PC Multiple Battery Banks In The Same Circuit

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Vaeliorin

Active member
Just curious if it causes issues having multiple battery banks (in series or parallel...if that's possible in game...honestly not sure on that one) in the same circuit.  I recall in the old days that having multiple battery banks caused serious lag issues (or at least so I read, I've never actually used one before) and I was wondering if that was still an issue.

I'm not even sure if I'll need multiple, but I wanted to set up some solar for my main base, and I'm not sure about the power lasting through the night (I play with 2 hour days, so my nights are 30 minutes.)  All I'm looking at running is 4 SMG turrets (for screamers) and 2 motion detectors/triggers for a couple drawbridges.  I might add in some lights at some point as well.  I don't know how much power a battery bank even stores (There isn't a number for overall storage, just maximum watts) so there's no way I can do the math to even know how many I might need.

 
Vaeliorin said:
Just curious if it causes issues having multiple battery banks (in series or parallel...if that's possible in game...honestly not sure on that one) in the same circuit.  I recall in the old days that having multiple battery banks caused serious lag issues (or at least so I read, I've never actually used one before) and I was wondering if that was still an issue.

I'm not even sure if I'll need multiple, but I wanted to set up some solar for my main base, and I'm not sure about the power lasting through the night (I play with 2 hour days, so my nights are 30 minutes.)  All I'm looking at running is 4 SMG turrets (for screamers) and 2 motion detectors/triggers for a couple drawbridges.  I might add in some lights at some point as well.  I don't know how much power a battery bank even stores (There isn't a number for overall storage, just maximum watts) so there's no way I can do the math to even know how many I might need.
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Currently in my experiences wiring, and I am pretty novice, attempting to connect parallel power sources on a circuit results in disconnecting the previous source.  IOW, I can wire from a gas generator or solar array to a single battery storage device to a circuit that can split to a tree of multiple powered devices.

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Practically, power requirement for turrets, and other power consumers are often greater than just a motion sensor.  I wire from a generator to battery array to a handy on/off switch to a motion sensor to defenses in that zone. I power on the gas generator to recharge the battery array as needed, but mostly each zone requires 6W, 1W for the switch and 5W for the sensor minimum.  The maximum relates to the quality of the batteries in the battery array (6 x lvl 6 = 300W max). 

Power Circuits.jpg

I currently draw 136W for a perimeter electric fence (+2 SMG on front/ back door) and 193W when NE and SE zone defenses are also sensing (each has 4 sensors w/ 4 SMG).  It will draw more when active up to 300W (and battery life if the generator is off).  I am still in process of building the NW and SW ZDP's (Zone Defense Pylons).

ZDP.jpg

Below the pylon is a 5x5 room with a switch, and hatch access to view (shoot) out of the ZDP.  They are an offshoot of mining tunnels under my base.  As I get ~50 meters away from my base while I'm mining, wandering hordes, and screamers will hear me and try to dig toward me rather than path to the base defenses.  So, I am building zone defenses to cover my butt, while I mine without having to go deal with them every 5-20 minutes. 

In my generator room, I have another power generator to a battery array to master switch (in garage) to 4 sensors to 4 garage doors.  It draws minimal power so I can leave it in battery most of the time.  I turn off  at the master switch when we're home. 

For lights, I use a solar array as power generator, to battery storage, to a timer relay (on 2130 off 0630) then to switch to tree array of lighting.

 
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As parallel isn't possible the only way is serial connection of power sources. And my experience with a solar array followed by a battery bank is that everything after the solar array tries to draw from the solar array and none from the battery bank, even though that might mean that half the power sinks don't operate.

So I tried it out in my test world just now and found out that

1) Generator banks have no inputs, they always are the first in a line

2) If you connect two battery banks in series, only the first in line that is powered is delivering energy. In detail, if the first one was turned off, the second one delivered the energy. If the first one was turned on, ONLY the first one delivered energy even if it wasn't enough to power all the power sinks after them.

 
meganoth said:
As parallel isn't possible the only way is serial connection of power sources. And my experience with a solar array followed by a battery bank is that everything after the solar array tries to draw from the solar array and none from the battery bank, even though that might mean that half the power sinks don't operate.

So I tried it out in my test world just now and found out that

1) Generator banks have no inputs, they always are the first in a line

2) If you connect two battery banks in series, only the first in line that is powered is delivering energy. In detail, if the first one was turned off, the second one delivered the energy. If the first one was turned on, ONLY the first one delivered energy even if it wasn't enough to power all the power sinks after them.
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Mentioning the cascade of batteries - what is going to happen when the first bank in the line will deplete? Will the line consume from the second and etc or it will just shut all the devices off? Maybe there is a limit to amp in the line? Otherwise your wires start to melt))

 
Really?  It would make more sense if the last in line was sending the power, and then the previous banks were replenishing it.  Oh well, hopefully I don't need more than one.  If it proves to be a problem, I guess I'll just split it up into separate lines.

 
Multiple battery banks and iirc battery banks connected to solar panels is not functioning properly. Iirc some systems do not get power at all.

 
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