. No liquids or critters required.
Also I tried to make it as compact as possible.
No design was showing any speed ups or slow downs of minecart after several laps. (cca 5 minutes). This created precise timing of repeaters.
Also I have tried some designs with track stops for slowing minecart but it caused some wierd behavior with oscilating time for 1 lap.

And when you consider this topic:
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114394.0
It doesn't require any power. (Until Toady decide it's a bug which needs to be "fixed" )

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

1st design - the smallest loop I have created where pressure plate is still able to reset. (8x4)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 110 ticks

Minecart starts at the top left corner going south.
The top left corner is accelerator made from S/W track ramps. These ramps require a wall on west side.
Track under pressure plate is E/W. At the right image is detail on how the track goes (don't forget some of those are ramps).
Doors are there only as an emergency stop.

To start the whole thing build hatch cover above the top left corner and place a forbined minecart on it. Then pull the lever.

Note that the minecart has to derail into the top left corner with some (high?) speed. I think that the minecart tries to go up the W ramp then loose all it energy (therefore there were no speed ups as mentioned before). Pushing cart on the 1st from the top right corner didn't work.

This setup works with doors and harch covers/grates. But they are mostly open because closed state remains only for cca 6 ticks (because minecart stays on the pressure plate for 4 ticks if I have counted correcly).
It also works with retracting spikes, bridges and floodgates but the minecarts has to pass 2 laps for these buildings to return to basic state.

2nd design - (8x6)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 170 ticks

Because on this bigger track the minecart was slowing with each lap I had to add another track ramp. It is brown N/W track ramp at the top which also require wall on the north side.

3rd design - (8x4+6x2)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 153 ticks


4th design - (8x6)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 151 ticks

This one is perhaps the best one for the retracting spikes. It is very close to 140 ticks which spikes need to reset but it doesn't have that acceleration part after the brown track ramp. So if you fill this track with pressure plate the delay between them would be almost linear.


And that is pretty much everything that is worth mentioning here. Maybe it could be smaller with track crossing...
Next time I will create something with 200 ticks delay so I can create (anti-?)parallel atom-smashers.

I had to hide previous designs into spoiler because they were soooo lame in comparison with design 5 and 6.

5th design - perfect for retracting spikes; they are visible like for only 0.2s   (5x7)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 148 ticks

The system is same as in design 1. Track ramps are marked N/W - north-west ramp (+wall on northern side) and W/S - west-south (+walls on W). There are also doors for emergency shutdown (see picture of design 6) - it can be replaced with track stop on highest friction linked to a lever.
T - track stop set on medium friction

6th design - perfect for waving bridges (5x9)
Time for a minecart to complete one lap - 209 ticks

It's practicaly a bigger design 5.
You can also see possition of 2 pressure plates which makes 1 bridge to open and the other to close. (with cca 5 ticks inconsistency but hey, I am even happy it it working somehow )
Just a warning, I have experienced some lags when waving with 2 bridges.

Downfall of these designs is that you can't place any pressure plate on track crossings only on U-bends.
One advantage is that you don't need hatch cover one level above. To start this repeater just order a dwarf to push minecart from the top right corner to the west and it should do the trick. (or at least it worked for me on design 6) And after he pushes it forbid the minecart

video "repeater in action":
http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-2463-minecartrepeaters
Spikes work fine but bridges cause some lags and I don't know why.

I doubt I can create anything more compact and still usefull. Have fun repeating those goblins not to step on your retracting spikes.
Also when you create design 5 or 6 follow hte minecart (k-F).

[GoombaGeek]

200 ticks would be great for my seecret clock project (and way less of a hassle then futzing around with floodgates and pressure plates). Please continue

[ed boy]

You might be able to make it more compact by inserting more corners. One corner applies about ten times the deceleration effect of a straight piece, so you need less time-wasting track.

Also, you should be able to use bridges to compress the area if you want a quick repeater. I might be able to throw a couple designs together later tonight.

[Itnetlolor]

I am intrigued with this. I can finally automate a spikestrip defense grid without too much convoluted machinery.

[Iosyn]

I am intrigued with this. I can finally automate a spikestrip defense grid without too much convoluted machinery.

This, oh so so very much.

[backora900]

I have updated 1st post with some better ideas.

[doublestrafe]

I wish these didn't have the weird graphics so I could understand what I was looking at in the pictures.

Edit: Oh wait, if I turn the contrast way up I can see the ramps, which helps a lot. Which means the weird purple chandelier must be a minecart?

[Sutremaine]

Which means the weird purple chandelier must be a minecart?

No, that's a ^. The minecart is either hidden or not on the tracks in the screenshots.

[Itnetlolor]

Can you post any movies of these in action? And would it be possible to build a bridge in the track to turn into a wall to stop it, just in case?

