Although Minecraft is fun all on its own, many players develop new ways to enjoy the game. Some simply create shaders, while others focus more on tweaking the gameplay. Either way, these shaders and mods can breathe some new life into the game we all know and love.
The mods in Minecraft are something truly special. They can add a wide range of features to the game, from silly ones like turning animals into bikes to genuinely useful ones like the BuildCraft mod. BuildCraft lets players use machines for various activities in the game such as mining, crafting, and sorting resources.
One of the most useful BuildCraft machines is probably the Redstone engine. But what does the Minecraft Redstone engine do? How do you make it? Learn how to use a Redstone engine quickly with our tutorial!
How to build a Minecraft Redstone Engine?
The Minecraft Redstone engine recipe is simple. All you need is three wooden planks, two wood gears, a piston, and one piece of glass.
Arrange the three wooden planks in the three top rows. Underneath them, in the second row, is where you should put your piece of glass. Of course, you need to put the glass in the middle. Finally, in the third row, you should put your two wood gears to the sides, with the piston in the middle.
Keep in mind that the recipe will only produce one Redstone engine. If you need more, make sure to get the requisite amount of resources.
How to use a Redstone engine?
The BuildCraft Redstone engine has a few simple uses. When you need to power simple items such as wooden pipes, you can turn to Redstone engines to get the job done. If you need to move a lot of items at once, you’re probably better off using a Stirling or Combustion engine. This is because the Redstone engine is the weakest of the three engines.
For the simplest construction, you only need two things: the engine itself and a Redstone torch. Put them up against simple constructions, and you’ll find they work quite well!
However, keep in mind that Redstone engines cannot power other machines. Again, you’re better off using a Stirling or Combustion engine for that.
What do the colors on a Redstone engine mean?
The Minecraft Redstone engine has four power outputs. Like the other engines, this one also increases the power output through heating up. The hotter the engine runs, the better its power output. The different colors on the Redstone engine indicate its power output.
When it’s blue, that means the Redstone engine produces one energy pulse every 5 seconds. If you convert this into Minecraft Joules, which is the measuring unit for the output power of engines, you get 0.01 Minecraft Joule per tick or MJ/t. This means the engine is at its weakest when it’s glowing blue.
On the other hand, green indicates a slightly higher engine output at 1 energy pulse every 2.5 seconds. This is half the time than when it glows blue! The other two colors are orange and red, with red being the strongest.
Have a look at the full list below:
- Blue: Makes 1 Energy Pulse every 5 seconds (0.01MJ/t).
- Green: Makes 1 Energy Pulse every 2.5 seconds (0.02MJ/t).
- Orange: Makes 1 Energy Pulse every 1.25 seconds (0.04MJ/t).
- Red: Makes 1 Energy Pulse every 0.625 seconds (0.08MJ/t).
- Black: Need to hit it with a wrench.
Can you run a quarry with Redstone engines?
While it is possible to run a quarry with Redstone engines, it is far from effective. According to some estimates, it would take about 40 Redstone engines to power a quarry!
You can run a quarry with any kind of BuildCraft engine, but Steam engines are probably the best.
This is because they’re faster than Redstone engines. Additionally, the chance of a Steam engine exploding (and taking your quarry with it) is a lot lower than with Combustion engines.
Can Redstone engines explode?
Because Minecraft Redstone engines are so weak, there is no risk of them exploding. This is a big contrast to the Combustion engine, which is the strongest engine out of the three. However, because it is so strong, the chance of the engine exploding is very high.
But just because the Combustion engine can explode doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it! In fact, there’s a way to keep it from exploding: by cooling it!
Cooling a Combustion engine is as simple as pumping water into them to keep them from exploding. It’s quite simple but can be tricky if you have a lot of Combustion engines operating at once.
However, cooling a Redstone engine is a bit different.
How to cool a Redstone engine
It’s simple: you don’t!
Redstone engines don’t require cooling because no matter how much they heat up, they cannot explode! The only real way to cool them down is by turning them off. However, Redstone engines are much more effective when they’re running hot. In short, it’s better not to cool them down at all.
Enjoy your Redstone engine without fear of breaking down your entire construction. Now it’s time to create that automated steak machine you’ve always dreamed of!