Wondering how to make an observer in Minecraft work?
This article is going to explain the crafting recipe, how observers function or work and what they can detect.
Just to be clear in this article, I will be talking about the observer in the Java edition.
The bedrock edition observer functions a bit different than the one in Java edition.
The observer is a Redstone power component.
What is the Crafting Recipe for Observer?
The crafting recipe for an observer is 6 cobblestone, 1 nether quartz, and 2 Redstone dust.
Observer have to be mined by a pickaxe to drop otherwise they will be destroyed.
How to Make an Observer in Minecraft Work
When the observer is placed it will be facing the direction that you are looking.
The side that detects block states has a face on it.
The back of the observer has a red circle that lights up when it sends a Redstone signal.
The observer can detect another observer it is facing.
If two observers are facing each other, the Redstone signal will bounce back and forth as both will be having block updates.
Observers can detect changes in the block state, breaking a block or placing a block also can detect the age of the crops.
It is a block update when the observer is moved a piston.
When this happens the observer emits a pulse after being pushed or pulled.
The best example of this, is a flying machine in Minecraft.
Two other things about the observer are that they cannot be powered by an external power source nor power themselves with their output.
Whenever the observer detects, it will emit a Redstone signal of 15 which is the highest Redstone signal for 2 game ticks or 1 Redstone tick equal to 0.1 seconds.
The pulse from the observer can power Redstone dust, Redstone repeater, Redstone comparator, or any mechanism components located at its back.
Mechanism components include activator rails, bells, dispensers, doors, dragon head, droppers, fence gate, hopper, note block, piston, powered rail, Redstone lamp, tnt, and a trap door.
The pulse the observer emits will be 1 Redstone tick or 0.1 seconds delay.
This is similar to the Redstone repeater.
What does the Observer Detect in Minecraft Java Edition?
For java edition, these are the block state changes that the observer can detect.
- Changes involving fire example; Liting a block on fire, Ongoing fire, or fire being extinguished.
- If the chest, end chest and shocker box are opened or closed.
- If a hopper is activated or deactivated.
- If dry farmland changes its hydration stage.
- Farmland going from dry to humid.
- Activation and deactivation of dispensers and droppers.
- The spread of grass to dirt or decay of grass into dirt.
- The aging of saplings, sugarcane or fire.
- If a potion is moved in and out of a brewing stand.
- Adding or removing contents of a flower pot.
- When a Redstone repeater’s delay is changed, it is locked by another repeater to its side or by a Redstone comparator.
- Changes in the shape of fences, iron bars, walls, glass planes, stairs, tripwire, vines, melon stems, and pumpkin stems.
- Grass, mycelium, or podzol being covered in snow or removing snow.
- A note being played played.
- Doors opening and closing.
- Tripwire intersecting even if not connected to a tripwire hook.
- Plus all other block state changes and water level changes.
Conclusion
The observer is very useful in Redstone and Redstone circuits, it allows you to create flying machines and automate farms like sugarcane, wool, pumpkin and melon as some examples.
