REDSTONEPEDIA › Circuits › Piston extenders
Piston extender
reach 2 · 8 blocks
Turn the input on and a block is pushed 2 blocks out; turn it off and the block comes back exactly where it was. It goes out in 9 ticks (0.45 s) and comes back in 9 ticks (0.45 s).
fits in 6×2×1
has its own lever11 versions, 2 to 12
Every size 11
The best design for each size: pick one to see it.
| size | blocks | numbers |
|---|---|---|
| reach 2 (this page) | 8 blocks | out in 9 ticks (0.45 s), back in 9 ticks (0.45 s) |
| reach 3 | 18 blocks | out in 27 ticks (1.35 s), back in 27 ticks (1.35 s) |
| reach 4 | 22 blocks | out in 38 ticks (1.9 s), back in 38 ticks (1.9 s) |
| reach 5 | 31 blocks | out in 50 ticks (2.5 s), back in 55 ticks (2.75 s) |
| reach 6 | 37 blocks | out in 59 ticks (2.95 s), back in 63 ticks (3.15 s) |
| reach 7 | 44 blocks | out in 70 ticks (3.5 s), back in 76 ticks (3.8 s) |
| reach 8 | 52 blocks | out in 87 ticks (4.35 s), back in 95 ticks (4.75 s) |
| reach 9 | 59 blocks | out in 94 ticks (4.7 s), back in 104 ticks (5.2 s) |
| reach 10 | 69 blocks | out in 107 ticks (5.35 s), back in 119 ticks (5.95 s) |
| reach 11 | 75 blocks | out in 123 ticks (6.15 s), back in 135 ticks (6.75 s) |
| reach 12 | 82 blocks | out in 127 ticks (6.35 s), back in 145 ticks (7.25 s) |
Try it
Flip the lever marked IN (or tap IN under the view): turn it on and watch the block go 2 blocks out; turn it off and it comes back. Press play under the view to watch a demo on a loop; touch any other control to take over.
How this design does it: Reach 2 in 8 blocks, one block thick: a sticky piston pushes a slime frame carrying a second sticky piston, the block and an observer, and each time the frame lands the observer pulses the second piston for 2 ticks; going out, that pulse makes it push the block one more cell and leave it there; coming back, the frame drags the block back one cell (a slime block sits under it) and the pulse pulls it the rest of the way home.
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: gold block observer slime block sticky piston
Safe to flip back any time, 2 blocks bigger: Piston extender: reach 2 · 10 blocks.
Details: how it works, measurements and properties
In depth
Turning the input on pushes a block 2 cells out of the machine; turning it off brings the block back exactly where it was, with nothing left behind. A plain piston only reaches 1.
Extending takes 9 ticks (0.45 s), retracting 9 ticks (0.45 s).
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: click the lever tagged IN (or the IN button of the bar) to switch it on or off.
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). Blue: where the pushed block is, 0 = home, up to N = fully out (the dashed line); it must reach N while the input is on and come all the way back. Time runs left to right in game ticks (20 ticks = 1 s).
Swipe the diagram sideways: the whole sequence lasts 962 ticks (48.1 s).
PAYLOAD: out to N = 2 in 9 ticks (0.45 s), back in 9 ticks (0.45 s).
Step by step (5 lines)
cycle 1: extended at +9 ticks (0.45 s), restored 9 ticks (0.45 s) after the off edge cycle 2: extended at +9 ticks (0.45 s), restored 9 ticks (0.45 s) after the off edge cycle 3: extended at +9 ticks (0.45 s), restored 9 ticks (0.45 s) after the off edge flip 8: on 8 ticks (0.4 s) then off: the rest state does not come back (left: [4, 1, 0] sticky_piston[extended=false,facing=east], [5, 1, 0] gold_block) after flips: a full cycle fails
Measurements
| metric | value | what it means |
|---|---|---|
| N | 2 | the reach: how many cells the block is pushed out |
| extend | 9 ticks (0.45 s) | game ticks from switching the input on until the block is fully out |
| retract | 9 ticks (0.45 s) | game ticks from switching the input off until the block is back |
Notes from its designer
Reach 2 in 8 blocks, one block thick: a sticky piston pushes a slime frame carrying a second sticky piston, the block and an observer, and each time the frame lands the observer pulses the second piston for 2 ticks; going out, that pulse makes it push the block one more cell and leave it there; coming back, the frame drags the block back one cell (a slime block sits under it) and the pulse pulls it the rest of the way home.
Properties
| Study | Piston extenders |
|---|---|
| Kind | Piston extender |
| Blocks placed | 8 |
| Box | 6×2×1 (12 blocks of space) |
| Made of (the blocks that change state) | gold block, observer, slime block, sticky piston |
| Inputs / outputs | IN (lever) (no output: it moves blocks) |
| Flags | its own lever as the input, several versions of one mechanism |
| Design file | pext-n2-rider-flat |
The design file
Design file (18 lines)
# Piston extender: reach 2 · 8 blocks # https://vjeux.github.io/redstonepedia/circuits/pext/pext-n2-rider-flat.html name: pext-n2-rider-flat circuit: piston-extender 2 travel: 1 0 0 port input: 0 0 0 lever port payload: 4 1 0 palette: L minecraft:lever[face=wall,facing=west] A minecraft:sticky_piston[facing=east] S minecraft:slime_block O minecraft:observer[facing=west] B minecraft:sticky_piston[facing=east] G minecraft:gold_block layer 0: LASSSS layer 1: ..OBG.