Most machines in Just Dire Things have two variants, a simple and advanced version.
Simple versions do not require power, but can generally only affect a block or entity directly in front of them. The player can control how quickly they operate with the Speed(ticks) button.
Advanced forms of the blocks are much more powerful, but require power to operate.
They can generally affect a large area (configurable in the UI), and have filters to let the player control what is affected by them.
In addition, they will automatically charge any Forge Energy items placed in them.