Tutorials/Minecart booster

'Note that as of the Beta 1.2_01 update, boosters still appear to work, but minecarts will not travel as far. This can be fixed by using a double booster.'

Minecarts behave in a unique manner when running alongside one another - they accelerate rapidly. This effect is used to create boosters. A booster consists of a short track with another minecart placed next to the track you want to boost. The two tracks will have one or more squares of contact. When your minecart is next to the other cart, they will both accelerate. There is a maximum speed (8m/s, 1 block = 1 meter), but the internal value from which speed is derived is not capped and if repeatedly "accelerated" over a prolonged period, glitches may occur (the cart can suddenly stop, most likely due to a data overflow resetting that value to zero). To avoid this, make sure that no cart is continuously being boosted over a long period of time (caused by a loop without stops).

Example of two boosters in a loop. The first booster loop is continuously working, which will eventually cause glitches. The second booster loop provides a pause by stopping every cart, every iteration. This creates a more reliable system.

Boosting Principle
Do take note that the methods above are not the only configurations that can be used to boost a minecart. Instead, rely on the following principle when designing booster systems:
 * A minecart pair will boost when they are side-by-side.
 * As long as the carts are side-by-side, they will continue to accelerate, until reaching 8m/s.
 * Despite not exceeding this speed, they will continue to gain energy, illustrated by the fact that a longer booster is required to climb a taller hill or mine shaft without eventually slowing down and reversing.
 * It is ideal to have the booster cart reset itself after use (i.e. return to its original position) so it can be used again right away, but this is not required.
 * The south-west rule or other track layout techniques can be used to accomplish this reset.
 * A cart will slow down if it approaches a neighbor cart head-on (e.g., not off of a slope or curve), and a proper boost will not be accomplished. The sides must come into contact through diagonal motion. Keep this in mind when designing two-way systems. The following diagrams illustrate this concept:
 * When boosting an unoccupied minecart it will travel about 9 tracks per booster length on level ground (not including reset loop)
 * When boosting an unoccupied minecart it will travel about 6 tracks up per booster length (not including reset loop)
 * An occupied minecart will go roughly 12 times an unoccupied minecart on level ground (110 per booster track)
 * An occupied minecart will go roughly 3 times an unoccupied minecart upwards (16 per booster track)
 * Stacked boosters (i.e. when more then one cart exists in one space) multiply the boost by the number of stacked carts
 * Boosters on both sides of a track going the same direction boost by roughly an additional 1/3
 * Boosters in a series (one after another) boost by roughly an additional 5/9

Two-way manual-reset
This is probably the simplest booster you can build. It is easy to build and easy to understand. It is also very compact, taking up as little extra space as possible.

This booster only requires "manual reset" if you want to go though the same direction twice. After you go one way, this booster will be ready for boosting the opposite direction. If you never travel the same direction twice in a row (you always come back from where you've gone), then this booster might be good enough for you.



Two-way corner manual-reset
This example demonstrates a two-way manual reset booster. The booster only requires a manual reset should you want to go the same direction twice. It is an excellent solution for those who prefer to have minimal alterations made to their terrain.



One-way auto-reset (south-west rule)
These are two possible configurations for one-way resetting boosters based on the south-west rule. The one on the left is a south→north booster, and the one on the right is a west→east booster.



One-way auto-reset (based on inclination)
This booster uses a raised auto-reset loop, so that it can be built in any direction. The booster minecart will go through the loop and fall onto the inclined track, going back to the starting position.



One-way auto-reset (reduced reset loop)
This booster is just like the previous booster but only requires three tracks for the auto-reset loop. It takes a couple more steps.



First build the tracks like this. In order to bend the third track around so that it resets, you need to add a block above the track like this.



Then place a track on top of the block. That will bend the third track into its proper placement.



The last step is to remove the block.



One-way auto-reset (leveled and omnidirectional)
This booster uses a simple loop that throws the cart back onto the track, since the track is angled it hops onto the track and continues in a straight line, ignoring the S-E rule that applies when running into perpendicular tracks.



Two-way auto-reset
Here is an example of a two-way resetting booster that is direction-independent (its cardinal direction doesn't matter):



See this video for converting this design to a one-way that runs a single cart past four accelerators, to give it a huge boost.

