I was trying to recreate a part of the perfect item distributor from RaPsCaLLioN1138, and came across a tangential issue that I just don't understand. I understand the redstone basics (like RS gates, signal strength), but I seem to fail whenever I get into timing issues. And I sometimes don't understand when exactly a block is powered or not. (Is there a good resource for the finer details of that? I often don't know if I send a signal into a block if the block is powered and if it might power the adjacent blocks too.)
Aim is to control the amount of items passing a hopper, I was aiming for exactly one item that goes in a chest below.
What I've understood so far: I have a hopper (left in the pictures) that will transport my items. The hopper is blocked by a redstone signal generated by a pair of dropper and hopper (right) facing each other. Comparator reads the dropper and blocks the left hopper whenever the dropper contains something. Dropper contains one item, a redstone pulse moves the item to the hopper and the hopper moves it back, causing a short time where the dropper is empty. I guess something between hopper time (2.5 ticks per second) and redstone time (10 per second). So the unlocked hopper will let an item drop if it is unlocked. This should work individually for each row of the setup (I have built 2).
I gathered that the general idea is to have a well defined short impulse (hopper speed) regardless of how long the redstone pulse is. Whether I create a
permanent impulse (lever) or a shorter one (button), the duration of the signal to the left hopper is the same.
Here is where I need help: I have 3 almost identical builds. I have put a stack of items in both hoppers on the left, and I'm counting how many items drop if I send a redstone signal to the dropper on the right. I thought that all 3 builds should give the same result, but they don't. Why?
Build 1 https://ibb.co/82wxWnR
Whenever I press the button, both hoppers release exactly one item.
That's what I want. (But I can't build it that way because it interferes
with the rest of my system. So I was looking for other ways to send
that signal.)
Build 2: https://ibb.co/TgPv4bR
Whenever I press the button, both hoppers release two items. Is this because the right hoppers get locked by this redstone signal, and don't return the item immediately but only if the pulse from the button is gone?
That's the one I don't get at all. Whenever I press the button for the first time after building this, both hoppers release one item into the chest below. Whenever I press the button after that, only the back hopper releases one item into the chest below. Not the front one. Why does it work once and then never again? I must have created a RS gate somehow...
Here is some more info on another picture: https://ibb.co/HF1Gzfd
If I cut and rebuild the redstone dot on the concrete slab marked (1), both hoppers will release one item when I press the button for the first time (and then as usual only the back one). If I cut and rebuild the redstone dot on the slab (2), only the back hopper releases one item. Yet that dot is essential because otherwise block (1) won't be powered.
I'm using Java 1.16.3, if that makes any difference. Pretty much vanilla (no mods that should affect redstone in any way).
It probably has to do with quasi-connectivity, as the Wiki explains it "Quasi-connectivity is a property of dispensers, droppers, and pistons that allows them to be activated by anything that would activate the space above them, no matter what is actually in that space."
However, the component only does anything if it is updated, otherwise it just sits there with the potential to activate if any changes occur next to it.
Thanks, I'll have to read this when I'm less tired
Is this basically the same reason why droppers can pass a weak redstone signal? I was wondering that too, for example in the picture attached the comparator will send a signal into the dropper, that will connect the redstone dot and the iron block next to the comparator, looping the signal around with minimal delay. Allows to generate a signal for each item passing the hopper almost without slowing them down (I think I lost less than 10% throughput when I measured this), when each hopper contains only one item.
Thanks, I'll have to read this when I'm less tired
Is this basically the same reason why droppers can pass a weak redstone signal? I was wondering that too, for example in the picture attached the comparator will send a signal into the dropper, that will connect the redstone dot and the iron block next to the comparator, looping the signal around with minimal delay. Allows to generate a signal for each item passing the hopper almost without slowing them down (I think I lost less than 10% throughput when I measured this), when each hopper contains only one item.
I wouldn't think so, the Wiki is very clear on it being the block above the redstone mechanism that passes the power.
(Even if that is a block, like air, that shouldn't pass power.)
I don't see anything here that would power the blocks above either the dropper or the hoppers.
--
I don't think there's anything odd about a dropper passing a redstone signal, it is a full block after all.
