diff --git a/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ConnectionHelper.java b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ConnectionHelper.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..140aad1ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ConnectionHelper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package dark.helpers;
+
+import net.minecraft.tileentity.TileEntity;
+import net.minecraft.world.World;
+import net.minecraftforge.common.ForgeDirection;
+import universalelectricity.core.vector.Vector3;
+
+public class ConnectionHelper
+{
+	/**
+	 * Used to find all tileEntities sounding the location you will have to filter for selective
+	 * tileEntities
+	 * 
+	 * @param world - the world being searched threw
+	 * @param x
+	 * @param y
+	 * @param z
+	 * @return an array of up to 6 tileEntities
+	 */
+	public static TileEntity[] getSurroundingTileEntities(TileEntity ent)
+	{
+		return getSurroundingTileEntities(ent.worldObj, ent.xCoord, ent.yCoord, ent.zCoord);
+
+	}
+
+	public static TileEntity[] getSurroundingTileEntities(World world, int x, int y, int z)
+	{
+		TileEntity[] list = new TileEntity[6];
+		for (ForgeDirection direction : ForgeDirection.VALID_DIRECTIONS)
+		{
+			list[direction.ordinal()] = world.getBlockTileEntity(x + direction.offsetX, y + direction.offsetY, z + direction.offsetZ);
+		}
+		return list;
+	}
+
+	public static int[] getSurroundingBlocks(TileEntity ent)
+	{
+		return getSurroundingBlocks(ent.worldObj, ent.xCoord, ent.yCoord, ent.zCoord);
+	}
+
+	public static int[] getSurroundingBlocks(World world, Vector3 v)
+	{
+		return ConnectionHelper.getSurroundingBlocks(world, v.intX(), v.intY(), v.intZ());
+	}
+
+	public static int[] getSurroundingBlocks(World world, int x, int y, int z)
+	{
+		int[] list = new int[6];
+		for (ForgeDirection direction : ForgeDirection.VALID_DIRECTIONS)
+		{
+			int id = world.getBlockId(x + direction.offsetX, y + direction.offsetY, z + direction.offsetZ);
+			list[direction.ordinal()] = id;
+		}
+		return list;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Used to find which of 4 Corners this block is in a group of blocks 0 = not a corner 1-4 = a
+	 * corner of some direction
+	 */
+	public static int corner(TileEntity entity)
+	{
+		TileEntity[] en = getSurroundingTileEntities(entity.worldObj, entity.xCoord, entity.yCoord, entity.zCoord);
+		if (en[4] != null && en[2] != null && en[5] == null && en[3] == null)
+		{
+			return 3;
+		}
+		if (en[2] != null && en[5] != null && en[3] == null && en[4] == null)
+		{
+			return 4;
+		}
+		if (en[5] != null && en[3] != null && en[4] == null && en[2] == null)
+		{
+			return 1;
+		}
+		if (en[3] != null && en[4] != null && en[2] == null && en[5] == null)
+		{
+			return 2;
+		}
+
+		return 0;
+
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/DebugToPlayer.java b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/DebugToPlayer.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..378738985
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/DebugToPlayer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package dark.helpers;
+
+import net.minecraft.entity.player.EntityPlayer;
+import net.minecraft.tileentity.TileEntity;
+import net.minecraft.world.World;
+
+public class DebugToPlayer
+{
+	/**
+	 * Sends a message to the closest player
+	 * 
+	 * @param range - range
+	 * @param msg - display message under 200 chars
+	 */
+	public static void SendToClosest(World world, int x, int y, int z, int range, String msg)
+	{
+		EntityPlayer player = world.getClosestPlayer(x, y, z, range);
+		if (player != null)
+		{
+			msg = trimForDisplay(msg);
+			player.sendChatToPlayer("Debug: " + msg);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Sends a debug message to the player using the tileEntity as the center
+	 * 
+	 * @param r - range
+	 * @param msg - display message under 200 chars
+	 */
+	public static void SendToClosest(TileEntity ent, int r, String msg)
+	{
+		if (ent != null)
+		{
+			DebugToPlayer.SendToClosest(ent.worldObj, ent.xCoord, ent.yCoord, ent.zCoord, r, msg);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * cleans up the display text and adds the [Debug] prefix too the text
+	 * 
+	 * @param msg - display string under 200 chars
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	public static String trimForDisplay(String msg)
+	{
+		// TODO trim the length to under 255 to prevent crashing
+		msg = msg.trim();
+		msg = "[Debug] " + msg;
+		return msg;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ItemFindingHelper.java b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ItemFindingHelper.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f3a696b2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/ItemFindingHelper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+package dark.helpers;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import net.minecraft.block.Block;
+import net.minecraft.entity.Entity;
+import net.minecraft.entity.item.EntityItem;
+import net.minecraft.item.ItemStack;
+import net.minecraft.util.AxisAlignedBB;
+import net.minecraft.world.World;
+import universalelectricity.core.vector.Vector3;
+
+public class ItemFindingHelper
+{
+
+	/**
+	 * gets all EntityItems in a location using a start and end point
+	 */
+	public static List<EntityItem> findAllItemIn(World world, Vector3 start, Vector3 end)
