Redstone System in Minecraft: High-Level Overview

Redstone is Minecraft's equivalent of electricity—a versatile in-game mechanic that allows players to create circuits, automated systems, and complex contraptions.

Core Components

• Redstone Dust: Acts like electrical wiring, carrying power up to 15 blocks before needing amplification
• Power Sources: Includes buttons, levers, pressure plates, and redstone torches
• Mechanisms: Devices that perform actions when powered (doors, pistons, dispensers)
• Logic Components: Redstone repeaters, comparators, and torch arrangements that create logic gates

Key Concepts

• Signal Strength: Power levels from 1-15, decreasing by 1 for each block traveled
• Redstone Ticks: The timing system (1 tick = 0.1 seconds) that determines update frequency
• Block Updates: How changes propagate through connected components

Redstone Signal Propagation: Detailed Overview

Signal Strength Mechanics

• Power Levels: Signals range from 0 (off) to 15 (maximum power)
• Decay: Redstone dust loses 1 power level per block traveled horizontally
• Terminal Distance: Signals naturally die after 15 blocks without amplification
• Vertical Limitations: Redstone doesn't naturally travel upward but can go downward

Signal Transmission

• Direct Connections: Adjacent redstone dust transmits signals instantly in the same game tick
• Block Transmission: Solid blocks can receive and transmit power to adjacent redstone dust
• Quasi-Connectivity: Some blocks (like pistons) can be powered from positions that aren't directly adjacent

Signal Timing

• Tick System: The game updates redstone components every redstone tick (0.1 seconds)
• Propagation Delay: Signals take 1 tick to travel through most redstone components
• Repeater Delay: Adjustable from 1-4 ticks, allowing precise timing control
• Update Order: Components update in a specific sequence within each tick, which can affect complex circuits

Signal Manipulation

• Diodes: Repeaters not only amplify signals back to level 15 but also prevent backward signal flow
• Signal Reading: Comparators can measure and compare signal strengths from containers and other sources
• Signal Locking: Repeaters can be "locked" by sideways signals, preventing state changes

Technical Considerations

• Update Suppression: Complex circuits can manipulate the order of block updates
• Instant Wire: Specialized designs that transmit signals faster than conventional redstone dust
• Redstone Dust Alternatives: Redstone blocks, target blocks, and observers offer different propagation properties

Understanding these propagation mechanics allows builders to design circuits with precise timing, controlled signal strength, and optimized performance.

Common Applications

• Basic automation (automatic doors, farms, item sorters)
• Memory storage systems
• Calculators and computers
• Complex contraptions like elevators and hidden entrances

Redstone allows for remarkable creativity, with experienced builders creating everything from simple circuits to functioning CPUs within the game.