As far as I can see the circuit works exactly the same with an iron block instead of the dropper.
(Apart from the dropper spitting out any blocks it contains of course.)
I was trying to recreate a part of the perfect item distributor from RaPsCaLLioN1138, and came across a tangential issue that I just don't understand. I understand the redstone basics (like RS gates, signal strength), but I seem to fail whenever I get into timing issues. And I sometimes don't understand when exactly a block is powered or not. (Is there a good resource for the finer details of that? I often don't know if I send a signal into a block if the block is powered and if it might power the adjacent blocks too.)
This is the general setup: https://imgbb.com/QXLVPPT
Aim is to control the amount of items passing a hopper, I was aiming for exactly one item that goes in a chest below.
What I've understood so far: I have a hopper (left in the pictures) that will transport my items. The hopper is blocked by a redstone signal generated by a pair of dropper and hopper (right) facing each other. Comparator reads the dropper and blocks the left hopper whenever the dropper contains something. Dropper contains one item, a redstone pulse moves the item to the hopper and the hopper moves it back, causing a short time where the dropper is empty. I guess something between hopper time (2.5 ticks per second) and redstone time (10 per second). So the unlocked hopper will let an item drop if it is unlocked. This should work individually for each row of the setup (I have built 2).
I gathered that the general idea is to have a well defined short impulse (hopper speed) regardless of how long the redstone pulse is. Whether I create a
permanent impulse (lever) or a shorter one (button), the duration of the signal to the left hopper is the same.
Here is where I need help: I have 3 almost identical builds. I have put a stack of items in both hoppers on the left, and I'm counting how many items drop if I send a redstone signal to the dropper on the right. I thought that all 3 builds should give the same result, but they don't. Why?
Build 1 https://ibb.co/82wxWnR
Whenever I press the button, both hoppers release exactly one item.
That's what I want. (But I can't build it that way because it interferes
with the rest of my system. So I was looking for other ways to send
that signal.)
Build 2: https://ibb.co/TgPv4bR
Whenever I press the button, both hoppers release two items. Is this because the right hoppers get locked by this redstone signal, and don't return the item immediately but only if the pulse from the button is gone?
Build 3 (as above, or https://ibb.co/yWSmLD2)
That's the one I don't get at all. Whenever I press the button for the first time after building this, both hoppers release one item into the chest below. Whenever I press the button after that, only the back hopper releases one item into the chest below. Not the front one. Why does it work once and then never again? I must have created a RS gate somehow...
Here is some more info on another picture: https://ibb.co/HF1Gzfd
If I cut and rebuild the redstone dot on the concrete slab marked (1), both hoppers will release one item when I press the button for the first time (and then as usual only the back one). If I cut and rebuild the redstone dot on the slab (2), only the back hopper releases one item. Yet that dot is essential because otherwise block (1) won't be powered.
I'm using Java 1.16.3, if that makes any difference. Pretty much vanilla (no mods that should affect redstone in any way).
It probably has to do with quasi-connectivity, as the Wiki explains it "Quasi-connectivity is a property of dispensers, droppers, and pistons that allows them to be activated by anything that would activate the space above them, no matter what is actually in that space."
However, the component only does anything if it is updated, otherwise it just sits there with the potential to activate if any changes occur next to it.
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials/Quasi-connectivity
Just testing.
Thanks, I'll have to read this when I'm less tired
Is this basically the same reason why droppers can pass a weak redstone signal? I was wondering that too, for example in the picture attached the comparator will send a signal into the dropper, that will connect the redstone dot and the iron block next to the comparator, looping the signal around with minimal delay. Allows to generate a signal for each item passing the hopper almost without slowing them down (I think I lost less than 10% throughput when I measured this), when each hopper contains only one item.
I wouldn't think so, the Wiki is very clear on it being the block above the redstone mechanism that passes the power.
(Even if that is a block, like air, that shouldn't pass power.)
I don't see anything here that would power the blocks above either the dropper or the hoppers.
--
I don't think there's anything odd about a dropper passing a redstone signal, it is a full block after all.
As far as I can see the circuit works exactly the same with an iron block instead of the dropper.
(Apart from the dropper spitting out any blocks it contains of course.)
Just testing.