40d:Pressure plate

Pressure plates work somewhat like levers, but instead of being actively toggled, they're activated by the weight of something on them.

Pressure plates are not configured during use, but upon placement. While placing a pressure plate, you can configure it to trigger when the following things are on it:

• Water/Magma - choose minimum and maximum levels
• Creatures - choose minimum and maximum size; creatures of the size selected will be listed as example. You can pick whether your own citizens will trigger the plate or not.

Pressure plates default to toggleable, where they send an On signal when the determined weight is upon them and send an Off signal when it's released. Pressing o will change them to one-use mode, where upon being activated, they do their work and cease to operate altogether.

Pressure plates can be linked to all the same objects levers can. The effects are listed in the Lever page.

A toggleable trap may prove useless when there is a large amount of invaders walking back and forth over it, as there will not be enough time for it to activate before it is switched again. Berserk dwarves will set off pressure plates.

Shortcut b-T-p

Components used: Mechanism

Common procedures

Closing a floodgate when submerged

For this example, say we want to close a floodgate when a reservoir reaches a depth of 5.

• Build the pressure plate, set to activate under water (w) from 0 (a, s) to 4 (z, x). Set it to reset (o).
• Place the floodgate
• Connect a lever to the floodgate, and open it.
• Optionally remove the lever.
• Connect the pressure plate to the floodgate.
• Allow the pressure plate to be submerged.

The floodgate should close a few seconds after the water reaches a depth of 5 or more, and open again when the depth falls to 4 or less.

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