Connector

Connector
Function:	The connector can be magnetically locked with other connectors to a...
DLC?	Vanilla
Fits small grid
Mass:	685.2 kg
Hitpoints:	2796
PCU:	125
Size:	3x3x2
Time to Build:	20 sec
Fits large grid
Mass:	3564.0 kg
Hitpoints:	16720
PCU:	125
Size:	1x1x1
Time to Build:	30 sec
Data Controls:	[purge] (?))

The  Connector is a functional block in Space Engineers. Ships can use connectors to temporarily connect to the conveyor system of other ships or stations. It can secondarily also eject items, then it is called Ejector. For a tiny variant, see Small Connector. For an encased variant, see Inset Connector.

Important: To configure what the Connector does when you press P key, see Cockpit Controls.

Gallery

Seven Connectors: Inset or cylindrical, large or small conveyor size, large or small grid size

Usage

• Use a Connector to form a temporary connection between the conveyor and power systems of two docked ships or stations. For access control, see Trading Mode below.
• While not connected, you can use the Connector as an ejector which moves Items (stone, gravel) from an inventory into the world.

Connectors are a good way to temporarily connect Small Grids and Large Grids; the connected systems share electricity and inventory. Blocks within either conveyor system can make push and pull requests as though they were one ship/station. Players can access the terminal and inventories of connected ships and transfer items manually.

How to eject items

The Connector can secondarily be used to actively release objects into space from a ship's inventory. Enable the Throw Out option in its Control Panel Screen to turn it into an Ejector.

The ejector function does not work while it's connected to another Connector, there must be enough empty space to deposit the dropped items. If you see an x on the connector ring, the output is blocked.

The Ejector dumps items on the ground or into space, or you can use a Collector as a recipient.

How to dock and recharge

Next to Landing Gear and Merge Blocks, Connectors are your third option for docking. A connector on each side is needed to dock a ship to another ship, or to a carrier, or to a station.

• Similar to landing Gear, Connectors are magnetic in close proximity.
• In contrast to Landing Gear, Connectors also transfer power, if Override Power Transfer is enabled in the settings
• In contrast to Landing Gear, Connectors also establish a control connection to connected owned grids.
• Additionally, if the Connector's backside is attached to the conveyor system, and both sides are powered, Connectors also give the docked ship access to inventories.

You can build docking-only Connectors that have no conveyor system access--just make sure players know which Connector is used for what.

To lock and unlock:

• Either assign the Lock/Unlock toggle action to the Toolbar of your cockpit
• or click the Lock/Unlock button in the Connector's Control Panel Screen,
• or press P key.

Important: On a carrier at a space station, when you press P key to undock the carrier itself, you do not want to undock all carried ships! You must configure the Cockpit Controls of the hangar Connectors on your carrier so that pressing P key is not used for “parking”.

The owner of a Connector can also define an Auto-unlock time after which docked grids are disconnected.

Tip: After unlocking, the electromagnets are inactive for a few seconds to give you time to move out of range. If the magnets are too strong for a small ship, decrease the strength value on the control panel screen.

How to transfer items between docked ships

To transfer items, you dock two ships (or a ship and a station) together using Connectors. Connectors do not actively pull or push items into another inventory on their own, you need to combine them with other blocks!

To transfer items between two docked grids, you have the following options:

• Automatic transfer initiated by recipient:
  1. Add a Sorter into the conveyor chain on the receiving side.
  2. Set up the Sorter's item filter.
  3. Enable the Sorter's Drain All function.
  4. Lock the two Connectors.
• From Connector/Ejector to Collector: No faction permissions required.
  1. Fly the sending ship's Connector close to the receiving ship/station's Collector but leave a small gap.
  2. Jettison the items by activating the Connector's Throw Out option (=Ejector).
  3. The Collector block catches any items in its inventory or (if full) the items float in space.
• Manual Drag & Drop:
  1. Lock the two connectors.
  2. Open the inventory screen.
  3. Manually drag and drop items between the docked ships/station.

Can blocks push or pull items through connectors?

Apart from manual drag&drop, items are only transferred if any block receives a pull-request from one side of the Connector link.

Some examples:

• Welders can pull needed components from containers over a connector link by sending a pull-request. For details how to pull, see Build Planner.
• Grinders cannot push gathered components or ores to containers over a connector link, and containers won't send pull-requests to Grinders through Connectors.
• Drills push their inventories into refineries and secondarily to cargo containers, but only while their own inventory is full and overflowing.

This means in general, as already mentioned, you have to use Conveyor Sorter blocks on the recipient's side to actively pull through Connectors.

