Alpha
Status: Implemented in source for Hard-Hoof 0.4.0-alpha.1; in-game verification is not established by docs alone.
Hard-Hoof models a limited 24 V DC network with voltage, current, resistance, power, and stored energy. One placed copper-wire block represents a paired supply and return cable. Electrical power is measured in watts, and stored charge is measured in joules.
This system is independent of redstone and Forge Energy. A Hard-Hoof power cable does not emit redstone strength, accept FE, or convert between those systems.
Make and place copper wire
The Coal-Powered Metal Former turns one copper ingot into two Copper Wire items. The same item is used in recipes and to place cable blocks.
- Hold Copper Wire in the main hand.
- Hold Shift and scroll the mouse wheel to choose gauge 1 through 4. The hotbar selection stays in place.
- Read the action-bar message or item tooltip to confirm the selected gauge.
- Use the wire on a valid placement position. One item places one cable block at the selected gauge.
Gauge is Hard-Hoof's wire-size tier, not American Wire Gauge. Selecting a higher gauge makes the placed cable thicker and changes its electrical limits. Breaking a placed wire returns Copper Wire with that gauge preserved.
Placed wires connect to adjacent wire blocks and compatible machine terminals. Power does not jump across gaps, and machines do not act as hidden bridges between unrelated wire routes.
Gauge limits
| Gauge | Maximum current | Resistance per block | Touch behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 250 mA | 400 mΩ | Touch-safe |
| 2 | 1,000 mA | 100 mΩ | Can shock while exposed and energized |
| 3 | 4,000 mA | 25 mΩ | Can shock while exposed and energized |
| 4 | 16,000 mA | 6 mΩ | Can shock while exposed and energized |
The narrowest gauge limits current for the route. Wire resistance causes voltage loss, so long thin runs deliver less voltage than short thick runs. Gauge 1 is intentionally safe for early experiments, but its 250 mA limit is below the full 4 A output of the Coal Generator.
A disconnected wire is safe at every gauge. Higher-gauge wire shocks only when it is exposed and the server has marked it live with current flowing. Contact damage has a one-second per-entity cooldown.
Insulation
Use one hardhoof_core:rubber on a placed copper wire to insulate it. Insulation suppresses contact shock without changing gauge, capacity, or resistance. Breaking an insulated wire by hand returns the Rubber as well as the gauge-preserving Copper Wire.
See Rubber for natural trees, renewable tapping, sapling crafting, and latex smelting.
Sources, loads, and stored energy
The Coal Generator is the current source. It exposes electrical output on every face and can provide up to 24 V, 4 A, and 96 W. Its 96 J internal buffer stores real usable energy. Fuel burns while supplying demand or filling that buffer, then pauses when the buffer is full and no load is requesting power.
Current electrical loads use fixed terminals:
| Machine | Power terminal | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Small Electronics Lab | Rear | Uses 6 W while manufacturing or making etchant; stores 30 J. |
| Electronics Frame | Rear | Runs the installed board; demand depends on the circuit and output; stores 12 J. |
The Machine Workshop is manual, and the Coal-Powered Metal Former burns coal directly. Neither is an electrical load.
Looking at a generator, lab, or frame with Jade shows power in watts and charge in joules. Detailed Jade information also shows voltage and current. A machine can continue from stored charge after live supply disappears, but only until its conserved reserve is exhausted.
Network behavior
The generator solves its connected loaded network every five game ticks. Each scan visits at most 1,024 loaded positions. An unloaded position is an open circuit, so a route crossing an unloaded chunk cannot carry power through that gap.
The solver accounts for:
- the generator's voltage and current limit;
- the smallest wire capacity on the discovered route;
- cable resistance, using a conservative loss from the longest discovered path; and
- each load's resistance and requested current.
Loads are allocated in stable block-position order. If multiple enabled generators share one wire network, the source with the lowest stable block-position key owns that network; outputs are not added together and each load is allocated once.
Live-wire state expires shortly after the last solver update. Removing a source or wire clears remembered supply so a disconnected route does not remain energized.
Power cables and control signals
The Electronics Frame also uses low-current control signals. These signals have their own terminal rules and solver:
| Frame face | Function |
|---|---|
| Rear | 24 V machine-power input |
| Left | High-impedance external control input A |
| Front | Low-current control output |
Control signals are separate from machine power. The front output cannot power the lab, charge another machine, or operate redstone. It carries the board result to compatible control inputs. Control networks also stop at unloaded chunks, visit at most 1,024 wire positions, and fail to 0 V when multiple enabled control outputs conflict on one route.
First power network
- Place a Coal Generator.
- Place a Small Electronics Lab facing away from it, leaving room to reach the lab's rear face.
- Hold Copper Wire, select gauge 2 or higher with Shift + mouse wheel, and place a short continuous route from any generator face to the lab's rear.
- Add coal or charcoal to the generator and start etchant or PCB work in the lab.
- Check the generator for voltage and current and the lab for its power and stored charge.
- If using gauge 2–4, apply Rubber to exposed wire before walking through it.
Common failures
- No voltage at the machine: verify that the wire touches the machine's fixed power terminal; the lab and frame accept power only at the rear.
- A route works only nearby: keep every part loaded. Unloaded positions break the network.
- Brownout or low voltage: shorten the route, select a thicker gauge, or reduce simultaneous demand.
- A second generator does not add power: connected generators elect one owning source. Use separate networks.
- The frame's front will not power a machine: it is a control-signal output, not a 24 V power source.
- Wire still shocks: confirm Rubber was applied to that placed block. Gauge 1 and disconnected wires are safe without insulation.
- Shift + scroll changes the hotbar: Copper Wire must be in the main hand and Shift held while scrolling.