Probably Stolen machines guide: power, modules and boosters
Machines in Probably Stolen are placed items that work overnight. Most need Energy from an Energy Cell, and many take modules that change their power use, speed and output quality. This page lists what each machine does, then explains how to power and speed them up.
What machines are in the game?
“Base power” is the item’s base draw per night. Descriptions follow the in-game text.
| Machine | Value | Base power | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 200 | 8 | Refines 2 Metal Scrap or Ore into a Metal Ingot overnight. Details |
| Water Purifier | 250 | 4 | Purifies the water in an inserted container overnight. Details |
| Moisture Farm | 350 | 6 | Collects water into a container overnight. Several farms share air, so each makes less. Details |
| Evaporator | 300 | 6 | Evaporates liquids out of a solution overnight. Details |
| Heating Plate | 250 | - | Chemistry heater: “shabby looking underpowered and inaccurate”. |
| Blender | 200 | - | Chemistry blender. |
| Chem Finisher | 300 | - | Packages chemicals into pills, vials and other containers. |
| Cryptographic Desequencer | 350 | 10 | Needs a Desequencer Chip and an Access Keycard. Overnight. |
| Hydroponic System | 300 | 8 | Compact hydroponic system. Overnight. |
| DNA Manipulator | 1000 | 12 | Extracts DNA data onto disks and installs a disk’s trait on a target. |
| 3D Printer | 350 | 8 | Prints items using plastic. Overnight. |
| Bottle Printer | 100 | - | Prints water bottles in small, normal and large sizes. |
| AgeWell | 350 | 24 | Ages wine and cheese by an extra day each cycle. |
| Fridge | 100 | 2 | Chills drinks overnight so they sell for more. Wine and unsealed water are unaffected. |
| Vending Machine | 0 | 2 | Sells items at +10% value plus retail markup. |
| Vending Fountain | 0 | 2 | Same, for water. |
| Mirage Projector | 400 | 16 | Charges overnight, then improves your street attractiveness the next day. |
| Alarm System | 150 | 4 | Greatly reduces the chance of theft at night. |
| Auto Butcher | 400 | - | Harvests animals overnight; installs inside an Animal Cage or a RAS. |
| Recirculating Aquaculture System | 300 | 5 | Closed water loop for raising fish. |
| Livestock Feed Dispenser | 300 | - | Blends food into stored calories for livestock. |
| Storage Coordinator | 400 | - | Assigns containers and machines to presets with hotkeys. |
| Makeshift Micro Nuclear Reactor | - | - | Powers the store while integrity is above 25; loses integrity every night and explodes at 0. |
How do I power machines?
- Energy Cell. The basic rechargeable power source, compatible with most machines. Energy Cell (Mk. II) is an improved version, and the Self Charging Energy Cell is rare.
- Recharger (150). Slowly recharges Energy Cells overnight, as long as the power service has been paid.
- PowerBloc (200). Restores +2 power each night to adjacent Energy Cells, or to cells inside adjacent machines (not the Recharger), while the Power Service is paid. The effect stacks.
- Current Converter (300). Draws power from the Lower Levels’ grid instead of a battery. You must pay its nightly service. Its cost is shown as credits per kJ.
The power service is a nightly service that can be toggled. Power costs double on Thin Margins and Red Ink.
What do modules do?
Machines with a module grid show three stats. The official instructions give the meaning per machine, for example for the Furnace Efficiency is power consumption and Quality is maximum purity, for the Evaporator Quality is the volume of vapor captured, and for the Water Purifier Performance is the amount removed per night.
| Module | Efficiency | Performance | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Module | 0 | +16 | 0 |
| Efficiency Module | +16 | 0 | 0 |
| Quality Module | 0 | 0 | +8 |
| Overclock Module | -44 | +36 | 0 |
| Eco Module | +32 | -16 | 0 |
| Refinement Module | -15 | -8 | +25 |
| Streamlining Module | +25 | +8 | -16 |
| Neural Core Module (Capped) | -100 | +100 | +50 |
| Neural Core Module (Uncapped) | -100 | +200 | +100 |
Some machines take only their own module types in addition to universal ones: the Evaporator Solvent Recovery Module, the Furnace Module (Blast) and the Furnace Module (Junk Processing). The Module Bay Expansion Kit expands a machine’s module capacity, but not for Chemical or other special machines. See Modules.
What are Turbo Boosters?
A Turbo Booster instantly finishes the work of a machine that normally needs a night. Load the machine with everything it needs before using one.
| Item | Value | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Disposable Turbo Booster | 35 | Consumed on use |
| Advanced Turbo Booster | 300 | Recharges over time, not consumed |
| Hypertech Turbo Booster | 15 000 | Stores boosts; using an Advanced Turbo Booster on it permanently raises its charge speed and power draw |
The item data marks only some machines as eligible, such as the Evaporator.
What are bays?
Bays store things: the Machine Bay (300) is a standard bay for storing machines, and the Machine Bay (Expanded) costs 1 200. The Storage Bay stores items, and the Smuggler’s Bay hides contents from inspection (Mini, standard and Modified versions exist).
| Bay | Price | Grid |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Bay | 300 | 10×10 (100 cells) |
| Storage Bay (Extended) | 850 | 17×10 (170 cells) |
| Machine Bay | 300 | 6×8 (48 cells) |
| Machine Bay (Expanded) | 1 200 | 11×14 (154 cells) |
The large versions come from Dr. Jackson, who now and then visits the shop with a custom order nobody picked up. He offers a Storage Bay (Extended) from day 12, a second from day 40 and a third from day 70, and a Machine Bay (Expanded) from day 30, 55 and 85. For machines take the expanded Machine Bay; for plain storage the extended Storage Bay holds more.
Player-reported, unverified: Machines cannot be stored in a Storage Bay, only in a Machine Bay.
What does the Bottle Printer do?
It prints water bottles: small bottles cost 4 Energy, normal 6 and large 11. Larger sizes are unlocked by upgrading the printer with Common Electronics (the tooltip counts the upgrades).
FAQ
Which machine do I buy first? It depends on your specialization. A Water Purifier or Moisture Farm fits water trading; a Furnace fits scrap and ore.
Why did my machine do nothing overnight? Typical causes: the power source is empty, a required input is missing, or the output is full.
How do I get more power per night? Use a PowerBloc next to cells, a Recharger, or a Current Converter.
Does the Fridge chill water? It chills drinks, but wine and unsealed water are unaffected.