Stoned: A Tutorial on Redstone Use in Minecraft (Under Construction)

If there's one comment I've seen a lot around Remy's freebuild server, it's that nobody understands how to use redstone effectively. Granted, I'm not a complete expert myself, but I've created devices of sufficient complexity that I feel I could teach a thing or two to others.

This will take a while to complete, but when it's done I hope to have a fairly comprehensive guide to using redstone. Keep an eye on this thread!

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Welcome to Stoned: the first stop for any EuroSporer looking to learn to use Redstone in Minecraft! We've got (or we will have) everything from the basics of using the stuff, to learning to use logic, to examples of redstone-powered contraptions for your education!

This guide will be split up into individual sections, each with a specific focus. And they are listed below:

Theory: Learning how redstone works, so you can then learn how to work with redstone! First post.

Practice: Making some basic devices with redstone, and also learning to work with logic gates. Second post.

Example: This is where we put all the different user-submitted contraptions made with redstone. Show off your stuff to EuroSpore, and learn a thing or two as well! Third post.

Thank you for getting STONED!

The Theory of Redstone

DISCLAIMER: some of this may get a tad dry. You have been warned.

What is Redstone?

Redstone is a substance that can be found deep in the map in Minecraft. I'm not gonna tell you how to go about getting it; it should be fairly obvious.

Restone devices come in several varieties. There are powered rails, pistons, note blocks, dispensers, and all other manner of useful things you can power with redstone. There are also numerous power sources available, including switches, buttons, pressure plates, and detector rails.

However, at the basic level, a redstone circuit consists of three things: a power source, transmitting wire, and a powered device. The real complexity comes in manipulating the circuits to power the device only under certain conditions. More on this later. Before we get into that, we need to learn how redstone circuits behave.

Redstone Behaviour

Redstone exhibits some particular behaviour traits:

-A redstone torch will serve as a power source to any block directly adjacent to it, either vertically or horizontally, NOT diagonally.
-A redstone wire will receive power from a torch or other power source from the block directly below it, or from a redstone torch next to it.
-A charge will travel 15 blocks through a redstone wire while still providing power. Any further, and it will need to be boosted.
-The bare minimum charge level (i.e. 15 blocks away from a power source) will power a block just as well as maximum power (i.e. directly adjacent to a power source).
-A redstone torch will turn off when it receives power from the block it is attached to. This is very important, as it is what allows logic gates and complex circuitry to work.
-A redstone torch toggled on and off too quickly for long enough will burn out, as indicated by a loud hissing noise and a puff of smoke out of the torch. A burned-out torch will cease to function for a period, and will eventually cease to function indefinitely until the cause of the problem is fixed. (This was placed in the game as a safeguard against data overflow - a code problem that could lead to the game crashing.)

Now that we know a bit about how redstone works, we can begin to work with it! Let's move on to the next post!

*also reserved*

*one more reservation...*

This should be helpful for me.

As in real life, circuitry is not my strong point. I don't think I've ever done anything with redstone because I know I would mess up, but since the pistons have come out, I've wanted to know how to use them.

*Watches eagerly*

Ooh, this will be helpful

So far I've made a couple of secret doors, a trap and a doorbell :/ All of which were either stupidly simple or I used examples, so having somthing to get me to understand whats behind it will help alot!

Like remi, I've always wanted to try a few things but scared of messing them up XD

*also watches eagerly*

I just recently learned redstone by following an example and trying to understand what was going on.
Once you get the hang of it it's not that hard anymore.

I probably need this. I thought I understood fairly well how redstone works, but when pistons came out, I noticed had serious problems making just a secret door because the redstone didn't act the way I thought it would. Very humbling.

haha, yeah I was stressed to no end trying to build a secret door, resulting in a lot of FUUU.

The torch sizzling out is interesting and really useful to know too. I also have to keep in mind the 15 block thing. That was some of the frustration from the above mentioned.

I think with the new torch overload thing, my strobe lights will no longer work as its all based on shorting out the torches XD

@Red: I prescribe this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDtaHplvjgc

It works for me

Before I begin the next segment, I'll need to get some pictures out of minecraft to show logic gates adequately... this may take a while.

huh. I didn't actually know if you made a redstone line over 15 blocks long the signal wouldn't travel through or that redstone torches could burn out.

*gets notepad*

nice introduction

-A redstone torch toggled on and off too quickly for long enough will burn out, as indicated by a loud hissing noise and a puff of smoke out of the torch. A burned-out torch will cease to function for a period, and will eventually cease to function indefinitely until the cause of the problem is fixed. (This was placed in the game as a safeguard against data overflow - a code problem that could lead to the game crashing.)

Are you completely sure about this one? I build noise machines and rapid dispensers all the time. They always re-activate even after 'burning out'.

A good start though, I'll be popping by to read what you have to say on logic gates, I've never really used them to be honest and could do with doing so at some point.

MarkyDMan wrote:@Red: I prescribe this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDtaHplvjgc

It works for me

Thankyou Dr.Marky that is just the medicine

This is a helpful guide. Can't wait to see some of the logic gates. Thats the bit I get stuck on and as you can imagine, gives me trouble to no end!