Calling all miners

[Limoncello Lizard]

I probably did make a mistake in where each module is, yes. But that's what I have. I saw no need to have any more than 1 prospector limpet, since I'd only use one at a time. 1 (whatever class, can't remember) prospector limpet, and two 3B collector controllers for 4 limpets, a refinery (4 something), and the rest cargo. Seeing as this was only a stater/temp setup, I didn't want to spend the few credits I had (started a new game a few days ago), on top-rated equipment. My requirements were: most limpets (collector) for least credits, and most bins for least credits.

If it's credits, use D-rated collectors. They last much longer than B rated and they're cheaper. You only use B-rated when range is your main concern, such as scavenging.

Always use A rated prospectors. They give more fragments per roid, plus they last longer and have good range.


If you want a budget miner, try this Keelback.

 

[ThomasWJames]

I really haven't tried my hand in mining just yet, but if I did I would probably bring my Asp Explorer.

Is this a viable build for mining? https://eddp.co/u/tWzGnG4w

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

I really haven't tried my hand in mining just yet, but if I did I would probably bring my Asp Explorer.

Is this a viable build for mining? https://eddp.co/u/tWzGnG4w

Assuming you mean a 5A shield and not a SCB

You don't need two medium mining lasers. The class 4 distributor isn't enough to power them both. So just one would do. But if the distributor is engineered, you might manage one medium and one small.

I assume you are downsizing the PP to optimize the jump range. It's not such a major requirement for a mining ship, as you will usually have your cargo hold fairly full most of the time.

Weapons. Even if you don't have the power, you can always switch them off when mining and switch the mining gear off when going to and from the ring.

 

[ThomasWJames]

Assuming you mean a 5A shield and not a SCB

You don't need two medium mining lasers. The class 4 distributor isn't enough to power them both. So just one would do. But if the distributor is engineered, you might manage one medium and one small.

I assume you are downsizing the PP to optimize the jump range. It's not such a major requirement for a mining ship, as you will usually have your cargo hold fairly full most of the time.

Weapons. Even if you don't have the power, you can always switch them off when mining and switch the mining gear off when going to and from the ring.

Oh boy, yes that's supposed to be a shield! Fixed it. Thanks for the advice. That's an engineered power plant, I guess I can store it and buy a bigger one to handle the laser. I'll also get some weapons. Thanks

 

[Spacecat]

After asking the same question here, I went with an AspX. Relatively affordable and has decent capacity. I was able to do it in 3 evenings (I think, maybe a bit more).

 

[ThomasWJames]

After asking the same question here, I went with an AspX. Relatively affordable and has decent capacity. I was able to do it in 3 evenings (I think, maybe a bit more).

Hey 3-4 evenings for 500 tons isn't bad at all. May I ask about how many hours on average per evening? Just to get a rough estimate, not going to lie mining isn't calling me too much but I would like to eventually unlock all the engineers.

 

[CMDR R SWIPE]

I think I'm at about 450T after about 3-4ish hours. I was hoping to have gotten the 500 mark by the time she got home last night, but...

 

[equex]

Remember that you need a permit for Alioth. As I learned first hand, you don't want to grind for that permit with a cargo-hold full of bromelite.

Edit: Whoops, just realized you were talking about Selene Jean. But my advice still stands for Bill Turner! In fact, you might want to get him out of the way while climbing towards that 500 ton amount for Selene.

currently grinding Alioth with 50 bromelite

 

[StiTch]

1. Get a big ship, with a good distributor. Corvette is the best, but Anaconda is good. If you can't afford either of these, a Python or a Dropship will do.
2. Fit as many medium mining lasers as your distributor can handle, Vette should handle 4, Conda 3, Python can do 3 with engineering.
3. Fit a 1A or 3A prospector controller, and enough limpet controllers to have at least 4 active limpets per medium laser. Limpets are more important than lots of cargo space.
4. Fit a 4A refinery.
5. Set up a fire group so that the mining lasers and all the collector controllers are on the primary button, put the prospector on the other.
6. Half fill your hold with limpets and head to the nearest pristine metallic ring. Use Hozbase or EDDB to find one near you.
7. Fire a prospect limpet at the first roid you see that is either spherical, or not rotating wildly. Approach withing 500m and fire mining lasers - your collectors will deploy automatically if you set up the fire group in step 5. You don't care what the roid contains, because you want it all.
8. Open your cargo hold, so your collectors fill the refinery.
9. When your hold is fill, or you have run out of limpets, go to the nearest station and sell your cargo.
10. Repeat from step 6

If you don't care about profit, it won't take long at all.

Strong advice here.

Just to get over the barrier, I fitted a Python with 5 mining lazors, seriously modded distributor, and many many collector limpets. It was a strip miner on steroids.

If you ignore profitz you don't need to focus heavily on cargo space - the more collector controllers the better. Just make sure you have enough cargo space to fit enough limpets to supply that.

OP - looking at the title, I am glad you aren't the kind to easily get confused by homophones.

 

[DocPossible]

http://freetoplaymmorpgs.com/elite-dangerous/nazguteks-elite-dangerous-ship-mining-speeds-list

Shows you time to strip an asteroid, for every ship in the game, for every mining loadout. Most ships top out at 2 medium mining lasers, with collection time or distributor depletion being the limiting factor.

 

[pewterino]

Not a problem, just get big ship but don't use anaconda, that thing is just not nimble enough. My favorite mining ship is imperial clipper, decent cargo fast and maneuverable!

