Redstone Torch

The Redstone Torch is an item crafted from one Redstone dust and one wooden stick. When placed on its own, it appears as a glowing red torch, noticably fainter than a coal torch and without the fire animation.

It can provide a power source for wires. Wires in turn are used to operate doors or switches from a distance. The torch can power the wire for a length of 15 blocks.

The Redstone Torch will constantly power a set of wires while placed, and is used as a "block-based" switch sometimes. It acts as an inverter, or NOT-gate (and is labeled as such in the game's source code), in Redstone circuits, and turns off when any adjacent switch, lever, wire or pressure plate is turned on. See Redstone circuits for more information on using Redstone torches in circuits and logic gates.

Redstone torches can be used to sabotage/activate traps and mechanisms as well as opening locked iron doors making it useful for raiding parties in multiplayer. A door circuit designed to be closed when constantly powered prevents this vulnerability.

Redstone torches will not melt ice or snow due to their low light level. Using it as a source of light is not recommended because it has just half the light output of a regular (coal) torch, and this will not prevent mobs from spawning (though it WILL decrease the probability of spawning). Also, redstone is much harder to find than coal, and is made into torches at a 1:1 ratio (rather than 1:4). One redstone ore block will produce 4 redstone dust and thus 4 torches.

Redstone torches will burn out when switched between the on and off states too often, specifically every 1/3-1/4 seconds. This typically happens when the player creates an infinite feedback loop by inadvertently or purposely wiring a redstone torch back into itself. This will cause the torch to apply a current to itself thus turning it off and removing current allowing the torch to come back on and once again apply current to itself. This will cause the torch and any mechanisms wired to it to rapidly activate and deactivate repeatedly and could crash the game depending on the complexity of the mechanism. This is likely why Notch programmed the torches to burn out. When burnt out the torch will issue a puff of smoke and a hiss similar to an extinguished torch and remain off for approximately six seconds before turning back on. If the torch burns itself out again it will remain off until the feedback loop is removed.

Related pages

 * Redstone
 * Redstone (Wire)
 * Redstone (Ore)
 * Redstone (Dust)
 * Redstone circuits
 * Mechanisms
 * Traps

Redstone-Fackel