Utility Bus – Guide

Instead of running cables and pipes all over the station, you lay one duct flush into floor, wall or ceiling. The duct does nothing itself, it only carries virtual strands: gas, liquid, data and power with data, up to 25 per type in one duct network. You put connectors on the duct, give a strand a name such as "O2", and all connectors of the same type with that name on the same duct network are connected. From the connector, normal pipes and cables run to the device. Both kits come from the Autolathe, so the utility bus can be built early on. All parts have their own models. Labels, display, settings window, console output and device names appear in German or English – depending on the game language.

The utility bus is the big version of the Fluix Line: the Fluix Line bundles a real gas pipe, a water pipe and a cable in one cell, while the utility bus duct holds no pipe and no cable but up to 25 named strands per type, which only turn back into normal pipes and cables at the connector.

Overview#

Part	Purpose	Space
Utility Bus Duct (straight, corner, tee, cross)	duct network within the surface	1 cell
Utility Bus Duct (floor/wall transition)	takes the duct from the floor up the wall or from the wall onto the ceiling	1 cell at the edge
Utility Bus Connector Gas	gas pipe to a gas strand	on a straight duct piece
Utility Bus Connector Liquid	liquid pipe to a liquid strand	on a straight duct piece
Utility Bus Connector Data	data cable to a data strand	on a straight duct piece
Utility Bus Connector Power	cable to a power strand (power and data)	on a straight duct piece

How it fits together:

1. Duct network: duct pieces that meet at their ends form a duct network.
2. Strand: all connectors of the same type with the same strand name on one duct network form a strand.
3. Effect: a strand joins the pipe or cable networks at its open connectors as if they were laid together.

Requirements#

• Stationeers 0.2.6428, BepInEx 5.4.23.5, StationeersLaunchPad 1.0, see Installation
• Mod in the active mod pack
• Multiplayer: server and all players

Building and recipes#

Kit	Machine	Cost	Gives
Kit (Utility Bus Duct)	Autolathe, tier 1	2 iron, 1 copper (5 s, 500 J)	10 duct pieces, stacks to 50
Kit (Utility Bus Connector)	Autolathe, tier 1	3 iron, 2 copper (8 s, 800 J)	1 connector, stacks to 10

Every duct piece and every connector uses one kit. With the duct kit the mouse wheel picks the shape, with the connector kit the type (gas, liquid, data, power). For comparison: a pipe kit costs 0.5 iron, a cable coil 0.5 copper.

In the cost mode Pauschal the mod multiplies both recipes by PauschalFaktor (default 4): the duct kit then costs 8 iron and 4 copper, the connector kit 12 iron and 8 copper. Time and energy stay the same. More under Costs.

Duct#

Shapes#

Shape	Ends	in the Stationpedia
straight	2, opposite	yes
corner	2, at a right angle	no
tee	3	no
cross	4	no
floor/wall transition	1 within the surface, 1 at right angles to it (inside corner)	yes

Every piece takes exactly one cell. Connectors only sit on straight pieces.

Laying#

1. Kit in hand, pick the shape with the mouse wheel.
2. Look at floor, wall or ceiling: the duct lies on that surface, so on a wall it also runs straight up.
3. Turn it within the surface with the rotate keys or with C + mouse wheel (see Rotating).
4. Transition: place it in the cell at the edge where floor and wall meet and turn the floor arm towards the room. Both covers sit flush on their own plate.

• The cover always sits flush on the finished wall or floor plate, whichever side it was built from. It is walkable and almost invisible. If the wall or floor next to it is rebuilt, it adjusts by itself.
• Pieces join at their ends to form a duct network. A duct only connects to duct, never to pipes or cables.
• A duct cell holds only one connector. Pipes, cables, devices or a second duct piece do not fit in.
• Remove the duct with the wrench.
• Looking at a duct piece shows the number of its duct network, the number of pieces and connectors, the strands per type and how deep the cover sits in the plate.

Duct networks#

• Strands only exist within one connected duct network. Two separate duct networks with a strand "O2" have two different strands.
• When two duct networks grow together, strands of the same type and name merge.
• When a duct network is split, its strands live on in both parts. The names are stored in the connectors, not in the duct.

