How does the Convert O Tron 250 work?

[sonarwave58]

Hello,

This is my first time posting a topic here, so please forgive me if I have put this in the wrong place or if the question is already out there.

I am building a ship that has a convert o tron 250, 2 rechargeable battery packs, and 4 of the largest solar panel arrays. When I went to convert solar electricity into liquid fuel, it simply just said "missing ore". I read on the wiki that the convert o tron was able to convert electricity into liquid fuel, but no where did it say ore was required - it simply said electricity and ore can be converted into liquid fuel, monopropellant, etc.

Does anyone know the solution to this predicament? any help is much appreciated.

[Benjamin Kerman]

5 hours ago, sonarwave58 said:

it simply said electricity and ore can be converted into liquid fuel, monopropellant, etc.

You do need ore. The ore is what is converted into the liquid fuel/oxidizer/monoprop inside the convert-o-tron. 

To get the ore, you need drills. There are two drills, a small one and a big one. Radially attach those on the sides of your ship and make sure they can touch the ground. REMEMBER: THE DRILLS REQUIRE EC TO RUN!!!

Spoiler

A trick for making sure your drills will work: Extend them in the VAB and then drag the ship down to the floor with landing legs extended. If the drills appear to pass through the floor without the landing legs passing through also, the drills will get her ore. 

You also need ore tanks to hold the gathered ore. These come in radial, 1.25m, and 2.5m sizes. Grab a couple of the radial ones and stick em on your ship too. Now when your drills gather ore, the tanks will collect them. 

The drills and converter will also produce heat while drilling, and because of this, you need radiators to shed it. Grab several of the medium foldable radiators (radially attachable) and put those anywhere. If you get the ones that do not extend, they will not cool any parts except for those that they are attached to. 

Now you are ready to go. You have your drills, your tanks to hold the drilling products, your radiators to keep the drills cool, and your converter to make all that delicious fuel!

[klesh]

35 minutes ago, Benjamin Kerman said:

To get the ore, you need drills. There are two drills, a small one and a big one. Radially attach those on the sides of your ship and make sure they can touch the ground. REMEMBER: THE DRILLS REQUIRE EC TO RUN!!!

  Hide contents

A trick for making sure your drills will work: Extend them in the VAB and then drag the ship down to the floor with landing legs extended. If the drills appear to pass through the floor without the landing legs passing through also, the drills will get her ore. 

 

 

 

Here is a nice visual guide on the large drill depth requirements.  

 

 

 

Additionally, understand that having Engineer kerbals aboard the drilling ship increases the efficiency of the mining and converting operation depending on their skill level in career mode.  I'm not sure how or what the effects are in sandbox mode since I believe everyone is top skill class already.

Edited April 9, 2017 by klesh

[Aegolius13]

1 hour ago, Benjamin Kerman said:

You also need ore tanks to hold the gathered ore. These come in radial, 1.25m, and 2.5m sizes. Grab a couple of the radial ones and stick em on your ship too. Now when your drills gather ore, the tanks will collect them. 

Worth noting that, if you drill and refine with the same craft, you only need a tiny bit of ore storage to act as a buffer.  But you still need one- the drills can't send ore directly to the ISRU.  

If, say, you plan to drill on the surface and haul it up to orbit for refining, you'd need a lot more ore storage.

[Spricigo]

7 hours ago, sonarwave58 said:

I am building a ship that has a convert o tron 250, 2 rechargeable battery packs, and 4 of the largest solar panel arrays. When I went to convert solar electricity into liquid fuel, it simply just said "missing ore". I read on the wiki that the convert o tron was able to convert electricity into liquid fuel, but no where did it say ore was required - it simply said electricity and ore can be converted into liquid fuel, monopropellant, etc.

 

I'd say it was wishful reading,  the wiki says "ore and electricity"  in the text and also list ore in the inputs (table at the right). 

Notice that creating duel from nowhere it's very unrealistic.  Ksp usually goes much closer to what exist in real life,  there is exceptions but converters are not among it. 

[Ty Tan Tu]

Electricity into fuel? That might be a cool ad-on. I am not sure how the physics would work on something like that, but maybe a Mystery Goo™ converter for long term missions? Your busted flat in Moho without fuel and nothing left to lose, when you kick in your electricity/Mystery Goo™ fuel converter...

[Aegolius13]

10 hours ago, Ty Tan Tu said:

Electricity into fuel? That might be a cool ad-on. I am not sure how the physics would work on something like that

That's easy, you just hit the "reverse" button on a nuclear reactor. 

[sonarwave58]

On 10/04/2017 at 1:09 AM, Benjamin Kerman said:

You do need ore. The ore is what is converted into the liquid fuel/oxidizer/monoprop inside the convert-o-tron. 

To get the ore, you need drills. There are two drills, a small one and a big one. Radially attach those on the sides of your ship and make sure they can touch the ground. REMEMBER: THE DRILLS REQUIRE EC TO RUN!!!

  Reveal hidden contents

A trick for making sure your drills will work: Extend them in the VAB and then drag the ship down to the floor with landing legs extended. If the drills appear to pass through the floor without the landing legs passing through also, the drills will get her ore. 

You also need ore tanks to hold the gathered ore. These come in radial, 1.25m, and 2.5m sizes. Grab a couple of the radial ones and stick em on your ship too. Now when your drills gather ore, the tanks will collect them. 

The drills and converter will also produce heat while drilling, and because of this, you need radiators to shed it. Grab several of the medium foldable radiators (radially attachable) and put those anywhere. If you get the ones that do not extend, they will not cool any parts except for those that they are attached to. 

Now you are ready to go. You have your drills, your tanks to hold the drilling products, your radiators to keep the drills cool, and your converter to make all that delicious fuel!

Ah ok, that makes way more sense. Thanks for the reply, now I'm going to make a refuelling station on the moon instead XD

[Benjamin Kerman]

Good luck!