Shield engineering

[Northpin]

How exactly does the AFMU work ? Does it engage automatically when needed, or do you have to do something to kick it in ?

The module being repaired will be shut down for the duration of the repairs
So make sure you are in normal space in a safe location when you do the repairs - especially when repairing the thrusters or the fsd
Also make sure you have enough emergency oxygen when repairing the life support.

 

[Factabulous]

How exactly does the AFMU work ? Does it engage automatically when needed, or do you have to do something to kick it in ?

Red for me, as I don't have one on this ship

 

[Rat Catcher]

Like this

If I had to fly an Anaconda, this would be my pattern
(so you sacrificed a few light years for a reasonable shield and armour - the response when I suggested such in another topic was, shall we say - vociferous )

 

[Valije]

And remember, the AFMU unit does not need to be on all the time. Travel with them powered off and when you wan to use it, drop from supercruise.

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

Go to the modules list, and right next to the power setting there is a button that says repair.

Exactly right. But, make sure that only one is activated, if not, they will all fire at the same time.

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

Like this

Don't know what you mean by "Odd Pirate Interdiction". Where are you exploring that there is issues with pirates? I realize there maybe issues coming back from deep space. But then that's what SOLO is for. LOL

 

[Orvidius]

Go to the modules list, and right next to the power setting there is a button that says repair.

Exactly right. But, make sure that only one is activated, if not, they will all fire at the same time.

Nothing wrong with that, it will just repair faster.

 

[Seizewell Warrior]

I used Martina to reduce the mass of the shields on my Annie, but when I checked the available jump distance it didn't seem to have added anything to it.

So I'm currently heading out to Explorer's End before turning up the Formidine towards BP with a 59 LY Anaconda. Nowhere near what I've seen from other builds, stripped right down and I even left out the Repair Limpet controller + cargo rack and downsized the second fuel tank. Can only assume Farseer must have had a hangover when she did the G5 rolls!! I could have messed about further trying to get the Guardian stuff but the time doing that I could be at EE heading "north" to the Point...

 

[badibeat]

5C Bi-Weave reinforced fast charge with 0E Shied Boosters, mostly Resistance Augmented and currently even a couple of 3D Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages (Beware Power Priorities). I want the shield to come up rather quickly after I had it off or after I mistakenly engage silent running etc.
Besides exploring I want to use it to run some missions (128t cargo), gather materials, visit engineers and guardian sites etc. and generally have some fun on the way. Im okay with 65ly jump range and a 6A Fuel Scoop.
I have all hard points equipped with lasers and a couple of rails (lightweight mod and 5A Power Distributor being the limiting factors here), a Planetary Vehicle Hangar and also a small Fighter Hangar, mostly to find out which functions of a SRV can also be done in a SLF.
I tend to have rough landings in stations and on planetary surfaces, sometimes forget to request docking or boost instead of reverse thrust etc. Thinking does that to me sometimes. Plus my HOTAS has hiccups, leaving me with my pants down on occasion (silent running and such).

 

[Northpin]

5C Bi-Weave reinforced fast charge with 0E Shied Boosters, mostly Resistance Augmented and currently even a couple of 3D Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages (Beware Power Priorities). I want the shield to come up rather quickly after I had it off or after I mistakenly engage silent running etc.
Besides exploring I want to use it to run some missions (128t cargo), gather materials, visit engineers and guardian sites etc. and generally have some fun on the way. Im okay with 65ly jump range and a 6A Fuel Scoop.
I have all hard points equipped with lasers and a couple of rails (lightweight mod and 5A Power Distributor being the limiting factors here), a Planetary Vehicle Hangar and also a small Fighter Hangar, mostly to find out which functions of a SRV can also be done in a SLF.
I tend to have rough landings in stations and on planetary surfaces, sometimes forget to request docking or boost instead of reverse thrust etc. Thinking does that to me sometimes. Plus my HOTAS has hiccups, leaving me with my pants down on occasion (silent running and such).

Yes, but why bi-weaves? D-rated are almost as good, but lighter. We're talking about exploration here.
I use bi-weaves only on my vessels that frequently engage in combat. Otherwise i use D-rated for lower mass, or A-rated/Prismatics when i need top shielding but i'm not very concerned with recharge rates or with mass.
If you want shields back fast and you are not under attack, there is no faster way than a reboot/repair. 30 seconds later you have shields back at 50%

 

[badibeat]

Yes, but why bi-weaves? D-rated are almost as good, but lighter. We're talking about exploration here.
I use bi-weaves only on my vessels that frequently engage in combat. Otherwise i use D-rated for lower mass, or A-rated/Prismatics when i need top shielding but i'm not very concerned with recharge rates or with mass.
If you want shields back fast and you are not under attack, there is no faster way than a reboot/repair. 30 seconds later you have shields back at 50%

You are right, especially given the small Power Distributors that are common in exploration builds.
It is also a question of personal preference. I never did boot & repair to be honest. And I answered to the original question,"How are you guys engineering your explorer Anaconda shields"
For me the difference between bi-weave and D rated boils down to normal or out of combat recharge rate (the recharge you get if the ship is not hit for a couple of seconds) .

