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[Lawlcat]

So the basic layout is that I have a minecart stop at the top of a tall shaft just under my fort and one all the way at the bottom of a shaft. This is to connect the mines to the production area.

At the top:
http://i.imgur.com/t4MJPcO.jpg

The cart is set to give to the stockpile nearby, and take from the stockpile directly adjacent.  Desired/kept items are "Coal".  This is so that smelted bars will come up from the mine, get unloaded to the bars stockpile, and coal sitting here will be loaded up.  Then the cart should be ridden down(for safety!) .

Once at the bottom:
http://i.imgur.com/J2cbz4f.jpg

The cart should be unloaded. Charcoal/coal will be given to the stockpile just north of the stop, and then refilled with bars from the stockpile to the east of it.


The top stop has only coal listed as Desired/kept items.
The bottom stop has only bars listed as Desired/kept items.

The cart, however, will not get filled up at the top. I've got all that coal sitting there and no one is loading it up.  The cart came up and successfully UNLOADED all the smelted metal, but no one refilled it with charcoal.  What am I doing wrong?

[Girlinhat]

Try setting the cart orders to "Take everything" and "Only accept from stockpiles".  If it's only linked to one pile, and this pile only handles charcoal, then it's the only thing to be loaded.

[Lawlcat]

Took out the desired/set stuff, no dwarves came to move any of the coal into the cart. It's just sitting there with 10 bars of coal in the stockpile next to it not being loaded. The top stop has a Take from Stockpile on the Charcoal stockpile. It has a Give to Stockpile on the bar/block. The charcoal stockpile will not accept anything but charcoal, the bar/block will accept anything but charcoal.

Still just sittin here

[Girlinhat]

Well, compare it against your working stop, and see what's different?

[Xinael]

To my knowledge, carts are never unloaded except when a dumping stop makes them dump. When your cart comes up from the depths and ends up on a dumping stop, its contents are removed. It needs to be moved from that dumping stop before it can be loaded again, because while it's on the stop anything placed into it will immediately dump back out.

In short, at minimum you need two constructed track stops that dump the contents out, and two stops defined in the hauling route where the cart stops to be reloaded. Those two sets of stops can't coincide, or you'll have problems.

You might also find it easier to use guide than ride, too, as it reduces the potential for accidents. Guided carts have no collision with anything.

[Xinael]

Derp

[Lawlcat]

To my knowledge, carts are never unloaded except when a dumping stop makes them dump. When your cart comes up from the depths and ends up on a dumping stop, its contents are removed. It needs to be moved from that dumping stop before it can be loaded again, because while it's on the stop anything placed into it will immediately dump back out.

In short, at minimum you need two constructed track stops that dump the contents out, and two stops defined in the hauling route where the cart stops to be reloaded. Those two sets of stops can't coincide, or you'll have problems.

You might also find it easier to use guide than ride, too, as it reduces the potential for accidents. Guided carts have no collision with anything.

Would something like this work then?


------------------
=====#=#=====
------------------
------------------
------------------

Where = is track and # is a stop?  Have the cart come in from the right and hit the first stop and unload, then have that set when empty of items push west. it'll hit the next stop I guess I would have that stop setup to load the stuff and guide west when 75% or whatever

[Xinael]

You could do it that way, sure. Then the left hand part can either loop round to rejoin the track before it came into the shot, if all your carts are on guide, or down into the depths as a separate track, creating a loop that goes all the way down, around and back up.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because both things are called "stops" that you always need both of them. They needn't be in the same place, and in fact it's better if they're not. Track Stops, the constructed kind, are for slowing carts or dumping the contents. The cart doesn't need to stop for that to work, just get them to run the cart straight over it. Setting the friction low helps if it's not guided, too.

Stops in the hauling route are places where a cart will be loaded with certain things if it's waiting there, and where dwarves will stop guiding guided carts. So you could have a guided cart come up, pass over a dumping stop that empties it, then arrive at a hauling stop, where it waits to be refilled. One of each kind of stop at each end, not on top of each other.

[Xinael]

God, I'm awful at forums

[Lawlcat]

Is it better to use a track stop set up to dump the item as opposed to having a Give to Stockpile condition in the hauling route?

[MasterShizzle]

Is it better to use a track stop set up to dump the item as opposed to having a Give to Stockpile condition in the hauling route?

If you've got your track stops set to dump then the "Give To" option should be unnecessary. Set your stop to simply "Take From" the stockpile you want, then set desired items to everything. Since it'll only take from the one stockpile, and that one stockpile will only have items that you want, you shouldn't have any undesired stuff on the route.

On your track stops, set them to dump in a certain direction (set when they're built) and then create a 1x1 stockpile on the tile you're dumping to that includes your dumped items. Make sure you set the 1x1 pile and all your other minecart-related stockpiles to 0 bins, 0 barrels. Containers just gum up the whole works. You should be able to do this with only two stops.

At the top floor, Stop 1 is a track stop constructed to dump West. F is a "feeder" stockpile set to accept only coal. S is a 1x1 bar/block stockpile with 0 bins/barrels. You can then set S to give to your main bar stockpile or wherever you want your dumped product.

Code: [Select]

FFFF
FFFF
S#====
Set the desired items to everything, set the stockpile link to take from F, and then set it to guide east when 75% full or whatever. You shouldn't need any other conditions.

At the bottom floor, it's the same in reverse. Stop 2 is a constructed stop set to dump East. F is the "feeder" pile that accepts bars, set to 0 bins/barrels. S is the 1x1 destination stockpile that accepts coal.

Code: [Select]

    FFFF
    FFFF
======#S
Set desired items at the stop to everything, set the stockpile link to take from F, and set it to guide west when 50%/75%/whatever% full.

[Xinael]

This won't work if the # has the dumping track stop and the hauling stop defined in the same place. What will actually happen is the dwarves will put the coal in the cart and it will be immediately dumped out into the bar stockpile because the cart is on a dumping track stop. Coal isn't allowed in the bar stockpile so it'll be moved back to the coal stockpile, from where it will be loaded back into the cart. Your haulers will be kept busy and the cart will never move.

What you actually need looks like this at each end:

Code: [Select]

   S
╔1=#╦====> to whereever
║   ║
╚===╝
or maybe this

Code: [Select]

   S
╔1=#===> to whereever
║
╚==1===> also to whereever
Where # is a dump stop dumping north and 1 is your hauling stop set to "guide west when..." (it has to be west to avoid the dumping stop). Under 1 is just track. Feeder stockpile omitted and I've included track in the diagram that you don't need strictly speaking to make it easier to understand.

Ok?