How to prevent theft using Trading Mode

All NPC Trading Outposts use Trading Mode on their Connectors. Trading Mode allows only trading and prevents other Connector features that could be exploited.

The trade goods' volume often exceeds a character inventory's volume and a player cannot fulfil acquisition contracts at the Store block. Therefore, traders would have to allow strangers to dock and use the conveyor system for deliveries. However, this would open up the trader to all kinds of theft and griefing: Visitors could suck dry the trader's batteries and hydrogen tanks for free, they could steal items from the trader's cargo containers, clog the traders cargo with gravel, and so on.

Since the Economy update, you can enable Trading Mode on Connectors to prevent exploitable actions:

Trading mode allows docked strangers' grids only to:

• Dock to a Connector.
• Use the Conveyor system exclusively to trade through Contracts blocks and Store blocks.

Trading Mode mode disallows docked grids certain actions:

• No inventory access
• No power transfer
• No gas transfer

Traders can auto-unlock visitors after a chosen time. After disconnecting from a Connector in Trading Mode, there is an interval when the visiting ship cannot connect immediately again. These options prevent one player to occupy a connector permanently.

What's the connectors status

The connector has a white ring that works as a status indicator.

• red ring:
  • Grid out of power (electromagnets are on, another powered grid could still actively dock).
  • Connector disabled (connections are not possible, electromagnets are off).
• white ring: ready to eject, not ready to dock.
• yellow ring: Proximity to another connector detected. Indicates that it's ready to dock and not ready for ejecting.
• blue ring: You have just undocked and the electromagnets are off for a few seconds. Indicates it's not ready to dock.
• green ring: When one pilot locks their Connector, both yellow rims turn green and a conveyor connection is established.
• X symbol on ring: Ejector is blocked by floating items.

Control Panel Screen

• Throw Out - Turns the Connector into an Ejector and dumps its inventory. Combine with Sorters.
• Collect All - Pull all available items into inventories behind. Used to control loading and unloading. Combine with Sorters.
• Trading Mode - Allows docking, disallows inventory access and recharging gas or power.
• Override Power Transfer - When enabled, it allows docking but not recharging power. The two connected grids are power-isolated.
• Auto-Unlock Time - Prevents players to occupy a dock permanently.
• Lock button - Docks the connector to another connector in proximity, recharges gas and power, grants allies inventory access.
• Unlock button - Undocks and disconnects from the conveyor system.
• Used for Parking - Whether this Connector locks/unlocks whenever someone presses P key. See also Cockpit Controls. For a hangar connector inside a carrier or base, disable this. For a ship not carrying other grids, enable it.
• Strength - How violently the electromagnet pulls the docked ship. Decrease for small ships. The lowest value of any two connectors in proximity is used.

Inventory

With Realistic settings, the Connector has a small inventory with a capacity of 1,152L on small ships, and 8,000L on large ships and stations. The inventory accepts all items, allowing the transfer and short-term storage of all manner of goods.

If attached to a conveyor system, the conveyor inventory accepts pushed items from other blocks. It can pull items from any directly-attached inventories while actively ejecting.

Power Usage

From SE v1.199 onwards, Connectors no longer require any power to function. This lets players for example connect a rescue vehicle to a rover that ran out of battery power, which aids in recovery and salvage operations.

Construction

The Connector block exists both for large grid where it is 1x1x1, and small grid where it is 3x3x2.

If you want your connector to be able to transfer cargo between your ships, make sure its conveyor ports are piped up. It had a large conveyor port on the back of it, and it also has four small conveyor ports on its sides when built in small grid (which can only transfer small items such as ores).

To allow the connector to connect to other connectors or eject items, make sure leave the magnetic ring on the front of the block exposed with enough space: any blocks sticking out in front of it may block other ships from connecting to it, or cause there to not be enough space to eject items. It is possible however to place thin blocks such as catwalks and glass directly on connectors, and still have them still connect to other connectors and transfer items.

This block is not airtight. If you want to place a connector adjacent to or inside a room that you want to be airtight, consider placing it on a  Conveyor Junction, or using an  Inset Connector instead.

By default, pressing the park brake key P key will cause connectors on the grid to switch lock, which means anything attached to your ship/rover by connectors will fall off. Every time you build a connector, consider opening its control panel to configure it, if this is not the behavior you want.

Recipe

Connector
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	130	20	15	6
Small Steel Tube	12	—	6	—
Motor	8	—	6	—
Construction Comp.	40	—	12	—
Computer	20	—	6	—

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