Connectors#

Connector	Outlet to the side	Opposite	Display
Gas	gas pipe	data port for IC10 only	pressure and temperature
Liquid	liquid pipe	data port for IC10 only	fill level and temperature
Data	data cable	–	number of networks and devices
Power	cable (power and data)	–	flow / limit

Placing#

1. Connector kit in hand, pick the type with the mouse wheel.
2. Aim at a straight duct piece. The connector takes over the position of the piece. Without a matching piece the preview stays red.
3. The rotate keys or C + mouse wheel choose the side of the outlet. The first press of C picks the side where a pipe or cable is already connected.
4. Run normal pipes or cables from the outlet to the device.

New connectors come open from the factory.

Controls#

Control	Effect
STRAND button	opens the settings window
ON/OFF switch	connector open or shut off. Shut off, it stays on its strand but connects nothing
Material slot	pipe kits or cables for the cost mode Laenge

The display shows the strand name in large letters at the top ("- - -" without a strand), with values and state below. The text turns so that you can read it: upright on a wall, on floor and ceiling with its bottom edge towards your character. Looking at the connector shows type, strand, state, values, active connectors, for power the direction of this outlet (feeds in or supplies) and the material.

States#

Display	Status bar	Meaning	IC10 (get 6)
values, below "OK n conn."	green	connected, n connectors active	0
"OFF", values below	off	shut off	1
"NO STRAND – press STRAND"	blue	no strand selected	2
"MISSING n …", "into the slot"	yellow	material missing (mode Laenge)	3
"NO DUCT – straight piece"	red	not on a straight duct piece	4
"NO PIPE" or "NO CABLE", "at the outlet"	red	nothing connected at the outlet	5
"OVERLOAD – retry in n s"	flashing red	power strand tripped	6
values, below "LIMIT n conn."	yellow	power strand at its load limit	7
"DUPLICATE – net already on"	red	this cable network is already on the power strand via another connector	8
values, below "alone"	blue	only active connector of the strand	9
empty	off	under construction	10

A connector is only active when it is fully built, sits on a straight duct piece, has a strand, is paid for, is open and has something at its outlet. The display always shows the first problem in this order.

Settings window#

The STRAND button opens the connector's settings window:

• Header: name, type, ID and state, plus a checkbox "Connector open (On)".
• Current strand: name, values and active connectors. Below it Rename (applies to all connectors of the strand) and Disconnect. For power the load class normal, heavy or super heavy, also for all connectors of the strand. In mode Laenge the material is shown here too, for example "Material: 4 / 12 pipe kits".
• Strands of this type in the duct network (n/25): list with name, active and all connectors, values and the Connect button. In mode Laenge the tooltip on "Connect" shows what joining costs.
• Create new strand: enter a name, choose the class for power, then Create and connect.
• IC10: the connector's LogicTypes and HASH("Name") of the current strand as a number.

The window closes with Esc or when you move more than 12 m away. In multiplayer every action goes to the server, which checks it again.

Strands#

Names and limits#

• A name has at most 16 characters. Several spaces become one, the characters < and > are dropped.
• Upper and lower case do not matter: "O2" and "o2" are the same strand. With IC10, get 0 returns the HASH in exactly the spelling on the display; put 0 also recognises the strand written in UPPER case, lower case or with a capital first letter, see IC10.
• Strands are separate per type: a gas strand "O2" and a liquid strand "O2" are two different strands.
• At most 25 strands per type in one duct network (setting MaxJeTyp, 1 to 100). It is checked when a strand is created.
• A strand exists as long as at least one connector carries its name.

Gas and liquid#

• All pipe networks at the active connectors of a strand behave like one pipe network: every atmospherics tick the strand pools the contents of all networks and distributes them back by volume. Afterwards mix, temperature, fill level and pressure are the same everywhere, amount and energy are conserved exactly.
• There is no throughput limit. With AusgleichJeTakt = 1 the equalisation is complete every tick, lower values make it slower, like a thinner pipe.
• A pipe network that hangs on two connectors of the same strand counts once.
• The strand itself has no pressure limit. Only the pipes at the connectors can burst, as usual.
• Liquid strands equalise contents, temperature and fill level of the liquid pipe networks.

