REDSTONEPEDIA › Circuits › Delays
Delay (delay line)
5-tick delay · 11 blocks
Whatever goes into the input comes out 5 ticks (0.25 s) later, every pulse the same length.
needs an input of at least 6 ticks (0.3 s) · made of redstone block, repeater, sticky piston · fits in 6×4×3
Every size 9
The best design for each size: pick one to see it.
| size | blocks | numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 2 ticks (0.1 s) | 2 blocks | needs an input of at least 2 ticks (0.1 s) · two pulses 2 ticks (0.1 s) apart stay separate |
| 4 ticks (0.2 s) | 2 blocks | needs an input of at least 4 ticks (0.2 s) · two pulses 4 ticks (0.2 s) apart stay separate |
| 5 ticks (0.25 s) (this page) | 11 blocks | needs an input of at least 6 ticks (0.3 s) · two pulses 5 ticks (0.25 s) apart stay separate |
| 6 ticks (0.3 s) | 2 blocks | needs an input of at least 6 ticks (0.3 s) · two pulses 6 ticks (0.3 s) apart stay separate |
| 7 ticks (0.35 s) | 10 blocks | needs an input of at least 6 ticks (0.3 s) · two pulses 5 ticks (0.25 s) apart stay separate |
| 8 ticks (0.4 s) | 2 blocks | needs an input of at least 8 ticks (0.4 s) · two pulses 8 ticks (0.4 s) apart stay separate |
| 9 ticks (0.45 s) | 10 blocks | needs an input of at least 6 ticks (0.3 s) · two pulses 5 ticks (0.25 s) apart stay separate |
| 11 ticks (0.55 s) | 10 blocks | needs an input of at least 8 ticks (0.4 s) · two pulses 5 ticks (0.25 s) apart stay separate |
| 13 ticks (0.65 s) | 10 blocks | needs an input of at least 10 ticks (0.5 s) · two pulses 8 ticks (0.4 s) apart stay separate |
Try it
Hold IN under the view for a long press, tap it for a short one: the box marked OUT turns red while the output is on. Press play under the view to watch a demo on a loop; touch any other control to take over.
How this design does it: A 5-tick delay in 11 blocks: the signal comes out exactly 5 ticks later on both edges, which a repeater line (even ticks only) cannot do.
Build it
Download .litematic Download the design as text
The .litematic opens in Litematica (Minecraft 26.3): every block of the design in one region. The text file is the same build written as plain text, block by block.
Blocks used: redstone block repeater sticky piston stone
Details: how it works, measurements and properties
In depth
The output is a copy of the input, N = 5 ticks (0.25 s) later: a pulse goes in, the same pulse comes out N later, same length.
Pulses shorter than 6 ticks (0.3 s) get lost. Two pulses closer than 5 ticks (0.25 s) merge.
How to try it
Press play under the view to watch the demo on a loop (the badge reads demo with the step it is on; the same sequence is drawn as a timing diagram below). Touch any control to stop it and try the circuit yourself.
To try it: press and hold the IN button of the bar (or the cell tagged IN) to power that input; a quick tap sends a short 2-tick pulse.
Inputs are tagged in lime; the output is tagged OUT: the redstone lamp in that cell (the view adds it to show the output) lights while the output is on (the output strip by the demo badge shows its last 40 game ticks, 2 seconds). Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom, step one game tick at a time with the step button.
Inputs and output over time
The input follows this schedule (the 3D view's demo plays the same). Lime: an input is on; orange: the output is on (taller = a stronger signal, 1 to 15). Time runs left to right in game ticks (20 ticks = 1 s).
Swipe the diagram sideways: the whole sequence lasts 1104 ticks (55.2 s).
Step by step (18 lines)
in 2 ticks (0.1 s): +4 for 26 <- not handled in 3 ticks (0.15 s): no output <- not handled in 4 ticks (0.2 s): +5 for 29 <- not handled in 5 ticks (0.25 s): no output <- not handled in 6 ticks (0.3 s): +5 for 6 in 8 ticks (0.4 s): +5 for 8 in 10 ticks (0.5 s): +5 for 10 in 15 ticks (0.75 s): +5 for 15 in 20 ticks (1 s): +5 for 20 in 30 ticks (1.5 s): +5 for 30 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 2 ticks (0.1 s): +5 for 20 <- not handled 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 3 ticks (0.15 s): +5 for 20 <- not handled 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 4 ticks (0.2 s): +5 for 20 <- not handled 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 5 ticks (0.25 s): +5 for 20, +30 for 20 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 6 ticks (0.3 s): +5 for 20, +31 for 20 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 8 ticks (0.4 s): +5 for 20, +33 for 20 2 x 20 ticks (1 s), gap 10 ticks (0.5 s): +5 for 20, +35 for 20 held 200 ticks (10 s): +5 for 200
Measurements
| metric | value | what it means |
|---|---|---|
| N | 5 ticks (0.25 s) | the delay: how much later the output copies the input |
| min-pulse | 6 ticks (0.3 s) | the shortest input pulse handled correctly (every longer one works too) |
| min-gap | 5 ticks (0.25 s) | the shortest gap between two input pulses that still comes out as two pulses |
Notes from its designer
A 5-tick delay in 11 blocks: the signal comes out exactly 5 ticks later on both edges, which a repeater line (even ticks only) cannot do. The input pushes a redstone block (top left) next to the middle piston and, through a repeater set to 1, makes the piston behind it push a second block next to the same piston from the other side 2 ticks later; the middle piston fires 1 tick after the first block lands (a piston always waits a tick after a block arrives), and the second block keeps it out until 2 ticks after the input falls. It pushes away the redstone block that holds the output piston (top right) extended, so that piston pulls its own block next to the output 5 ticks after the rise; when the middle piston pulls the block back, the output piston waits its tick again and pushes its block away 5 ticks after the fall.
Properties
| Study | Delays |
|---|---|
| Kind | Delay (delay line) |
| Blocks placed | 11 (not counting the input levers or buttons and the lamp the view adds) |
| Box | 6×4×3 (72 blocks of space) |
| Made of (the blocks that change state) | redstone block, repeater, sticky piston |
| Inputs / outputs | IN (repeater) / OUT |
| Design file | delay-odd5 |
The design file
Design file (28 lines)
# Delay: 5-tick delay · 11 blocks # https://vjeux.github.io/redstonepedia/circuits/delay/delay-odd5.html name: delay-odd5 circuit: delay port input: 0 1 0 port output: 4 3 2 origin: 0 0 0 palette: S minecraft:stone R minecraft:repeater[delay=1,facing=north,locked=false,powered=false] E minecraft:sticky_piston[extended=false,facing=east] B minecraft:redstone_block Q minecraft:sticky_piston[extended=true,facing=east] H minecraft:piston_head[facing=east,short=false,type=sticky] layer 0: . S layer 1: . R S layer 2: EB ..EB EB layer 3: . ...QHB