Waterwheel
Uses the power of flowing water to produce mechanical power. Must be placed in fresh water and produces double power when placed in both a river and waterfall.
Notes
The Waterwheel is a mechanical power source that converts the flow of fresh water into rotational energy, which can be transmitted via axles and mechanical linkage to nearby crafting stations within about 34 blocks. It must be placed in fresh water and is wall-mounted on a grid; for maximum output, position it where both a river and a waterfall overlap, as it then produces double the base power. This early-game generator is also a component in crafting Engineering Research Paper Advanced, making it a stepping stone toward higher-tier research.
Notes are AI-generated and may be imprecise.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | Qty | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | item | |
| 4 | item | |
| 10 | category |
Byproducts (garbage)
| Material | Qty / craft |
|---|---|
| ≈ 0.52 | |
| ≈ 0.03 |
Approximate โ a category ingredient's salvage value depends on the item actually used.
Crafting waste collects in the station's garbage output and must be hauled away or recycled โ see the Garbage & Recycling guide.
Crafting
| Labor | 180 calories |
|---|---|
| Craft time | 5 min |
| Throughput | ≈ 12 Waterwheel / hour (base) |
As a placed object
Recycling & waste
4× Wood Scrap
0.4× Chemical Waste
The same salvage value leaks out as garbage when this item is consumed in crafting.
How garbage, sorting & recycling work
Total raw to craft this
512× Cotton Boll
16× Wood (any)
10× Hewn Log (any)
2× Medium Carcass (any)
Approximate โ category ingredients and any production cycles are counted as raw.
Categories
Obtained from
Used in
See also
The steady groan of the waterwheel echoes through the river's rush, a marriage of wood and current turning patience into power.