 

[Semris]

Basically you need a ship with the best refinery you can get, large cargo hold, preferably with 3A prospector limpet controller (2 prospector limpets at once) and many collector limpets (basic rule is 3 collector limpets per 1D mining laser, 6 collector limpets per 2D mining laser). Anything more than 2x 2D mining laser is overkill (you won´t have enough limpets to gather ore fast enough).

All I do in-game is mining. Here is my fit: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=A0Y0,...LA0BeE0,,0DI07Vs05Vk05Vk05Sc00bg05Sc05xs05PU0 (armor and shield I have for antiganging are optional)

You can also buy the ore from other players.

 

[Madrax573]

Repped purely for an awesome name!

Been ages since I've read a Stainless Steel Rat book!

 

[Ceekay]

Ceekay. Why do you limit the Python and Dropship so much with only the one mining laser?

More cargo capacity only means you can spend longer in the ring before needing to sell/reload. But why make it longer than necessary by underpowering your ship?

I found that a medium mining laser needs at least 4 - 5 drones to keep pace with it and I also like guns that can shoot back!

 

[CMDR CODY]

Please explain?

Mining is chipping fragments off a roid with lasers. So how can it not be limited by the lasers you use?
There are other limits, sure. No point having more lasers than your distributor can handle. An Asp can only power one medium mining laser, though it might manage a small as well if the distributor was engineered. Another limit is collectors. You need 4-6 per medium laser. A skilled miner can get away with mining quickly with fewer, but the OP is not a skilled miner.
Yes, you can mine in a Asp, but a Python will be more than twice as fast. I suggest you read the OP, he specifically asked how to mine quickly.

The price difference between a Python and an Asp is huge. I use 2 medium mining lasers, and 3 collector limpets. Burning a roid down in 30% chunks, does not empty the power & the limpets can handle the chunks really quickly. I deplete a roid in less than a minute with 2 mediums everyday.

Unlike the huge Python, the Asp is very nimble, and glides between roids without running into them.
It also has a good flank speed with the cargo hatch open.

 

[AgamemnonWhen]

When kitted out for mining, my Python is usually something like this: https://eddp.co/u/SkKwj2Ev

I prefer to sacrifice a few extra collectors for the additional (OCD-pleasing and nice round figure) of 200t capacity... sometimes I'll replace that 3E cargo rack with another couple of limpets if I'm stuck for time.

Currently, the Python is kitted out for PvE combat, and I've nearly got enough pennies saved up to buy a second Python which I can use exclusively for mining without having to swap all those modules round. It will be yellow and I will RNGineer the FSD a bit.

I find the Python plenty nimble enough amongst the 'roids, and having a bunch of large weapons means I get an extra little treat when I vaporise any curious pirates who get too close when I jump in.

Having said that, I paid for my first Python with a T-7 - an excellent mining tug even if it is a little slow. Providing you avoid trouble, I can recommend the T-7 heartily.

I only wish there were some better mods from the engineers - the current ones are a bit pointless (lightweight might squeeze a few fractions of a LY range, no idea why anyone would want them shielded or reinforced): Now if I could squeeze some more battery life, speed or range out of the limpets, THAT would be a good upgrade!

 

[evanevery]

7. Fire a prospect limpet at the first roid you see that is either spherical, or not rotating wildly. Approach withing 500m and fire mining lasers - your collectors will deploy automatically if you set up the fire group in step 5. You don't care what the roid contains, because you want it all.

Why would you waste a prospector or spend any time mining an Asteroid without checking it first? Just knock of a single chip with your laser, target it, and see what its composed of....

This isn't going to be a perfect match (for the entire asteroid) but its usually pretty close. I wouldn't waste my time, limpets, or cargo space, working an asteroid if it didn't look promising... And you can take a peek by popping off a chunk before you launch a prospector...

Personally, if I chipped an asteroid, and the chip contained anything less than 20% of one of the "three P's" (Painite, Platinum, or Palladium), I'm moving on to the next candidate. Also, anything that came into my refinery (or cargo bay) that wasn't one the the three P's got flushed as soon as that was convenient.

When my mining ship docked, it was full of strictly Painite, Platinum, or Palladium. Anything else was simply a waste of space and time... (IMHO)

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

When kitted out for mining, my Python is usually something like this: https://eddp.co/u/SkKwj2Ev

At least put in a decent distributor.

this is what I'm mining in at the moment. And it's not an error that there's no refinery. I'm using it for testing of mining for materials. So I'm mostly in metal-rich and rocky rings prospecting for medium and high material content roids. I blast the roid, check what materials have dropped and move on. Only collecting the very few materials that I don't have too many of - vanadium, arsenic, niobium, cadmium, zirconium and tungsten - though I now have enough of all but tungsten.

The only reason the powerplant is so big, is that it has a low emissions mod that drops the power to about 25MW. It runs very cold, as it used to be my smuggling ship.
With G5 clean drives, my Python is much more maneuverable than an Asp (even an engineered one). The 3 lasers strip a roid pretty quickly. I'll probably swap the collector and prospector sizes around, as more prospectors is more useful to this type of mining than collectors.

- - - Updated - - -

Why would you waste a prospector or spend any time mining an Asteroid without checking it first? Just knock of a single chip with your laser, target it, and see what its composed of....

Prospector limpets are faster than a ship. they can be checking out roids while you are mining another. I've tried sampling first, but I find it's far quicker to use prospectors to do this.
I sometimes use an iCourier for mining missions. I sample roids first with this ship, as it can't carry many limpets. so for small ships, sampling can be the way to go. But not in a larger ship.

 

[DragonIV]

This thread would be so much better with a single vowel change in the headline. Oops, wait, I'm not on Fark.

 

[EUS]

I love the corvette as a miner once you get to your destination, that is. Very agile for its size.