User:Qcdynamics

natural cobblestone can be created when water touches a lava stream. this feature allows the player to construct a cobblestone generator, a machine that automatically produces cobblestone, which makes it a renewable resource.

the 1.7 patch that introduced pistons allow new uses for cobblestone.

standard generators do not have pistons and have been around for quite a while. Their popularity, however, was limited because cobblestone is so readily available. standard generators have crossing lava and water streams which become blocked by the newly formed cobblestone. when the player mines this fresh cobblestone, the streams cross again and more cobblestone is created.

Piston Cobblestone generators, work on the same principle as standard generators, but the use of pistons is what clears the fresh cobblestone allowing the streams to cross once again.

standard generators usually comprise one source block of lava and up to two source blocks of water.

piston generators require a clock (with a pulse time slower than the flow of lava. a suitable clock will be discussed in greater detail later)

guide pistons. the generator will create a continuous row of cobblestone. since a piston can only push blocks a maximum of 12 blocks, a short series of pistons send the newly created cobblestone to a specific location to be gathered later. this is optional but highly suggested.

standard tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFUV_dRDtXE&feature=related

pistonized http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XniUQJ8gGxc&feature=related

guide pistons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFzw4U61TZE&feature=player_embedded#at=659