Cartridge (Network Analyzer)

You put the Network Analyzer cartridge into the cartridge slot of the Handheld Tablet or into one of the two slots of the Advanced Tablet. It is printed in the Electronics Printer at tier 1 from iron, gold and copper – the same material as the other two standard cartridges. It is the only one of the three with a trade value.

It analyses cable networks: everything connected to one continuous run of cable forms a network for power and data. According to the game code it only measures when you aim directly at a cable – pointing at a device is not enough. It then shows the network number, what is flowing right now (CurrentLoad), what is on offer (PotentialLoad), what is requested (RequiredLoad) and the number of devices. Below follows the list of all devices on the network with their state: on or off, own consumption or unpowered, open or closed, and a note on error.

When checking a power network, these numbers from the game code help:

• A network only counts as supplied when supply exceeds demand. Exactly equal is not enough – then all normal consumers switch off.
• Normal cable carries 5,000 W, heavy cable 100,000 W, super-heavy cable 500,000 W. What counts is the flow in the network, and the weakest part decides.
• The game displays power values as "W"; internally they are joules per tick of 0.5 s.

An example: five consumers at 1,200 W each draw 6,000 W. A normal cable is overloaded by that – you need heavy cable or have to split the network.

For permanent monitoring with IC10, use the fixed Cable Analyzer. How networks are built is explained in Power grid basics, and all cartridges are compared in Tablet and cartridges: portable meters for air, networks and plants.