Tutorials/Dry cannon

A dry cannon uses TNT to launch TNT (or even the user on Creative Mode). Dry cannons are simple, easy to build and effective but require lots of obsidian.

Basic Concepts
The main difference between a dry cannon and other designs is the lack of water and the use of a Wadding Block. This cannon design also has a Charge and a Shot.


 * The Charge is a large amount of TNT that propels the shot. All of these TNT blocks must be ignited simultaneously.


 * The Wadding Block can be any type of block(except obsidian, bedrock and any other blast-resistant blocks) and provides a buffer between the Charge and the Shot. Sand, Snow, Wool and other soft blocks seem to produce the best effects.


 * The Shot is a block of TNT or the user if you are on creative mode and drop into position on time.

Cannon Design
- This design is a vertical cannon but can be turned horizontally as well.

- The cannon is built entirely of obsidian.

- Start by building a 5x5x4 rectangular prism, leaving a 3x3x2 chamber inside.

- Make a hole in the top center of the prism.

- Place one piece of obsidian on the center block at the bottom of the chamber. This is the mounting block.

- Load bottom layer of chamber with TNT. This is the Charge.

- Place the Wadding on top of the mounting block.

- Place the Shot on the Wadding.

- Provide a redstone circuit so all the Charge blocks are activated simultaneously.

- Stand back and throw the switch!

Alternate design:

Use obsidian to make a 5 tall, 1 wide, and 6 long rectangular prism without a top. The side opposite of where you are launching needs to be 1 block taller. Then, one the second row from the top, count two rows back and break the all the blocks on that wall including that one. Next, fill the gap with a VERY strong material, such as iron blocks, this is so that you know where to place the blocks. This is the complicated part. One row below the blocks you filled make an obsidian ( or other strong material) platform that reaches at least 4-5 blocks out. Next, connect a redstone repeater to each of the blocks that you used to fill the gap. Set all but the last one to 1 tick, and the last one to about 3 or 4 ticks. Add a lever on the opposite end of the platform and connect the redstone repeaters with redstone dust. Load your cannon with TNT on the row where you placed the blocks so that you would know where to place the TNT then pull the lever and watch the marvelous destruction.

Other Alternate design: make a long tube of obsidian (3X3X6or7) with a hollow middle. You can make the tube have any diameter, but it seems to work best with these dimensions: (3X3X6or7). Then, put two bloks of obsidian on the top. Hollow it out. Fill with TNT, and put a on-blast resistant block in the last space on the front. Cover the top with redstone, and place a button on the back. Optionally, make a platform to stand on when you trigger it. You should also make it a little ways off the ground. See diagram below, in which the orange stands for the wadding (shown in cutaway side view):

It will launch several blocks of TNT at you target, however it is expensive and does not have a very long range, but with a big cannon, you can shred a large amount of land with each shot. Occasionaly the redstone will be blasted off if you have a large cannon, so it is good to keep some redstone on hand. Good for the defense of a village(blast mobs with a row of cannons when they come too close!). Best for creative mode due to the large amount of TNT needed for each shot.

TIPS N' TRICKS:

Try to add more TNT and other stuff as necessary. WARNING: Be careful