Introduction[]
Many machines in rotarycraft either produce or consume power in the form of torque, speed, and overall power. This page is to clarify how to read a machine's power requirements and determine what is needed, allowing a player to determine either the right ratios of gearboxes, or the settings for an Industrial Coil, to properly power the machine.
Torque, Speed, and Power[]
As pointed out in the basic terms page, rotarycraft uses a mechanical power system compared with the electrical-style system of other mods. Understanding how to use that power may be challenging at first, but breaks down into a few simple rules:
- Torque is a measure of how much twisting force is being applied, and usually needs to be high for machines that grind, rub, scrape, or create heat. Torque = Power / Speed
- Speed (in this mod) is how quickly something is spinning, and usually needs to be high for machines that move, mix, or centrifuge items. Speed = Power / Torque
- Power is the measure of overall energy being used in a time period, and is measured in watts (which is joules per second). Power = Torque * Speed
Machine Specifications[]
All machines will specify at least one of the above parameters, usually two, and occasionally all three. These specifications indicate a minimum needed for proper operation. Lets start with an example:
Example: Grinder[]
A grinder's specifications are as follows:
| Required Power | 4096 W |
| Required Torque | 128 Nm |
This means we need at least 128 Nm of Torque, and an overall power of at least 4096 Watts. Therefore, the bare minimum speed needed to run this machine is 4096 / 128 = 32 rad/s. However, this does not mean you must use 32 rad/s. As long as all requirements are met, the machine will work. The Grinder can run with 1024 Nm of torque at only 4 rad/s, because this meets the total power (1024 * 4 = 4096) and exceeds the required torque.
Tips & Tricks[]
- The listed requirements are minimums; many machines can run faster when provided with more torque, speed, or both. However, most of the times the machines that benefit from both more torque and speed will not explicitly list both the minimum required torque/speed, listing only one of them. To figure out which machine benefits from both, read about them on their wiki articles or in the in-game book of Rotarycraft.