Talk: Redstone circuits/Clock

Small vertical repeater clock

small vertical repeater clock

I just learned a small vertical repeater clock (I think it's a 2-clock) from this video. Output is to the left. I'm going to attach a picture -- can someone with MCSim skills to a diagram for it? --Mental Mouse 15:09, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

This circuit would be a good addition to the article -- it's smaller than the others and it's 1-wide (though not tileable) which makes it sufficiently interesting. : )

A schematic isn't necessary if a screenshot can illustrate the circuit sufficiently, so consider going ahead and adding the circuit to the article. However, this screenshot could be improved -- you might want to take a look at the style guide I used for creating screenshots for Redstone Circuits.

Your picture is a 2-clock, but the torch will burn out unless the repeater is set to at least 2 ticks, making it a 3-clock, so this clock is good for a range of 3 to 5 tick pulses (0.6 to 1.0 second periods). You can toggle this clock on and off with a lever (or other power signal) on any of the four required opaque blocks (you retain smallest circuit volume by attaching a lever underneath the central block, either to it or the block supporting the redstone), by powering the redstone, or by locking the repeater. Output really can be taken from any part of the circuit (except the repeater), not just the left. —Munin295 · · 18:29, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

Map flicker "normal" state

Map flicker "extra view" state

Hmm. I had one of these running for a couple minutes in my lair, with the repeater on default, and neither torch burned out, but I might not have waited long enough. I'll look at the style guide -- I already know I'd need to switch back to the default textures. PS: I wasn't sure if it was a 2- or 3-clock because it does have two torches along with the repeater. Thanks for confirming. --Mental Mouse 20:56, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

Got one running now, and I noticed something interesting -- two of the maps visible in the background are flickering, from their usual state to another that shows more (apparently valid) mapped area. (Uploading screenshots now.) Also, a redstone lamp next to it does not flicker quickly, it stays mostly lit with occasional flickers of darkness. --Mental Mouse 21:14, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

ETA: And now it's burning out within a few seconds... not only on minimum delay, but on the next delay setting as well. Also, the maps should be showing the larger amount of territory, it's the smaller amount that doesn't match the copy I'm carrying. --Mental Mouse 21:20, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

The higher torch in the video isn't part of the clock, per se (unless you've got it feeding back into the clock in some way), the video is using it to change the clock's usual 5 ticks on/5 ticks off output (the video's repeater is set to 4-tick delay) into a 1-tick off pulse every 10 ticks (the torch on the bottom turns off but the torch on the top doesn't turn on until a tick later: an incorporated falling edge detector) to make the piston retract and then instantly extend again. My builds only burn out when the repeater is set to 1 tick, in all four orientations (v1.4.5). I can't see any difference in the maps you posted. I think I remember someone else saying that maps in frames don't always update properly -- you may need to pop it out, look at it, wait for the updates to load, and then put it back in the frame (which doesn't explain what's happening, but might fix it). —Munin295 · · 00:51, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

On closer inspection, the flickering maps are changing to a (the same) different, less complete map (which is not map #0, map #0 is one of the flickering maps (and the copy in my hand didn't flicker). I tried popping a couple of them off the wall and putting them back, and saving and reloading, but that didn't help. It also continued happening after I turned off the clock, so it may or may not be related. Regarding the clock, that's interesting -- but the lamps I tried stayed mostly lit whichever end I put them at. --Mental Mouse 02:19, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

And... I just looked at it again, and it's behavior seems different (I hate when that happens). Both torches are definitely alternating at roughly 50:50, and lamps match that if the left lamp is a block up -- if it's on the ground, it does stay mostly on-- because it's being lit by two alternating torches! It is definitely not producing 9:1 pulses that I can see, though I could believe I'm missing them on that second lamp. Also, the maps are back to normal. --Mental Mouse 02:32, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Redstone lamps take 0 ticks to turn on, but 2 ticks to turn off (even lamps moved by a piston) -- and if the signal turns back on within that time, the lamp won't turn off (try running redstone over a lamp from a short clock -- you'll see the redstone turn off, then the lamp). The two-torch falling edge detector produces a 1-tick off pulse, which isn't long enough to turn a lamp off (or some other redstone components -- you can extend a 1-tick off pulse with a sticky piston moving a block over a torch to power a repeater). But if you power a lamp from the 5-clock itself, not the falling edge detector, it will flash on a 7/3-tick cycle (5 ticks on, 2 more ticks on after the power turns off, then 3 ticks off before the power turns on again). Pistons are a better way to observe the behavior of a circuit since they react instantly to both rising and falling edges (or oscilloscopes can give precise read-outs for non-short pulses).

There's a lot of really unintuitive behavior like this in redstone components. Jeb said at Minecon that the Redstone Update will affect the timing of some components, and I'm hoping things like this get fixed (or at least made more predictable). —Munin295 · · 03:13, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Amen on the fixups... on the other hand, adding a Nether ore sucks when I've already had to explore lots of it to find my fortress. But that's another discussion entirely.... --Mental Mouse 14:42, 17 December 2012 (UTC)

Boat Clock broken?

It appears that the Boat Clock in the video does not work anymore. I'm using 1.4.7 and it doesn't seem to work as shown in the video. Can anyone else confirm?

--Ioncupcake 08:09, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Better Piston Clock

For anyone who wants to throw this in the article, here's a very simple and controlled piston clock. I actually created another one that requires less room as well, 3 x 5, and if anyone wants me to post it just reply on here. [1]

199.187.203.27 07:32, 4 February 2013 (UTC)