Data#

• The devices of all data networks at the active connectors of a strand see each other: IC10 (lbn/sbn, device lists), logic devices and consoles see them as if the data cables were joined.
• The channels Channel0–7 stay separate per network. No power flows through a data strand.
• Together with the data bridge of the Power Regulator and the Substation, shared groups form. utilitybus settings shows which of them were found.
• A group spans at most 64 networks.
• The setting Datenbruecke switches this off for data and power strands.

Power with data#

Every active power connector is an outlet to its cable network. Every power tick (0.5 s) the strand decides for each outlet:

Direction	when
FEED IN	the network has a surplus: generation more than 10 W above demand
SUPPLY	demand in the network is higher than generation (consumers, charging batteries)
nothing	otherwise

• Only what was fed in is passed on. There is no energy from nothing. The connector works without losses and gives off no waste heat.
• No outlet carries more than 95 % of the weakest cable in its network (KabelReserve), so at most 4.75 kW on a normal cable.
• The strand's class limits the total flow. It applies to all connectors of the strand and is chosen when creating the strand or in the settings window:

Class	Strand limit	Material in mode Laenge
normal	5 kW	cables
heavy	100 kW	heavy cables
super heavy	500 kW	super heavy cables

• Overload: if the consumers' demand at the supplied networks exceeds the class for more than 2 s (AusloeseSekunden), the strand trips. The display shows OVERLOAD flashing red and counts down, after 10 s (WiederzuschaltenSekunden) the strand switches back on by itself. No cable burns inside the duct. While tripped, the data bridge of this strand is off as well.
• Charging batteries do not trip the strand, they are charged up to the class only.
• With Unbegrenzt power strands have no class and never trip. The cables at the connectors still limit at 95 %.
• If two connectors of the same power strand hang on the same cable network, one of them shows DUPLICATE and does nothing.
• A power strand also carries data, like a data strand.

Costs#

The setting Kostenmodus decides what a strand costs:

Mode	Kits	Joining a strand
Laenge (default)	normal recipes	pipe or cable by path length in the duct
Pauschal	recipes × PauschalFaktor (4)	free
Gratis	normal recipes	free

Mode Laenge#

• When joining, a connector requires as many units of material as the path through the duct network to the nearest other connector of that strand is long in cells. If the nearest connector of the strand sits on the neighbouring piece, joining costs 1.
• The first connector of a strand costs MindestMenge, default 0. This value is also the minimum for every further connector.
• The material goes into the material slot. Every 0.5 s the connector takes what is still missing, anything more stays in the slot. Until everything is paid, the display shows "MISSING n" and the connector is not active.

Connector	Material
Gas	pipe kits, insulated ones too
Liquid	liquid pipe kits, insulated ones too
Data	cables of any colour
Power	cables, heavy cables or super heavy cables depending on the class

• The cost is fixed when joining. If a closer connector is built later, it does not drop by itself.
• Returns as a stack next to the connector: everything on removal and on disconnecting, the surplus when switching to a strand with a shorter path, everything when the kind of material changes. Changing the class of a power strand then requires the cable again in the new kind.

Example: two gas connectors are 12 cells apart. The first creates "O2" and costs nothing, the second costs 12 pipe kits. A third connector 3 cells from the second costs 3.

Pauschal and Gratis#

• Pauschal: on loading, the recipes of both kits are multiplied by PauschalFaktor, all ingredients, not time and energy. After that no strand costs anything.
• Gratis: nothing extra.
• Changing the cost mode takes effect for strands at once, changed recipes only after a restart. Material already paid stays in the connector, the tooltip then shows "(currently free)".

Rotating#

Part	Rotate keys	C + mouse wheel
Duct	90° steps within the surface, the straight shape has two positions	first press of C: the position with the most connections to neighbouring pieces, the mouse wheel switches between the best positions
Transition	four positions	as for the duct
Connector	outlet left or right of the duct	first press of C: the side where a pipe or cable is already connected, the mouse wheel switches sides

Rotation always stays within the surface: on walls and ceilings no piece tips out of the surface. The roll keys turn the same way as the rotate keys.

Painting#

The duct cover and the connector housing take any spray colour, with the spray can or the spray gun. This lets you colour-code ducts and connectors, for example gas yellow and power red. The colour is saved and synchronised in multiplayer.

IC10#

Only the connectors are logic devices, the duct pieces are not.

