| Connector | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Functional Block |
| Status: | Functional |
| Function: | |
| Allows transfer of cargo between two or more grids. | |
| Fits small ship | |
| Mass: | 693.2 kg |
| Capacity: | 1,152 L |
| Power: | 50 W |
| Fits large ship and station | |
| Mass: | 3,596 kg |
| Capacity: | 8,000 L |
| Power: | -5 kW |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The 
Connector is a functional block in Space Engineers. Since update 1.036, ships can use connectors to connect to the inventory of other ships or with stations. It can secondarily also eject items. For a tiny variant, see Small Connector. Make sure to configure what the Connector does when you press P.
Usage[]
Usage: Transfer Items Between Grid Inventories[]
The primary purpose of the Connector is to form a temporary connection between the conveyor systems of two docked ships or stations. When two Connector rings come within proximity, the rim will turn yellow.When the pilot locks the Connectors on the Control Panel Screen, the rim turns green and thus the conveyor connection is established.
The connected systems share electricity and inventory. Blocks within either conveyor system can make push and pull requests as though they were one ship. Players can access the terminal and inventories of ships connected to theirs in this way. To limit access and avoid "theft", see also Trading Mode below.
Usage: Ejector[]
The Connector can secondarily be used to release objects into space from a ship's inventory by selecting the "throw out" option in its Control Panel Screen. This function does not work while it's connected to another Connector, it needs a bit of empty space.
Usage: Docking and Recharging[]
Next to Landing Gear and Merge Blocks, Connectors are your third option for docking. One connector on each side is needed to dock a ship to another ship, to a carrier, or to a station.
- Similar to landing Gear, Connectors are magnetic.
- In contrast to Landing Gear, Connectors also transfer power, if Override Power Transfer is enabled in the settings
- In contrast to Landing Gear, Connectors also establish a control connection to connected owned grids.
- Additionally, if the connector's backside is attached to the conveyor system, Connectors also give the docked ship access to inventories. You can build docking-only Connectors that have no conveyor system access--just make sure players know which Connector is used for what.
To lock and unlock, use either a Toolbar action, the Control Panel Screen, or press (P key). On a carrier, when you press (P key) to undock the carrier, you do not want to undock all carried ships! Therefor it's important to configure the Cockpit Controls of the hangar Connectors on your carrier so that pressing (P key) is not used for “parking”. The owner of a Connector can also define an Auto-unlock time after which docked grids are disconnected.
Usage: Prevent Theft Using Trading Mode[]
Since the Economy update, you can enable Trading Mode for Connectors. For example, all NPC Trading Outposts use Trading Mode on their Connectors. Trading Mode allows only trading and prevents other Connector features that could be exploited.
Trading mode on a Connector allows strangers' grids to...
- Dock to a Connector.
- Use the Conveyor system to trade through Contracts blocks and Store blocks.
Trading Mode mode disallows ...
- Manual access to the trader's inventory through the Conveyor System
- Power transfer -- the visitor cannot recharge their batteries at the trader's connector
- Gas transfer -- the visitor cannot refill their hydrogen tanks from the trader's tanks
After disconnecting from a Connector in Trading Mode, there is an interval when the visiting player cannot connect immediately again.
Q: Why does Trading Mode exist?
A: When a trading visitor wants to sell or buy large amounts of items, or wants to complete Acquisition contracts at your base, the trade goods' volume often exceeds the player inventory's volume and cannot be delivered all at once. Therefore the trader has to allow docking so that visitors can use the conveyor system to transfer items between their ship cargo and the Store/Contracts Block. However this would open up the trader to all kinds of theft: Visitors could use the connector to recharge their batteries and hydrogen tanks for free, and they could steal items from conveyored cargo containers, or clog them with gravel etc. All these exploitable actions are blocked in trading mode.
How to Transfer Items[]
Connectors do not automatically actively pull or push items into another inventory on their own, you need to combine them with other blocks.
To transfer items between two grids:
- Automatic Transfer:
- Add a Sorter into the conveyor chain on the receiving side.
- Set up the Sorter's item filter.
- Enable the Sorter's Drain All function.
- Lock the two Connectors.
- Ejector: No faction permissions required.
- Fly the sending ship's Connector close to the receiving ship/station's Collector and leave a small gap.
- Jettison the items by activating the Connector's throw out option.
- The Collector block catches the items in its inventory or (if full) the items float in space.
- Manual Drag & Drop:
- Lock the two connectors.
- Open the inventory screen.
- Manually drag and drop items between the docked ships/station.
Apart from manual drag&drop, items are only transferred if the connector receives a pull-request from one side of the Connector link:
- Welders can pull needed components from containers over a connector link by sending a pull-request. See also Build Planner.
- Grinders or Drills cannot push gathered components or ores to containers over a connector link, and containers won't send pull-requests to them through Connectors. (Drills seem to empty their inventories to cargo containers only when full and overflowing, at least if there is a refinery without space for ores in the same conveyor network.)
- Add Conveyor Sorter blocks to the conveyor system to send pull requests through Connectors by enabling the Sorter's drain all function.
Power Usage[]
From version 1.999 on, Connectors no longer require any power to function. This lets players for example connect a rescue vehicle to a rover that ran out of battery power, which aids in recovery and salvage operations.
Construction[]
The block exists for large grid and small grid. It is 1x1x1 blocks in size on large grid and 3x3x3 on small grid. It has one large conveyor port on the backside that needs to be attached to a conveyor system if you want it to share inventories. It also has small conveyor ports on the four sides that can only transfer small items such as ores. See also Small Connector.
The Connector can magnetise through thin blocks (such as Windows, Catwalks, Panels). To be able to eject or connect, leave the magnetic front ring exposed with enough space when using it in your builds.
Inventory[]
With Realistic settings, the Connector has a small inventory with a capacity of 1,152L on small ships, and 8,000L on large ships and stations. The inventory accepts all items, allowing the transfer and short-term storage of all manner of goods.
If attached to a conveyor system, the inventory is flagged to receive pushed items from other blocks. It can pull items automatically from any directly-attached inventories when actively ejecting.[1]
Recipe[]
| Connector | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Computer | 20 | — | 6 | — |
 Display | 4 | — | 1 | — |
 Motor | 8 | — | 6 | — |
 Small Steel Tube | 12 | — | 6 | — |
 Construction Comp. | 40 | — | 12 | — |
 Steel Plate | 130 | 20 | 15 | 6 |
Videos[]
Space Engineers - Conveyor, Collector, Connector
Trivia[]
Typically Connectors are built sticking out on the outside to keep the room on the backside airtight. If you build Connectors recessed inside the wall, so the circle is flush with the outside wall, you can put catwalk panels or windows on the outside to hide them, or to keep the room airtight, and they will still magnetise and transfer items through the catwalk/glass!
Ejectors and Connectors used to be separate blocks before the Automaton update.
