backup power unit

[Llewelyn Morgan]

While messing with an explorer build, I finally got around to working out how auto-repair units work

There's one obvious problem, you can't repair the power plant, because you can't shut it down.

If we could have a backup power unit (using batteries, say) which had limited power, you could shut down the power plant to repair it. Granted, you'd not need to do that very often, but it's something I would definitely build into a long-range explorer. I suppose really it should only power the repair unit, but if it had a limited energy supply then the possibility of people using it to supercruise-escape from a battle after losing their main generator probably would say "insufficient energy".

I guess another possibility is that you could use the existing SYS capacitor for this - shut all the modules down, then the power plant, and you can run the repair unit off the capacitor. That would avoid needing a new module.

 

[Snarfbuckle]

While messing with an explorer build, I finally got around to working out how auto-repair units work

There's one obvious problem, you can't repair the power plant, because you can't shut it down.

If we could have a backup power unit (using batteries, say) which had limited power, you could shut down the power plant to repair it. Granted, you'd not need to do that very often, but it's something I would definitely build into a long-range explorer. I suppose really it should only power the repair unit, but if it had a limited energy supply then the possibility of people using it to supercruise-escape from a battle after losing their main generator probably would say "insufficient energy".

I guess another possibility is that you could use the existing SYS capacitor for this - shut all the modules down, then the power plant, and you can run the repair unit off the capacitor. That would avoid needing a new module.

Well, if they could just skip the dedicated slot system in ships we could technically install backups of everything.

Might have to set a few rules though.
-Secondary Module must be of lower rating (Installed a 4A reactor on a ship then your secondary reactor can be max 3A)
-Secondary Modules cannot be started manually, they start automatically when the primary is destroyed.

 

[Llewelyn Morgan]

I was rather avoiding that, because people will complain about people using it in fights.

My idea was more like the way it's possible for a nuclear sub to shut down its reactor for repairs (e.g. to the reactor cooling) but once shut down it has a strictly limited amount of battery power, so it can only really just run life support for some hours, rather than be operational.

Most of the ships you'd not have enough space for 2 of everything anyway.

In E: D you'd only need a couple of minutes' worth of reserve power, just long enough to repair a damaged power plant. Ideally, you'd have to shut everything down to have enough power. I quite like the idea of running it from the SYS capacitor, now I think more about it. You might even have to do several cycles of recharge the capacitor and shut the power plant down again if it was badly damaged. That way, you wouldn't be able to repair in battle, but if you could escape the battle to a safe place, you could repair and rejoin the battle later, maybe. Although most fighters don't carry repair units...

 

[Winterwalker]

I'd like this ..

I think a battery out to do it. Good idea for self repair of power unit, thrusters off until it's complete?

For me I'd like to totally cold the ship and engines off, when parking up to camp the night.
(Usually orbit of some "non descript" moon or other and power down, so cabin lights .. and cabin heater??

+ 1

 

[Slippery Jim DiGriz]

It could work with the capacitors already in the system - You turn the Power Unit off to repair and it slowly drains the capacitors until they are almost empty when the Power Unit comes back on line to replenish the capacitors, you might have to repeat that several times to effect a full repair but that's fair enough as there's no reason to make it too easy.