This is a really compact way to put your power spine together. Here I’m pairing it with the main ladder shaft that is outside the main base (atmo suits only, once I get them up). By putting the transformer input on the same column of tiles as the joint plates, this minimizes the amount of wire required while also making a transformer available for any floor where power is needed, and also saves space.
I also intend on doing another copy on the other side of the map, with the main heavi-watt wire crossing underneath the base where my power plant and industrial brick will be.
The space outside of the transformers will probably also be used for transit tubes once I get plastic (and rad research) going. Might put fire poles in too, but I’m rushing for transit tubes in this game and don’t have a ton of metal ore. There is enough space above the large transformers to fit a tube exit, so dupes can land on any floor, and I can take a transformer out to put in a tube access whereever I need it.
Each transformer is meant to serve one floor of the base, and if I have a second spine on the left that means I can run up to 4kW of machines on each floor (if my generators can support it). It is also easy to run a cooling loop up and down each shaft to keep the transformers from overheating.
