~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3D redstone -- Redstone pipes.
Observations and suggestions are welcome.
If you can think of a better name for any of the components, let me know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This scheme would include the addition of 3 new blocks to the game. Those blocks are:
-A redstone pipe block that carries a redstone signal and can connect to any of its 6 neighboring blocks along the 3 main axes.
-A repeater block which can connect two redstone pipe blocks and repeats the input from one of those blocks to the other depending on its facing.
-A negator block which does the same as the repeater but inverts the content of the signal.
Advantages of this system compared to the existing redstone wiring
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3-dimensionality obviously, because all of these components can be connected to any neighboring block along any axis.
Compactness! Redstone pipelines can be placed directly adjacent to other pipelines with no risk of an accidental short-circuit. No insulating blocks are required.
Redstone pipe blocks and how junctions are created between them.
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A signal will only pass between two adjacent redstone pipe blocks if a junction connects them. A junction can connect any redstone pipe block to any other redstone pipe block that is adjacent to it (whether the other block is to the side, above, or below).
When a player places a new redstone pipe block, the new block will automatically connect via a junction to an adjacent redstone pipe block IF the adjacent block was the last block the player had placed before the new one.
A junction can be created between any two existing, adjacent redstone pipe blocks. To do so, a player holds a redstone torch in their hand and first left-clicks on one block, and then left-clicks on the other block in a consecutive manner. A junction will then be created between those two redstone pipe blocks and signals can then pass between them.
A junction can be destroyed in the same fashion. A player equips a redstone torch in their hand and left clicks on any two adjacent redstone pipe blocks that are already connected by a junction. The previously existing junction between those two blocks will be destroyed and no signal will pass between the two blocks (even though they are still adjacent to each other).
Unequipping the redstone torch will cancel a half-way-through formation or destruction of a junction.
Repeater and Negator blocks
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Repeater and Negator blocks behave in nearly the same way as the redstone torch and the redstone repeater blocks that already exist in the game, with a few exceptions..
Repeater and Negator blocks can face any of the 6 directions that align with the 3 main axes of the game. They will always face the player when they are created. (Their facing could be inverted if placed whilst the shift button is held down).
They will automatically connect to any two adjacent redstone pipe blocks if those blocks are located either in the direction the repeater/negator block is facing, or in the opposite direction.
Both the repeater and negator blocks act as one way valves. They take an input signal from their back side and output that signal to their front side. The negator inverts the content of the signal obviously.
An adjustable signal-propagation delay mechanism could be built in to both the repeater and negator blocks. (such as the existing redstone repeater already has).
Connecting to the outside world
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Redstone pipelines must be able to exchange signals with the rest of the world in order to be of any use.
If a Repeater or Negator block is adjacent to and directly facing a non- redstone pipe block, it will propagate a signal it to that block.
If a Repeater or Negator block is adjacent to and directly facing away from a non-redstone pipe block, it will receive a signal from that block.
I suppose it should be possible to form a junction between redstone pipes and other kinds of blocks, but I'm not sure if is neccessary. Using the repeater and negator blocks for that purpose may be enough. On reflection I realized that it would be very useful to be able to connect redstone pipes directly to ther kinds of blocks when there might be insufficient space to use a repeater or negator.
Technical notes
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Only 3 bits would be needed for each redstone pipe block to store its connections to its neighbors.
Actually now that I think about it, the redstone pipes couldn't form junctions with non redstone pipe blocks unless they used 6 bits to store their junction data. So I guess repeater and negator blocks would be required to connect a redstone system to the outside world. UNLESS there were multiple redstone pipe blocks for different kinds of junctions.
3D redstone -- Redstone pipes.
Observations and suggestions are welcome.
If you can think of a better name for any of the components, let me know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This scheme would include the addition of 3 new blocks to the game. Those blocks are:
-A redstone pipe block that carries a redstone signal and can connect to any of its 6 neighboring blocks along the 3 main axes.
-A repeater block which can connect two redstone pipe blocks and repeats the input from one of those blocks to the other depending on its facing.
-A negator block which does the same as the repeater but inverts the content of the signal.
Advantages of this system compared to the existing redstone wiring
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-dimensionality obviously, because all of these components can be connected to any neighboring block along any axis.
Compactness! Redstone pipelines can be placed directly adjacent to other pipelines with no risk of an accidental short-circuit. No insulating blocks are required.
Redstone pipe blocks and how junctions are created between them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A signal will only pass between two adjacent redstone pipe blocks if a junction connects them. A junction can connect any redstone pipe block to any other redstone pipe block that is adjacent to it (whether the other block is to the side, above, or below).
When a player places a new redstone pipe block, the new block will automatically connect via a junction to an adjacent redstone pipe block IF the adjacent block was the last block the player had placed before the new one.
A junction can be created between any two existing, adjacent redstone pipe blocks. To do so, a player holds a redstone torch in their hand and first left-clicks on one block, and then left-clicks on the other block in a consecutive manner. A junction will then be created between those two redstone pipe blocks and signals can then pass between them.
A junction can be destroyed in the same fashion. A player equips a redstone torch in their hand and left clicks on any two adjacent redstone pipe blocks that are already connected by a junction. The previously existing junction between those two blocks will be destroyed and no signal will pass between the two blocks (even though they are still adjacent to each other).
Unequipping the redstone torch will cancel a half-way-through formation or destruction of a junction.
Repeater and Negator blocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repeater and Negator blocks behave in nearly the same way as the redstone torch and the redstone repeater blocks that already exist in the game, with a few exceptions..
Repeater and Negator blocks can face any of the 6 directions that align with the 3 main axes of the game. They will always face the player when they are created. (Their facing could be inverted if placed whilst the shift button is held down).
They will automatically connect to any two adjacent redstone pipe blocks if those blocks are located either in the direction the repeater/negator block is facing, or in the opposite direction.
Both the repeater and negator blocks act as one way valves. They take an input signal from their back side and output that signal to their front side. The negator inverts the content of the signal obviously.
An adjustable signal-propagation delay mechanism could be built in to both the repeater and negator blocks. (such as the existing redstone repeater already has).
Connecting to the outside world
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redstone pipelines must be able to exchange signals with the rest of the world in order to be of any use.
If a Repeater or Negator block is adjacent to and directly facing a non- redstone pipe block, it will propagate a signal it to that block.
If a Repeater or Negator block is adjacent to and directly facing away from a non-redstone pipe block, it will receive a signal from that block.
I suppose it should be possible to form a junction between redstone pipes and other kinds of blocks,
but I'm not sure if is neccessary. Using the repeater and negator blocks for that purpose may be enough.On reflection I realized that it would be very useful to be able to connect redstone pipes directly to ther kinds of blocks when there might be insufficient space to use a repeater or negator.Technical notes
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Only 3 bits would be needed for each redstone pipe block to store its connections to its neighbors.
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