Comparing 5C bi-weave and 6D shield generator, both reinforced G5 and fast charge engineered:
I could shear off 4t mass and gain 24.5% raw shield strength before boosters when going to 6D (which is significant).
After shield boosters I get similar raw shield strength out of the 6D as with the 5C plus two 3D Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages, which together add another 8t to mass and can't be power managed. The out of combat regeneration with shield boosters switched off would drop from 128s to 96s when going from 5C bi-weave + 2x 3D guardian to 6D. Plus the bi-weave combo has double the power draw of a 6D (5.96MW vs 2.48MW).

The tradeoffs when going to 6D are a very minor decrease in broken regeneration rate from 5.8MW to 5.5MW,
but normal regeneration would drop from 2.5MW down to 1.5MW.

Is the difference worth the sacrifices? not sure any more ; )
I will look into Reboot & Repair. Is it feasible when in dire straits?

Small side note
I could swap in a 6C Bi-Weave, get rid of the Guardian Shield Reinforcement Packages and gain a normal regeneration of 3.7MW for less than 1ly jump range reduction, but this would also slowly drain she SYS capacitor of my 5A Power Distributor (Grade 5 charge enhanced & super conduits) with four pips on SYS, which has a maximal SYS recharge of 3.6MW.

 

[badibeat]

How exactly does the AFMU work ? Does it engage automatically when needed, or do you have to do something to kick it in ?

It uses repair ammo, the bigger and better rated an AFMU is the more ammo it can carry and the faster it repairs.
Keep them turned off unless needed.
AMFUs are really very handy after you get some heat damage, as the power plant is immune to it and you can repair all other modules except the AFMU itself.
You can have repair active for multiple modules which will be repaired in turn and you can synthesise repair ammo.
Be aware that modules are turned off if you switch repair on for them and have to be manually turned on again, and repairing either the Frame Shift Drive or Thrusters while in super Cruise will cause the ship to emergency drop with damage.
AFMUs are also weightless. Fill empty slots with AFMUs not only for repair but also as damage sponge, damage from emergency drops is distributed between all modules excepting cargo racks.
Non-Guardian Hull and Module Reinforcement Packages do not require power and can be repaired by an AFMU while being active, and their repair uses ten times less ammo per integrity repaired than normal modules.
(Question at this point: Will the ship blow if the hull is reduced to 0% but the Hull Reinforcement Packages are not?)
For full self-sustainability I'd also carry a Repair or Decontamination Limpet Controller and a small cargo rack (limpets are synthesisised in fours, if you have less free cargo capacity then you waste the rest). The hull (and power plant) can not be repaired with an AFMU.

 

[marx]

Question at this point: Will the ship blow if the hull is reduced to 0% but the Hull Reinforcement Packages are not?

The hull armour bonus from the HRPs is included in the percentage, so if you reach 0%, then all of it is gone and your ship is destroyed.

 

[badibeat]

The hull armour bonus from the HRPs is included in the percentage, so if you reach 0%, then all of it is gone and your ship is destroyed.

Thanks for responding, however this does not exactly answer my question.
To be more specific: If my hull + HRPs get reduced to 20%, and I then repair the HRPs to full with an AFMU and have a total of 50%, and then get again a few hits and damaged to 20%, then the hull is probably reduced to 0% while only the remaining integrity of the HRPs make up for the 20%. Would my ship blow now?

 

[marx]

Ah, so I guess the question is if you can heal some hull damage by repairing your offline HRPs with the AFMU? Then as far as I know, the answer is no. Repair limpets certainly work, however.
It would be best to test this experimentally, of course, but from memory, if your HRP went offline - tested this with switching off Guardian HRPs - then even if you bring them back on, the hull damage stays. I might be wrong though, and things could also have changed. What is certain that if your hull reaches 0% (not 0.1% or something), then your ship blows up.

 

[zehcoutinho]

This is my build. I use 4D shields Enhanced Low Power + Stripped Down

 

[GroG79]

Ah, so I guess the question is if you can heal some hull damage by repairing your offline HRPs with the AFMU? Then as far as I know, the answer is no. Repair limpets certainly work, however.
It would be best to test this experimentally, of course, but from memory, if your HRP went offline - tested this with switching off Guardian HRPs - then even if you bring them back on, the hull damage stays. I might be wrong though, and things could also have changed. What is certain that if your hull reaches 0% (not 0.1% or something), then your ship blows up.

AFMU can only repair Module reinforcements packages. Not Hull reinforcements.