The Ballast is a machine block with adjustable mass.
Settings[]
| Parameter | Default Value | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mass | x0.50 | x0.20 - x2.00 |
Usage[]
The block's original intended purpose was for balancing aircraft. For basic vanilla building, this can be quite useful. However, when using Advanced Building (which allows moving blocks off the grid), it is recommended to move things around for balancing instead of adding more weight.
Generally, the most common use of the Ballast is as a structural component - it does not burn, it does not break, and its adjustable mass allows fine-tuning of its connection Rigidity.
When scaled, it becomes useful as a spine for vehicles - particularly for aircraft. The most effective method of mounting high-power autocannons to a plane is to set the mass of the spine high with NoBounds and embed the cannon as close to the center of mass as possible.
The main considerations for this application are as follows:
- The primary trigger scales very quickly with the block, which may cause issues with mechanisms which depend on secondary triggers or even the spine connecting to a moving part
- This is an all-or-nothing deal: if you cannot use one ballast for the spine, you are better off not having a spine at all and distributing forces across the entire craft instead. Two block spines have a habit of snapping in half.
In terms of tanks, it is advantageous to have both the turret and hull be built atop ballasts, for durability and to better absorb incoming fire with mass.
It is also possible to use it for calculating the mass of other objects; this, however, is an obsolete use case as mods such as Instrumentality and Object Explorer make it possible to see these values directly.
Technologies[]
The adjustable mass of the Ballast makes it useful for a long list of applications. Some examples:
- The first component of any high-power Recoil Suppression system is the mass damper - a high-mass block, which blunts most of the cannon's recoil.
- Suspension setups for even moderate speeds usually involve connecting the wheel to a low-mass block, which allows the wheel to flex instead of snapping off.
- Zero-Mass technology (e.g. FNS) by their nature need blocks with adjustable mass.
- Some forms of Toring can make use of low-mass blocks.
Trivia[]
Before v0.42, this block had a different model.
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