Once you’ve learned IC10 basics, automation is where Stationeers really opens up. This guide builds two of the most useful scripts: a solar tracker that aims a whole field of panels at the sun, and a battery-aware power manager that runs a backup generator only when needed.
The two scripts at a glance
| Script | Reads | Controls | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar tracker | Daylight Sensor angles | All solar panels (batch) | Field always faces the sun |
| Power manager | Battery charge ratio | Backup generator | Generator runs only when low |
yield pattern; one chip can run a whole subsystem.Dual-axis solar tracker
A Daylight Sensor reports the sun’s Horizontal and Vertical angles. Feed those to every solar panel on the network at once with a batch store (sb), addressing panels by their type hash:
alias sensor d0
define SolarPanel -539224550
loop:
l r0 sensor Horizontal
l r1 sensor Vertical
sb SolarPanel Horizontal r0
sb SolarPanel Vertical r1
yield
j loopOne chip now aims a whole field. Because it uses the panel type hash, every panel you add to the network is tracked automatically — no rewiring. (Use the dual-panel hash for the larger panels if that’s what you’ve built.)
Battery-aware power management
Read a battery’s charge ratio and switch a backup generator on only when you’re running low — saving fuel and preventing brownouts. Connect a battery to d0 and a generator’s control to d1:
alias battery d0
alias generator d1
define lowMark 0.25
loop:
l r0 battery Ratio
slt r1 r0 lowMark # below 25% charge -> turn generator on
s generator On r1
yield
j loopFor smoother control, use hysteresis — separate on and off thresholds (e.g. on below 25%, off above 90%) so the generator doesn’t flicker on and off around a single set point. The same idea works for heaters, coolers and pumps.
Why automate?
Automation runs continuously — which is exactly why a persistent dedicated server matters. On a stable server your trackers, power logic and atmospherics keep running even when you’re offline, with no calculation errors from a laggy host.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a solar tracker in Stationeers?
Read the Horizontal and Vertical angles from a Daylight Sensor and batch-write them to all solar panels with sb using the panel’s type hash. One IC10 chip then aims your whole field, and any panel you add to the network is tracked automatically — no rewiring.
How do I run a generator only when the battery is low?
Read the battery’s Ratio and use slt against a low mark (e.g. 0.25) to switch the generator on below that charge. Add hysteresis — turn off above ~0.90 — so it doesn’t flicker on and off around one threshold. That saves fuel and prevents brownouts.
What is hysteresis in IC10 control?
Using two thresholds instead of one — e.g. turn a generator on below 25% but off above 90% — so a device doesn’t rapidly toggle when the reading hovers around a single set point. It’s essential for stable control of generators, heaters, coolers and pumps.
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