User:Munin295/Analog circuit

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An analog circuit is a redstone circuit which operates on signal strength.

Analog source[]

An analog source provides a specific analog signal strength to a circuit.

Container Analog Source

1×2×2 (4 block volume)

1-wide, flat, silent

circuit delay: 1 tick

A container and a redstone comparator can produce an analog signal strength dependent on how full the container is. This source is useful for unchanging analog sources within a circuit.

Variations: A solid opaque block can be placed between the container and the comparator. If the block is powered to signal strength 15, the comparator will output 15 instead of measuring the container, providing a fast way to switch signal strengths between two values.

The chest can be replaced with any other container, as well as other blocks which can produce a signal from a comparator. Cakes and cauldrons can be useful as they provide visual feedback of the signal strength they'll produce from a comparator. Droppers can be good choices because their block entity isn't ticked (like furnaces) and they aren't rendered as entities (like chests or trapped chests).

Lever-Dust Analog Source

2×15×2 (60 block volume)

flat, instant, silent

circuit delay: none

Turning on one lever will produce the corresponding signal strength at the output. This analog source is useful for quickly changing the signal strength to test circuits.

Variations: The levers can be moved to attach to the blocks supporting the redstone dust. The levers can be replaced with buttons for a temporary signal, or any other power component.

Item Frame Analog Source

1×3×2 (6 block volume)

1-wide, flat, silent

circuit delay: 1 tick

An item frame containing an item can be used to provide a specific signal strength or a player-adjustable signal strength between 1 and 8.

Frame-Lever Analog Source

4×4×3 (48 block volume)

flat, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks (changing between 0-7 and 8-15) or 3 ticks (changing value by 1)

Outputs a player-adjustable signal strength from 0 to 15. The item frame chooses a value from 0 to 7 and the lever chooses whether to add 8 to the output.

Variations: As long as the block under the lever is powered to strength 15, it can be powered by any method, allowing the lever to be moved to a more convenient location. The torch can be replaced by a full container if inconvenient.

Earliest Known Publication: 26 March 2015^[1]

Analog transmission[]

An analog transmission (aka "hex wire") is a transmission which outputs the same signal strength it receives as input. Because power levels can vary from 0 to 15, an analog transmission can convey 16 states in a single wire.

Analog Comparator Wire

flat, silent

circuit delay: 1 tick per 4 blocks

tl;dr: best option for short distances and tricky turns

The simplest analog wire is a line of redstone comparators. However, like repeaters, comparators can draw a signal from an opaque block and push a signal into an opaque block, thus it is usually more efficient (in resources, and in signal delay) to place comparators every four blocks.

The signal strength of analog comparator wire (ACW) can be reduced or suppressed at some point along its length by feeding another signal into one of the comparators in subtraction mode. The signal can be overridden by feeding a stronger signal into one of the opaque blocks.

Because the redstone dust is not adjacent to any power or transmission components, only opaque blocks, it will not configure itself to point in any particular direction. This will cause the dust to also power any opaque blocks or mechanism components to the side of the analog wire. Power components (buttons, levers, etc.) and transmission components (redstone dust, redstone comparators, etc.) should not be placed adjacent to the wire's dust because that would cause the dust to configure itself in a way where it doesn't power the rest of the analog wire.

Earliest Known Publication: 9 January 2013^[2].

Analog Repeater Wire

flat, silent

circuit delay: 1 tick per 14 blocks

tl;dr: fastest option for long distances

Signal strength can also be retained by using repeaters to repeat every possible signal strength at the correct distance from the output to convey the correct signal strength.

A single segment of analog repeater wire (ARW) consists of exactly 15 repeaters connecting an input line to an output line. To connect multiple segments together without additional comparators, the segments must be arranged so that the output dust of the last repeater is the same as the input dust of the next segment (i.e., block B of the previous segment is block A of the next segment). This causes the segments to overlap in distance by one block and causes each segment to be offset to the side from the previous segment by two blocks.

Variations: To keep the segments in-line, or to turn against the direction the repeaters are facing, raise the final repeater by one block and drop the next segment underneath it.

