Before you read this page, you should first read Redstone Basics.
Redstone can be used to make circuits. These can be as simple as "You must pull two levers to open this door" to an entire fully-functioning computer. This article articulates the basics.
In hardware programming, a gate is a way to take one or more inputs and use those to give one or more outputs. Usually a gate takes in two or more and gives only one.
A NOT gate (AKA inversion, inverter or signal inverter) inverts a single input into a single output. That is to say, it changes a wire's ON signal into an OFF signal, or its OFF signal into an ON signal. This can be simply made with a redstone torch on a block; if the block is powered, the torch is off, else, it's on.
An OR gate (AKA disjunction) takes in two or more inputs and gives a single output, which is only OFF if all the inputs are also OFF.
Symbols[]
OR
∨
|
||
Truth Table[]
2 Inputs
Inputs
Output
A
B
1
1
1
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
3 inputs
Inputs
Output
A
B
C
A OR B OR C
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
AND+NOT equivalent[]
Every gate can be made using only AND andor NOT gates. A OR B is the same as a NOT(NOT(A) AND NOT(B)). This is illustrated to the right in Minecraft gates.
An XOR gate (AKA exclusive OR, exclusive disjunction) takes in two or more inputs and gives a single output, which is only ON when the number of ON inputs is odd.
Symbols[]
XOR
EOR
EXOR
⊻
⊕
^
Truth Tables[]
2 Inputs
Inputs
Output
A
B
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
3 inputs
Inputs
Output
A
B
C
A OR B OR C
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
AND+NOT equivalent[]
Every gate can be made using only AND andor NOT gates. A XOR B is the same as a NOT(NOT(A AND NOT(A AND B)) AND NOT(A AND B) AND B)). This is illustrated to the right in Minecraft gates.
Clocks[]
A clock is any way to repeatedly send an on-and-off signal.
Repeater Clock[]
See AlsoList of Repeater Clocks
This is a clock which takes advantage of the delay and full signal produced by repeaters. These all have variable-length signals, as reducing of increasing the length of the signal is as easy as adding more repeaters or even changing the delay on individual repeaters.
Toggleable[]
A repeater clock can be activated or deactivated by using a sticky piston which inserts or removes a conductive block in place of one of the clock's redstone wires.
Minecart Clock[]
See AlsoList of Minecart Clocks
This is a clock which uses the output of a detector rail when a minecart moves across it. To keep the minecart going, people often use powered rails.