+	{
+		return world.getEntitiesWithinAABB(EntityItem.class, AxisAlignedBB.getBoundingBox(start.x, start.y, start.z, end.x, end.x, end.x));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets all EntityItems in an area and sorts them by a list of itemStacks
+	 * 
+	 * @param world - world being worked in
+	 * @param start - start point
+	 * @param end - end point
+	 * @param disiredItems - list of item that are being looked for
+	 * @return a list of EntityItem that match the itemStacks desired
+	 */
+	public static List<EntityItem> findSelectItems(World world, Vector3 start, Vector3 end, List<ItemStack> disiredItems)
+	{
+		List<EntityItem> entityItems = ItemFindingHelper.findAllItemIn(world, start, end);
+		return filterEntityItemsList(entityItems, disiredItems);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * filters an EntityItem List to a List of Items
+	 */
+	public static List<EntityItem> filterEntityItemsList(List<EntityItem> entityItems, List<ItemStack> disiredItems)
+	{
+		List<EntityItem> newItemList = new ArrayList<EntityItem>();
+
+		for (EntityItem entityItem : entityItems)
+		{
+			for (ItemStack itemStack : disiredItems)
+			{
+				if (entityItem.getEntityItem().itemID == itemStack.itemID && entityItem.getEntityItem().getItemDamage() == itemStack.getItemDamage() && !newItemList.contains(entityItem))
+				{
+					newItemList.add(entityItem);
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return newItemList;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * filters out EnittyItems from an Entity list
+	 */
+	public static List<EntityItem> filterOutEntityItems(List<Entity> entities)
+	{
+		List<EntityItem> newEntityList = new ArrayList<EntityItem>();
+
+		for (Entity entity : entities)
+		{
+			if (entity instanceof EntityItem)
+			{
+				newEntityList.add((EntityItem) entity);
+			}
+
+		}
+		return newEntityList;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * filter a list of itemStack to another list of itemStacks
+	 * 
+	 * @param totalItems - full list of items being filtered
+	 * @param desiredItems - list the of item that are being filtered too
+	 * @return a list of item from the original that are wanted
+	 */
+	public static List<ItemStack> filterItems(List<ItemStack> totalItems, List<ItemStack> desiredItems)
+	{
+		List<ItemStack> newItemList = new ArrayList<ItemStack>();
+
+		for (ItemStack entityItem : totalItems)
+		{
+			for (ItemStack itemStack : desiredItems)
+			{
+				if (entityItem.itemID == itemStack.itemID && entityItem.getItemDamage() == itemStack.getItemDamage() && !newItemList.contains(entityItem))
+				{
+					newItemList.add(entityItem);
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return newItemList;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Drops an item stack at the exact center of the location without any velocity or random throw
+	 * angle
+	 * 
+	 * @param world - world to drop the item in
+	 * @param x y z - location vector
+	 * @param stack - itemstack to drop
+	 * @return if the item was spawned in the world
+	 */
+	public static boolean dropItemStackExact(World world, double x, double y, double z, ItemStack stack)
+	{
+		if (!world.isRemote && stack != null)
+		{
+			EntityItem entity = new EntityItem(world, x, y, z, stack);
+			entity.delayBeforeCanPickup = 10;
+			return world.spawnEntityInWorld(entity);
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * grabs all the items that the block can drop then pass them onto dropBlockAsItem_do
+	 * 
+	 * @param world
+	 * @param x
+	 * @param y
+	 * @param z
+	 */
+	public static void dropBlockAsItem(World world, int x, int y, int z)
+	{
+		if (!world.isRemote)
+		{
+			int meta = world.getBlockMetadata(x, y, z);
+			int id = world.getBlockId(x, y, z);
+			ArrayList<ItemStack> items = Block.blocksList[id].getBlockDropped(world, x, y, z, meta, 0);
+
+			for (ItemStack item : items)
+			{
+				dropItemStackExact(world, x + .5, y + .5, z + .5, item);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/MetaGroup.java b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/MetaGroup.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..49e7d46ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/minecraft/dark/helpers/MetaGroup.java
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+package dark.helpers;
+
+
+public class MetaGroup
+{    
+    public static int getFacingMeta(int metaData)
+    {
+        int meta = metaData % 4;
+        int newMeta = 0;
+        switch (meta)
+        {
+            case 0:
+                newMeta = 2;
+                break;
+            case 1:
+                newMeta = 5;
+                break;
+            case 2:
+                newMeta = 3;
+                break;
+            case 3:
+                newMeta = 4;
+        }
+
+        return newMeta;
+    }
+
+    public static int getGrouping(int meta)
+    {
+        if ((meta >= 0) && (meta <= 3))
+            return 0;
+        if ((meta >= 4) && (meta <= 7))
+            return 1;
+        if ((meta >= 8) && (meta <= 11))
+            return 2;
+        if ((meta >= 12) && (meta <= 15))
+            return 3;
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    public static int getGroupStartMeta(int grouping)
+    {
+        return grouping * 4;
+    }
+   
+}
\ No newline at end of file