• Gas and liquid: data cable to the data port opposite the pipe outlet. It only makes the connector visible and carries no data across the strand.
• Data and power: the connector hangs on the cable at its outlet. Through the data bridge the other networks of the strand see it too.
• In the chip you address the connector with lbn/sbn by its device name, which you set with the Labeller. That is something different from the strand name.

LogicTypes#

LogicType	Connector	Meaning
On	all	1 open, 0 shut off (read and write)
Error	all	1 = fault: material missing, no duct, nothing at the outlet, overload or duplicate
Quantity	all	active connectors on the strand
Pressure	gas, liquid	pressure of the pipe network at the connector in kPa, the strand pressure while the connector is open
Temperature	gas, liquid	temperature in K
TotalMoles	gas, liquid	amount in the pipe network
Volume	gas, liquid	volume of the pipe network in L
VolumeOfLiquid	gas, liquid	liquid volume in L
Ratio	gas, liquid	fill level 0 to 1 (liquid volume / volume)
RatioOxygen etc.	gas, liquid	gas ratios
PowerActual	power	flow through this outlet in W (absolute value)
Maximum	power	strand limit in W, 0 = unlimited
Ratio	power	strand load 0 to 1, always 0 with Unbegrenzt
Mode	power	class: 0 normal, 1 heavy, 2 super heavy (read, change it in the settings window)

Memory (get and put)#

Address	Meaning
0	HASH of the strand name in exactly the spelling on the display, 0 = no strand (writable)
1	connectors on the strand
2	of which active
3	missing material in units
4	cost of joining in units
5	paid in units
6	state 0 to 10 (table States)
7	type: 0 gas, 1 liquid, 2 data, 3 power
8	class 0, 1 or 2
9	strands of this type in the duct network

• put <connector> 0 HASH("Name") joins the connector to an existing strand of the same type on the same duct network. In mode Laenge it costs the same as by hand.
• put <connector> 0 0 disconnects it.
• IC10 cannot create strands. HASH is case-sensitive, so put 0 recognises the strand in the spelling on the display and in UPPER case, lower case or with a capital first letter: HASH("o2") and HASH("O2") both find the strand "O2", HASH("abgas"), HASH("ABGAS") and HASH("Abgas") the strand "Abgas". Other mixtures such as HASH("aBgAs") do not (since 1.0.1). When comparing with get 0, use exactly the spelling on the display – the settings window shows the finished value.
• The server carries it out within 0.25 s. If the strand does not exist, nothing happens.
• Get the ReferenceId for get and put with lbn via the device name, as in the second example.

Prefab hashes#

Part	Prefab	Hash
Duct straight	StructureLeitungsbusGerade	546074024
Duct corner	StructureLeitungsbusEcke	-602228293
Duct tee	StructureLeitungsbusTStueck	1408854736
Duct cross	StructureLeitungsbusKreuz	695514834
Duct floor/wall transition	StructureLeitungsbusUebergang	1176109640
Connector Gas	StructureLeitungsbusVerbinderGas	1314991745
Connector Liquid	StructureLeitungsbusVerbinderFluessig	1334112958
Connector Data	StructureLeitungsbusVerbinderDaten	1341671347
Connector Power	StructureLeitungsbusVerbinderStrom	-1651216882
Kit duct	ItemKitLeitungsbusKanal	1354037052
Kit connector	ItemKitLeitungsbusVerbinder	-979825762

For lbn and sbn you only need the connectors. The other hashes help with sorting the kits, for example.

Example: show the load of a power strand#

The power connector is named "Bus Werkstatt", a small LED display "Bus Last" and a flashing light "Bus Alarm". All three and the chip housing hang on the connector's cable network. The display shows the strand load in %: green, yellow from 80 %, red from 95 % or on a fault. The flashing light switches on with Error, so also when material is missing or on overload. Comments are German as in all chips on this site.

