Connector
| Connector | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Functional |
| Function: | transfers item between grids |
| Fits small grid | |
| Mass: | 685.2 kg |
| PCU: | 125 |
| Size: | 3x3x2 |
| Time to Build: | 20 sec |
| Fits large grid | |
| Mass: | 3564.0 kg |
| PCU: | 125 |
| Size: | 1x1x1 |
| Time to Build: | 30 sec |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [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.
To configure what the Connector does when you press P key, see Cockpit Controls.
Usage
The primary purpose of the Connector is to form a temporary connection between the conveyor and power systems of two docked ships or stations. Secondarily, it is an ejector. For access control, see Trading Mode below.
The connected systems temporarily share electricity and inventory. Blocks within either conveyor system can make push and pull requests as though they were one ship. Players can access the terminal and inventories of ships connected to theirs in this way 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:
- Add a Sorter into the conveyor chain on the receiving side.
- Set up the Sorter's item filter.
- Enable the Sorter's Drain All function.
- Lock the two Connectors.
- From Connector/Ejector to Collector: No faction permissions required.
- Fly the sending ship's Connector close to the receiving ship/station's Collector but leave a small gap.
- Jettison the items by activating the Connector's Throw Out option (=Ejector).
- The Collector block catches any items in its inventory or (if full) the items float in space.
- Manual Drag & Drop:
- Lock the two connectors.
- Open the inventory screen.
- 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.[1]
Power Usage
From version 1.999 on, 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.
Trivia
Ejectors and Connectors used to be two separate blocks, but they were combined into one block in the Automaton update.
Construction
The block exists for large grid and small grid. It is 1x1x1 blocks in size on large grid and 3x3x3 on small grid. It has one large conveyor port on the backside that needs to be attached to a conveyor system if you want it to share inventories. It also has small conveyor ports on the four sides that can only transfer small items such as ores. See also Small Connector.
To be able to eject or connect, leave the magnetic front ring exposed with enough space when using it in your builds.
Typically Connectors are built sticking out on the outside to keep the room on the backside airtight. If you build Connectors recessed inside the wall, so the circle is flush with the outside wall, you can put catwalk panels or windows on the outside to hide them, or to keep the room airtight, and they will still magnetise and transfer items through the catwalk/glass!
Important: Every time you build a connector, configure what it does when you press P. By default, it will drop whatever is connected to it, and you only want that on select Connectors.
Recipe
| Connector | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Computer | 20 | — | 6 | — |
 Display | 4 | — | 1 | — |
 Motor | 8 | — | 6 | — |
 Small Steel Tube | 12 | — | 6 | — |
 Construction Comp. | 40 | — | 12 | — |
 Steel Plate | 130 | 20 | 15 | 6 |
