Editing Guide to construction (section)

== Power Wires ==

Power wires ([[Engineering_items#Cable_Coil|cable coils]]) [[File:CableCoils.png]] are available from autolathes, yellow toolboxes, engineering vending [[Machines|machines]] or scattered about the station's maintenance-, construction- and storage-areas.

* Wires can be electrified if connected to a power net (a charged [[Engineering_items#SMES_Cell|SMES]] or [[Guide_to_construction#APC|APC]] is attached to the wire), and you will get fried if you place or cut them.
* [[Insulated gloves]] negate any electrical shocks to the player.

=== How Do I Wire? ===
After a change june 2019, wires will automatically connect to other wires on tiles in cardinal directions. To place, lift any floor tile with a [[Engineering_items#Crowbar|crowbar]] [[File:Crowbar.png]] to reach the plating. Then click the plating while holding cable coil in your hand to place the wire. To remove wires, use [[Engineering_items#Wirecutters|wirecutters]] [[File:Wirecutters.png]] on them. Powered wires will automatically electrify [[Guide_to_construction#Grille|grilles]] and power some [[Machines|machines]] on top of them. 

====Wire Art====
The wire art that was available before june 2019 can still be made by using an item called "pipe cleaner". See the [[Guide_to_wire_art|Guide to wire art]]. 

=== Connecting [[Machines|Machines]] ===

Most [[Machines|machines]] are connected to powernets wirelessly by being in an arbitrary "area" containing a charged [[APC]]. Though some [[Machines|machines]] must be connected by having a powered wire under them.

With wire knobs now being just what a wire looks like after it's cut, all grilles on top of a wire that has power are shock grilles.

Please note those [[Machines|machines]] must also be anchored (generally wrenched down) to be connected.

'''Special cases''' :
*[[#APC|APCs]] are connected to an adjacent powered wire with a special terminal, by doing the cable coil construction step. 
*An exception to the cardinal function is [[Engineering_items#SMES_Cell|SMES]], which has an input an output wire next to each other without being connected.

=== Wire-net Reset ===

This is Byond's attempt to "reset" the whole power net in order to deal with new/removed wires that shift the power value of a whole system. It will cause APCs to stop charging for a moment, and in huge nets it can shut down the charging of all APCs for a while.

Don't mess with wires unless you have to, it causes problems to everyone in both OOC (potential lag) and IC (power loss).