LaserIO

Overview

LaserIO is a logistics mod that replaces traditional pipe and cable networks with a wireless, card-based transfer system. Instead of running physical connections between machines, you place Laser Nodes on inventories and configure them with cards that define what gets moved, where it goes, and how fast. The entire system runs on channels and priorities, giving you fine-grained control over item routing without spaghetti pipe networks cluttering your builds.

The mod adds three transfer types: items, fluids, and energy. Each uses its own card type, and every card can be customized with filters, speed upgrades, and distribution modes. Laser Nodes connect to each other wirelessly using a Laser Wrench, forming networks that can span up to 8 blocks between connection points. You can browse every item and recipe the mod adds using the tabs at the top of this page.

Core Components

Laser Nodes

The Laser Node is the heart of every LaserIO network. Place it adjacent to any inventory, tank, or energy storage, then insert cards to define how that block participates in the network. Each node provides 9 card slots and 1 Overclocker slot per side, for a total of 6 independently configurable faces. Nodes discover all other connected nodes in the network automatically through breadth-first search, so you don't need to manually route paths between distant points.

Laser Connectors

Laser Connectors are relay blocks that extend your network's reach. They don't have card slots or processing capability. Their sole purpose is bridging gaps between Laser Nodes that are more than 8 blocks apart. Place Connectors in a chain, link them with the Laser Wrench, and your network spans any distance. Connectors are directional blocks that face the direction you place them from.

Laser Wrench

The Laser Wrench creates and removes connections between nodes and connectors. Shift-click a node to store its position, then right-click another node within 8 blocks to link them. If you click a node that's already connected, the connection toggles off. Shift-click the same node twice or shift-click air to clear your selection. A visible laser beam renders between connected blocks so you can always see your network topology.

The Card System

Cards are what make Laser Nodes do things. Without cards, a node is just an inert block. LaserIO provides three card types, each handling a different transfer type.

Item Card

The Item Card handles item transfer and is the card you'll use most. It supports three transfer modes. Extract mode pulls items from the attached inventory and sends them to Insert cards on the same channel. Insert mode receives items from Extract cards and pushes them into the attached inventory. Stock mode maintains a target quantity in the attached inventory, pulling items from the network only when counts drop below the threshold you set with a Count Filter.

Fluid Card

The Fluid Card works identically to the Item Card but transfers fluids between tanks and fluid-capable machines. It uses the same channel and priority system. Place it in a node adjacent to a tank, set it to Extract or Insert, and fluids route through your network just like items.

Energy Card

The Energy Card transfers Forge Energy (FE/RF) between energy storage blocks and machines. This means you can power machines across your base wirelessly through the same laser network that handles your items and fluids. No separate energy cables needed.

Card Settings Deep Dive

Every card has a rich configuration GUI that opens when you click on it inside a Laser Node. Understanding these settings is the key to mastering LaserIO.

Channels (0-15)

Cards only interact with other cards on the same channel. This gives you 16 independent transfer networks within a single physical laser network. Use channel 0 for your main storage, channel 1 for smelting outputs, channel 2 for mob farm drops, and so on. Channels are the foundation of complex sorting and routing systems.

Priority

When multiple Insert cards share a channel, items go to the highest-priority destination first. Priority ranges from 0 to 32,767. If priorities are equal, the closest node wins. This is extremely useful for overflow systems: give your primary storage priority 10 and an overflow chest priority 0. Items fill the primary storage first and only overflow when it's full.

Extract Amount and Speed

Extract Amount controls how many items move per transfer operation, from 1 to 64. Extract Speed controls the cooldown between operations in ticks, with a default of 20 ticks (1 second). Lower speed values mean faster transfers; at speed 1 the card transfers every single tick. Combine high extract amounts with low speed values for maximum throughput.

