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Hi to whoever is reading this. This is my own attempt at a Redstone guide that is both easy to understand and accessible, and isn't similar to the all but impossible to read one on Minecraft Wiki. I have perused the many videos on YouTube and have found quite a few that I both like and that are comprehensive, yet have had trouble finding a truly functional guide on paper. That is what I am here to do. You will find descriptions of redstone basics, explanations, examples, and pictures, as well as additional content as I learn more about redstone and hopefully gain more knowledge from others (such as yourself) commenting on this guide. Good luck to you, and I hope you learn something.
The Basics
Redstone Facts
Redstone is the material used to create functional mechanisms in the Minecraft world, such as lever controlled traps, or pressure plate controlled doors. There are several basic redstone facts to know:
Redstone dust can be placed on all blocks (such as Dirt, Stone, blocks of iron) to create wiring. Exceptions include Ice and Glass and all triggerable blocks such as TNT, Note Blocks, Chests, and Furnaces. (Redstonecan be placed on Jukeboxes).
Dust can be connected either in a straight line, or can be placed up or down one adjacent block. To connect blocks that are above or below each other, don't try and add redstone wiring on the sides manually. Place on top of both blocks, and it connects itself.
If a block is placed that gets between the wiring diagonally, it will not let a current pass through. The only two exceptions are ice and glass. The white block at the end shows regular behavior.
Wiring does not create any current by itself, but must be powered by one of several items in Minecraft. You can see below how the powered wire glows red when a current is passing through it.
You may also notice that the color of the wiring quickly transitions from bright orange to a dark red. This is an aesthetic representation of the current approaching the 15 block limit that a redstone current has from its original source. It should be noted that while the current appears weaker, the strength of the current at the end at block 15 is just as strong as the current at the start with block 1.
Switches
Redstone wiring can be powered in several ways:
For example, when the lever is applied to the majority of powerable objects, you can see the results.
The first image is with the levers in an "off" state, and the second picture is with them on. For safety reasons I left the TNT for the very end.
Making It Work
The Power
So far we have learned how different switches will power redstone wiring in order to make things happen. There are several ways that the power can be transmitted from your switch (lever, pressure pad, button, redstone torch) to the object in questions (piston, door, note-block, dispenser, etc).
When redstone wire runs parallel to a powerable object, or row of powerable objects, it tends to cause issues if it is powering in a row adjacent to the bottom side of the block, as pictured in the right side of the image. If the wiring runs on the top side, the current activates the objects and everything works fine.
This image introduces an important concept of a current's ability to flow through blocks. As you can see, redstone wiring does not connect the entire distance between the lever and the piston, instead the current flows into the block which holds it and transfer it to all adjacent spaces. (This can be useful if you want to hide your redstone wiring to make your creations more aesthetically pleasing).
Adjacent spaces are above, below, to the left and right, and front and behind the powered block. In this case, the lever is attached to the front of the block, taking up the "front" position. It should be noted that blocks adjacent to the lever itself are also powered, even if the lever (or any switch) isn't directly touching it.
Now look at this. The powering block idea leads to the misconception that a block can simply replace a piece of wire. As shown above, this is not the case. Unless a wire is connected to a block that has a switch placed on it, it will not receive power from anything except for a torch, or just a switch by itself. Take note and avoid confusion!
Repeaters
Repeaters are the one redstone affiliated item that I have not yet mentioned, but perhaps one of the most useful. The repeater has three main uses, all being very simple:
The simplest use of Redstone Repeaters is for extending past the 15 block limit that a current has from its original powering source (such as a lever, button, or redstone torch).
When using repeaters, make sure you place them the right way, with the current entering into the red strip!
You can see here how the very top piston is functioning when activated, but that the one below it is not. This is because there are 16 spaces of wiring in the lower connection versus the exact 15 in the top one. Once a repeater is added though, the 15 block limit is reset and the current can continue for another 15 spaces (from the repeater) before dying out.
