What you learn today
- ImportCount and ExportCount
- Measure throughput
- Reset counters
How much does the smelter manage per minute? Is one arc furnace enough, or does it need a second? Those are questions about throughput – and the machines already count along for that.
ImportCount and ExportCount
Almost every machine with a chute connection keeps two counters:
| LogicType | counts |
|---|---|
ImportCount | how many items it has taken in |
ExportCount | how many items it has output |
That holds for furnaces, arc furnace, fabricators, recycler, centrifuge, sorter, stacker, deep miner, vending machine and also for chute inlet and outlet. Items are counted, i.e. stacks – a stack of 50 ore is one.
Measuring throughput
A counter alone says little, it keeps growing. What is interesting is how fast it grows. Once a minute the chip takes the difference to the last value:
sub rate now old
move old now
max rate rate 0The chip reads the first old value before the start label, so the first minute does not show the whole previous count as throughput.
Resetting counters
ClearMemory 1 sets the device's ImportCount and ExportCount to 0. After that old has to go to 0 as well, otherwise the next minute would give a huge negative difference:
sbn ARC HASH("Lichtbogen") ClearMemory 1
move old 0If somebody else resets the counter, max rate rate 0 catches the one negative value, and from the minute after that it is right again.
Compare ImportCount and ExportCount of the same machine over a longer time. If much more comes in than goes out, something is backing up inside – or the machine combines many items into one, like a furnace that turns ore into ingot stacks.
Exercise
Task
The arc furnace is named “Lichtbogen”. “Ausgaben” shows ExportCount, “Eingaenge” ImportCount (−1 each without furnace). Once a minute (120 ticks) “ProMinute” shows the growth of ExportCount since the last minute, never negative, −1 without furnace. A press on “Reset” writes ClearMemory 1 and sets the remembered value to 0.
Hints
Hint 1
Reset: check the button with sgtz, otherwise jump to show.
Hint 2
Totals every tick, with snanz and select … -1.
Hint 3
Minute part behind blt tick TICKS start: sub, move old now, max … 0.
Quiz
4 questions. You pass from 60 % – the server does the grading.
Complete the day
- Passed the simulator exercise
- Passed the quiz with at least 60 %
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