Tutorials/Water gate

A water gate, or flood gate, is used to stop a flow of water. Water gates are adjustable gates used to control water flow by either shrinking the stream, or by stopping it altogether. They can be made quite easily with redstone and pistons.

Construction
There are three parts to a water gate: The water source, the water channel, and the gate. The water source, obviously, provides the water. The channel is a small trench that guides the water where you want it to go. The gate itself is a device made of pistons that blocks the water flow. To create a water gate, the first thing to do is to create the channel. This can be done by digging it out of the ground or by placing walls on the ground. The water source can be a lake, ocean, pond, or even just a bucket of water dumped at the beginning of the channel. The gate is simply two pistons facing into the channel that, when extended, occupy the channel and prevent water from flowing. Sticky pistons with an additional block stuck to them can be used for wider channels. The pistons are then wired to a redstone signal that controls when they are on or off.

Uses
There are a few things you can do with a floodgate. One of the most useful ways to use a floodgate is to harvest crops by channeling the flow of water over your mature crop and it will automatically pick your crops for you. By channeling the water you can also designate a pickup area for the already harvested crops. More uses for floodgates are mob traps, the all known watervator, a safe passage up and down a cliff side.

Requirements
Floodgates are made using 4 types of items.

Gates
 * Iron Door
 * Wooden Door

Switches
 * Button
 * Lever
 * Manual (Wooden Door)

Activators
 * Redstone Wire
 * Hand (Wooden Door)

Walls
 * Cactus (Not the best, needs sand under it, but is good for hurting invaders or mobs)
 * Sugar Cane (Requires Dirt underneath, and is a good blocker. Also able to see through as a window)
 * Cobblestone (Sucks, but if you are low on materials it works.)
 * Glass (Allows goods to go through, moderate choice, but requires lots of Smelting and sand.)

Optional
 * Soul Sand (Can be used as a dock for boats when placed directly below 1 block of water, but comes from the Nether, and isn't obtainable in some SMP servers.)

Construction
Basic Structure

First start out with the basic structure. Start making the wall. Only have it 1 block high for now, wait until later to build it higher. Leave 4 or 9 blocks high, and 2 or 5 blocks wide depending on how big you want your Actual Gate to be.

The Canal

Now for the canal. Dig 1 block down where you want the water path. This can be used for a boat system, farm system, irrigation system, etc.

(Optional Step: Where you left room for the gates, dig down one more block and then into the canal and place the Soul Sand there for boats. Soul Sand does not hurt boats unlike other materials. You can also place it around the edges at normal height to minimize boat crash damage.)

Logic Now to build the actual logic part. Make a control panel (can be on a wall, or 1-2 Block high control stand. I recommend A control panel. For 1 block high, place the lever on top, for 2 blocks high put the lever or button on the side on he top block.) Now where you left space for the doors, place your steel door where you left space.

Tutoriels/Porte maritime