Daylight Detector

A Daylight Sensor is a block for use with redstone circuitry, planned to be added in the Redstone Update. It emits a redstone signal if it is bright enough (sunlight level) to do so. The strength of the redstone signal varies by the time of day. For example, the sensor will emit redstone for 15 blocks at midday but roughly 5 blocks at evening. The daylight detector emits a redstone current to any/all blocks placed directly (within 1 block) above/below/next to it.

If the Daylight Sensor has a block above it, then it will emit a weaker, or no signal, as it is directly proportional to the sky light, which can be useful for controlling light levels with redstone lamps and pistons to cover and uncover the sensor. Using a NOT gate (also known as an inverted Redstone signal) can reverse the sensor's signal, creating a "night sensor." This can, for example, allow redstone lamps to come on at night and off during daytime.

As a nighttime detector
By connecting the sensor to a NOT Gate(inverter), it will output a signal when the light level is LESS than 4, so you can for example make lights that turn on at night.

As Decoration
Because energy is not something currently measured in minecraft, you can use the sensor for decoration.

As a clock
Because you can measure exactly what light level it is, you can make a clock. For example, for every light level it is, 1 light goes on on a board. When it is night, the word "Night" is illuminated. This can be useful for servers, especially if you do not have the ability to create one using piston memory.

As a signal
The daylight sensor can easily be used to signal things at different times of day. With command blocks in the game, it can do many more things, like broadcast messages or change everyone's gamemodes (For whatever reason). Below are different methods for it.

Mining signal
If you are mining and you want to come up at a time of day (And not waste gold on a clock) you can connect the day light sensor and make it either send a redstone pulse down your mine or broadcast a command block message.

Command block command for message:

NOTE: On servers this will broadcast a message to the entire server. So use this command:

Message
You can send out a message to the entire server at a certain point of day. The command block command for this is: First two broadcast a message to the server, last one tells a message to a player.

Using for competitions
If you carefully time the different light levels (or use the table) you can set a competition of perhaps who can get the closest to the daylight sensor before the light level reaches 15. The reward might be 3 stone.

Simply connect the daylight sensor 15 blocks away from a command block (And put a repeater to the side going to a second command block) (See below) Then enter this to the first command block: And this into the second one:

You're done!

Output
These tables link output values to the time they occur as well as co-occurring light levels. Note that while the sensor responds to changes in light level, the light level only modulates a separate scale that more or less follows sunlight. This modulation does make the tables invalid if the sensor doesn't have a direct view of the sky.

Night
Due to a bug, a covered sensor currently emits a signal at night. The following table corresponds to a sensor that cannot receive any daylight. Weather is irrelevant at night.

Bugs

 * Covering a sensor completely will cause it to glitch and turn on at night. (as well as day)

Trivia

 * Daylight Sensors only work by sunlight and cannot be activated by other light sources such as luminescent blocks or torches.
 * Daylight Sensors are less than a slab tall, which is like redstone repeaters, redstone comparators and trapdoors.
 * A daylight sensor connected to a powered dispenser via redstone wire will cause the dispenser to fire every time the light level changes.
 * Rain will affect the sensor.

Gallery
 File:daylightsensorscomparison.png|A comparison of sensor outputs, depending on conditions. File:Automatic_Lighting.png|An example of using the daylight sensor to provide lighting at night. File:13w01a mojang release.png|The 13w01a Snapshot image. File:Sensordec.png| A picture of how the sensor can be used as decoration.

Tageslichtdetektor Daylight Sensor/es Détecteur de lumière du jour Detektor światła dziennego Датчик света 阳光探测器