Electricity Pylons & Connectors

Electricity pylons are used to simplify the creation of large power distribution networks that would otherwise require the tedious placing of many red copper cables. For example, placing just 10 large electricity pylons can transmit power over a distance that would otherwise require 1,000 cable blocks.

Usage

Before pylons and connectors can transfer power, they require a cable drum in order to make the connecting cables between the nodes. This cable drum can be crafted like so:

This cable drum is not consumed when linking nodes, and therefore can be reused indefinitely.

Once two nodes have been placed, right click on the first node with the cable drum to begin the linking process. Note the distance measurement in the UI, as this will help indicate if the connections are too far apart. Next, right click on the second node. There is no limit to the number of nodes that can be connected to one another.

However, every node has a connection distance and connection type that must be obeyed in order to successfully make a link. The connections between nodes of two different types will always be limited by the shorter of the two connection distances.

For connection types, single connections can be linked together freely, but triple and quad connections require a substation or transformer of the correct type in order to adequately step up/down the voltage to allow for connection. For example, the large electricity pylon requires a substation to connect to regular grid components. This means that at least two substations is needed to effectively transfer power.

Node Types

Electricity Connector

The simplest and smallest of the connectors, this can be connected directly to any machine power ports or cable blocks.

Range: 10m
Type: Single

4

Electricity Pylon

A slightly higher range yet still simple connector, the base can be connected directly to machines and cables.

Range: 25m
Type: Single

4

Medium Electricity Pylon

As a more complex and higher-range node, this pylon can't be connected to regular cables and machines by itself; it requires the use of a medium transformer. There is a wooden and steel variant of this pylon.

Range: 45m
Type: Triple

2

Large Electricity Pylon

The largest pylon type, capable of transmitting power great distances easily. This pylon requires the use of a substation in order to be connected to a grid.

Range: 100m
Type: Quadruple

2

8

4

Transformer Types

Medium Electricity Pylon with Transformer

The transformer for medium pylons is simple to craft, as it requires a regular pole with the transformer added on.

Range: 45m
Type: Single to Triple

Substation

The substation, required for connecting large electricity pylons, does not use a pylon in its crafting. It creates two at a time.

Range: 20m
Type: Single to Quadruple

8

12

8

2

Known Issues

There is a bug where poles in unloaded chunks will partially disconnect their wires from the tops. This is not just a visual glitch, these poles are actually disconnected; fortunately, the glitched cables shows which ones need to be reconnected.

Trivia

In the game files, there are textures for cable drums of all other types of wires (e.g. aluminum, normal copper, gold). Presumably, these wires would have benefits and disadvantages for each, or even serve a different purpose (such as decoration or communications).
- It is unlikely that these would have been used for tiered power transfer, as the energy system was designed with unlimited throughput in mind.
- Either this idea was postponed for more important additions or dropped entirely.