So, I've put a minecart station into my base that can be controlled from the places that it is connected to.
EDIT:Video!
When you push one of these buttons at one of the places that the tracks go to, then jump into a cart, you travel to the station, which then directs your cart to wherever you chose.
It uses 2 latches at each location to store the destination, and only requires 2 wires from that location to the station, and can be as far away as you want.
The wooden pressure plates detect when you're coming into the station on a cart, then signal the circuits under the floor to switch the tracks so that you get directed where you want to go.
Diagram for destinations. Buttons go on the left, lines to the station on the right.
This is put on each line just outside the station. Not gates are added just before the and gate, according to which destination it's from, so that if the lines are set to send the cart to back to where it came from, it stops at the station instead.
Inside the station there is one of these for each destination. Reset line is a redstone wire that connects all the reset lines together, so that when a cart comes in from one destination, it turns off the input from the other destinations. Pressure plate is connected to a wooden plate that tells when a cart comes in from that destination. The track switch lines change the tracks at the different intersections.
This is what the tracks look like. The numbers refer to which line of redstone is connected to that intersection.
Here's a diagram to better explain what the station does, since it's a bit hard to explain with just words:
When I'm at any of the places outside the castle, or at the station, I press the button on the control panel corresponding to where I want to go, jump in a cart, and it takes me there. No stops, no switching needed, only 1 track between each place and the station, and only 2 wires from each place.
There's lots of these minecart station posts, but two reasons I like this one are:
- The close proximity of the selection buttons, not 4-5 squares apart.
- Where N is the number of destination buttons, realizing you only need LOG2(N) latches, because branching minecart tracks naturally demultiplex the signal to a destination.
What I wonder is if using fewer latches saved you more space/materials than were consumed by the signal multiplexing to reach the latches? How well would the approach scale?
It should scale pretty well, as long as you know what you're doing and how many stations you want. I'll add circuit diagrams to my original post so that you can see how it's all done. When I finish with mine and upload it, it probably won't be good for looking at the design, since it's a bit messy and so much of it is underground so that it's out of the way. The reason that I did it like this was so that:
- I can use buttons instead of switches, makes it very simple to use
- Only LOG2(N) wires, where N is the number of destinations, I don't want to put 4 lines of redstone wire from my mines all the way to my base :S
- Everything can be as far as I want from the station, it doesn't require feedback or anything like that
- It's completely automatic once you've hit the button.
I've uploaded the save, it's at the bottom of the original post. The "mine" location doesn't have controls, it goes straight to the minecart station if you take a cart from there, because I haven't decided how to do the rails for my mine yet. The "trap" location doesn't have a stop, the cart takes you past the output of the trap so that you can pick up items, then returns you to the station. There are still tracks left over from my old station, those can just be ignored.
That is a very well done track switching setup, for getting outgoing carts onto the same rails as incoming carts in a tidy and efficient manner. I'll have to try it out myself. Anyone know if it can rotate 180 degrees and still work? I'm assuming 90 and 270 degree rotations would break it due to the switch orientation issues.
I definitely like the idea, although getting enough redstone to lay even two wires alongside each track might be tricky even with how common it is down there. And they only work one-way, right? If you had two switching stations and wanted to have each one able to control the other's routing, you'd need two wires each way, assuming you still only have four destinations remotely selectable, and one would probably have to be that station itself.
That is a very well done track switching setup, for getting outgoing carts onto the same rails as incoming carts in a tidy and efficient manner. I'll have to try it out myself. Anyone know if it can rotate 180 degrees and still work? I'm assuming 90 and 270 degree rotations would break it due to the switch orientation issues.
It should rotate nicely, as long as you rotate all the circuits underneath. The switches would just need inverters on them if they go the wrong way after rotating.
Quote from Tallinu »
I definitely like the idea, although getting enough redstone to lay even two wires alongside each track might be tricky even with how common it is down there.
To be honest, I think I used more redstone on all the circuits than on the wires connecting them. :S
Quote from Tallinu »
And they only work one-way, right? If you had two switching stations and wanted to have each one able to control the other's routing, you'd need two wires each way, assuming you still only have four destinations remotely selectable, and one would probably have to be that station itself.
Yep, one way unfortunately. The station doesn't count as one of the destinations, so there are a total of 5 stops. Adding a wire to each destination would allow 8 destinations plus the stop at the station.
Looks promising; I might take a shot at building this. One question, though: In the last circuitry diagram you posted, where does the reset line originate?
It uses 2 latches at each location to store the destination, and only requires 2 wires from that location to the station, and can be as far away as you want.
Is that really true?! Even when the logic driving the redstone wires is in an unloaded chunk, they still retain their on/off state? That opens up some possibilities that I didn't think were possible possibilities before... possibly.
Nice and simple system, btw. I like it.
I'm on the fence on N buttons or lg(N) switches for destination selection.
Is that really true?! Even when the logic driving the redstone wires is in an unloaded chunk, they still retain their on/off state? That opens up some possibilities that I didn't think were possible possibilities before... possibly.
Yeah, the latches hold the state, and the signal propagates along the wire as you go down the tracks.
It should rotate nicely, as long as you rotate all the circuits underneath. The switches would just need inverters on them if they go the wrong way after rotating.
Looks like it rotates without any issues at all. From my experiments, it looks like a T-shaped intersection's switch will always connect to the middle track, so the only situation where you might have issues is if you were trying to have a switch in the center of a 4-way intersection. I'm not sure how that would behave, but fortunately have no need for such a setup! :smile.gif:
I've ended up using switches in my first station, which does away with the need for any latches for memory - but I'm not trying to do remote switching in mine, so it doesn't really compare. This is basically the simplest possible destination selection scheme I could come up with. Each destination has a binary number used to select it, and the switches directly affect the indicator lights above them. Getting the signals to travel *down* without crosstalk was the hardest, most space-inefficient thing I had to deal with in this design, and if I'd put any more than three switches up, I would've needed to use a lot (A LOT) more space behind them as well as below.