# Leitungsbus: Auslastung eines Stromstrangs anzeigen
# Geräte: Leitungsbus-Verbinder Strom "Bus Werkstatt",
#         LED-Anzeige klein "Bus Last", Blinklicht "Bus Alarm"
define VERBINDER -1651216882 # Leitungsbus-Verbinder Strom
define ANZEIGE -815193061    # LED-Anzeige klein
define LICHT -1535893860     # Blinklicht
define PROZENT 100           # Auslastung 0-1 in Prozent
define GELBAB 80             # ab 80 % gelb
define ROTAB 95              # ab 95 % rot
define GRUEN 2               # Color.Green
define GELB 5                # Color.Yellow
define ROT 4                 # Color.Red
alias last r0
alias fehler r1
alias farbe r2
alias test r3
# --- 1. Verbinder lesen ---
start:
yield
lbn last VERBINDER HASH("Bus Werkstatt") Ratio 0
bnan last start
lbn fehler VERBINDER HASH("Bus Werkstatt") Error 0
# --- 2. Farbe nach Auslastung, rot bei Störung ---
mul last last PROZENT
move farbe GRUEN
sge test last GELBAB
select farbe test GELB farbe
sge test last ROTAB
select farbe test ROT farbe
select farbe fehler ROT farbe
# --- 3. Anzeige und Alarm ---
sbn ANZEIGE HASH("Bus Last") Setting last
sbn ANZEIGE HASH("Bus Last") Color farbe
sbn LICHT HASH("Bus Alarm") On fehler
j start

You may change GELBAB and ROTAB. If the connector is missing or named differently, the chip waits, and display and light keep their last state. With the setting Unbegrenzt, Ratio is always 0.

Example: gas switch with a lever#

A gas connector "Weiche" should hang on the strand "Tank A" or "Tank B" depending on a lever, for example to connect a pipe network to one of two stores. Both strands already exist on the same duct network, other connectors created them. Chip housing, lever "Weiche" and a small LED display "Weiche" hang on the connector's data port. The chip reads the current strand with get and only writes with put while it is not the wanted one. The display shows the state from the table above, -1 means: the wanted strand is not set yet.

# Leitungsbus: Gas-Verbinder per Hebel auf Strang A oder B schalten
# Geräte: Leitungsbus-Verbinder Gas "Weiche", Hebel "Weiche",
#         LED-Anzeige klein "Weiche" (Zustand 0-10, -1 = wartet)
# Die Gasstränge "Tank A" und "Tank B" gibt es schon im Kanalnetz.
define VERBINDER 1314991745    # Leitungsbus-Verbinder Gas
define HEBEL 1220484876        # Hebel
define ANZEIGE -815193061      # LED-Anzeige klein
define STRANG_A HASH("Tank A") # Hebel unten: Strang "Tank A"
define STRANG_B HASH("Tank B") # Hebel oben: Strang "Tank B"
define ADR_STRANG 0            # get/put: HASH des Strangnamens
define ADR_ZUSTAND 6           # get: Zustand des Verbinders
define WARTET -1               # Anzeige: Wunschstrang noch nicht da
alias id r0
alias hebel r1
alias soll r2
alias ist r3
alias zustand r4
# --- 1. Verbinder und Hebel lesen ---
start:
yield
lbn id VERBINDER HASH("Weiche") ReferenceId 0
bnan id start
beqz id start
lbn hebel HEBEL HASH("Weiche") Setting 0
bnan hebel start
# --- 2. Wunschstrang setzen, solange er nicht anliegt ---
select soll hebel STRANG_B STRANG_A
get ist id ADR_STRANG
get zustand id ADR_ZUSTAND
beq ist soll anzeige
put id ADR_STRANG soll
move zustand WARTET
# --- 3. Zustand anzeigen ---
anzeige:
sbn ANZEIGE HASH("Weiche") Setting zustand
j start

• The strand names are in STRANG_A and STRANG_B and must be spelled exactly as in the settings window. If the display stays at -1, the strand does not exist or is spelled differently.
• There may only be one gas connector "Weiche" on the network, otherwise the ReferenceId is wrong.
• In mode Laenge every switch costs again: a longer path takes what is missing from the slot, a shorter one drops the surplus as a stack next to the connector. Keep a supply of pipe kits in the slot. If the display shows 3, material is missing.
• If the connector or the lever is missing, the chip waits.

Console commands#

Open the console with F3. info, set and disconnect act on the nearest connector within 10 m, set and disconnect only on the host or server or in single player.