Round Robin Distribution

Round Robin has three modes. Off (default) sends items to the first available destination by priority. Mode 1 cycles through all matching destinations evenly, distributing items in rotation. Mode 2 is strict: it only transfers if the item can be inserted into every matching destination, ensuring perfectly even distribution. Round Robin is essential for splitting outputs across parallel furnace arrays or processing lines.

Sneaky Mode

Sneaky mode lets a card access a specific side of the adjacent inventory rather than the default face. This is useful for machines that accept inputs on one side and outputs on another. Set sneaky to the direction you want to access, and the card interacts with that side's inventory handler regardless of which physical side the Laser Node is placed on.

Filters

Filters are items that slot into cards to control which items pass through. Without a filter, a card moves everything. With a filter, you get precise control over item routing, which is essential for sorting systems.

Basic Filter

The Basic Filter has 15 slots where you place example items. Toggle between Allow List (only matching items transfer) and Deny List (everything except matching items transfers). You can also enable NBT comparison to distinguish between items that share an ID but have different data, like enchanted books or tools with different enchantments.

Count Filter

The Count Filter extends the Basic Filter by adding a per-slot count value. When paired with Stock mode on a card, it maintains exact quantities. For example, place 64 Cobblestone in the filter and set the card to Stock: the system keeps exactly 64 Cobblestone in that inventory at all times, pulling from the network as needed. The Regulate setting lets you also remove excess items above the count threshold.

Tag Filter

The Tag Filter matches items by their Minecraft tags rather than by specific item. Place a reference item in the single slot, and it displays all tags that item belongs to. Select a tag like forge:ingots, and the filter matches every ingot from every mod. This is incredibly powerful for modpack automation where you want to sort "all ingots" or "all planks" regardless of which mod they come from.

Mod Filter

The Mod Filter matches items by their source mod. Place any item from a mod into the filter, and it matches everything from that mod. This is perfect for routing all items from a specific mod to dedicated storage, like sending all Thermal Expansion items to one chest bank.

Overclockers

Overclockers boost the processing throughput of your Laser Nodes. The Overclocker Node is placed in the dedicated overclocker slot (slot 10) on each side of a Laser Node. By default, a node processes 1 card per side per tick. Each Overclocker Node in the stack adds 1 additional card processed per tick on that side. Since overclockers stack up to 8, you can process up to 9 cards per tick on a single side.

This matters when you have multiple cards on the same side doing different jobs. Without overclockers, only one card fires per tick, and the node cycles through them sequentially. With overclockers, multiple cards fire simultaneously, dramatically increasing throughput for complex setups. The Overclocker Node recipe uses Diamonds, making it a mid-to-late game upgrade, while the Overclocker Card variant uses Gold Ingots for a cheaper alternative.

Card Holder

The Card Holder is a portable 15-slot inventory for storing your cards and filters. Right-click to open it and manage your card collection. Shift-right-click to toggle Active mode, which automatically collects any loose cards in your player inventory into the holder. This keeps your inventory clean when reconfiguring nodes or breaking them down. The Card Holder also appears in the top-left corner of the Laser Node GUI when you're carrying one, giving you quick access to your card supply while configuring nodes.

Building a Sorting System

LaserIO's real power shows in automated sorting systems. Here's how to build one. Start with an input chest with a Laser Node attached, containing an Item Card set to Extract mode on channel 0. For each destination chest, attach a Laser Node with an Item Card set to Insert mode on channel 0, each with a Basic Filter configured for the items that chest should receive.

Give your categorized chests higher priority (like 10) and add one "catch-all" overflow chest with priority 0 and no filter. Items from the input chest get extracted, checked against each Insert card's filter, and routed to the matching destination. Anything that doesn't match any filtered inserter falls through to the lowest-priority unfiltered chest. This single pattern handles everything from simple ore sorting to full mod-specific item organization.

For machine automation, the same principle applies with an extra layer. Place a Laser Node on your furnace's input side with an Insert card on channel 1 (filtered to smeltable items), and another on the output side with an Extract card on channel 0 that feeds results back to your main storage. Your smelting line now integrates seamlessly into the sorting network.