Automation Systems

This page is a list of potential automation systems available in GTNH

Hoppers

Primitive early game automation. Chests or other storage can be placed on top to extend buffer size. Can be placed beneath steam machines to pull contents. Output direction can be adjusted using GT wrench. Transfer rate is fairly slow, 1/s. Transfers until receiver is full. Can be disabled with redstone signal. Buggy with certain containers like drawers, may pull items even if the hopper is full.

GT pipes and conveyors/pumps

More advanced automation. Conveyors and pumps pull or push items/fluids, with rates increasing by tier. Fluid pipes try to divide flows evenly, but can suffer from backflow issues. Multi-pipes available with fluid filter covers allowing specific fluids into or out of each pipe. Item pipes route item to nearest-allowed-destination based on distance. Smaller pipes are automatically given a longer distance. Simple filtering possible with locked barrels. Transfers until receiver is full. Can be used for dedicated setups, ie compressing and centrifuging air, oil desulfuring and mixing to max diesel, etc. Automation is a pull-based system - you pull something out at the end, and the ingredients slowly percolate to the start. Can be upgraded to be redstone controlled. GT item filters and chest buffers can be used with other systems to do type filtering or providing specified amounts of items.

Translocators

Simple 1 block automation. Fast and can be upgraded. Easy to pull and sort items out of a mixed output into different destinations, including GT pipes. Multiple inputs/multiple outputs within the 1 block. Interface must touch another block. Item and fluid variants. Like an advanced, high-speed hopper. Good for compact setups like air centrifuging/water electrolyzing or simple sorting into destination pipes.

Enderio item/fluid conduits

Automation level similar to GT pipes but without sloshing. Can store small amounts of fluid within the conduit itself. Can be redstone controlled. Supports basic filtering. Fluids can all share 1 conduit. Transfer rate isn't upgrade-able(?). Maybe slow for high volume operations? Good for operations like moving distillation tower fluids to storage tank farm. Item conduit uses?

Extra Utilities transfer nodes

Automation level similar to GT pipes. Supports simple autocrafting with World Interaction Upgrades. Crafting table recipes, requires items in 3x3 inventory shape in front of the item transfer node. Crafting speed is slow but can be upgraded. Transport speed is slow but can be upgraded. WIU can mine or collect items, including liquid blocks or cobblestone generators. Various pipe options to support rationing and inherently has round-robin distribution at intersections. Perhaps better for lag since pipes don't show contents. Liquid pipes cannot transfer lava. Possible infinite water source?

Thaumcraft golems

Low tier transport and mid-tier player actions emulation. Golems can do specific actions, such as planting, harvesting crops, lumberjacking, fishing, etc. Transport golems can move items from inventory to inventory. Not particularly fast, and pretty pricey to make. OK for low-speed player emulation needs. Solution for alchemy automation.

ProjectRed

Mid-tier on-demand automation. No support for fluids. Fluids must be placed into a tank and transported using cells. Supports automated extraction and stock-keeping (keep XX of YY in this slot). Items can be extracted from general purpose storage and provided on demand. Items can be crafted on-demand. Using setups for multiple roles is difficult but doable. Works best when a setup's outputs is used in multiple locations - think Oxygen and sending it to a polyethylene setup, polyvinyl chloride setup, and nitric acid setup. Automation is pull-based - you pull something out, and the ingredients slowly bubble back to the starting requirements. Has special requirements for pipe intersections. Can be expensive with circuits, not recommended until LV circuit assembler is available. Perhaps worse for lag since pipes show contents.

SFM

High-tier on-demand automation. Similar to using Labview or Visio, with a GUI interface to setup factory operations. (need details on this one). Used for assline? Pull or push system (pull probably)? Limitations? Item/fluid transport capabilities? Requires power?

Open Computers

High-tier on-demand automation, including in-world manipulation. Drones and robots can emulate most player actions, except Thaumcraft infusion since that requires player-unlocked recipes. Requires learning Lua. Not inherently a transport system, but drones/robots can be upgraded to handle transporting items and fluids. Not sure on TPS/FPS implications for servers/clients with large setups, or for potential speed. Standing blocks can substitute for a redstone control system. Requires significant infrastructure before useful operations, including power. Used for assline? Basically advanced, technology based golems you have to program yourself. Could be push or pull based on your level of programming ability?

Applied_Energistics_2 (link to comprehensive guide)

Ferrari of automation and autocrafting systems. Near-essential in some form by LuV. Very complex setup requirements, and large power draws. Storage, transport, and automated crafting. Supports interfaces to Thaumcraft essentia for automated alchemy. May require secondary systems to craft items dumped into an intermediate location, or small pull systems to keep items stocked. Supports Push-based system - you request X, and it will figure out and build/push the minimal basic ingredients it is missing to get to X.