Another option is to use a comparator and an opaque block between the segments, and alternate the direction the repeaters are facing. This keeps the height to 2 blocks but increases the circuit delay to 2 ticks per 17 block.

Earliest Known Publication: 21 November 2012^[3].

Analog Subtraction Wire

flat, silent

circuit delay: 1 tick per (18-N) blocks (see below for N)

tl;dr: complicated, infrequently useful

If fewer than 15 states need to be transmitted, it may be more efficient to encode those N states in the higher levels of signal strength, and then repeatedly subtract the transmitted value from 15 after (17-N) dust, an even number of times.

Variations: The chests can be replaced with any other full container. The chests can also be replaced with regular power components (redstone torches, powered levers, etc.) if the redstone dust next to them is raised or lowered by one block, or if the subtraction comparator and its power source are moved so that the redstone dust runs straight into the comparator's side with the comparator perpendicular to the line still facing into the same block.

Earliest Known Publication: 26 January 2013^[4]

Vertical analog transmission[]

…

Analog operations[]

… arithmetic, comparison, etc.

Analog Subtraction

Analog MinMax

Analog Equality

1-Detector[]

A 1-detector only outputs a signal when the input has a signal strength of 1 (but not 0, or 2+). This is useful for detecting when an input signal strength has just barely turned on, or – when preceeded by a redstone dust run-out or comparator in subtraction mode – for detecting any specific signal strength.

Subtraction 1-Detector

2×3×2 (12 block volume)

flat, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks

Earliest Known Publication: 23 April 2014^[5]

SiberianHat's 1-Detector

1×4×3 (12 block volume)

1-wide, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks (1 to 2+ or 2+ to 1 transition) or 3 ticks (0 to 1 or 1 to 0 transition)

Earliest Known Publication: 14 October 2014^[6]

Abjunction 1-Detector

1×5×4 (20 block volume)

1-wide, silent

circuit delay: 3 ticks.

Although not tileable, when stacked side-by-side, this circuit can be used to create an analog-to-one-active decoder.

Variations: Two variations are not stackable, but have a shorter circuit delay:

Moved-Block 1-Detector

1×3×4 (12 block volume)

1-wide

circuit delay: instant (1 to 2+ transition), 1 tick (0 to 1 or 1 to 0 transition), or 1.5 ticks (2+ to 1 transition).

Although not tileable, when stacked side-by-side, this circuit can be used to create ananalog-to-one-active decoder.

Analog clock[]

An analog clock is a circuit which repeats a pattern of analog signal strengths.

Regular Analog Clock

3×N×2, flat, silent

clock period: 16 ticks per comparator

This clock produces a regular change in signal strength: each analog output value, from 15 to 0, last for the same duration (1 tick per comparator).

A useful variation is to move the torch back one spot (removing one repeater, and increasing another to 2 ticks to compensate) so that the first comparator only gets powered to power level 14. This produces a clock period of 15 ticks per comparator, which is more useful for producing periods measured in seconds (for example, 30 seconds would be 20 comparators).

Analog memory[]

SR Capacitor

3×4×2 (24 block volume)

flat, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks

Earliest Known Publication: 4 January 2013 (basic concept)^[7] and 6 January 2013 (subtraction refinement)^[8]

Analog Up/Down Counter

2×7×2 (28 blocks)

flat, silent

circuit delay: 4 ticks (up) or 6 ticks (down)

The counter can be reset to 0 or 15 by powering either redstone dust for 4 ticks.

If the inputs don't need to be at the same height as the output, the outer blocks can be removed and the droppers activated by powering the blocks underneath them. If the input pulse is less than 4 ticks, the droppers can be powered directly.

Earliest Known Publication: 5 October 2013^[9]

Analog encoder[]

An analog encoder converts from other encoding types to analog encoding.

Analog decoder[]

An analog decoder converts from analog encoding to another encoding type.

Analog-to-binary decoder[]

An analog-to-binary decoder (a.k.a. "a2b decoder") converts an analog encoding into a binary encoding.

Fast A2B Decoder

12×15×4 (720 block volume)

circuit delay: 2 ticks

This circuit first decodes the analog input into a nearly-one-cold output (see below), and then encodes that to a binary output.

