Atmo Sensor

The Atmo Sensor is a building sensor that measures the mass of gas in a tile and outputs automation signals based on configured thresholds. It is used to detect atmospheric pressure (gas mass) in a single tile and integrate environment-aware automation into gas handling, life support, and safety systems.

The sensor reads the total mass of any gas present in its tile and compares it to a user-set value. When the gas mass exceeds the configured threshold the Atmo Sensor emits an active automation signal; when the gas mass falls below the threshold it turns off. The sensor can be used to detect both low- and high-pressure conditions for controlling vents, gas pumps, gas valves, atmosphere scrubbers, and alarms. Its measurement range and response make it suitable for preventing overpressure shutdowns of gas-producing machinery, gating evacuation systems, or keeping critical habitats within breathable pressure ranges for Duplicants and plants.

Practical usage and interactions:

• Place the Atmo Sensor on the tile where you want to monitor gas mass; it only senses the gas in its own tile and is not influenced by adjacent tiles’ gas directly.
• Use the sensor to prevent machines that produce gas (electrolyzers, oxygen diffusers, geyser control) from overpressuring an area by linking the sensor to automation that disables the machine when the tile’s gas mass rises above a safe threshold. Gas-producing machines typically stop running or warn at specific overpressure values; configure the sensor below those limits.
• Detect low-atmosphere situations for life support by configuring the sensor to trigger when tile gas mass falls under breathable thresholds. Duplicants’ breathability depends on atmospheric pressure ranges; use sensors to automate air delivery or alarms when pressure drops into “barely breathable” or “unbreathable” bands.
• Combine Atmo Sensors with Gas Pumps, Gas Pipes, and Vents to automate gas routing and buffering: sensors can isolate sections when pressure is high or low, or trigger cycling of pumps to maintain target pressures in rooms or pipes.
• Use multiple sensors to create hysteresis or staged responses: one sensor set to a higher threshold to turn systems off, another set lower to turn them back on, preventing rapid on/off oscillation.
• The sensor is compatible with the game’s automation network and can be used alongside other pipe and conveyor sensors for comprehensive environmental control. It does not interact with liquids or solids; it only measures gaseous mass.
• When building sealed rooms (habitats, plant rooms, gas storage), place Atmo Sensors inside critical tiles (eg. near vents or organism-of-interest) to ensure plants and Duplicants remain within required pressure ranges. Many plants have optimal growth pressure ranges; sensors help maintain those conditions.
• Atmo Sensors are useful in space missions and rocket-related gas management where monitoring tile gas mass prevents undesirable behaviors of vents and geysers when pressures reach their stop thresholds.

Limitations and notes:

• The Atmo Sensor measures mass per tile; atmospheric phenomena that depend on total-volume or multi-tile averaging require multiple sensors or alternate control logic.
• The sensor will not detect liquids, solids, or germs directly; germ behavior depends on gas and liquid conditions but is not measured by this device.
• For stable automation, account for the timing and buffering behavior of connected machines (pumps, vents, generators) so sensor-triggered actions do not cause unintended system states such as trapped duplicants or machine overuse.