First off, many thanks to AlmtyBob for Bob's Minecart Tutorials and to Necramar for his tutorials. This IS NOT an automated minecart station, although I am currently working on incorporating Necramar's design into it. Carts are launched manually, down a slope and into a two-way booster. It's two-way to make sure that incoming carts can get up the slope.
What the station DOES DO is allow you to enter and then exit seconds later in any of four directions, without ever stopping or even slowing down. The design is four-way symmetrical, except for wiring differences to keep the SouthWest Rule happy and except for the color codes so I can identify which direction is which. I built one corner by hand and then kept cloning it and rotating it in MCEdit.
Here's an aerial shot from MCEdit that should give you a basic feel for the overall design. The pink cubes are actually buttons on the face of the colored cubes:
Blue = North
Grey = South
Green = East
Orange = West
My stations are about 20-30 squares up in the air (haven't counted) for two reasons: One, it keeps the animals off my tracks, and two, it allows me to run my tracks in nice, straight lines (prone to motion sickness). Ground access is through a glass-encased 5X5 spiral staircase in the center of the platform.
Here's a layout from Excel. The shading of the cubes represents different levels.
Excel
I'm not claiming credit for the track layout, as it's rather obvious. What I haven't seen anywhere else is the switch location and use of monostable circuits. Carts come in up one of the four ramps and turn right onto what I call the "racetrack". From there they race around in a counter-clockwise direction, sped along by the four boosters, until the rider hits one of the directional switches, which flips the orientation of the closest T-intersection, sending the cart out the exit. You go out in the direction you were facing when you hit the switch. In the picture above, when the rider, traveling from the upper left by the green button down to the blue button, presses the blue button, the intersection slightly up and to the right of the blue cube will switch, sending the cart out to the right. Here's the "racetrack" from another angle. If the rider hits the blue switch he will go out the exit at the left side of the picture.
And here's a view of the entrance/exit ramp:
You get off at the station by clicking on the platform and waiting for your cart to circle around and hit you, stopping it (but don't stop next to the booster, or if you do, move. It may throw the cart backward out the exit). You depart from the station by manually riding a cart down a ramp.
A few words about the origin of the switches. One of my many previous designs had the north-south and east-west tracks going straight through, in an over-and-under fashion. To exit at the station and change directions, I had a row of toggle switches above the incoming booster track. It was difficult to hit any particular one, but with a whole row, you were bound to hit one. Of course, you then had to go down and manually reset the switch. It was difficult to target any particular switch due to angular momentum. The thought occurred to me that it would be a lot easier to hit the switch if you were going directly at it, and the angle didn't keep changing. In this design you're going down a long straightaway directly toward a switch. It's not going anywhere. It's directly in front of you. It's not your aim that will need practice, but your timing. You need to be close enough, but not too close.
So, a slight amount of practice and you'll be hitting the switch every time. And if you miss? Well, it only takes a few seconds to whip around the track and present you with another opportunity. Those four boosters will keep you going almost indefinitely.
About the switch circuits: You can see a redstone torch on the side of the colored cube, which powers redstone on the block below it, and on down and over. When I was originally designing this I was concerned that there might not be enough time and the track would switch back before I got over to it. However, in testing, that turned out not to be the case. The boosters keep you moving fast enough that it isn't a problem. That said, I like to be on the safe side, and I was already looking ahead to possibly having to make the platform larger to accommodate an automated minecart station, so I elected to go ahead with a redstone circuit called a monostable circuit. The effect is that even though the button pops out and resets, the signal from it is prolonged, as if it had a longer reset time. I used the compact layout shown here:
And here's a picture of one of the circuits in my "belowdecks", which is accessible from the central tower. I've got four repeaters rather than the two in the wiki diagram, but otherwise it's the same. The torch in the foreground is under the South switch, which would turn to the left if unpowered, so we need this torch on to keep it to the right. The circuit in the right background is under the West switch, which goes the way we want without power, so we have an inverter in that circuit to turn the torch off.
Here's the circuit from another angle. The button on the far right block is just for testing the circuit. Our actual power is coming down from a Redstone Torch on the side of the block above the button.
Here's the path of the wiring from that button, There's a Redstone Torch on the far side of the orange cube, which powers Redstone on the cube below it, which has another Redstone Torch on its side, visible in the picture, which powers the visible Redstone futher down, which is on top of the block at the beginning of the circuit with the test button.
The monostable circuit works very nicely. I've been experimenting with their 1X8X3 vertical version, to make room for the automated station, but so far I haven't been able to get it to work. It occurred to me later that I really only need one of these circuits, hooked to all four switches and all four tracks. It doesn't matter if all of the exits open, you're only going to take the one closest to you.