I mean, to clean out a spike strip safely, you need to shut them off.

EDIT:
Considering that bridges can still operate like tracks, it seems possible; and to make it single-tile, which also turns into a wall when *closed*, I think it can work, as long as it's built on a straightway.

EDIT EDIT:
Alternatively, a bridge that disappears when it retracts can also be used, and just send the cart through an endless loop that doesn't force it to repeat again until it slows down could also work. It can be placed virtually anywhere. Alternative to the alternative: De-rail it completely into a safe catch spot. Just place one at one of the corners to keep it going straight out.

[backora900]

Can you post any movies of these in action? And would it be possible to build a bridge in the track to turn into a wall to stop it, just in case?

I mean, to clean out a spike strip safely, you need to shut them off.

EDIT:
Considering that bridges can still operate like tracks, it seems possible; and to make it single-tile, which also turns into a wall when *closed*, I think it can work, as long as it's built on a straightway.

EDIT EDIT:
Alternatively, a bridge that disappears when it retracts can also be used, and just send the cart through an endless loop that doesn't force it to repeat again until it slows down could also work. It can be placed virtually anywhere. Alternative to the alternative: De-rail it completely into a safe catch spot. Just place one at one of the corners to keep it going straight out.

- Well, I would but I really don't know how. I onced wanted to upload my fort layout on mkv25.net but for some reason unknown to me it didn't work. So I guess video would be the same problem for me. (I use Phoebus tileset so maybe it doesn't like it). And on youtube video you won't see much because it moves pretty fast.
if you want I can post my save where is working design 6 for bridges. (cca 7 MB)

- Bridge is a bad idea:
  - there is probability it could atomsmash your minecart
  - use doors as mentioned or highest friction track stop. That both should work. (or a cat, or useless kid)

[Kofthefens]

Wonderful idea, thanks. Now I just have to think of something to link it to.

[backora900]

I was able to record a video of the last two repeaters in action. Look in the first post.

[Itnetlolor]

Movie looks good, and shows it working. I gotta try this.

[gchristopher]

Another style of repeater design is possible using derailing behavior to trap a swiftly moving cart until it bleeds off enough velocity to stay on a return track.

Code: [Select]

  ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒╔╗╝╝╝╝╝╝B
 ╚╬══════P▒
 ╚╝▒
 ▒

▒ = wall
╝ = NW impulse track/ramp
B = retracting bridge over NW impulse track/ramp with minecart resting on it.
P = pressure plate over NW track
Retract the bridge at B to launch the minecart. It is accelerated by the impulse ramps into the loop on the left. Until it slows down, it will derail on the left center track and continue on the larger 2x3 counterclockwise loop.

Once the cart has slowed down enough, it will not derail and will instead be routed back to the right, where it will trigger the pressure plate, then be re-launched by the impulse ramps.

This was my first try at the design and I haven't counted ticks yet, but it works great for waving a bridge. (For a silk farm)

I bet with some refinement, this might be a more compact general way to get variable-length repeaters using minecart.

[backora900]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Another style of repeater design is possible using derailing behavior to trap a swiftly moving cart until it bleeds off enough velocity to stay on a return track.

Code: [Select]

  ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒╔╗╝╝╝╝╝╝B
 ╚╬══════P▒
 ╚╝▒
 ▒

▒ = wall
╝ = NW impulse track/ramp
B = retracting bridge over NW impulse track/ramp with minecart resting on it.
P = pressure plate over NW track
Retract the bridge at B to launch the minecart. It is accelerated by the impulse ramps into the loop on the left. Until it slows down, it will derail on the left center track and continue on the larger 2x3 counterclockwise loop.

Once the cart has slowed down enough, it will not derail and will instead be routed back to the right, where it will trigger the pressure plate, then be re-launched by the impulse ramps.

This was my first try at the design and I haven't counted ticks yet, but it works great for waving a bridge. (For a silk farm)

I bet with some refinement, this might be a more compact general way to get variable-length repeaters using minecart.

A retracting bridge tend to toss items around.
If you want to launch the cart with that bridge you should probably surround it with the ramps. In your design it has 4 out of 6 chance that the cart will land on tile that will not accelerate it (E/W track, preasure plate or empty space to the right).

Try this modification:

Code: [Select]

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒╔╗╝╝╝╝╝╝B▒
▒╚╬P╔╔╔╔╔B▒
▒╚╝▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▒▒
╝╝╝╝╝╝ and ╔╔╔╔╔ are those acceleration ramps
B-2-tile bridge on top of track turn (not ramps) upper one is W/S, tho lower one is W/N And because you added more ramps you can probably shorten the bigger loop. I don't know how to calculate if cart derails on the track turn so you will have to find out by trial and error.

And if you do construct this kind of repeater please tell let me know if it has stable number of ticks betwean activations of the preasure plate.