Blueprint Reader Combinator

A simple combinator that reads blueprints from a chest and outputs item signals to the circuit network. Perfect for automating logistic requests based on your blueprints!

Features

• 📋 Reads ALL blueprints from chest - multiple blueprints are summed together!
• 🔢 Outputs circuit signals for all items in the blueprints
• ⭐ Quality support - handles all 5 quality levels (Normal, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary)
• 🎨 Quality Override - force all items to a specific quality via custom GUI (requires Space Age DLC)
• 📚 Blueprint books - automatically reads the active blueprint from books
• 🔄 Manual update - updates when you close the combinator GUI
• 🎯 Works with logistic chests - set chest to "Use signals from circuit network"
• ⚡ Zero UPS cost - no background processing, updates only on user action
• 🎮 Works without DLC - fully functional in vanilla Factorio 2.0

How to Use

Basic Setup

1. Place the Blueprint Reader Combinator (blue constant combinator)
2. Put blueprint(s) in any chest - you can add multiple blueprints!
3. Connect the chest to the combinator with a circuit wire (red or green)
4. Connect the combinator to a requester chest with another circuit wire
5. Configure the requester chest:
6. Open the chest
7. Set mode to "Set requests"
8. Enable "Use signals from circuit network"
9. Update the combinator: Open combinator GUI → Close it → Signals updated!
10. Check requester chest - it should now request all items from the blueprint(s)

Workflow Summary

1. Put blueprints in chest
2. Wire: Chest → Combinator → Requester Chest
3. Configure requester chest to use circuit signals
4. Open/Close combinator GUI to update
5. Done! Items are requested

How to Update Signals

The combinator updates when you open and close its GUI:
1. Click on the combinator to open it
2. Check the signals displayed (they show current state)
3. Check if it's enabled (toggle switch at top)
4. Close the GUI → signals are now updated from the chest!

Important: The update happens when you close the GUI, not when you open it. This allows you to check the current state before triggering an update.

Tip: If the combinator is disabled when you close the GUI, all signals are cleared.

Example Setup

[Chest with Blueprint] --red wire--> [BR Combinator] --green wire--> [Requester Chest]
                                           |
                                     (outputs signals)

The combinator will show all blueprint items in its GUI, just like a constant combinator.

With Quality Items

If your blueprint contains items with different quality levels, the combinator will output separate signals for each quality:

• 10x Assembling machine 3 [Normal]
• 5x Assembling machine 3 [Uncommon]
• 2x Assembling machine 3 [Epic]

The logistic chest will request the exact quality specified in the blueprint!

Quality Override Feature

Note: Quality Override requires the Space Age DLC. Without the DLC, the Quality Settings button will not appear.

Want to upgrade your blueprint to higher quality? Use the Quality Override feature:

1. Open the combinator (left-click)
2. Click "Quality Settings" button in the right panel
3. Select quality from the dropdown:
4. Keep Original - uses quality from blueprint (default)
5. Normal Quality - forces all items to normal
6. Uncommon Quality - forces all items to uncommon (requires Space Age)
7. Rare Quality - forces all items to rare (requires Space Age)
8. Epic Quality - forces all items to epic (requires Space Age)
9. Legendary Quality - forces all items to legendary (requires Space Age)
10. Click Apply - signals update immediately!

Example Use Cases:
- Have a blueprint with normal assemblers? Set to "Epic Quality" to build with epic assemblers instead!
- Mixed quality blueprint? Set to "Legendary Quality" to upgrade everything!
- Each combinator remembers its own quality setting - perfect for different production lines!

Tips & Tricks

• Use with construction trains: Connect to a cargo wagon's logistic requests
• Blueprint books: The combinator automatically reads the active blueprint from books
• Multiple blueprints: Place multiple combinators to request items from different blueprints, OR place multiple blueprints in one chest and use one combinator!
• Signal visibility: Open the combinator GUI to see all output signals
• Updates on GUI close: To refresh signals after changing blueprints in the chest, just open and close the combinator GUI
• Quality Override: Each combinator saves its own quality setting - use different combinators for different quality tiers!
• Upgrade blueprints: Use Quality Override to instantly "upgrade" any blueprint to higher quality items
• Zero UPS when not updating: The mod only runs when you interact with it - perfect for megabases!

Compatibility

• ✅ Factorio 2.0+
• ✅ Works in vanilla Factorio (basic functionality)
• ✅ Space Age DLC recommended (for quality override feature)
• ✅ Works with any mod that adds new entities
• ✅ Multiplayer friendly
• ✅ No known conflicts

Without Space Age: Blueprint reading and signal output works perfectly. Quality override button hidden.

With Space Age: Full quality override support with all 5 quality tiers.

Changelog

2.4.3 (2025-02-13)

• Added Quality Override feature with custom GUI
• Click "Quality Settings" button in combinator to change quality
• Each combinator saves its own quality override setting

2.2.0 (2025-02-12)

• Reads ALL blueprints from chest and sums items
• Manual update mode - zero UPS cost when idle
• Removed automatic checking

2.1.0 (2025-02-12)

• Added full quality support for all 5 quality levels
• Separate signals for each quality tier

2.0.1 (2025-02-12)

• Complete rewrite to output signals instead of setting requests
• Now works like a standard constant combinator
• Much simpler and more reliable

FAQ

See the FAQ tab for common questions and troubleshooting.

Source Code

GitHub: [Link will be added if uploaded to GitHub]

License

MIT License - feel free to modify and redistribute

Credits

Created by Mikdad
Inspired by the need for easier blueprint-based logistics