Engine
Engines are machines used to generate energy in the form of MJ. While originally added by BuildCraft, engines are now available from a variety of mods.
Depending on the type, engines require different types of fuel or materials to run. What they all have in common however is that they need a redstone signal (e.g. from a Lever) to work.
Any of these machines can be broken with a wooden pick or better.
Contents
BuildCraft Engines[edit]
One common property of the standard BuildCraft engines is that they will explode if they get too hot. As an engine heats up, its color will change from blue to green to yellow to red, before exploding. An engine that is solid (not blinking) red is about to explode and should be shut off immediately.
Redstone Engine[edit]
The Redstone Engine is the most basic engine, only needing to be turned on using a redstone signal to run. It has a very low power output (1MJ/s or 0.5MJ/t), and takes roughly 1.5 Minecraft days to warm up and reach this output. Most machines won't accept power from a Redstone Engine, except Thermal Expansion and Railcraft machines, and certain BuildCraft machines (such as the Pump). They are most commonly used to power Wooden or Emerald Transport Pipes to extract items out of an inventory.
Stirling Engine[edit]
The Stirling Engine is significantly more powerful than a Redstone Engine, producing 1 MJ/t, but requires fuel such as Coal. It will eventually explode if it is producing more power than is being used.
Combustion Engine[edit]
Combustion Engines are the most expensive type of BuildCraft engine, but also the most powerful, capable of producing up to 6 MJ/t. They require liquid fuel such as Lava, Oil, Fuel or Biofuel to run, and if not looked after correctly are prone to explosion. Combustion Engines have a second internal tank that can be filled with a coolant, such as Water or Crushed Ice, to lower the engine's temperature and prevent explosions.
Forestry Engines[edit]
Electrical Engine[edit]
An Electrical Engine has to be powered with EU to work, essentially acting as an EU to MJ converter. By default it will output 2 MJ/t when supplied with a continuous current of EU, but can be modified to output up to 14 MJ/t, at the cost of higher EU consumption.
Biogas Engine[edit]
The Biogas Engine can be fueled by Water, Milk, Honey, Seed Oil, Apple Juice, Creosote or Biomass. Because it requires heat to run, Lava has to be supplied to provide initial heat. Some fuels require a constant supply of Lava because they don't generate enough heat by themselves.
| Fuel | Lava Usage | Energy | Ticks/bucket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Constant | 1 MJ/t | 1,000 |
| Liquid Honey | Startup only | 1 MJ/t | 10,000 |
| Milk | Constant | 1 MJ/t | 40,000 |
| Seed Oil | Startup only | 3 MJ/t | 10,000 |
| Creosote | Startup Only | 2 MJ/t | 2,500 |
| Biomass | Startup only | 5 MJ/t | 10,000 |
| Apple Juice | Constant | 1 MJ/t | 10,000 |
Peat-fired Engine[edit]
The Peat-fired Engine requires Peat or Bituminous Peat to run and will produce Ash in the process. It will output 1 MJ/t with Peat or 2 MJ/t with Bituminous Peat. It will stop working once the Ash compartment is full (256 items).
Clockwork Engine[edit]
The Clockwork Engine is quite unusual in that it requires no fuel. It is instead powered by a wound spring, which has to be wound up by the player by right-clicking the engine. It will output between 0.5 and 1.5 MJ/tick.
Thermal Expansion Engines[edit]
- Note: These engines only exist in Thermal Expansion 2 or older. Since Thermal Expansion 3 and the introduction of Redstone Flux, they have been replaced by Dynamos.
These engines have three properties which are common to Thermal Expansion machines but are absent in other engines:
- When connected to Redstone Energy Conduits, the conduit must be set to accept energy from the engine (orange arrow points away from engine). Other engines currently ignore this.
- Their response to a Redstone signal is configurable. By default, they run except when they are receiving a Redstone signal.
- They can overheat, but don't explode - if their internal energy buffer fills, they "break" and require being repaired with a BuildCraft Wrench or Crescent Hammer before they will run again.
Steam Engine[edit]
The Steam Engine requires furnace fuel (such as Coal) as well as Water. It outputs between 0.2 MJ/t and 2 MJ/t.
Magmatic Engine[edit]
- Newer recipe
- Older recipe
Railcraft Engines[edit]
Railcraft engines run on Steam - either produced within the engine or externally. Like Thermal Expansion Engines they will not explode when overheating, but instead stop working until repaired with a BuildCraft Wrench.
Hobbyist's Steam Engine[edit]
The Hobbyist's Steam Engine requires furnace fuel (such as Coal) as well as Water. Once it reaches 100 C, it will produce Steam, reaching a maximum generation rate of 1.6 MJ/t. It can also instead be fed Steam from outside, generating 2 MJ/t. Beware: If it runs out of water, it will overheat. Adding water to a hot, dry engine will result in an explosion.
Commercial Steam Engine[edit]
The Commercial Steam Engine generates 4 MJ/t, twice as much power as the Hobbyist's Steam Engine. However, it does not have an internal boiler, thus Steam must be provided from outside, such as from a Steam Boiler.
Industrial Steam Engine[edit]
The Industrial Steam Engine generates 8 MJ/t, twice as much power as the Commercial Steam Engine, but consumes Steam twice as quickly. It also has no internal boiler, so Steam has to be supplied from outside.
DartCraft Engines[edit]
Force Engine[edit]
The Force Engine is an engine producing MJ using Liquid Force as a fuel source, although certain other liquid fuels can be used as well. It also uses power output multipliers (throttle) and will not explode when overheating.
RedPower 2 Engines[edit]
Blulectric Engine[edit]
The Blulectric Engine produces MJ using Blutricity. The engine can consume a large amount of blulectric power, producing up to 32 MJ/t, but it will automatically scale back if it detects that the connected machine cannot use all this power. Unlike all other engines, this one can only be rotated with a Screwdriver.
Big Reactors Engines[edit]
Big Reactor[edit]
Big Reactors are introduced with the Big Reactors mod, capable of producing a dynamic amount of power depending on the size of the reactor, for example a 5x5x5 cube will produce an estimated 21 MJ/t depending on heat levels and fuel purity. The smallest size you can create a reactor is 3x3x3. They require ingots as fuel such as Yellorium Ingot from Big Reactors, Uranium Ingot from RotaryCraft, or Raw Uranium Ingot from ReactorCraft to run. They also produce waste which is expelled from a Reactor Access Port. For more information on how to craft one, please visit the Big Reactors section.
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