I also have a compact design for tight spaces, with about one-third the footprint of the above station. In this one, the entrance boosters are shoved underneath and the entrance ramps come up INSIDE the racetrack. You don't need the monostable circuit in this version, because the switched intersection is only two squares left of the switch. You could even cut another two rows out in each direction if you could live without the straight "launching square" at the top of the ramp.
I'm enclosing a copy of my test world, which has both stations, and, as a bonus, above and below-ground versions of Necramar's automated station. I haven't improved on his design, but I have compacted it slightly.
Edit 3/19: Made some minor changes to the test world save file
Edit 3/25: The boosters on my compact version turned out to be too short. I had to lengthen them and increase the height of the reset track. I've updated the pic and the world save file.
Edit 4/1: Added video.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to. - J. R. "Bob" Dobbs
This is pretty cool. I'm not sure about designs, though, that require you to hit moving targets like those small buttons. The good news is you can just keep on spinning when you miss, around and around...
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
10/10/2010
Posts:
304
Minecraft:
Jnvn
Member Details
Very simplistic (on the outside) minecart station. A very useful reference for future construction as well.
The 'monostable' delay circuit is beautiful. This save, I shall keep :biggrin.gif:
This is pretty cool. I'm not sure about designs, though, that require you to hit moving targets like those small buttons. The good news is you can just keep on spinning when you miss, around and around...
Actually, it's you that's moving, not the target, but you're right in essence. The main point, though, is that you're going directly at the switch, so there's little targetting involved. Timing is much more important. Click too soon and you're too far away to trigger the button. Wait until you're directly up against it and it also won't fire. But it is easier than you think. I'm old and don't have the reflexes I used to, but within one evening I had progressed to where I almost never miss. And, just like the brass ring on the old merry-go-rounds, you keep getting another shot at it.
Best thing would be to download the world save I included and give it a try. There are two stations there, so you can shuttle back and forth between them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to. - J. R. "Bob" Dobbs
Just curious, but how far apart do you put your stations?
No fixed distance. I build out until I'm over a good spot to use as a base for exploration, then put a station there. If you look at the distance out to the double-booster in the picture above, it's usually between three and six of those lengths. I probably have the boosters closer together than need be, but I like to go as fast as possible, which is one of the reasons I came up with this design in the first place - I don't have to stop to change directions.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to. - J. R. "Bob" Dobbs
First off, many thanks to AlmtyBob for Bob's Minecart Tutorials and to Necramar for his tutorials. This IS NOT an automated minecart station, although I am currently working on incorporating Necramar's design into it. Carts are launched manually, down a slope and into a two-way booster. It's two-way to make sure that incoming carts can get up the slope.
What the station DOES DO is allow you to enter and then exit seconds later in any of four directions, without ever stopping or even slowing down. The design is four-way symmetrical, except for wiring differences to keep the SouthWest Rule happy and except for the color codes so I can identify which direction is which. I built one corner by hand and then kept cloning it and rotating it in MCEdit.
Here's an aerial shot from MCEdit that should give you a basic feel for the overall design. The pink cubes are actually buttons on the face of the colored cubes:
Blue = North
Grey = South
Green = East
Orange = West
My stations are about 20-30 squares up in the air (haven't counted) for two reasons: One, it keeps the animals off my tracks, and two, it allows me to run my tracks in nice, straight lines (prone to motion sickness). Ground access is through a glass-encased 5X5 spiral staircase in the center of the platform.
Here's a layout from Excel. The shading of the cubes represents different levels.
Excel
I'm not claiming credit for the track layout, as it's rather obvious. What I haven't seen anywhere else is the switch location and use of monostable circuits. Carts come in up one of the four ramps and turn right onto what I call the "racetrack". From there they race around in a counter-clockwise direction, sped along by the four boosters, until the rider hits one of the directional switches, which flips the orientation of the closest T-intersection, sending the cart out the exit. You go out in the direction you were facing when you hit the switch. In the picture above, when the rider, traveling from the upper left by the green button down to the blue button, presses the blue button, the intersection slightly up and to the right of the blue cube will switch, sending the cart out to the right. Here's the "racetrack" from another angle. If the rider hits the blue switch he will go out the exit at the left side of the picture.
And here's a view of the entrance/exit ramp:
You get off at the station by clicking on the platform and waiting for your cart to circle around and hit you, stopping it (but don't stop next to the booster, or if you do, move. It may throw the cart backward out the exit). You depart from the station by manually riding a cart down a ramp.
