Robot Miner

The "Miner" Robot is a Robot added by BuildCraft, which has the special ability to handle with Pickaxes and to mine ores, which can subsequently be collected by the "Picker" Robot and stored in a chest (see Usage). In the same time the player can do other things. The "Miner" does only mine ores. The robot doesn't mine Stone or other materials which are mined with pickaxes.

Usage
The robot automatically mines ore, as the name implies. This is its special ability, so it will not collect the dropped blocks. To automatically collect the ores from the ground, the player needs a "Picker" Robot.

Since the Miner is very strongly specialized for mining ores, it's a robot rather used without a working area for example in a Ravine. But the robot can also be used with a working area, for example if ores were placed as decoration and shall be preserved. The setup to start this work is a little bit complicated, but is explained step by step for two examples which is shown in Fig. 1 and 2.

The following items are needed for the setup:
 * 4 Land Marks if working area is needed
 * 1 Chest
 * 1 Wooden Transport Pipe
 * 1 Docking Station
 * 1 Emerald AND Gate (or a other type of Emerald Gate if special functions needed)
 * 1 Lever
 * 1 Map Location if working area is needed
 * 1 or more Pickaxes
 * 1 "Miner" Robot
 * some Dirt and Ladders (amount dependent on the height of the defined working area)

Step 1: Define Work Zone
''If the Miner doesn't need a working area than you can skip this step and continue with

The player can define the working are of the Miner if he should only work in a certain area. This is achieved with Land Marks.

The player must place three Land Marks in a 90° angle which defines the base of the sand hill. Now the player can right-click on one of the marks to active the red borders (shown in Fig. 3) which displays the ground area of the work zone.

The two marks on the left and right in the figure may not be more than 64 blocks away from the center mark.

Now, the player must build, for example a dirt tower, over the mark in the center until the height where the hill ends. On top of the dirt tower, the player must place the fourth Land Mark.

If the player now right-click on any Land Mark, then a red border should be appear which frames a 3-dimensional work zone (shown in Fig. 4). If no red border appears, then the Land Marks don't stand in a 90° angel to each other.

If the player uses the 2-dimensional zone, which was defined with the three ground marks, the robot mines only the ores on the ground. Each ore outside the working area is not touched.

Step 2: Control Station
In the second step, the player must build up the control station of the robot. It can be placed anywhere but it is recommend to place it in the near of the region where the Miner should work. The following explained control station is a minimum example and can be extended.

The station includes a Chest, with a connected Wooden Transport Pipe, as well as a Docking Station and a Emerald AND Gate which can be placed anywhere on the gate (without disconnecting the chest).

In front of the Emerald Gate, the Lever, and in the chest, the pickaxes, can be placed. Now the station should look like the example in Fig. 5.

Step 3: Configuration
The third step is the configuration of the Emerald Gate to control the robot. Also here, this example isn't the only system that works and can be extended.

The player must open the GUI of the Emerald Gate with a right-click, which shows two configurable blocks (one left, one right).

Select all the options as shown in Fig. 6. In the first and third row on the right side is a question mark determining whether the options before are selected. That means that something must be put in this slots.

Now only the important configurations to control the robot, which are shown in Fig. 6, are explained in the following:

A full explanation of all possible functions can be found in the article of the Emerald Gate.

The sequence of rows has no meaning, but only what is in each row. In this example the first or second row may be the blank row.

The option previously required coordinates which must be added by the Map Location.
 * 1) Take the Map Location and right click on one of the Land Marks to receive the coordinates of the working zone (shown in Fig. 7). The Map Location should now have a rectangle on the item. Now this map must be placed in GUI of the Emerald Gate in the "question slot" in the first row ("Working area" option). The Map Location should remain stored, and can be reused for the second coordinates. (This point isn't required if no working area has been defined)
 * 2) Take the Map Location again and right-click on the Docking Station to receive the coordinates. Note: Here it is important, which side is indicated at the coordinates for the docking station. This is displayed in the player inventory if the cursor is moved on the Map Location. Please check if the specified side is the same where the docking station is, for example UP if the docking station is on the upside of the pipe. Now put the map in the GUI of the Emerald Gate in the question slot in the third row ("Go to station" option).
 * 3) At least put any desired pickaxe in one of the empty slots in the second row on the right side

Now the configuration should appear like in Fig. 5 and the control station is configured. The Land Marks and the respective frame are now not longer needed for this example and can be removed. If you want to use the frame for other robots (for example for the "Picker" Robot, make sure you have the coordinates stored in a Map Location.

Step 4: Start and Stop
In the fourth and last step, the "Miner" Robot can be placed on top of the Docking Station (shown in Fig. 8). At first the robot does nothing because the function in the third row commands the robot to stay on the station.

If the Lever in front of the gate is switched and a redstone signal receives the gate, the first and the second row is active.

After a short time (the update time of the robot), the robot will take a pickaxe out of the chest (second row in the Emerald Gate) and start the work in the defined zone or in the near closer environment (first row in the Emerald Gate) (shown in Fig. 8) until there are no blocks in the zone more, which are removable with a shovel.

Once the pickaxe is broken, which the robot has taken at the start, he return back to the station automatically. Once there, the function on the second row is triggered again, and the robot receives new pickaxe out of the chest (if any are inside) and then continues with the work.

When all ores are mined, the robot automatically returns to the control station. But he still active and will start again to work, when a new ore block is achievable. The work of the robot can be stopped anytime by switching the lever (in front of the gate) off. When the robot is currently at work, then he returns back to station automatically.

Recharging
If the robot is low on energy, it will begin to seek out a kinesis pipe with a docking station to charge itself. If none are available, it will continue doing its job until its battery dies. The player can also stop the robot with attacks to prematurely drain its battery, causing the to robot drop as item on the ground. Stronger attacks will drain its battery faster. The player can pick up the robot and place in the Charging Table to recharge it. After that, the robot can be placed again on the Docking Station and is again ready to work.