Pistons allow you to make a "door" with almost any solid block in the game. Thanks to them you can also build much larger entrances than normal doors, such as the 2x3 structure described in this guide. Once the connections with the red stone are completed, your door will open faster than you can say "Open Sesame!".
Pistons are not available in the Minecraft Pocket Edition.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Building the Frame
Step 1. Gather the materials
Read the Things You Will Need section to find the complete list of materials needed for the project. If you're not sure how to get them, refer to these recipes:
- Sticky plunger = plunger + slime ball
- Red stone torch = red stone + stick
- Press plate = stone + stone (melt crushed stone to make stone)
- Lever = crushed stone + stick
Step 2. Make a 2x3 stone structure
Place six stone blocks in a rectangle, two blocks wide and three blocks high. This will be the "door" that will disappear to let you through.
You can use almost any solid block instead of stone. There are some blocks that don't work with sticky pistons, like pumpkins or (in Creative mode) the mother stone
Step 3. Attach adhesive plungers to this structure on both sides
Place a column of three pistons with the green side facing the left side of the stone structure. Leave a block of space between the stone and the pistons. Repeat with another column of three pistons from the right side.
The pistons must be on the right and left side of the door, not in front and behind. All the blocks you placed should be in one row
Step 4. Place a redstone torch behind each column of sticky pistons
It must be on the ground, directly behind the stone side of the lower piston. Repeat for the column on the other side as well.
The two lower pistons of the columns should extend and engage with the stone structure
Step 5. Place some stone and red stone on top of the torch
To operate the tallest piston, place a stone block directly above the redstone torch (behind the center piston). Place some redstone dust directly above this block. Repeat for the other column as well.
- Again, you can replace the stone with any solid material.
- Red stone "dust" is nothing more than a slang term for red stone placed on a block.
Part 2 of 3: Making the Door Automatic
Step 1. Dig a trench four blocks deep in front of the door
It must be two blocks long and reach both redstone torches in width. Final dimensions should be 4 x 2 x 8.
Step 2. Place more redstone torches under the first pair
Go down to the bottom of the trench and face the wall under the door. Dig the two blocks under the first redstone torches and add two more torches into these holes. The pistons should retract, dragging the stone blocks with them. A side view of the two columns should now look like this, top to bottom:
- Red stone dust
- Stone
- Redstone Torch (placed on the ground)
- Ground block (surface level)
- Redstone Torch (placed on the block below)
- Ground block
- Bottom of the trench
Step 3. Place a layer of stone in the trench directly in front of the door
Place four stone blocks in the center of the trench, raising it one level. Leave the rest of the pit at its current depth.
Step 4. Place redstone torches on both sides of the layer you just added
Put one on the left and one on the right. These torches must be on the sides of the blocks and not on the ground.
Step 5. Cover the trench with red stone
Draw a circuit of redstone dust between the two torches on the left side. The pistons should unfold again when you are done. Repeat for the two torches on the right side as well. Finish the job by covering all four blocks of the elevated area with red stone dust.
Step 6. Create a platform in front of the door
Place a 2x2 square of stone at surface level in front of the door, directly above the elevated sector of the trench.
Be careful not to destroy any redstone circuits when placing these blocks
Step 7. Put pressure plates on the platform
Two are enough. When you walk on these devices, the red stone will activate and the pistons will retract. The door will open and will not close until you step off the plates.
- Be careful when walking through the door. If you take too long, the stone blocks will close and crush you.
- If the door does not open, check that the redstone circuits are intact and that the torches are in the desired position.
Part 3 of 3: Build a Two Way Door That Can Lock
Step 1. Dig a tunnel under the door
Make your way to the raised platform in the center of your trench. Dig a tunnel under the door, which goes two blocks past it. The tunnel should be two blocks wide and directly under the stone door. The ground must be level with the raised platform.
Step 2. Cover the gallery floor with red stone dust
Make sure the circuit is connected to the rest of the red stone.
Step 3. Place pressure plates above the tunnel at surface level
Come back to the surface. Place the pressure plates two boxes in front of the door, directly above the underground red stone. When you walk on the pressure plates, the door should open, just like it does on the other side.
Step 4. Place a lever next to the red stone on the inside
Your door now works perfectly. However, any wandering monster can walk on the pressure plates and open it. By adding a lever you can lock the mechanism:
Place a lever on the surface, wherever you like. If you want to be able to open the door from both sides, open a hole in the wall and place the lever there
Step 5. Place more redstone powder to connect the circuit to the left of the trench to the lever
Place another redstone circuit to connect the dust to the right of the trench to the lever
Step 6. Test the lever
Right click on it and try walking on the pressure plates. Right click again and try again. The doors should only open when the lever is in the "open" position. If the system fails, examine the redstone circuit leading to the lever:
- Redstone circuits can only climb one block at a time. Place the "ladder" blocks to make the circuit rise from the base of the trench.
- If the redstone closest to the lever is dark (not powered), remove a redstone square that was powered at an earlier point in the circuit. Replace it with a redstone repeater to boost the signal. Make sure you orient the repeater so that its front faces the direction you want to send the signal.
Step 7. Cover the mechanism
Your door should now be fully functional. Cover all the circuits with blocks of your choice. Make sure all redstone circuits are exposed to the air, or they won't work.
