Alpha
Status: Implemented in source for Hard-Hoof 0.4.0-alpha.1; in-game verification is not established by docs alone.
Hard-Hoof machines share a dark interface theme, labeled slots, visible status text, and consistent colors. Their actual controls differ by purpose. Only the Coal-Powered Metal Former currently has configurable item-transfer sides; the other machines use manual slots or fixed electrical terminals.
| Color | General meaning |
|---|---|
| Teal | Input, active work, or normal power |
| Amber | Output, fuel, stored-power use, or attention |
| Violet | Bidirectional port or control signal |
| Gray | Off or inactive |
Color is paired with text, shapes, selection borders, focus state, or tooltips so it is not the only indicator.
Coal-Powered Metal Former
The Coal-Powered Metal Former has two tabs.
Forming provides three recipe buttons—Iron Plate, Copper Wire, and Iron Gear—plus an ingredient slot, fuel slot, output slot, progress bar, remaining-time tooltip, fuel reserve, and status. Selecting another recipe resets partial progress. The output slot rejects insertion.
Side configuration assigns one of four modes to each relative face:
| Mode | Item behavior |
|---|---|
| Input | Valid selected ingredients and coal fuel may enter. |
| Output | Finished products may be extracted. |
| Both | Combines Input and Output behavior. |
| Off | Blocks automated transfer on that face. |
Defaults are Front Off, Back Both, Left Input, Right Output, Top Input, and Bottom Output. Left and right are named while looking at the machine's front; the screen also gives the compass direction. Hoppers and NeoForge item transfer follow these rules. Output permits an adjacent system to pull items; the former does not push into a container by itself.
Opening Side configuration does not stop processing. Machine slots are hidden and inactive on that tab.
Machine Workshop
The Machine Workshop is a manual three-block-wide workbench. Every part opens the same center inventory.
Its screen contains a 5 × 3 ingredient surface, one result slot, the player's inventory, and a HELP button. A valid pattern shows its result immediately; taking that result consumes one item from every occupied recipe cell. Shift-click succeeds only when the complete output fits in the player's inventory.
The workshop uses no fuel or electricity. It has no side-configuration screen or documented automation ports. JEI is its full recipe catalog.
Coal Generator
The Coal Generator has one fuel slot, a fuel bar, voltage and current readout, and Supplying DC or Idle — no load status.
It accepts coal, charcoal, and coal blocks in its screen. It has no side-configuration controls. Its electrical source is exposed on every face, so copper wire may begin next to any side. The generator is a source for 24 V DC power, not an item-processing machine.
Jade shows output in watts and stored energy in joules. Detailed Jade view adds voltage and current.
Small Electronics Lab
The Small Electronics Lab uses a fixed rear electrical-power terminal. It has no configurable item ports.
Its three pages separate different jobs:
| Page | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Parts | Shows normal component recipes and runs etchant chemistry. |
| Gates | Draws and tests raw circuits, then saves verified gates to the current player's library. |
| PCB | Places saved gates, draws traces, and manufactures the current board. |
The bottom area contains dedicated blank-board, etchant, chemistry, and result slots. Board editing uses explicit Draw and Erase modes, movable parts, right-click removal, separate clear actions, and undo. Status text reports missing connections, ingredients, output space, power, and active work.
The lab consumes 6 W while working and stores 30 J. Work pauses when its supply and reserve are both unavailable, then resumes when power returns. The machine's article explains exact chemistry and manufacturing controls.
Electronics Frame
The Electronics Frame has one etched-board slot and fixed terminals:
| Face | Terminal |
|---|---|
| Rear | 24 V electrical-power input |
| Left | External high-impedance control input A |
| Front | Low-current control output |
Its Master Power control enables or stops the installed board. Master OFF preserves stored charge and clears output. A and B panel controls select LOW or HIGH where the board uses those inputs. A Source chooses Panel or External for A; B remains a panel input. Power + Storage switches the readout between board output and electrical watts/joules.
The frame stores 12 J. Its front signal is not redstone and cannot power a machine. Connect it only to a compatible control input, such as another frame's left terminal.
Orientation and automation summary
| Machine | Fuel or power | Item-transfer controls | Electrical or signal faces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal-Powered Metal Former | Coal-driven; not an electrical load | Six configurable faces | None |
| Machine Workshop | Manual; no fuel or electricity | None; manual 5 × 3 crafting | None |
| Coal Generator | Coal fuel; produces and stores electricity | No configurable item sides | Power source on every face |
| Small Electronics Lab | 6 W work rate; 30 J reserve | No configurable item sides | Rear power input |
| Electronics Frame | Board-dependent demand; 12 J reserve | No configurable item sides | Rear power, left signal input, front signal output |
Front, back, left, and right are relative to the way a placed machine faces. For the former, use its Side configuration compass label. For the lab and frame, route wire to the named physical face; wire touching another face does not become a hidden terminal.
Common failures
- A colored port does nothing: read its mode text. An Output face permits extraction but does not actively push.
- A lab or frame receives no power: connect the cable to its rear face. The generator may connect from any face.
- A frame signal does not run a machine: its front is a low-current control output, not a power terminal.
- Workshop slots do not accept a recipe: copy the complete 5 × 3 JEI pattern, including empty cells.
- Former slots vanish: switch from Side configuration back to Forming.
- A machine stops mid-job: check its status, output space, selected recipe, live supply, and stored charge before changing controls.