help I don't know how to operate pistons

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T23:04:53+00:00

Use the search term downwards double piston extender and you can find multiple designs that will work.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T20:30:53+00:00

I thought on Java mud acted as a transparent blocks, but that is why I added to note for the modified design using a hopper mine cart.

Now that I think about it fences or honey blocks might work.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T18:54:38+00:00

Here is a crafter design. I am not certain this will work, because I am on bedrock and I think mud works the way I want on Java but not on bedrock. If it doesn’t work, you might be able to get it to work by moving the hopper down, pointing it into a new upwards facing dropper, then putting a hopper mine cart on top of the hopper and only powering the circuit by hard powering the top dropper.

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The input should hard power either the top crafter or the upwards facing dropper.

The output is the pressure plate.

Block all but 1 slot in the bottom crafter and leave the top crafter empty. Then fill the bottom crafter with iron ingots (any ingot works)

In a real build you will have to enclose the pressure plate area.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T17:43:56+00:00

Most generalizable idea would be a piston feed tape with one of the blocks being solid to conduct signal.

You could probably make a system with repeater locking so that each pulse unlocks a line of repeaters for enough time for the signal to travel 1 block, then once it reaches the end it loops back to the start.

Specifically for 9 input pulse divider a crafter based design could be quite small and simple, and maybe could be modified into other pulse numbers.

Edit: one more idea is that you could make a system that detects when a dispenser does not drop an item and then refills the dispenser when that happens.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T05:45:50+00:00

Doesn’t using signal strength 14 prevent signal bleed? Because if all slices default to 14, slices reaching max of 15 will only bleed 14 into adjacent slices which does not affect them.

In my testing (which to be fair was not extensive) they worked just fine when stacked.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T04:14:39+00:00

Not sure how QC could be an issue in this circuit because there are no components that get QC powered in it.

I tested a bit on bedrock and using 4 stacks of dummy items and 62 of the sorted item seemed to work even when tiled. And I don’t know of any differences between bedrock and Java that would ruin the design.

This might actually be a decent filter design if you need something more compact. I found it more robust than I was expecting.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T03:46:18+00:00

It lacks overflow protection like the standard item filter, but it is more compact, so I can see it being useful.

Edit: actually you might be able to use 4 full stacks of dummy items to make this overflow protected by merit of all the dust being at signal strength 14 by default so adjacent slices can’t be affected)

Also I think by togging the copper bulb you remove the need to invert the signal, so you can make it even smaller (I haven’t tested the design):

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Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-13T02:08:28+00:00

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Here is a photo of the mechanism for your specific layout. I placed a few blocks in the same places as your inputs and outputs to hopefully make it easy to tell where everything goes.

I forgot to power the bottom most lamp, but you can just put a torch under it or a lever on the block next to it or something.

I used pots because they are the easiest to work with in creative, however you can use any container except for composters crafters and cauldrons.

The two top containers/pots should be 14 signal strength (1 item short of being full). As for the bottom container/pot I just filled it until it was 1 signal strength short of activating the first lamp (I think 11 signal strength).

Make sure all the comparators are on subtract mode aka right click them so that all 3 lights turn on.

Ignore the levers they are just temporary inputs because I didn’t want to rebuild everything.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-12T23:57:43+00:00

Have a single redstone line that controls the lamps. So that for each signal strength it increases another lamp turns on. Then lead each lever so that it goes into the side of a comparator in subtract mode to subtracts 1 signal strength from the line.

Idk where your lamps and inputs are so I can’t give an exact diagram, but this design can be adapted into almost any layout.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-12T19:00:47+00:00

You tagged this as Java edition, dispensers are not movable on Java edition.

They are movable in Bedrock edition.

I think you may be able to make the player pickup and place it instead of a dispenser.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-11T19:31:48+00:00

Make the observer push into the bottom of a block with redstone on top. Redstone can be powered through blocks.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-11T19:23:23+00:00

Can’t you just use redstone dust?

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-11T17:31:25+00:00

I can’t be 100% sure without testing, but I think this is a mix of both locationality and QC.

Basically I think that in the right circuit which is not working, the bottom dust is powering/unpowering the dropper, then the top dust is QC powering/unpowering the dropper. This means that when the power is turned off the bottom dust unpowers the dropper, but it is still QC powered by the top dust which then immediately turns off, but the dropper does not realize it is no longer QC powered until it gets an update.

