Redstone circuits

Redstone circuits are a new feature added to Minecraft in the first Alpha update. They allow for advanced, more complicated mechanisms to be created by players. Redstone circuitry is commonly compared to WireMod (a widely-used addon from Garry's Mod).

How it Works
Placing Redstone on a block creates a wire. Every "wired" block has two possible states: 1 (powered) or 0 (unpowered). A wire can be powered by any lever, pressure plate, stone button, or Redstone torch. Placing Redstone on top of a block that is adjacent to a powered block causes the newly wired block to become powered as well. Powered Redstone will always glow red, and will cease to flow after moving 15 blocks from its source. However, the range can be extended without limit by chaining Redstone torches (but will result in a delay).

If all wires adjacent to a torch are unpowered, the torch will provide power to them. However, if a wire connected to it's block is powered by another source, the torch itself will cease to generate power and its flame will go out.

Important Notes

 * Power flows 15 blocks before ending (but can be extended)
 * Power sent through multiple torches does not travel instantly, so expect a slight delay when designing
 * Circuits that are more than ~300 blocks away from your current position will cease to operate; due to them being on unloaded chunks

= Gate Logic = To use a Redstone torch as a logic gate, the source(s) should be connected one block behind the torch itself. To use the torch's state as an output, connect a wire at-level with the torch. A wire placed directly below the block a torch is on will not connect to the torch. However, another torch placed in the same position will.

Below is a list of some of the basic gates along with example images (a top-down layout overview image can be found to the right). There are many different ways to construct them other than those shown below, so use them as guidelines for creating one to fit your needs.

The NOT gate
Also known an inverter. A device that inverts the input. It can also be used as a signal light which is on when no input is detected.

Using two NOT gates can extend your running wire length past the original 15. As of 1.0.2 (the July 6th update), there must be a strip of wire between the two NOT gates.

The OR gate
A device where the output is on when at least one of the inputs are on.

Note that OR gates are simple inversions of NOR gates.

The AND gate
A device where the output is on when both inputs are on.

This is useful in building a locking mechanism for a door, requiring both the activating button and the lock (typically a lever) to be on.

The NOR gate
A device where the output is off when at least one of the inputs are on.

These are infrequently used. More commonly-used are the OR gates (above).

The NAND gate
A device where the output is off when both inputs are on.

The XOR/XNOR gate
Pronounced "exor". A device which activates when the inputs are not equal to each other.

Adding a NOT gate to the end will produce an XNOR gate, which activates when the inputs are equal to each other.

RS NOR Latch
A device where Q will stay on forever after input is received by S. Q can be reset by a signal received by R. This is probably the smallest memory device that is possible to make. Note that ~Q means the opposite of Q, e.g. when Q is on, ~Q is off and vice-versa. This means that in certain cases, you can get rid of a NOT gate by simply picking the ~Q output instead of putting a NOT gate after the Q output.

It is useful for making an alarm system were you for example want a warning light stay turned on after a pressure plate is pressed.

RS NAND Latch
When S and R are both off, Q and -Q are on. When S is on, but R is off, Q will be on. When R is on, but S is off, -Q will be on. When S and R are both on, it does not change Q and -Q. They will be the same as they were before S and R were both turned on.

Clock generators
Clock generators are devices where the output is toggling on/off constantly.

The smallest/fastest stable clock generator is the 5-clock as shown at the picture to the right. 1-clocks and 3-clocks are possible to make but they will "burn out" because of their speed, which makes them unstable. Slower clocks are made by making the chain of inverters longer. It is only possible to make clocks with an odd number of Redstone torches.

= Affected Objects =

Objects receiving power are affected in the following ways:


 * Doors
 * Doors open and close. This is the only method of opening iron doors.


 * Tracks
 * Tracks will change direction, though always to a turning track.


 * TNT
 * TNT will have its charge set. A few seconds of delay should be expected (TNT is not instant).

=Video Examples= For a video explaining and giving examples of how to wire Redstone torches, click here.

For an example adder built of these, click here.