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Crafting Table
This article describes content that may be included in a future update. 
This content has appeared in development versions, but the full update containing it has not been released yet.

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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.

Crafting

Ingredients Input » Output
Glass +
Nether Quartz +
Wooden Slabs
Template:Grid/Crafting Table

Uses

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. You can also design the lights to illuminate when no signal is received from the sensor (using a redstone torch which is powered off by the detector's signal, for example) which will cause lights connected to the sensor to power on if the sensor is damaged by an explosion or removed.

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 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:

/say <message>

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

/tell <your name> <message>

As a server signal

Message

You can send out a message to the entire server at a certain point of day. The command block command for this is:

/say <message>

OR

/tell <player> <message>

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:

/say @p has won and is closest to the sensor before light level 15!

And this into the second one:

/give @p 1 3

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.

Clear skies

Signal strength Time level reached Time level dissipates Light levels
0 N/A N/A 4–5
1 22340 13680 4–7
2 22800 13220 7–9
3 23080 12940 9–11
4 23300 12720 11–12
5 23540 12480 12–13
6 23780 12240 13–14
7 23960 12040 15
8 180 11840 15
9 540 11480 15
10 940 11080 15
11 1380 10640 15
12 1880 10140 15
13 2460 9560 15
14 3180 8840 15
15 4300 7720 15

Rain

Signal strength Time level reached Time level dissipates Light levels
0 N/A N/A 4–5
1 22340 13680 4–7
2 22800 13220 6–8
3 23240 12780 8–10
4 23520 12500 9–11
5 23760 12260 10–12
6 0 12020 11–12
7 400 11620 12
8 900 11120 12
9 1440 10580 12
10 2080 9940 12
11 2880 9140 12
12 4120 7900 12

Thunderstorm

Signal strength Time level reached Time level dissipates Light levels
0 N/A N/A 4–5
1 22340 13680 4–6
2 22960 13060 6–8
3 23360 12660 7–8
4 23700 12300 8–10
5 60 11940 10
6 460 11560 10
7 1040 10980 10
8 1740 10280 10
9 2620 9400 10
10 3960 8060 10

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.

Signal strength Time level reached Time level dissipates
1 14360 21660
2 14740 21280
3 15120 20900
4 15500 20520
5 15900 20120
6 16320 19700
7 16760 19260
8 17240 18780
9 17780 18240

History

u
[[[Redstone Update||24 November, 2012]]]
Jeb stated that there may be a daylight detector.
2 January, 2013Jeb tweeted an image of the daylight detector.
13w01aDaylight detectors were added to the game.

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.
  • Daylight Sensors, as well as most redstone technology, appear more similar to modern technology compared to most other blocks.
  • Daylight Sensors can be used as fuel in furnaces.

Gallery

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