What you learn today
- Tell Power and On apart
- Read consumption and generation
- Units W and J
The light is set to On = 1 and still stays dark. The chip did everything right – the network lacks power. From today you read not only gas but also power.
Power is not On
| LogicType | Meaning |
|---|---|
On | switched on – you write that |
Power | 1 if the device is supplied right now – reported by the power network |
A heater with On = 1 and Power = 0 does not heat. Whoever only checks On never sees the fault.
Where the numbers are
| What | Device | LogicType |
|---|---|---|
| a device's own demand | almost every device | RequiredPower |
| a generator's output | generator (solid fuel), gas generator | PowerGeneration |
| a solar panel's output | solar panel | Charge |
| demand of the whole network | cable analyzer | PowerRequired |
| supply of the whole network | cable analyzer | PowerPotential |
| actual flow in the network | cable analyzer | PowerActual |
The cable analyzer sits on a cable and measures the network it is attached to. Its prefab is – again with a typo by the game – StructureCableAnalysizer.
define CABLE HASH("StructureCableAnalysizer") # Cable Analyzer
lbn demand CABLE HASH("Hauptnetz") PowerRequired Average
lbn supply CABLE HASH("Hauptnetz") PowerPotential AverageW and J
The game shows power in W, stored energy in J. A battery reports its charge in joules, a generator its output in watts. Internally the power system computes in joules per tick: what shows as 500 W is 500 J in every half-second tick.
When a network fails
A network is only supplied when supply is strictly greater than demand. With exactly the same amount all normal consumers switch off – only batteries, transformers and area power controls stay on. So a reserve always belongs in there.
sgt ok supply demand # 1 only with a real surplusBatteries in the network distort the picture: they offer their whole content and request their whole free capacity. A cable analyzer between generators and batteries therefore shows huge numbers. Mount it where only consumers are – behind the battery or the area power control.
RequiredPower is a device's base demand. A device that is working can draw more. For the whole network the cable analyzer is the more honest source.
Exercise
Task
A network guard for the corridor. On the network: cable analyzer “Hauptnetz”, lever “Licht”, wall lights “Flurlicht”, LED display “Bedarf”, LED “Netzstatus”.
- The lever switches all wall lights “Flurlicht”.
- “Bedarf” shows the analyzer's
PowerRequired, Mode Power. - “Netzstatus” is green when supply is strictly greater than demand, otherwise red. Analyzer missing: red.
Hints
Hint 1
Lights: read the lever with lbn, pass it on to all “Flurlicht” with sbn.
Hint 2
Demand and supply from the analyzer: PowerRequired and PowerPotential.
Hint 3
sgt ok supply demand is 0 on a tie – and on NaN too.
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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