Minecraft redstone has a system of delays known as ticks. A tick, according to Minecraft Wiki, is equal to 0.1 seconds. When a repeater is introduced into the path of redstone, it causes a one tick delay in a neutral state. Thus, if you had a current that had to travel through ten repeaters between a lever and a piston, it would take one second for the lever to activate the piston (if all repeaters were in neutral). Now what do I mean by neutral state?
Right clicking a repeater causes one of the torches to shift, up to three times, to create delays. Each shift adds on one more tick, making each repeater able to cause 4 ticks of delay, or 0.4 seconds delay. When a repeater is first placed down, it is at a 1 tick state, or "neutral". Repeaters themselves plus a little redstone dust can be used to make up a basic logic gate known as a Pulser, but we will describe it, among other things, in the following sections.
Redstone Torches
First let's start with learning a bit more about redstone torches. A redstone torch by iteself delivers a constant current to an object or to redstone wiring. You can think of it as a lever that never leaves the "On" position. Although a redstone torch is on by default, it can be turned off when a current is introduced to it in a specific way. Look at the following image.
So what exactly is going on here? It would appear that both switches are flipped on, thus creating a current that we learned flows through the block and into the torch. The bottom torch was successfully turned off, but why didn't the top one turn off? It is quite simple. Since the torch itself is giving off a current, it powers the redstone wiring, which then leads back to the block and lever, where it stops, unable to affect anything. To avoid these complications, we power the blocks that the torch is placed on.
A switch will turn off and on a torch placed on any side of the block that it is able to attach to. But why turn off a torch? Observe in the following picture how the switches are both either in the off or on position and yet the outputs are different.
The switch that has a redstone torch creates something known as an inverter, or a "NOT Gate". An inverter simply inverts the input that is given. Usually a flipped lever will send a current, activating an object. But when a torch is attached, the flipped lever sends a current into the torch, disabling it, causing absolutely no current to flow through the output.
Quick example of an inverter at a distance from the switch. When stacking the disabling and enabling effects of torches, it should be noted that torches bring a 1 tick wait time with them, exactly that of a repeater in a neutral state.
In the following example, you can see how a redstone repeater set to two ticks will cause the exact same delay as two torches placed in the other line. (Before official repeaters were introduced, the above system of two redstone torches was used to extend the current).
Powering it Up and Down
This system of powering torches can be harnessed to achieve vertical power in the form of several slightly different structures.
The first 1x1 tower ends with a torch powered on, thus activating the piston, whereas the 2x1 tower ends with an off torch, leaving the piston in place. (Obviously if the towers each increased by one torch, the outputs would be opposite). These towers make sending power vertically less of a hassle. You can also try a 2x2 spiraling method that sends power both up and down. This tower is excellent because it can be traversed up and down by foot!
Here is the spiral staircase in action!
Sending power down can either be achieved in a couple ways. You can either use the aforementioned 2x2 spiral method, a bulky staircase looking structure (seen below), or a more advanced looking method of stacking floating blocks.
The final stacking block method of "powering it down" can be explained simply. The switch will activate a piece of redstone that delivers a current to the redstone torch at the end. This torch is then disabled, thus releasing the disabling effect on the torch below, turning it on. This effect alternates back and forth until it hits bottom.
Note that you can also power wire that is underneath the block that a switch is on.
Well, that about does it for most of the basic technical concepts of redstone related items. To learn about different circuits, scarily termed "Logic Gates", proceed on to the next section.
Circuits (Oh, so confusing! Not really)
A circuit in Minecraft is basically just a bunch of switches, torches, redstone, and perhaps repeaters, put in a certain order that gives a desired output (current or no current) based on different inputs (levers, buttons, torches, redstone, etc).
Basic Example
The Basics
Redstone Facts
Redstone is the material used to create functional mechanisms in the Minecraft world, such as lever controlled traps, or pressure plate controlled doors. There are several basic redstone facts to know:
- Redstone Dust is mined from Restone Ore.
