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Approximately Up Parts Guide: Joystick Splitter & Altimeter

Parts & components in Approximately Up: find the Joystick Splitter, mount the altimeter, wire the gyro line, and read RCS thruster LEDs (Aug 13, 2026).

8/13/2026 Last updated: 8/13/2026

Approximately Up ship parts challenge - official news header by Approximately Games

The Joystick Splitter is not locked behind any mission: it lives in the Maths tab of the build menu and is available from the very start, so players who cannot find it are usually just browsing the wrong tab. RCS thrusters that “don’t work” are almost always a mounting or health problem rather than a bug — mount one thruster per axis and read the LED on the part. Cockpit instruments are fussy about mounting too: the altimeter only reads correctly with its blue face pointed down. Think of it as the field manual for both: where each part lives, how to wire it, and how to read its lights.

Version note: part geometry, wiring fixes and patch numbers on this page were verified on August 13, 2026 against patch 1.0.010, the latest release note we could confirm.

Where to Find the Joystick Splitter (and How to Wire It)

The Joystick Splitter sits in the Maths tab of the part menu and is available from the start, confirmed by community answerers in the most-asked thread about it. A joystick outputs a -1/0/1 signal as you push it through its range; through a splitter that signal becomes 0-1, letting one stick feed two RCS thrusters. Players describe two working approaches: the dedicated Joystick Splitter itself, or a plain splitter part used the same way. Everything about the cables behind this setup is covered in circuits-and-logic.

OwtSpectre’s demo-era systems tutorial adds the wiring detail: a 2D joystick feeds the splitter, which splits one axis into positive and negative outputs — the right cable is forwards (positive) and the left cable is backwards (negative), while on the horizontal axis the splitter pushes left/right. Even experienced builders regularly wire the forwards/backwards thrusters backwards. (demo-era)

RCS Thrusters Not Working? Read the LED

RCS thrusters need one thruster per axis. If you mount two thrusters on the same axis, the LED turns red right away, so treat a red pair as a mounting error. The LED is a health readout, not just a power light: green is good, yellow is low, red is danger, and a flashing red LED means the thruster is depleted. RCS parts also have a built-in lifetime, so a working thruster can genuinely wear out. (Last checked: August 13, 2026.)

“RCS doesn’t work” threads almost always resolve to one of three things: no side-facing maneuvering thruster mounted, a bad LED health state, or wiring that does not match the manual’s arrows. The built-in manual shows wiring diagrams and, since patch 1.0.008, opens while you are seated. On the control side, trust the hover text over the icons — patch 1.0.008 swapped the controller’s front-panel Yaw and Roll to match its back-plate outputs. To adjust values in Fly Mode, press ~ first to empty your hand.

If you want pitch without RCS at all, the community answer is to wire a 3D joystick directly to the thrusters. Note that engine linear and angular stabilization can interfere with RCS input, so when thrust and steering fight each other, check the engine settings first. For the fundamentals of entering Fly Mode and using the hotbar, see getting-started.

Cockpit Instruments: Mounting, Use, and the Gyro Line

The altimeter is the most-asked instrument, and the answer to “how to attach altimeter” is simple: blue face down. Mount it on the bottom of the hull with the blue circular face pointing at the ground, with an unobstructed view downward. Some players report a top mount works too, but bottom-mounted, blue-down is the standard answer. (Last checked: August 13, 2026.)

The inclinometer and rotometer had a rough start: early release reports said they always output positive values, which made self-stabilizing circuits impossible. Patch 1.0.006 made the Axis Rotometer output signed values, and patch 1.0.008 fixed its hitbox. The community’s alternative is the gyro-line data output, which delivers signed pitch and roll signals.

The aerometer is the air-resistance instrument, and community creator Girgraffe covers it on the release version in “Approximately Up - Aerometer and Air Resistance” (August 12, 2026). Patch 1.0.009 also cleaned up the geometry of several cockpit-adjacent parts — the Middle Window, Small Switch, Small Button and Stick Switch — so older mounting complaints are stale. In co-op, a crew member on navigator duty can watch these readouts while the pilot flies (multiplayer-and-coop).

The Scarlet Seeker’s 1.0 overview adds the release aerodynamic readout — a velocity-vector printout where bigger is better, incentivizing an aerodynamic nozzle; atmospheric engines lose effect as the atmosphere thins and ion/interstellar engines take over. You start with two seats (next two unlockable — a sealed cabin matters early); a rear-facing relative-angle-to-gravity instrument aids takeoff; fore/aft cameras and monitors are space-navigation references.

Release Notes From SaNT xc’s Launch Stream

  • Pick-up control: named “pick target component”, defaults to middle mouse; the developer changed the binding in 1.0.x.
  • 360 camera: can replace five directional cameras (front/back/left/right/down) and has zoom.
  • Velocity meters: support directional and overall modes — use overall for interplanetary travel.
  • Solar panels: charge when the ship faces the sun; turning the ship toward the sun is a standard trick.

