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Flywheel

A shaft with a heavy cast-iron rim. It stores momentum, so a line with one on it rides through bumps in load and coasts for longer.

Crafting

C C C
C H C
C C C

C is Cast Iron and H is a Shaft.

Using it

Place it in a shaft line like any shaft.

What it does

A flywheel is as heavy as a Water Wheel, about two hundred plain shafts' worth. Heavy things change speed slowly, in both directions:

  • Smoother. A Mechanical Hammer's blows, a press's strokes, a Pump cutting in: the line barely notices them.
  • Slower to start. It takes longer to come up to speed, especially on a lightly powered line.
  • Slower to stop. Disconnect the power and it keeps the line turning much longer. That's good for riding out a gap in supply, and bad if you need a machine to stop now. A hammer behind a flywheel lands more blows after you throw the Clutch.

What it costs

Its bearing drags at 0.2 Su per RPM, twice a plain shaft's. That's the price of the momentum, paid every turn.

When to use one

  • A line that bogs down every time a heavy machine kicks in.
  • A Steam Engine or Engine that stutters.
  • A Controller that flips a clutch fast and makes the speed jump around.

Not on a line you need to stop precisely.