- Each Ore block will drop 4-5 Redstone Dust.
- Redstone Ore must be mined with an Iron Pickaxe or better.
Redstone dust can be placed on all blocks (such as Dirt, Stone, blocks of iron) to create wiring. Exceptions include Ice and Glass and all triggerable blocks such as TNT, Note Blocks, Chests, and Furnaces. (Redstonecan be placed on Jukeboxes).
Dust can be connected either in a straight line, or can be placed up or down one adjacent block. To connect blocks that are above or below each other, don't try and add redstone wiring on the sides manually. Place on top of both blocks, and it connects itself.
If a block is placed that gets between the wiring diagonally, it will not let a current pass through. The only two exceptions are ice and glass. The white block at the end shows regular behavior.
Wiring does not create any current by itself, but must be powered by one of several items in Minecraft. You can see below how the powered wire glows red when a current is passing through it.
You may also notice that the color of the wiring quickly transitions from bright orange to a dark red. This is an aesthetic representation of the current approaching the 15 block limit that a redstone current has from its original source. It should be noted that while the current appears weaker, the strength of the current at the end at block 15 is just as strong as the current at the start with block 1.
Switches
Redstone wiring can be powered in several ways:
- Button - By pressing the button, a current will stay for approximately 1 second (0.9 to be exact), then will stop.
- Lever - Activating the lever will create a constant current until the lever is flipped off.
- Pressure Plate (Stone) - A player or mob will activate the current while standing on a pressure plate. The current stops when the player/mob step off.
- Pressure Plate (Wood) - Same as a stone pressure plate, but can also be activated by dropped items.
- Redstone Torch - Redstone torches provide constant power to the redstone wiring and have no direct activation/deactivation by themselves.
For example, when the lever is applied to the majority of powerable objects, you can see the results.
The first image is with the levers in an "off" state, and the second picture is with them on. For safety reasons I left the TNT for the very end.
Making It Work
The Power
So far we have learned how different switches will power redstone wiring in order to make things happen. There are several ways that the power can be transmitted from your switch (lever, pressure pad, button, redstone torch) to the object in questions (piston, door, note-block, dispenser, etc).
- The switch can be right next to the object.
- The current can flow into the bottom of the object.
- The current can flow into the top of the object.
- Variation of #2.
When redstone wire runs parallel to a powerable object, or row of powerable objects, it tends to cause issues if it is powering in a row adjacent to the bottom side of the block, as pictured in the right side of the image. If the wiring runs on the top side, the current activates the objects and everything works fine.
This image introduces an important concept of a current's ability to flow through blocks. As you can see, redstone wiring does not connect the entire distance between the lever and the piston, instead the current flows into the block which holds it and transfer it to all adjacent spaces. (This can be useful if you want to hide your redstone wiring to make your creations more aesthetically pleasing).
Adjacent spaces are above, below, to the left and right, and front and behind the powered block. In this case, the lever is attached to the front of the block, taking up the "front" position. It should be noted that blocks adjacent to the lever itself are also powered, even if the lever (or any switch) isn't directly touching it.
Now look at this. The powering block idea leads to the misconception that a block can simply replace a piece of wire. As shown above, this is not the case. Unless a wire is connected to a block that has a switch placed on it, it will not receive power from anything except for a torch, or just a switch by itself. Take note and avoid confusion!
Repeaters
Repeaters are the one redstone affiliated item that I have not yet mentioned, but perhaps one of the most useful. The repeater has three main uses, all being very simple:
- Creating delays in the current
- Extending past the 15 block current limit
- Functioning as a diode, i.e. allowing the current to only flow in one direction
The simplest use of Redstone Repeaters is for extending past the 15 block limit that a current has from its original powering source (such as a lever, button, or redstone torch).
When using repeaters, make sure you place them the right way, with the current entering into the red strip!
