Temporary Storage (for bulk) IN I

The following page does not apply to loader-based bulks ornor any bulk that accepts loose items (as opposed to full shulker boxes) as input. 

Temporary "temp" storage is a front-logic component for a merging array (see the Mergers page). Temporary storages will hold up to one partially-filled shulker box of each item type assigned to the bulk section of a storage. It is also an option for non-bulk to be stored in temp in the case of "smart" encoded halls that place shulkers in chests that are half full. Temp storages must hold this box because mergers cannot do anything with only a single box of an item type, so the temp will hold a box until it receives an box of duplicate item type from the output of the bulk whitelister, which sorts boxes of chest hall/MIS/NS from boxes of bulk items.

There are 2 common ways that temporary storages are set up, depending on the sorting method:

Encoded Temporary Storage (AKA Disc Drive) 

In encoded systems, each item type is assigned to a binary or hexadecimal "code" which informs the system of where to store the item type. In encoded temps, this code is used to locate the box into the silo, which has a slot for each item type assigned to merging (note again that encoded systems sometimes allow chest hall items to be routed through mergers). For speed and convenience reasons, the slots are split across different inventories, typically barrels containing 16 slots each. 

EX: an 8 bit/2 hexit temp allows up to 256 item types. 4 bits/1 hexit can be utilized to select a single barrel out of 16 in a row, and the remaining 4 bits/1 hexit can be used to select one of the 16 slots inside the barrel. 16 barrels, 16 slots each, 16x16=256 total slots.

When not holding a box, these slots are filled with an unstackable filler item (usually water bottles, although some use water buckets to store unused filler items at 16x efficiency in the form of empty buckets).