Binary encoding has the property that going from an even value to the next odd value changes only one binary line: the 1-bit. The first section takes advantage of this fact to use the even one-cold output lines to encode the binary output lines for the next odd value as well as their own binary lines. This allows the odd output lines to control only the 1-bit line. The first section also removes the lower repeaters that would suppress the one-cold output lines for values 8, 12, and 14, because the binary output lines they control don't change for greater values (for example, once the input has reached 8, the 8-bit line should be on for all greater values), simplifying the one-cold to binary encoding for higher values.

Earliest Known Publication: 30 January 2014^[10]

Compact A2B Decoder

4×14×2 (112 block volume), flat, silent

circuit delay: 10 ticks

This decoder is slow and its outputs aren't lined up nicely (though it doesn't take too much more space to line them up), but its compactness allows it to be built in bases or other places where space is tight.

The outputs change state one after the other while the computations work their way through the circuit, so it may make sense to suppress the outputs until the calculation has completed.

Analog-to-unary decoder[]

An analog-to-unary decoder (aka "A2U decoder") converts an analog encoding (signal strength) into a unary encoding (N lines on).

Single-spaced A2U Decoder

1×N×2

Double-spaced A2U Decoder

Earliest Known Publication: 21 March 2013^[11]

Analog-to-one-active decoder[]

An analog-to-one-active decoder (aka "A2O decoder") converts an analog encoding into either a one-hot encoding (Nth line on) or one-cold encoding (Nth line off).

All of the decoders below are shown decoding to one-cold encoding, but can easily be changed to one-hot encoding. While one-hot encoding is useful for activating adjacent redstone mechanisms (lamps, dispensers, pistons, etc.), one-cold encoding can often be useful if there are subsequent logic circuits.

ACW Opposed-Power A2O Decoder

3×16×3 (144 block volume)

silent

circuit delay: 3 ticks

Powers a line of 16 redstone dust with a power level equal to the input analog power level from one side, and (15 - input) from the other, leaving only a single dust unpowered.

The decoder transmits the input's power level to both sides simultaneously by taking the input in the middle of the circuit and using the same number of comparators getting to either side (using analog comparator wire), including subtracting it from 15 on one side.

Variations: To change the output from one-cold to one-hot, add torches to the output blocks (adding 1 tick to the circuit delay).

The output can be shortened to display fewer values by reducing the number of items in the subtraction comparator's input container (when shortening the comparator lines, make sure each dust has a comparator before or after it so it doesn't power an adjacent output block, as is purposefully done with the 0 output block).

Earliest Known Publication: 17 March 2013^[12]

ARW Opposed-Power A2O Decoder

6×16×2 (192 block volume)

flat, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks

The ARW decoder transmits the input's power level to both sides simultaneously by using a single segment of analog repeater wire.

Variations: To change the output from one-cold to one-hot, add torches to the blocks the output dust is on (adding 1 tick to the circuit delay).

Earliest Known Publication: 07 June 2013^[13]

Abjunction A2O Decoder

4×16×4 (256 block volume)

silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks

Note: No longer works as of Java Edition 20w18a.

Splits the input signal into two lines of redstone dust, with one line at one less power than the other, and compares the power level of the two lines at each potential input to see where the input's power level drops to 0.

The abjunction ("A AND NOT B") is the final block at each output which combines the negation of its own value's power with the power of the next value (so will only be cold if its own value is powered but the next is not).

Variations: To change the output from one-cold to one-hot, add torches to the output blocks (adding 1 tick to the circuit delay).

Opposed-Power Item Frame Decoder

3×12×2 (72 block volume), not including item frame input

flat, silent

circuit delay: 2 ticks

Powers a line of 8 redstone dust with a power level equal to (input - 1) from one side, and (8 - input) from the other, leaving only a single dust unpowered for a one-cold output.

Because the bottom comparator is in comparison mode, it will never be affected by the dust at its side.

Variations: To change the output from one-cold to one-hot, add torches to blocks the output dust is on (adding 1 tick to the circuit delay).

Earliest Known Publication: 27 January 2014^[14]

References[]