You can see here how the very top piston is functioning when activated, but that the one below it is not. This is because there are 16 spaces of wiring in the lower connection versus the exact 15 in the top one. Once a repeater is added though, the 15 block limit is reset and the current can continue for another 15 spaces (from the repeater) before dying out.
Minecraft redstone has a system of delays known as ticks. A tick, according to Minecraft Wiki, is equal to 0.1 seconds. When a repeater is introduced into the path of redstone, it causes a one tick delay in a neutral state. Thus, if you had a current that had to travel through ten repeaters between a lever and a piston, it would take one second for the lever to activate the piston (if all repeaters were in neutral). Now what do I mean by neutral state?
Right clicking a repeater causes one of the torches to shift, up to three times, to create delays. Each shift adds on one more tick, making each repeater able to cause 4 ticks of delay, or 0.4 seconds delay. When a repeater is first placed down, it is at a 1 tick state, or "neutral". Repeaters themselves plus a little redstone dust can be used to make up a basic logic gate known as a Pulser, but we will describe it, among other things, in the following sections.
Redstone Torches
First let's start with learning a bit more about redstone torches. A redstone torch by iteself delivers a constant current to an object or to redstone wiring. You can think of it as a lever that never leaves the "On" position. Although a redstone torch is on by default, it can be turned off when a current is introduced to it in a specific way. Look at the following image.
So what exactly is going on here? It would appear that both switches are flipped on, thus creating a current that we learned flows through the block and into the torch. The bottom torch was successfully turned off, but why didn't the top one turn off? It is quite simple. Since the torch itself is giving off a current, it powers the redstone wiring, which then leads back to the block and lever, where it stops, unable to affect anything. To avoid these complications, we power the blocks that the torch is placed on.
A switch will turn off and on a torch placed on any side of the block that it is able to attach to. But why turn off a torch? Observe in the following picture how the switches are both either in the off or on position and yet the outputs are different.
The switch that has a redstone torch creates something known as an inverter, or a "NOT Gate". An inverter simply inverts the input that is given. Usually a flipped lever will send a current, activating an object. But when a torch is attached, the flipped lever sends a current into the torch, disabling it, causing absolutely no current to flow through the output.
Quick example of an inverter at a distance from the switch. When stacking the disabling and enabling effects of torches, it should be noted that torches bring a 1 tick wait time with them, exactly that of a repeater in a neutral state.
In the following example, you can see how a redstone repeater set to two ticks will cause the exact same delay as two torches placed in the other line. (Before official repeaters were introduced, the above system of two redstone torches was used to extend the current).
Powering it Up and Down
This system of powering torches can be harnessed to achieve vertical power in the form of several slightly different structures.
The first 1x1 tower ends with a torch powered on, thus activating the piston, whereas the 2x1 tower ends with an off torch, leaving the piston in place. (Obviously if the towers each increased by one torch, the outputs would be opposite). These towers make sending power vertically less of a hassle. You can also try a 2x2 spiraling method that sends power both up and down. This tower is excellent because it can be traversed up and down by foot!
Here is the spiral staircase in action!
Sending power down can either be achieved in a couple ways. You can either use the aforementioned 2x2 spiral method, a bulky staircase looking structure (seen below), or a more advanced looking method of stacking floating blocks.
The final stacking block method of "powering it down" can be explained simply. The switch will activate a piece of redstone that delivers a current to the redstone torch at the end. This torch is then disabled, thus releasing the disabling effect on the torch below, turning it on. This effect alternates back and forth until it hits bottom.
Note that you can also power wire that is underneath the block that a switch is on.
Well, that about does it for most of the basic technical concepts of redstone related items. To learn about different circuits, scarily termed "Logic Gates", proceed on to the next section.
Circuits (Oh, so confusing! Not really)
A circuit in Minecraft is basically just a bunch of switches, torches, redstone, and perhaps repeaters, put in a certain order that gives a desired output (current or no current) based on different inputs (levers, buttons, torches, redstone, etc).
Basic Example
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