Toggleable Pumps in Atomcraft

Toggleable Pumps arrived in the August 8, 2026 update as one of the most-requested features from the factory-building community. Before this update, standard pumps moved materials continuously — you could not stop flow without draining the entire pipeline. Toggleable Pumps solve this by giving you on/off control over material movement, enabling cyclical automation patterns that previously required complex workarounds.

What makes Toggleable Pumps different

A standard pump moves material continuously whenever a valid path exists. A Toggleable Pump only moves material when externally switched on — via a Button, Switch, Timer, or Sensor signal. This means you can:

• Pause flow during maintenance without depressurizing pipes
• Cycle between chambers on a timer — filling and draining in sequence
• Respond to sensors — pump water only when a storage tank is empty
• Create batch processes — move exactly N units, then stop for the next stage

How to use Toggleable Pumps

1. Place a Toggleable Pump just like a normal pump in your pipeline.
2. Wire the Toggleable Pump to a signal source: Button, Switch, Timer, or Sensor.
3. Signal HIGH — pump is active and moves material.
4. Signal LOW — pump stops, material flow pauses.

The pump state is binary and immediate — no warm-up delay.

Watch: Toggleable Pumps overview

Common Toggleable Pump patterns

Timed fill-and-drain cycle

The most common use: a Timer pulses the Toggleable Pump on/off in cycles.

1. Timer sends a 5-second HIGH signal to the Toggleable Pump.
2. Material flows from Chamber A into Chamber B for 5 seconds.
3. Timer goes LOW; pump stops.
4. A second Timer triggers a different pump to drain Chamber B.
5. Cycle repeats — useful for reactions that need precise mixing ratios.

Sensor-triggered auto-fill

Keep a storage tank topped up without constant manual attention:

1. Place a Level Sensor or Material Sensor on the receiving chamber.
2. Wire the sensor to the Toggleable Pump controlling flow from the source.
3. When the chamber drops below threshold, the sensor signals HIGH — pump activates.
4. When the chamber fills, the sensor goes LOW — pump stops.

Emergency halt circuit

Combine with a master Button for panic stops:

1. Wire a Button to the signal input of all Toggleable Pumps in a critical pipeline.
2. Press the Button — all pumps stop simultaneously.
3. Use a Reset Button or automatic timer to resume flow after inspection.

Toggleable Pumps vs. Standard Pumps

Property	Toggleable Pump	Standard Pump
Flow control	On/off via signal	Always on (when path valid)
Use case	Cyclical batch processes	Continuous flow lines
Wiring	Requires signal input	No signal needed
Power efficiency	Stops when idle	Runs continuously

Use Toggleable Pumps wherever you need batch logic; use Standard Pumps for always-on supply lines like water feeds or cooling loops.

Build tips

• Place Toggleable Pumps at choke points in your pipeline — where you want precise control over which chamber receives material.
• Label pump signal lines clearly with color-coded wiring so you know which pump each timer controls.
• For multi-stage reactions, chain Toggleable Pumps in sequence with offset timers to prevent backflow.
• The pump does not have memory — if the signal drops mid-flow, flow stops immediately even if material is partially moved.

August 8, 2026 update — full context

The same update that added Toggleable Pumps also brought:

• Bubblers — a new pixel that swaps cells above and below when gas is underneath; useful for bubbling gases through liquids and solids
• Ctrl modifier for Blueprint building — hold Ctrl to build as much as possible from current materials
• Ceramic hardness reduced to 4 — Iron Drill can now mine Ceramic walls (previously trapped players in their own bases)
• Brass and Barite weights fixed — proper physical simulation
• Crowbar improvement — breaks any built pixel regardless of hardness; Ancient Corundum Walls in the Labs biome are exempt to preserve progression
• Heat conductance algorithm improved — faster simulation (behavior unchanged, just performance)

See Patch Notes for the full August 8 changelog.

Deep links

• How to Automate Machines — broader automation patterns
• Wiring and Logic — signal circuits and timer setups
• Safe Reactions — batch processing with controlled material flow
• Heat System — combining Toggleable Pumps with thermal management

Toggleable Pumps transform Atomcraft factories from open faucets into programmable chemistry rigs. Build your first timed cycle today.