Installation, crafting and wiring
Install safely
- Back up the save and its mod configuration. Keep that backup outside the active save slot; removal/destruction of a device is not a backup strategy.
- In Factorio's Mods screen, find Tweaked Computers (
tweaked-computers) on the Mod Portal, install the intended ALPHA version, enable it, and restart when prompted. The listing is published as the final alpha-delivery step; before it exists, use only an explicitly supplied candidate ZIP, not GitHub's source ZIP. - For manual installation, place
tweaked-computers_VERSION.zipin your Factorio user-datamodsdirectory without unpacking it. Remove conflicting duplicate versions, enable the mod, and restart. The ZIP's internal folder must match its numeric version. Record the exact engine/mod versions when reporting a bug. - Load a copy of the save first. Tested engine: 2.0.77. Base alone works; Space Age is optional, not a required dependency. Expansion settings and quality names require their corresponding installed prototypes. This guide does not claim later Factorio engines or arbitrary mod combinations are verified.
The alpha has not been graphically/client or multiplayer-join verified by agents. Read the alpha warning. Keep backups before upgrades; unknown saved formats are retained for recovery, not automatically reset.
Research and craft
Research Native circuit computers (tc-circuit-computers) after
circuit-network and advanced-circuit. It costs 100 automation + logistic
science-pack pairs at 30 seconds each and unlocks all five recipes. Existing
researched forces receive missing unlocks on a mod configuration change.
All recipes make one item in 2 seconds and use base materials even with Space Age.
These are initial balance values.
| Device / recipe ID | Iron plate | Copper plate | Electronic circuit | Advanced circuit | Demand | Buffer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Computer tc-computer |
10 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 60 kW | 2 kJ |
KV database tc-kv |
8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 30 kW | 1 kJ |
Monitor tile tc-monitor |
4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 15 kW | 500 J |
Logic handler tc-logic |
6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 kW | 500 J |
Configurator tc-configurator |
8 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 30 kW | 1 kJ |
Supply electricity to every body; each needs at least one tick's demand in its
buffer to operate. Buffers provide only short brownout tolerance. Passive wire
paths remain during outages, but active peripheral calls fail E_UNPOWERED.
Computer callbacks pause; logic output clears; monitor presentation hides but its
image survives. KV expiry still follows simulation ticks.
Body versus role ports
Select the body to rotate/mine the whole device. The small selectable role ports have priority over the body and cannot be mined or operated independently. North-facing layouts run left to right; east rotates clockwise, south reverses, west rotates counterclockwise. Rotation keeps existing native role wires.
| Body footprint, north-facing | Role order | Role marker |
|---|---|---|
| Computer, KV, monitor: 1×1 | NETWORK | Cyan diamond |
| Logic: 3×1 | INPUT / NETWORK / OUTPUT | Amber I / cyan diamond / lime square |
| Configurator: 2×1 | NETWORK / TARGETS | Cyan diamond / violet T |
Each role has separate red and green connectors. There are no internal wires between roles. Cable color and role-marker color are unrelated.
- NETWORK: computer discovery through mod-owned NETWORK ports only. Computers relay it but are not callable peripherals. Vanilla poles/machines do not relay discovery. Ports do not emit a computer-message signal protocol.
- INPUT: read native factory circuit signals through a logic handler.
- OUTPUT: the logic handler's one programmed bank contributes equally to red and green. External contributions on each color can still differ.
- TARGETS: the configurator reaches factory circuit-control settings. Vanilla same-color wire relays work here, but isolated native combinator connectors do not bridge each other.
Use one uninterrupted color for each path. A red wire into a relay and green wire out is not discovery. The same device can separately appear on both colors; shared database/display contents do not bridge wires. Force and surface must match. For a merged monitor, connect a NETWORK wire to any member, but shared display geometry does not make unwired members relay each other's networks.
Next: your first controller. If a device is missing, use Refresh Peripherals and troubleshooting.