A few words about the origin of the switches. One of my many previous designs had the north-south and east-west tracks going straight through, in an over-and-under fashion. To exit at the station and change directions, I had a row of toggle switches above the incoming booster track. It was difficult to hit any particular one, but with a whole row, you were bound to hit one. Of course, you then had to go down and manually reset the switch. It was difficult to target any particular switch due to angular momentum. The thought occurred to me that it would be a lot easier to hit the switch if you were going directly at it, and the angle didn't keep changing. In this design you're going down a long straightaway directly toward a switch. It's not going anywhere. It's directly in front of you. It's not your aim that will need practice, but your timing. You need to be close enough, but not too close.
So, a slight amount of practice and you'll be hitting the switch every time. And if you miss? Well, it only takes a few seconds to whip around the track and present you with another opportunity. Those four boosters will keep you going almost indefinitely.
About the switch circuits: You can see a redstone torch on the side of the colored cube, which powers redstone on the block below it, and on down and over. When I was originally designing this I was concerned that there might not be enough time and the track would switch back before I got over to it. However, in testing, that turned out not to be the case. The boosters keep you moving fast enough that it isn't a problem. That said, I like to be on the safe side, and I was already looking ahead to possibly having to make the platform larger to accommodate an automated minecart station, so I elected to go ahead with a redstone circuit called a monostable circuit. The effect is that even though the button pops out and resets, the signal from it is prolonged, as if it had a longer reset time. I used the compact layout shown here:
And here's a picture of one of the circuits in my "belowdecks", which is accessible from the central tower. I've got four repeaters rather than the two in the wiki diagram, but otherwise it's the same. The torch in the foreground is under the South switch, which would turn to the left if unpowered, so we need this torch on to keep it to the right. The circuit in the right background is under the West switch, which goes the way we want without power, so we have an inverter in that circuit to turn the torch off.
Here's the circuit from another angle. The button on the far right block is just for testing the circuit. Our actual power is coming down from a Redstone Torch on the side of the block above the button.
Here's the path of the wiring from that button, There's a Redstone Torch on the far side of the orange cube, which powers Redstone on the cube below it, which has another Redstone Torch on its side, visible in the picture, which powers the visible Redstone futher down, which is on top of the block at the beginning of the circuit with the test button.
The monostable circuit works very nicely. I've been experimenting with their 1X8X3 vertical version, to make room for the automated station, but so far I haven't been able to get it to work. It occurred to me later that I really only need one of these circuits, hooked to all four switches and all four tracks. It doesn't matter if all of the exits open, you're only going to take the one closest to you.
I also have a compact design for tight spaces, with about one-third the footprint of the above station. In this one, the entrance boosters are shoved underneath and the entrance ramps come up INSIDE the racetrack. You don't need the monostable circuit in this version, because the switched intersection is only two squares left of the switch. You could even cut another two rows out in each direction if you could live without the straight "launching square" at the top of the ramp.
I'm enclosing a copy of my test world, which has both stations, and, as a bonus, above and below-ground versions of Necramar's automated station. I haven't improved on his design, but I have compacted it slightly.
http://www.mediafire.com/?aj37venyvvl2j30
Edit 3/19: Made some minor changes to the test world save file
Edit 3/25: The boosters on my compact version turned out to be too short. I had to lengthen them and increase the height of the reset track. I've updated the pic and the world save file.
Edit 4/1: Added video.
I'm quite the shady customer.
The 'monostable' delay circuit is beautiful. This save, I shall keep :biggrin.gif:
Have a :GoldBar:.
Actually, it's you that's moving, not the target, but you're right in essence. The main point, though, is that you're going directly at the switch, so there's little targetting involved. Timing is much more important. Click too soon and you're too far away to trigger the button. Wait until you're directly up against it and it also won't fire. But it is easier than you think. I'm old and don't have the reflexes I used to, but within one evening I had progressed to where I almost never miss. And, just like the brass ring on the old merry-go-rounds, you keep getting another shot at it.
Best thing would be to download the world save I included and give it a try. There are two stations there, so you can shuttle back and forth between them.
by c0yote
I tried it with terrible results. I gave my wife my glasses for a second, a creeper showed up and now my wife is pregnant.
Stupid 3D..
No fixed distance. I build out until I'm over a good spot to use as a base for exploration, then put a station there. If you look at the distance out to the double-booster in the picture above, it's usually between three and six of those lengths. I probably have the boosters closer together than need be, but I like to go as fast as possible, which is one of the reasons I came up with this design in the first place - I don't have to stop to change directions.