Command	Effect
utilitybus or utilitybus networks	all duct networks with pieces, connectors and strands per type; reports connectors without a matching duct piece
utilitybus strands	all strands per duct network with type, class, active connectors and values
utilitybus info	nearest connector in detail: state, values, material, duct network, surface and HASH of the strand name
utilitybus set O2	connect the nearest connector to the strand "O2"; if it does not exist yet, it is created
utilitybus disconnect	disconnect the nearest connector from its strand, the material is returned
utilitybus settings	cost mode, minimum, flat factor, maximum per type, power unlimited, cable reserve, data bridge and partners found (Power Regulator, Substation)

The German name leitungsbus and the German words work too: netze, status, straenge, setzen, trennen, einstellungen. Both names and all words work in any game language, the output follows the game language. An unknown word shows the help.

Configuration#

File: BepInEx\config\dominik1199.leitungsbus.cfg, or via the mod settings in LaunchPad. Changes take effect at once, only the recipes in mode Pauschal apply after a restart. In multiplayer the server's values apply to costs, maximum and power, and the server sends the recipes.

Key	Default	Meaning
Kostenmodus	Laenge	Laenge, Pauschal or Gratis (see Costs)
MindestMenge	0	cost of the first connector of a strand in mode Laenge and minimum cost of every connector, 0 to 50
PauschalFaktor	4	mode Pauschal: factor on the recipes of both kits, 1 to 20, applies after restart
MaxJeTyp	25	at most this many strands per type in one duct network, 1 to 100
Unbegrenzt	off	on = power strands without class and without tripping; the cables at the connectors still limit
KabelReserve	0.95	share of the weakest cable's limit per network that a strand uses at most, 0.5 to 1
AusloeseSekunden	2	how long consumer demand may exceed the class before the strand trips, 0.5 to 30
WiederzuschaltenSekunden	10	after an overload the strand switches back on after this time, 2 to 120
Datenbruecke	on	data and power strands make the devices of all connected data networks visible
AusgleichJeTakt	1	share of equalisation per tick for gas and liquid, 1 = like one pipe network, 0.05 to 1
SichtweiteM	25	displays and duct covers are updated up to this distance, 5 to 200 m

Multiplayer#

New parts: server and all players need the mod. The server calculates strands, costs, gas equalisation and power. Strand names, classes, material and displays are sent to everyone and saved with the game. Actions in a player's settings window go to the server, which checks them again. The mod also runs on dedicated servers. See Multiplayer.

Known limits#

• Strands only exist within one connected duct network.
• A duct cell holds only one connector, no pipe, no cable and no device. Connectors only sit on straight pieces.
• Strand names have at most 16 characters.
• In mode Laenge the cost is fixed when joining. If a closer connector is built later, only disconnecting and joining again helps.
• IC10 can choose and disconnect strands, but not create them.
• When two duct networks grow together, the number of strands may exceed MaxJeTyp. New strands of that type can only be created again once there are fewer.
• The data bridge joins devices, not the channels Channel0–7, and at most 64 networks per group.
• While a power strand is tripped by overload, its data bridge is off as well.
• Displays beyond SichtweiteM keep their last picture until you come closer.

Troubleshooting#

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Connector preview red: "Place connectors only on a straight utility bus duct piece"	no straight duct piece in the cell	lay a straight piece first, connectors only go on it
Duct cannot be built	a pipe, cable, device or duct is already in the cell	clear the cell
NO STRAND	no strand selected yet	STRAND button, connect or create a strand
MISSING n	mode Laenge, material missing	put the matching material into the slot (table under Costs)
NO PIPE or NO CABLE	nothing connected at the outlet	pipe or cable to the outlet side; choose the side with C + mouse wheel
alone	no second connector active on the strand	connect a second connector on the same duct network
Strand missing from the second connector's list	other duct network or other connector type	join the duct pieces, looking at a duct piece shows the network number; use the same type
"A strand with this name already exists"	name already taken, upper/lower case does not count	choose "Connect" in the list
"Maximum reached"	already 25 strands of this type on the duct network	use an existing strand or raise MaxJeTyp
DUPLICATE	two connectors of the same power strand on the same cable network	disconnect one or move it to another network
OVERLOAD	consumer demand above the class	higher class in the settings window or less load; the strand switches back on after 10 s
No power flows although OK	no network has a surplus	bring generation into one network of the strand
IC10 does not find the gas connector	no data cable at the connector	data cable to the port opposite the pipe outlet
put 0 HASH(...) does nothing	strand missing on the duct network, other type or mixed spelling	name as in the settings window, in UPPER case, lower case or with a capital first letter; the strand must already exist