Tutorials/Redstone circuits for dummies
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This article makes use of diagrams in the MCRedstoneSim format for compactness and clarity. Some of the designs are more than two blocks high which is represented here by the layers being frames in an animated gif or labeled side by side. A full legend is on the Redstone schematics page.
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- This page is intended for those with no prior knowledge of redstone, or basic circuitry for that matter. Keep that in mind.
Redstone circuits are useful for a number of purposes, from opening doors to building traps or operating complicated minecart systems, and making code locks for doors. They are often seen as an "expansion" to players when simple survival becomes boring to them.
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[edit] Basic Redstone Concepts
- Redstone is either powered (on) or unpowered (off). This is visually represented.
- Redstone dust placed in a line is referred to as a redstone wire.
- Power has a limited distance (15 blocks) which can be extended with repeaters or inverters.
- Redstone can activate certain blocks (doors, dispensers and pistons for example).
[edit] What is a Circuit?
A circuit is an arrangement of wires and components with inputs and outputs. Changes on the inputs will influence the circuit in some way which may affect the output. Circuits can have multiple outputs but will generally have fewer outputs than inputs.
Inputs are any thing that provides power to a redstone wire. These are buttons, levers, pressure plates, redstone torches, and detector rails.
Outputs are the redstone wire that comes from the circuit. This can be used to trigger (provide power, and by doing so interact with) various blocks such as doors and pistons.
[edit] Circuit symbols
- Main article: Redstone schematics
To make redstone a little more organized than just pictures. We use these symbols:
A complete list of all redstone circuit symbols.
ov. = over
which means here: A is above B
[edit] Basic Logic Gates: OR, AND, NOT
AND, OR, and NOT are the three basic gates and are generally the recommended start for those new to redstone. A logic gate takes a number of inputs (which can be switches, buttons, or levers) and gives an output. Logic gates only do very simple computation and all complex redstone machinery relies on these very simple gates working together.
[edit] OR Gate and Formatting
A common practice for explaining redstone is by using MCredstoneSIM format, which uses background color to indicate blocks and central symbols to indicate redstone parts. These diagrams are generally top down view, but the placement of the redstone wires can indicate a side view (such as design C in the AND gates below).
To the right are three OR gate designs which will be our example. In each circuit, A, B, and C represent the inputs. Whenever any of the inputs receives power, the output (O) becomes powered. Design B has the inputs flowing into a block with a torch above it, represented by the yellow background (the block) and the red circle (torch). This torch is bright red to show it will be on by default. On top of a block directly to the right is a redstone wire. The next block over is another torch, but it is different from our first torch because its stick is pointing left, indicating it is attached to the block immediately left of it.
Design C shows four repeaters pointing towards a line of redstone. The line collects in the center as a single output.
To keep this format from being cluttered, only two layers are shown at once and animated images are common for large circuits. These animated images sometimes show two numbers separated by a slash which indicates which two levels are being displayed.
There are four background colors:
- White (or none). This means the redstone part is on the base layer.
- Yellow. The redstone part is elevated one block above the base layer
- Grey. The redstone part is on the base layer below a block.
- Yellow and Grey. This means there is one block on top of another
Torches and levers may be confused because they share the same shape but can be differentiated by color. Repeaters have multiple symbols, but are always some sort of arrow.
[edit] AND Gate
An AND gate takes two inputs, and if both of them are on, it provides an output. If, for example, your inputs are levers and the output circuit powers a door, this would be the same as having to press both levers down in order to open a door. If one or none of the inputs (levers in the example) are on, then the device won't power.
In the image to the right, A and B are the inputs. As above, white blocks are empty, yellow blocks are solid blocks, red lines are Redstone circuits, and red dots are Redstone torches.
Design A works because when either inputs is on (thus turning the respective torch off), the other torch continually powers the third redstone torch which is the output. So only when both inputs are on (turning both torches off) can the third torch send power to the output.
Design C is a side view rather than a top down view. This is indicated by the redstone wire being located at the bottom of the box. Certain other redstone components are displayed differently when the circuit is shown from the side, but wire is found in all circuits.
[edit] NOT Gate, the Inverter
If a redstone torch receives power, the torch turns off. This allows us to turn off one wire by turning on another one. This is called an inverter or a NOT gate. A is the input, B is the output.
[edit] Resources
If you, the reader still has trouble with redstone, this article at Minecraft Forums is a great resource. More redstone circuits can be found on the Redstone circuits page.
[edit] Video Tutorials
There are many excellent tutorials on YouTube about redstone and simple circuits. Below are a couple videos. Many more can be found using YouTube's search feature.
- General Tutorial For a video guide for the absolute beginner.
- AND Gate This video is a part of a series that looks at simple redstone logic gates.
- The Basics Gives a general introduction to redstone and provides some troubleshooting for new players.
