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[Baloun]

Hello there, I have rather easy question I guess. I need to build screw pump (waterfall purpose). In order to power it I built a windmill on the surface above it. It is cca 4 floors above it. Right under the windmill is vertical axle. This axle IS powered. When I build new axle in the next floor, it is not powered.... Why is that?

Thanky you for any answer!

[Calech]

Is there a floor underneath the first vertical axle? If the axle isn't in 'open space' it won't transfer power beneath it - you'd have to channel out the floor (after removing the axle, most likely) and repeat as you went down.

The only other reasons I can think of that it wouldn't be working is if it was not directly beneath the other axle (which is unlikely), or if the total connected machinery had a greater power consumption than the windmill provided (which I think gives you a different message).

[Baloun]

It is! But the problem is, that when I channel the floor (which I tried) I cant place the axle anymore :/ Now I am thinking... Shouldnt I star from the bottom? Placing axle upon axle?

[Calech]

It is! But the problem is, that when I channel the floor (which I tried) I cant place the axle anymore :/ Now I am thinking... Shouldnt I star from the bottom? Placing axle upon axle?

You can place any 'mechanical' item (axles, gear assemblies, pumps) adjacent to any other mechanical item which is on a 'solid foundation' (ie. placed on the floor).

Building up or down is workable, so long as you start with something solid.

One trick you can use to build the basic structure without such concerns is to link in a gear assembly on solid ground somewhere near your mechanical bits - eg. if the whole windmill - pump line would all be considered 'hanging', you could place a gear assembly next to the pump on a solid floor and it would support the whole structure. Just don't disconnect that gear unless you're sure it's supported somewhere!

(You could do something similar with the vertical axles, but you'd have to replace an axle with a gear and place a gear next to it on solid ground, as axles only transfer power in their direction. Gears also take more power than axles so if energy is tight this may not be an option)

[Baloun]

Thanks for answer! I am going to try it right away.

[Triaxx2]

Channel from the windmill to the pump then build the axle from the pump UP. Thus each one is supported by the one below it.

[Starver]

Already ninjaed, but here's a visual guide for a (hypothetical) example of powering an underground screw-pump, with all the bells and whistles that I'd personally use in such a scenario.

All done in side-view, unless otherwise mentioned.


_______ Surface (ground level)
#######
#######
#######
  __ ## Here you've got a water-source (left) and a place to pour it (right)
~~## ##  and you're wanting the pump on the tiles between
#### ##
####___
#######

You need a vertical channel from the surface.  However you get 'sideways' into each level (not shown, could be from in/out of the screen, in this view), you need to maintain full access to each level for the later building of the vertical axles.  I suggest putting a stairway adjacent (inwards/outwards of this 'sideways slice') from the pump's eventual level to the layer beneath the ground.  (It stops there to prevent adding another ingress possibility for hostiles, although in my full implementation you're going to be putting a wall on top of any stairwell that exits all the way to ground level, once finished




_______
###_###
###_### Just digging these out won't work, you need to channel them.
###_###
# __ ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######




___ ___ Don't forget to channel the ground level as well!
### ###
### ###
### ###
# __ ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######



___ ___
### ###
### ###
### ###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######



___ ___
### ###
### ###
###|### Put in the vertical axle above it...
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######




___ ___
### ###
###|### Then the one above that...
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######




___ ___
###|### Guess what...
###|###
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######




___*___ Put a gear here.  You'll thank me for it...
###|### (It sits on top of the axles, like they do on each other/the pump.)
###|###   ...and then set up a link between this and a lever, which you can place anywhere that you know is safe enough.
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######




___**__ Put a second gear next to it.  This is supported by the ground.
###|###
###|###
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######



  _  _
__O**O_ Build some walls round these pair of gears (also shown are the wall-top 'floors' above).
###|###  (Would seal off that stairway, if you sent it out to ground level, but you'll have another exit.)
###|###
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######


Top view now...


,,,,,,,    .......
,,OOOO,    ..++++.
,,O**O,    ..+..+.
,,OOOO,    ..++++.
,,,,,,,    .......
Ground     Wall
level      tops




  _  _
_/O**O_ Build a ramp up to the tops of the walls.
###|###
###|###
###|###
# %% ##
~~## ##
#### ##
####___
#######

Top views again...


,,,,,,,    .......
,,OOOO,    ..++++.
,▲O**O,    .▼++.+. Add a floor here (above the axles)
,,OOOO,    ..++++.  (Leave a gap for the floor-supported gear)
,,,,,,,    .......
Ground     Wall
level      tops



    |
    o        Build your windmill, centred over the hole you left.
   /|\
  __|_
_/O**O_
###|###
###|###
###|###
# %%~##
~~##|##
####v##
####~~~
#######


...then remove that access ramp, when all is finished.


What you have now is a windmill supported by walls and powering a gear (which is not linked to a lever), sitting atop a wall so that building destroyers (non-flying ones, leastwise) don't have access to it.  The power is transferred via the second gear and down the axles to the pump.  But, importantly, if ever you find you're flooding your dining room, rather than sending a waterfall past it, pull that lever.  The axle-top gear will idle (without affecting the windmill or anything, which will keep turning) and the axles will be unpowered, as will the pump.  Then mop up, work out what went wrong, fix it and pull the lever again to start it again.  (Or go "buggrit!" and try something else. )

(Actually, you might be wiser to insert the "pull lever" instruction immediately after connecting it to the gear.  When all is finished, "pull lever" again for a few seconds before ordering it off again (even before the flow's done anything improtant) and then see if the small flow of water you just released isn't doing anything unexpected.  If it looks Ok, then switch it on more permanently, but keep an eye on it and a dwarf near the lever, just in case! )

[Garath]

note one thing: always include a way to shut whatever you made down without collapsing it.
do this by building some gears that are not supporting a verticle axle or waterwheel.

Even if you made everything perfectly, maybe later you want to add more stuff, extend the waterways etc, then it's great to be able to shut everything down. And that is a reason even if everything goes exactly according to plan, which almost never really happens