Introduction
Cobblestone. It’s the bedrock, quite literally, of countless Minecraft creations. From humble shelters to towering castles, this unassuming block is an absolute necessity for any aspiring builder or seasoned player. However, the traditional method of obtaining cobblestone – hacking away at stone deep underground – is a time-consuming and frankly, tedious process. Imagine spending hours mining when you could be exploring new biomes, battling monsters, or crafting elaborate contraptions.
That’s where the magic of automation comes in! A fully automatic cobblestone factory is a game-changer, allowing you to passively generate an endless supply of cobblestone without lifting a pickaxe. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the construction of a simple yet highly efficient cobblestone factory designed specifically for Vanilla Minecraft, version fifteen point one. No mods, no complex commands – just pure, unadulterated Minecraft ingenuity.
Why should you build one? Well, besides saving you countless hours of mining, a fully automatic cobblestone factory provides a consistent and reliable source of building materials. This is invaluable for large-scale projects, rapid base expansion, and even trading with villagers. The design we’ll be using is relatively compact, easy to build, and surprisingly productive, making it perfect for players of all skill levels. So, ditch the pickaxe, grab your crafting table, and let’s build a cobblestone empire!
Understanding the Mechanics
Before we dive into the step-by-step construction, it’s crucial to understand the fundamental principle behind our cobblestone factory: the interaction between water and lava. In Minecraft, when water flows onto a lava source block, the two combine to create either cobblestone or stone, depending on the flow. Stone is made if the lava flows into the water, and cobblestone is made if water flows into the lava. The key is to use water flowing into lava, as cobblestone is more useful in construction.
However, simply dumping water on lava isn’t enough. The core challenge is to create a controlled environment where the cobblestone is generated and then efficiently moved out of the way to make room for more. This is where pistons come into play. Pistons are essential to this design, as they will push the created cobblestone away from the water and lava source to allow more to be created.
The redstone circuitry is what allows for the automation of cobblestone creation. Redstone is the electricity of Minecraft, allowing all of the parts of your factory to work together to create a fully automatic cobblestone factory.
Materials List
Here’s a comprehensive list of the materials you’ll need to construct your Vanilla Fully Automatic Cobblestone Factory. Gather everything beforehand to streamline the building process:
Stone Bricks (or any solid block): Around sixty-four blocks should be plenty, used for the structure’s frame.
Pistons: Two regular pistons are the heart of our cobblestone-pushing mechanism.
Water Bucket: One bucket is all you need to start the process.
Lava Bucket: Again, one bucket is enough to create the lava source.
Redstone Dust: Approximately thirty pieces to connect the circuit.
Redstone Repeater: One repeater is used to control the piston timing.
Redstone Torch: One torch is used to power the circuit.
Hopper: One hopper is needed to automatically collect the cobblestone.
Chest: One chest to store the collected cobblestone.
Construction Guide
We will now describe the process of creating your fully automatic cobblestone factory:
Building the Base
Start by building a small platform of Stone Bricks, five blocks long by three blocks wide. This will serve as the foundation for our factory. On one end of the platform, create a small enclosure, leaving one block space between the enclosure and the edge of the platform. Place the lava in this enclosure so that it cannot flow into other parts of your factory. This enclosure will allow you to safely place lava without worrying about it flowing everywhere.
Next, create a trench that flows from one side of the platform to the other. The trench should be one block wide and two blocks deep. Fill this trench with water, making sure that it flows to the other side of the platform. This trench will allow the creation of cobblestone once the circuit is powered.
Placing the Pistons
Place the first piston facing the water in line with where the lava is. This piston will push the cobblestone forward. Place the second piston behind this piston, facing the opposite direction. This piston will push the first piston back into its original position.
Redstone Circuit
The next step is to craft a redstone circuit to power the pistons.
Place a redstone torch on the opposite side of the second piston. This torch will power the second piston. Place redstone dust from the second piston around the platform. This redstone dust will transfer the signal to the first piston. Place a repeater on the redstone dust line near the first piston. This repeater will control the timing of the pistons, making the rate of cobblestone creation consistent.
Connect the redstone dust to the front of the first piston. If done correctly, the redstone torch will power the second piston and the dust will power the first piston. The first piston should push forward and then retract.
Collection System
The final part of the building process is to create a system to collect the cobblestone that is created by the factory.
Place a hopper below the space that cobblestone is being pushed into. Place a chest below the hopper. The cobblestone will be pushed into the space above the hopper, and then the hopper will take the cobblestone into the chest.
Operation and Troubleshooting
So, you’ve built your cobblestone factory – congratulations! Now, let’s get it up and running and address any potential issues you might encounter.
To start the factory, make sure the water is flowing onto the lava. If the redstone circuit is not working, make sure the redstone torch has power. To prime the system, you may need to place a few pieces of cobblestone in front of the piston to begin the process.
If the piston is malfunctioning, ensure that it is powered correctly and the redstone circuit is complete. Check that the piston isn’t obstructed by any blocks. If lava or water is leaking, double-check the boundaries of your structure and repair any gaps. Reassess the placements of the blocks around the lava and water. If the circuit is not working, check the placement of the redstone dust, redstone repeater, and redstone torch. If the factory is not producing cobblestone, ensure that water is flowing onto the lava. If the cobblestone is not being collected, make sure that the hopper is directly beneath the piston and the chest is directly beneath the hopper.
Optimization and Customization
Once you have built your factory, you may want to optimize the factory so that more cobblestone is being created and collected.
To increase cobblestone output, you can modify the timing of the redstone repeater. The speed of the repeater controls the speed of the pistons, making cobblestone faster or slower. You can also expand the factory by creating multiple of these factories. By linking multiple factories together, you can collect even more cobblestone.
You may also want to customize the factory for aesthetic purposes, as factories are not always the most visually appealing. The easiest customization you can make is to build the factory into your base. This hides the factory and allows you to collect resources easier.
Conclusion
And there you have it – a simple, efficient, and fully automatic cobblestone factory built entirely within vanilla fifteen point one Minecraft. This automated system provides a consistent supply of cobblestone for all your building needs. By following this guide, you can spend less time mining and more time focusing on the creative aspects of the game. Don’t hesitate to experiment with the design, add your own customizations, and optimize it for even greater cobblestone production. Cobblestone may be a simple block, but with a little automation, it can become the foundation for your greatest Minecraft adventures!
