Switch

Switch is an automation-enabled power control building that lets a circuit be turned on or off for the buildings placed after it on that circuit. It has no effect on buildings that come before it, so placement in the power line matters: only downstream consumers are controlled. Because of that, it is most useful as a simple manual cutoff for a small section of a grid.

In practice, Switches become less important once a colony has the resources to build broader automation control, since nearly all power consumers can be disabled through an automation grid. At that point, a Signal Switch or a setup using Sensors and Automation Wire can be a more resource-efficient solution, depending on how far the control line needs to reach and how many consumers it needs to manage. If the automation path is long or controls only a few machines, the resource savings may not be as clear, and the cost can even increase with distance.

• Switches only affect buildings that come after them on the circuit.
• They do not affect buildings wired before them.
• They are often outclassed by automation once Refined Metal is available.
• Signal Switches and Automation Wire can use fewer resources, but they require Refined Metal.
• Before AP-395113, Switches and Signal Switches required Duplicant operation, and player-controlled Switches had to be made by connecting Power Shutoff to Sensors.