Getting the signals to travel *down* without crosstalk was the hardest, most space-inefficient thing I had to deal with in this design, and if I'd put any more than three switches up, I would've needed to use a lot (A LOT) more space behind them as well as below.
This is how I connected my buttons so that they were really close together:
Button: Stone: Redstone torch: redstone:
From above:
[]
[]
Side:
And to get things to travel down nicely:
[]
[]
[]
If you have multiple signals next to each other going down, just have every second one facing the other way. I'll get some pictures from the game soon so that you can see what I mean.
EDIT:Video!
When you push one of these buttons at one of the places that the tracks go to, then jump into a cart, you travel to the station, which then directs your cart to wherever you chose.
It uses 2 latches at each location to store the destination, and only requires 2 wires from that location to the station, and can be as far away as you want.
The wooden pressure plates detect when you're coming into the station on a cart, then signal the circuits under the floor to switch the tracks so that you get directed where you want to go.
More pictures:
http://lazcraft.tumblr.com/tagged/Carts
Circuit Diagrams:
Diagram for destinations. Buttons go on the left, lines to the station on the right.
This is put on each line just outside the station. Not gates are added just before the and gate, according to which destination it's from, so that if the lines are set to send the cart to back to where it came from, it stops at the station instead.
Inside the station there is one of these for each destination. Reset line is a redstone wire that connects all the reset lines together, so that when a cart comes in from one destination, it turns off the input from the other destinations. Pressure plate is connected to a wooden plate that tells when a cart comes in from that destination. The track switch lines change the tracks at the different intersections.
This is what the tracks look like. The numbers refer to which line of redstone is connected to that intersection.
Save file: http://lazcraft.tumblr.com/post/1365815373/current-save-game
When I'm at any of the places outside the castle, or at the station, I press the button on the control panel corresponding to where I want to go, jump in a cart, and it takes me there. No stops, no switching needed, only 1 track between each place and the station, and only 2 wires from each place.
I'll put up a video when I get the chance.
Also, if you put your images in [img] tags instead of [img] tags, they will fit the screen.
Very nice! I've been trying to do something like this. It's always helpful to see how other people do it.
http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=118689
- The close proximity of the selection buttons, not 4-5 squares apart.
- Where N is the number of destination buttons, realizing you only need LOG2(N) latches, because branching minecart tracks naturally demultiplex the signal to a destination.
What I wonder is if using fewer latches saved you more space/materials than were consumed by the signal multiplexing to reach the latches? How well would the approach scale?
- I can use buttons instead of switches, makes it very simple to use
- Only LOG2(N) wires, where N is the number of destinations, I don't want to put 4 lines of redstone wire from my mines all the way to my base :S
- Everything can be as far as I want from the station, it doesn't require feedback or anything like that
- It's completely automatic once you've hit the button.
http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=118689
Heh, yeah, tedious is definitely the right word. Totally worth it though.
That is a very well done track switching setup, for getting outgoing carts onto the same rails as incoming carts in a tidy and efficient manner. I'll have to try it out myself. Anyone know if it can rotate 180 degrees and still work? I'm assuming 90 and 270 degree rotations would break it due to the switch orientation issues.
I definitely like the idea, although getting enough redstone to lay even two wires alongside each track might be tricky even with how common it is down there. And they only work one-way, right? If you had two switching stations and wanted to have each one able to control the other's routing, you'd need two wires each way, assuming you still only have four destinations remotely selectable, and one would probably have to be that station itself.
It should rotate nicely, as long as you rotate all the circuits underneath. The switches would just need inverters on them if they go the wrong way after rotating.
To be honest, I think I used more redstone on all the circuits than on the wires connecting them. :S
Yep, one way unfortunately. The station doesn't count as one of the destinations, so there are a total of 5 stops. Adding a wire to each destination would allow 8 destinations plus the stop at the station.
Is that really true?! Even when the logic driving the redstone wires is in an unloaded chunk, they still retain their on/off state? That opens up some possibilities that I didn't think were possible possibilities before... possibly.
Nice and simple system, btw. I like it.
I'm on the fence on N buttons or lg(N) switches for destination selection.
Yeah, the latches hold the state, and the signal propagates along the wire as you go down the tracks.
Looks like it rotates without any issues at all. From my experiments, it looks like a T-shaped intersection's switch will always connect to the middle track, so the only situation where you might have issues is if you were trying to have a switch in the center of a 4-way intersection. I'm not sure how that would behave, but fortunately have no need for such a setup! :smile.gif:
I've ended up using switches in my first station, which does away with the need for any latches for memory - but I'm not trying to do remote switching in mine, so it doesn't really compare. This is basically the simplest possible destination selection scheme I could come up with. Each destination has a binary number used to select it, and the switches directly affect the indicator lights above them. Getting the signals to travel *down* without crosstalk was the hardest, most space-inefficient thing I had to deal with in this design, and if I'd put any more than three switches up, I would've needed to use a lot (A LOT) more space behind them as well as below.
This is how I connected my buttons so that they were really close together:
Button: Stone: Redstone torch: redstone:
From above:
[]
[]
Side:
And to get things to travel down nicely:
[]
[]
[]
If you have multiple signals next to each other going down, just have every second one facing the other way. I'll get some pictures from the game soon so that you can see what I mean.