SMES

Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (often shortened to SMES, pronounced ss-mess) systems store energy in a magnetic field. The power is collected by means of a terminal: . In order for these to charge and power the station you must know the approximate power level going into the unit. Then set the SMES to charge and set the input level to as close as you can but not over the power level you know is going into it. If the ship keeps losing power you can set the output of the SMESes higher, but you should only set the output power greater than the input power as a temporary emergency measure for obvious reasons. Always try to have the SMESes charging so you have backup power in case there are problems with the Engine.

Keep in mind every SMES you don't use or that you feel is critical, you can adjust the input up on it to help it charge. Also remember that if it isn't charging because there isn't adequate power to cover all your inputs and it doesn't have much backup power, it will automatically turn off. Proper maintenance of your SMESes can have you operate a ship at enormously low power levels. Remember, if the Engine isn't providing enough power for your SMESes input level, then your SMESes are not going to charge efficiently.

Working with SMESes

First of all, you must recognize that power aboard NSS Cyberiad is an important resource. There are currently three main elements to power. You have the Singularity, Tesla Engine or the Solars to generate the power, and you have SMESes to distribute and store it.

This focuses on SMESes. For a guide to the engines themselves, head to the appropriate sections.

NSS Cyberiad has Three "Primary" SMES units, one SMES for the AI and a SMES for every Solar Array. Also there are some SMES set up at the Mining Station, the Telecoms Satellite and the Engineering Outpost. The Primary units are located in the room directly east of the Particle Accelerator. The power is generated from the Radiation Collectors or Tesla Coils, which are fed directly into the SMES's. The Solar Array SMES's are directly fed by the connected Solar Panels, and feed into the same power grid as the Primary SMES units. The AI SMES is an isolated power supply for the AI - which isn't fed by any source, which also is true for SMES units in the Mining Station. The SMES in the Telecoms Satellite and Engineering Outpost are connected to solar arrays, and shouldn't need any maintenance from Engineers, aside from the beginning of the shift.

The Three Main SMES's and Engineering Power convert the Radiation Collectors' or Tesla Coils' output into safe, usable power.

Primary Power

Your primary SMESes are in the room directly to the right of the Particle Accelerator. The terminal in both the SMES room and in the Engineering Break Room can show you how much power the Engine outputs, as well as the amount of power the Primary SMESes output, while the Power Monitoring Computer in both the CE's Office and the SMES room will tell you where the power is being used.

Adjusting the SMESes

You need to ensure you provide enough power to the grid to surpass the usage. If absolutely necessary, the Station can run on a single SMES, but the Engine will need to provide a large amount of power to supply enough. It is suggested to have unneeded SMES's charging as well, so in the case of Engine failure, the Station still has power. If the SMES sends less power than it receives, it will charge the difference. Ensure that the output is not too high, as APCs may start to arc.