Backup power and load shedding: separating networks, priorities, IC10

When power runs short in Stationeers, all normal consumers on a network switch off at once – lights, printers, ventilation and the chip that was supposed to prevent it. Only batteries, transformers and area power controls stay on. If you want to decide yourself what goes off first, you have to act beforehand: separate networks by importance and switch off groups as the battery drops.

Separating networks by priority#

Sort the consumers into groups. A proven pattern:

Priority	Group	Examples
1	Life support	ventilation, filtration, control chip, on cold worlds the heating too
2	Workshop	printers, furnaces, centrifuge
3	Comfort	lights, air conditioning in the living area, displays

Each group gets its own branch behind a Transformer (Large). The large transformer is ideal for this: it has a separate data port, and with On 0 it passes nothing into its branch. That way a chip can switch off a whole group with a single instruction.

The area power control as backup#

The Area Power Control sits between two networks and has a slot for a battery cell. If the network in front fails, the cell keeps supplying the network behind it. It recharges the cell with up to 1,000 W.

How long that lasts is calculated like any battery: runtime in seconds = content ÷ load · 0.5.

• Battery Cell (Large) (288,000 J) at 200 W: 1,440 ticks, so 12 minutes.
• Battery Cell (Nuclear) (2,304,000 J) at 200 W: 11,520 ticks, so 96 minutes.

Mode gives its state: 0 Idle, 1 Discharged, 2 Discharging, 3 Charging, 4 Charged. The input carries power and data, the output only power.

A control network for the chip#

If the chip sits on the same network as the consumers, it switches off with them when power runs short. A separate control network is safer:

1. An area power control with a cell hangs on the main network with its input.
2. Its output feeds a cable of its own. On it sit the IC Housing and the data ports of the batteries, the large transformers and the generator.
3. Only the chip's power flows through this cable. The data ports do not connect any power networks.

Important: the control network must not touch any power cable of the other networks. Otherwise the networks would be connected and the separation gone.

An IC housing needs 50 W. With a large cell it runs without the main network for 288,000 ÷ 50 = 5,760 ticks, that is 48 minutes.

Shedding load in stages#

Every group gets two thresholds: one to switch off and a higher one to switch back on. The gap in between is a hysteresis – without it the group would keep switching on and off at the threshold.

Group	off below	back on above
Comfort	30 %	50 %
Workshop	15 %	40 %
Backup generator	on below 20 %	off above 90 %

Worked example: two station batteries (7,200,000 J) supply 2,000 W: comfort 600 W, workshop 900 W, life support 500 W.

• From 30 % to 0 without load shedding: 2,160,000 J ÷ 2,000 W = 1,080 ticks, so 9 minutes.
• With load shedding: below 30 % 1,400 W are still running, down to 15 % that is 1,080,000 ÷ 1,400 = 771 ticks (6.4 min). After that only 500 W, 2,160 ticks (18 min) until empty. Life support thus lasts a good 24 minutes, and the generator has already started at 20 %.

IC10: load shedding and backup generator#

The program runs on the control network. It needs batteries named "Main Battery", two large transformers "Group Comfort" and "Group Workshop" and a Generator (Solid Fuel) "Backup Gen" that feeds the input side of the batteries.

# --- Backup power and staged load shedding ---
define BATTERY -400115994      # Station Battery (StructureBattery)
define TRAFO -1423212473       # Transformer Large (StructureTransformer)
define GEN 813146305           # Generator Solid Fuel (StructureSolidFuelGenerator)
define NBATT HASH("Main Battery")        # name of the batteries
define NCOMFORT HASH("Group Comfort")    # transformer before lights and AC
define NSHOP HASH("Group Workshop")      # transformer before printers and furnaces
define NGEN HASH("Backup Gen")           # name of the generator
define COFF 0.30               # below 30 %: comfort off
define CON 0.50                # above 50 %: comfort back on
define SOFF 0.15               # below 15 %: workshop off
define SON 0.40                # above 40 %: workshop back on
define GON 0.20                # below 20 %: generator on
define GOFF 0.90               # above 90 %: generator off
define ENABLED 1
define DISABLED 0
alias level r0
alias comfort r1
alias shop r2
alias gen r3
alias tmp r4

# --- 0. Start state: groups on, generator off ---
move comfort ENABLED
move shop ENABLED
move gen DISABLED

start:
yield
# --- 1. Read the battery level ---
lbn level BATTERY NBATT Ratio 0
bnan level start               # no reading: switch nothing
# --- 2. Comfort with hysteresis ---
slt tmp level COFF
select comfort tmp DISABLED comfort
sgt tmp level CON
select comfort tmp ENABLED comfort
# --- 3. Workshop with hysteresis ---
slt tmp level SOFF
select shop tmp DISABLED shop
sgt tmp level SON
select shop tmp ENABLED shop
# --- 4. Backup generator ---
slt tmp level GON
select gen tmp ENABLED gen
sgt tmp level GOFF
select gen tmp DISABLED gen
# --- 5. Switch ---
sbn TRAFO NCOMFORT On comfort
sbn TRAFO NSHOP On shop
sbn GEN NGEN On gen
j start

If the battery or its data port is missing, lbn returns NaN. Then bnan jumps back and all groups keep their last state. If you would rather start the generator when the reading is missing, let bnan jump to a label of its own that writes sbn GEN NGEN On ENABLED and then returns with j start.

Common mistakes#

• The chip switches off too: it sits on the consumer network instead of on the control network behind the area power control.
• A group flickers: the thresholds for switching off and on are too close together.
• Generator runs, battery does not charge: the generator feeds the consumer network instead of the input side of the batteries.
• The control network joins two networks: a power port instead of a data port was connected to the control cable.

Further reading#

• Basics and a simple backup chip: Power grid basics
• Battery sizes and runtimes: Batteries and storage: sizes, charging, discharging, a transformer in between
• Transformers and branches: Sizing cables, fuses and transformers correctly
• Generators compared: Generators compared: solid fuel, gas, Stirling, wind, RTG
• IC10 academy: hysteresis
• IC10 academy: multiple grids