Equipment and base systems
Recharge Batteries and Power Cells
A charger turns a powered base into a useful departure point. Build the terminal for the battery type you use, keep a charged spare for travel, and leave enough generation available while several devices are charging.
Updated · Crafting quantities: PC build 128456
Recipes and construction costs
The Battery Terminal uses one Copper Wire, made from 2 Copper. The Power Cell Terminal uses one Wiring Kit, made from 1 Silver and another Copper Wire. Its separate 3 Copper ingredient is additional, not included in that kit.
Unlock and construct the right terminal
The Battery Terminal and Power Cell Terminal each require two scans to complete their blueprint. Scanning a terminal contributes to that terminal blueprint; finding materials or unlocking a different charger does not replace its blueprint requirement. Use the In Progress list to see the remaining scan progress.
The Welcome Center contains a Battery Terminal and is part of the early exploration route. Reach its interior to interact with it. Buddy System fixed accessing that terminal through the exterior wall, so an old shortcut through the wall is not a reliable route.
Once the desired terminal is unlocked, use the Habitat Builder in a powered base. Leave space to stand in front of the terminal and access its controls. Power Cell Terminal placement restrictions received a Buddy System fix; older instructions saying it only works at the bottom of a base or in the middle of a room reflect that former problem.
Build a simple charging routine
Separate discharged batteries from the charged spares you intend to carry. Use the matching terminal, place the depleted battery or power cell in its accepted slot, and check that its charge rises before walking away. Replacing a cell and charging it are separate tasks.
Keep one ready spare outside the charging rotation when possible. A terminal at home does not help a drained tool or vehicle halfway through a trip. Refit the charged supply, check the device display and then pack the spare so you do not accidentally depart with the empty one.
If you regularly return with several empty cells, plan the base around that simultaneous demand. More terminals create more places to recharge; they do not create the electricity used for charging. A reliable generation and storage setup is more useful than a row of chargers on a failing grid.
If the charge is not increasing
First match the cell type to the terminal, then inspect the base supply. Check that stored power remains and that generation can support the active equipment. A charger in a room without a working supply cannot solve the shortage by itself.
Read the charge indicator before and after a short interval with the terminal powered. A missing interaction, an incompatible slot and a working terminal with insufficient energy are different symptoms. Solve the first failing step before rebuilding the whole base.
Creative Mode handles energy differently: Buddy System fixed terminals charging and draining there even though that mode does not require power. Use the behavior in your actual game mode when diagnosing a survival power problem.
Plan the next step
Welcome Center route
Reach the interior and complete useful early scans.
Base power setup
Sources, transmitters and storage for a reliable charging base.
Higher-capacity supplies
Compare Advanced Battery and Entangled Power Cell crafting.
Power Cell
Prepare the vehicle battery and its material chain.