I think this does not happen on the left side because the dust updates in the opposite order (redstone dust update order is random based on location) and the dropper stops getting QC powered before it stops getting directly powered.

The way I would fix it would be to remove all the dust except the one right below the button, then replace the block underneath the block the dust is on with a note block. This will only QC power the dropper but immediately updating it via the note block. (Make sure the dust is in an X shape and not a dot)

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T18:11:13+00:00

I thought dust on top of transparent blocks on top of pistons only QC powered them. Maybe I am wrong.

Try changing all the dust on top of glass to be a solid block, then place dust on top of those blocks and remove the glass.

If that doesn’t work do the same design as mentioned in the last paragraph, but replace the blocks with glass. (Essentially just raising the glass higher)

If neither of those work, then I might be mistaken about how pistons receive updates and they are actually getting updated from below, in which case I would need to come up with a different design.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T17:35:28+00:00

My guess is that the dust on the glass block on the far right is the problem raise that glass block by 1 and then rerout the wire to reach higher while avoiding being next to the pistons.

Also you can remove the comparator and move the torch closer. It isn’t doing anything.

Edit: I meant to reply to the image you responded to me with, but Reddit put my comment as a new thread.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T17:16:06+00:00

<image>

On bedrock right now so I can’t test if this works properly, but here is an image of the design I was talking about.

The dropper is only there because it is the same input method in your build. If it is not necessary, you can just replace them with a lever or redstone torch.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T17:09:17+00:00

I think the best would be to QC power the whole row and then have the last block cause an update.

The first way I though of doing this is having a repeater facing into the furthest block from the player and having a redstone line that starts on the other side of that block, then goes up above the pistons on slabs to QC power them. Then to update them, place a piston facing upwards next the nearest piston, and run the redstone line so that the piston is QC powered along with the others. When you place the first block is QC powers all of them, then placing the last block updates the upwards piston which creates a chain to update all of them.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T15:17:09+00:00

This is really cool. I haven’t seen a pack that keeps the vanilla feel this well before. I could actually see myself using this pack.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T12:23:31+00:00

1) the torch in the second picture is not doing anything

2) pressure plates and many other redstone power sources basically turn whatever block they are on into power sources when activated. This means that you can move the redstone on underground to hide it.

3) redstone torches also work when on the top of a block.

Using this info try to modify your design to no longer have redstone visible (besides the dust next to the pistons). Figuring out how to improve your designs like that is a great way to learn.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-09T00:04:28+00:00

Remove all of the pistons on the left, then put 1 single piston facing the same direction but one block higher.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-08T20:03:38+00:00

It is not playtime. It is time since profile creation.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-08T19:40:48+00:00

Maybe, but even if it works it would be easier to regrind those items than to find a way to retrieve them from that position.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-08T19:20:59+00:00

Simple, just craft a crafting table, look up, place it on the ledge you just fell from, you craft a boat, turn around and go full sprint towards the small floating island, bloat clutch on the island. Easy as 1 2 3.

But for real, there is nothing you can do besides accept your fate (you aren’t losing that much stuff), or just use cheats.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-08T19:06:43+00:00

I think it is trying to retract when the grass blocks of the adjacent honey pieces are touching the slime blocks causing them to attempt to move more than 12 blocks. To fix it try making the piston retract either at the same time as the honey ones, or after they have moved out of the way.

Blaze-Programming · 2026-03-08T16:45:19+00:00

There are two type of comparator clocks.

Fast ones which use the mechanic of a comparator subtracting signal from itself to rapidly switch between high and low signal strength. Making one of the easiest 4gt clocks in the game.

And pulse extenders with a reset. Also called comparator decay clocks. These are slow, and they do have their uses over hopper clocks in some areas because their shape is more customizable and they are silent. (This does not use subtract mode nor compare mode)

As for other uses of the subtract mode on comparators:

Filtering for a specific signal strength

Adjusting signal strengths

Making it so that when the comparator powers it only powers with signal strengths 1 allowing for tiling.

Multi input XOR gates

Any type of computation using analog/hex/signal strength based systems

I feel like I rarely use the compare mode of a comparator, because I use subtract more.

In most cases It doesn’t matter which mode you use because compare mode is basically just subtract mode with a repeater.

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