Demo-Era Build Reference (Diggrok’s Tutorials)

  • Ports and cables: red = power, yellow = data input, blue = data output (“yellow hello, blue adieu”). Ctrl+Alt selects a whole run, right-click deletes it. Unsupported spans show red errors; conduits need a weldable surface.
  • RCS chain: 3D joystick + RCS controller + battery + thrusters, wired yaw left, pitch central, roll right. Side knobs cycle configurations (roll B left, roll A right, yaw A right, yaw B left, pitch A bottom, pitch B top); RCS thrusters are not auto-configured — set each knob. Dampeners absorb landing impacts.
  • Thrusters and power: three atmospheric types: one-direction thruster, bi-directional fan, lift fans. Small battery 4,000 power, medium 25,000; bi-directional fan 8 power/sec, lift fan 4 power/sec; batteries are non-rechargeable but refill to full on re-entering fly mode. Power Router merges everything into one circuit (no direction; sticky side faces a weldable surface); Frame Quarter With Ports runs power/data through walls. Radar: 2 power/sec, rotation/brightness knobs, zoom; circle = base, square = objective.
  • Mounting rules: lift fans only mount by their side mounts, batteries only by their bottom, power router and radar have a single sticky side — parts on non-sticky surfaces fall off in fly mode, no build-time warning. Windows need armor on their bottom edge or they fall out. Altimeter: data-only, measures height above sea level, sits outside; Gyro Line needs power, shows pitch/roll level.
  • Controller LEDs: the RCS controller’s green LEDs show each thruster’s battery level (one drained thruster battery means losing that rotation direction), so keep the controller visible. Spring-return levers suit solo throttle (release to zero). After the second mission you unlock electric thrusters (only two): mount both vertically on the vertical center of mass and land like a lander.

Flipsie’s demo-era first-ship stream adds game-text descriptions: RCS thrusters contain a built-in single-use battery and go dead once discharged; atmospheric thrusters do not work in space or underwater, their efficiency depending on atmospheric density; and the inclinometer measures the degrees between the component’s down direction and the gravity direction. (demo-era)

Why Thrusters “Randomly” Shut Down

An electric thruster that cuts out mid-flight has usually not broken — its built-in battery, stated in the part description, lasts on the order of two minutes. The other common cause is physical: RCS exhaust flames can damage nearby cables. Atmospheric engines dying near the Moon is by design too — the Moon’s atmosphere is extremely thin and only usable at low altitude, and one mission later restores it; the reverse-burn landing technique is in planets-and-locations.

Field Tricks: Herding Animals With the Flashlight

Vista’s Steam guide “How to get animals attention (Mastodon & Sheep)” (August 8, 2026, release) works like the Moon mammoth trick: walk right up to the animal’s face and repeatedly spam the T flashlight key — the animal follows you as long as you keep flashing.

Brake System (BPS) and Other Unlocks

The Brake System (BPS) unlocks after you complete the Moon landing mission — the thread asking whether BPS is locked behind the Moon landing confirms it. The community framing: braking tools are an advanced design you earn after proving you can land without them. Patch 1.0.008 added support for negative speed input, so brake logic can handle reverse values. While practicing, remember there is no field repair: press P to rewind a bad landing and try again. (Last checked: August 13, 2026.)

Flipsie’s demo stream also lists the first-delivery rewards from game text: a paint roller, more frames and joysticks, a power blocker, bigger batteries, an artificial horizon, more cameras, the altimeter and a rotometer. The small disposable battery has no data port while the bigger battery does; painting is per-block with two starting colors, and more colors unlock through missions. (demo-era)

Editor Controls, Controller Support, and Missing Features

To rotate a part in the editor, hold the left mouse button and drag; Linux/Proton players may need Proton Hotfix for this to work. A mirror function for parts has been requested in multiple threads but is not officially provided (not yet confirmed). Native gamepad support does not exist: the store page lists no controller support, players use Steam Input to remap, and analog flight-stick input is a frequent community request with no official roadmap (not yet confirmed). (Last checked: August 13, 2026.)

The Part Directory (Verified So Far)

There is no official catalog of every part and its unlock condition, so this list only contains parts verified through patch notes and player reports — treat it as a floor, not a ceiling:

  • Joystick Splitter — Maths tab, available from the start.
  • RCS thrusters + RCS controller — one thruster per axis; Yaw/Roll front panel aligned with the back plate since 1.0.008.
  • Electric thrusters — internal battery, roughly two minutes of thrust.
  • Atmospheric engines — only usable where an atmosphere exists.
  • Altimeter, Inclinometer, Rotometer, Aerometer — the cockpit gauge family.
  • Brake System (BPS) — unlocks after the Moon landing mission.
  • Middle Window, Small Switch, Small Button, Stick Switch — geometry fixed in 1.0.009.
  • Medium Fuel Thruster — paintable area aligned with small/large versions in 1.0.009.
  • Wireless Transmitters — actual range 2,000 m (100 m description corrected).

A complete unlock-condition table for all parts is not yet confirmed. The game patches near-daily, so revisit this directory after each hotfix.

Community Guides Worth Watching

  • Girgraffe — “Approximately Up - Aerometer and Air Resistance” (Aug 12, 2026): recorded on the release version; the reference for the aerometer.
  • отакот — “КАК УСТАНОВИТЬ Small Maneuvering Thruster” (Apr 27, 2026, RU): demo-era maneuvering thruster mounting.
  • OwtSpectre — “useful systems to have in the ships you build” (Mar 11, 2026): demo-era systems overview.

Check the date on any guide: a lot changed between the demo and the August 6, 2026 release, and hotfixes land near-daily (latest verified: 1.0.010, August 12, 2026).

Sources

Verified August 13, 2026.

Fan-made guide. This site is not affiliated with Approximately Games, Steam, or Valve; all game content and media belong to their respective owners. Factual details were last checked on August 13, 2026.

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