Station Engineer

Engineering

Station Engineer

Access: Engineering, External, Maintenance

Difficulty: Medium

Duties: Maintain and fix the Station, make sure the power doesn't go out.

Supervisors: Chief Engineer

Subordinates: None

Guides: Guide to construction, Guide to Power, Guide to Atmospherics

The station engineers are in charge of rebuilding walls, fixing windows, repairing airlocks and stopping hull breaches (spaced areas).

Starting out

Head to the nearest engineering locker and open it. You'll need the insulated gloves in there to protect you from electric shocks while screwing around with wires. It's also recommended that you take a t-ray scanner to be able to see the cables, a gas scanner to be able (remember to turn them on by using them in your hand) and a stack each of Lv (Low-voltage), Mv (Medium Voltage) and Hv (High-Voltage) wires in case of a localized power outage. You could take half a stack of metal and glass, however they are better reserved for common usage (so don't keep them in your backpack unless you know you are going to use them soon).

Power 101: Generating power

Main article: Guide to Power

The Antimatter Engine Reactor

(Copied from the Guide to Power)

The Antimatter Engine Reactor (usually called AME) is the main source of power in the station. First grab the AME parts from the Packaged antimatter reactor crate and place them in a rectangle/square formation (note that the square/rectangle must be of at least 3x3, otherwise it won't work).

Take your multitool from your belt and click on each one of the AME parts. This will unpack them and spawn an unpassable, indestructible AME shielding. Now open the antimatter control unit crate which will release an AME Controller. Drag it near the generator a wrench it. Now take an AME fuel jar from the antimatter containment jar crate and place it in the AME Controller.

Open the AME Controller menu and click on "Toggle injection" bellow the "Engine Status:" text. If the AME and the AME Controller light up then it's currently generating power. Increase the injection amount to be double of the amount of cores; for example: if you have 2 cores click on "Increase" until the "Injection ammount:" reaches 4. The AME should be making "bonks" every now and then.

• 

  A sample layout of a 3x3 AME

• 

  What the AME should look like at the end

The Solar Panels

(Copied from the Guide to Power)

Solar power is a passive means of generating power. A solar array is made up of a number of solar panels, a single solar tracker device and a solar control computer (console) nearby to properly control and manage the panels.

Most if not all solar arrays start off not connected to the station, and need to be connected via HV cables underneath each panel and connected back to the station. Once connected, use the solar control computer to change the angle and speed of tracking for the panels as shown below:

Notice the graph on the right has a T shaped white line and a yellow / golden line. The aim is to alter the panel angle (white T line) to match the sun angle (yellow line). Some experimentation might be needed to setup the angular velocity correctly so that the lines stay in sync and generate maximum wattage.

A typical panel near max output will produce 1500W (1.5kW). This would be enough to power roughly 1 machine and 1 computer (this figure may change as balance changes are made).

The Singularity

(Copied from the Guide to Power)

The singularity is one of the most well known and potentially dangerous forms of generating power in SS14. It uses a particle accelerator to fire high energy particles at a singularity generator to spawn a singularity. The singularity then pulses radiation which is absorbed by radiation collectors around it's perimeter.

The singularity must be kept inside a containment field setup with emitters, otherwise if not contained the singularity will consume matter like a black hole and grow to a massive state. If starved of particles or matter, the singularity will slowly shrink until it collapses so once the singularity is of the correct size, it's wise to turn down the particle accelerator to a lower power setting to prevent it growing out of hand.

The largest size singularity before you risk it breaking loose can generate between 1.4 and 1.6 MW with 24 radiation collectors. This value is verty likely to change and will even change depending on the layout of your engine (radiation falls off over distance so closer collectors will net more power). In future, radiation collectors will also require plasma tanks to function and will run out over time.

Fixing hull breaches

Repairing hull breaches is a tricky task: when an area gets bombed or dismantled and exposed to spaced all of the air in said room will get almost instantly sucked out. This causes two problems: You will die because of the lack of pressure and because of the lack of oxygen (the ladder however takes more time).

When you get the report of a hull breach (or that an area has been "spaced") the first thing you should do is to rush to get your magnetic boots (magboots), hardsuit and hardsuit helmet (a fire suit and helmet will do in a pinch or in case someone already took them) and put your oxygen mask and oxygen tank (it's recommended that you use the one on your locker). After that grab some steel, Lv, Mv and/or Hv wires (depending on the place bombed: for example for maintenance grab Hv wires or for the hallway grab Lv and maybe Hv) and optionally glass. Go to the place with the hull breach and before opening the firelocks examine it. Are the windows broken? Do you estimate that you have enough materials to fix it? Have you turned on your oxygen tank and magnetic boots? What is the part of the room that is making contact with space?

DON'T OPEN IT UP YET. Check first if there is someone without a hardsuit on nearby and kindly tell them to leave. It's suggested that you manually close the firelocks behind you should they fail to close for any reason.

Now open the firelock containing the spaced area. If you haven't turned on your magboots you probably got pushed onto the firelock behind you. If there are areas without a floor, not even a lattice, open the crafting menu with K and make "steel rods" from steel and place them in said tiles. Now that all non-intact tiles are lattices, click on them with steel sheets. They should now turn into underplating. Fix any remaining sources of contact with space from the room: replace missing windows or floors.

If all has gone well, the area should now be safe. Double check nothing connected to space anymore and open up the firelocks behind you.

Now check if the power is correct and if not fix it.

Start to rebuild any destroyed machined

Things to keep in mind

• Engineering is a very extensive department has a lot of duties. Try spitting them up with your colleagues to save some work.
• Don't be afraid to ask! You and the other engineers won't know it all so if you need a helping hand just ask, most people will likely be eager to help.