Two-way corner auto-reset
An example of a two-way booster for corners that auto-resets.



Two-way auto-reset compact design
Here is an example of a two-way resetting booster that is direction-independent this design is a little more compact.



Two-way auto-reset efficient design
Here is yet another two-way gravity powered auto-reseting booster - the lower cart pictured (the booster) sits in the center of a symmetrical section of track, and will always come to rest at that point. This may be the most efficient when it comes to amount of iron that is needed to make it. (credit goes to alfadark on reddit.com)



Uphill auto-reset booster
This is a simple, compact and effective way of going uphill. It won't boost you downhill, but gravity will handle things for you there.




 * 1) This is your main track. You want to build a booster here.
 * 2) Dig a 2x2x1 hole containing your main track.
 * 3) Rebuild the two pieces your main track inside the hole (like a "V" letter). Then, start building a booster track.
 * 4) At the top end of the booster track...
 * 5) ...remove the last track piece...
 * 6) ...and put a block there. This way, the booster minecart will hit that block and go back down to the starting position.
 * 7) Your finished track.

There is a way to make your booster keep working even if you need to make a turn. Follow the picture below to make one, but there are two restrictions on its usage:


 * It cannot make more than a single turn. If you need to circle something while going up, you will need to use many separate boosters.
 * After the turn, it must boost you for at least 6 more blocks, else it won't have speed to reset.



A second way to still have a booster work after a turn: unlike the one above this one will work for any number of turns. It is 5x5x4 and uses only 16 pieces of track. http://i52.tinypic.com/292y1aw.jpg

Auto-Start booster
Getting a minecart going initially can be tricky and requires good timing to place the cart, push off, and jump in. This setup simplifies the process by giving the cart a boost from a dead stop. This is a useful configuration to have at stations in a minecart network.

The outer loop cart, once started, is repeatedly boosted by the inner cart, which simply travels back and forth along its short track. The outer loop cart in turn can be used to boost a stationary cart placed next to the corners. Just wait for the outer loop cart to pass, place your cart, get in, and when the outer loop cart loops around again your cart will get a boost.

Unfortunately, the loop cart can bug out after a while, which while easily fixed, is still annoying.



The following design of an auto-start holding station attempts to rectify the infinite loop bug encountered in the above design. Place carts 1 and 3 in their inital positions as shown, then drop cart 2 into its initial position from above to start the perpetual motion.

Cart 1 is a simple uphill booster used to force cart 2 back to its initial position. Cart 2 actually drives the rider's cart (cart 3). Point 4 is a position for a switch that will allow cart 3 to exit the loop. The rider can then enter at any point after point 4. Point 5 shows the return track for Cart 3. The rider can exit at any time before point 5 or after point 4 safely (cart 3 will likely go around its full track again, so this design is inefficient for long tracks).

After cart 3 has left the holding station, cart 2 will always move just far enough from its initial position to reach cart 1, boosting it uphill. Both return to their initial positions, stopping each iteration, allowing for perpetual motion without infinite momentum.



Switch-triggered booster
This booster cleverly uses a door to drop a minecart onto a track and boost another minecart. It resets automatically, if a Stone Button is used.

The minecart sits on a door, which is wired to a Stone Button using Redstone. When the door is momentarily opened, the minecart drops onto a section of slanted track next to the minecart to be boosted.



A ladder piece is necessary to keep the minecart in place.



NOTE: In laggy multiplayer conditions, the booster cart will occasionally have trouble resetting itself properly. To help the booster cart get back up the hill with sufficient speed to get into its correct position on top of the door, an additional uphill auto-reset booster (see above) can be placed on the far side of the mechanism from the main track.

Double Booster
This is a way that you can put two carts into one, which is believed to more than double the distance you can get out of your booster.

NOTE: this is a glitch that might get fixed in the future, which might cause you to redesign your track system.

In order to make the double booster, you need to put a block, then a piece of track (may require two tracks in order to align the cart correctly) above the cart to be doubled and place a cart on that track.



Next remove the block. This will drop the first cart into the second, merging them. At least, until they fall off the track.



You can also ride "them" and they'll move nearly forever if there is no dead end. It also moves slower off track and can move through water.