What is Activator Rail in Minecraft?
An activator rail is a special type of railway track used in redstone contraptions. Unlike a powered rail that speeds up a minecart, an activator rail does not affect a minecart's speed at all. Instead, when a minecart rolls over a powered activator rail, it triggers a special effect. For example, if a player or a mob is riding in the minecart, they will be gently pushed out of it. If the minecart is a minecart with TNT, the TNT will be armed and ready to explode. This makes activator rails essential for creating automated systems, like drop off stations where you automatically exit a cart, or for building advanced redstone devices like TNT dupers or bombing machines. It looks similar to a detector rail but has a different, more complex redstone pattern on its surface.
How to get Activator Rail in Minecraft
Activator rails cannot be found naturally in the world; you must craft them yourself. To do this, you will need a few different materials: iron ingots, sticks, and a redstone torch. First, you need to gather iron ore, which is commonly found underground. Smelt the iron ore in a furnace to get iron ingots. You will need six iron ingots for this recipe. Next, you will need sticks, which you can easily craft from any type of wood planks. You will need two sticks. Finally, you need one redstone torch, which is crafted using one stick and one piece of redstone dust. Redstone dust is also found deep underground. Once you have all the ingredients, open a crafting table. Place the six iron ingots in two vertical columns on the left and right sides. Place the redstone torch in the center, with one stick above it and one stick below it. This recipe will yield six activator rails, ready for your next redstone project.
How to use Activator Rail in Minecraft
The main use for an activator rail is in redstone systems involving minecarts. To make it work, you must power it with a redstone signal, like a redstone torch, a lever, or a block of redstone. When a minecart passes over the powered rail, its special function activates. If a minecart with a player or any mob inside it goes over the rail, that entity will be dismounted from the cart. This is perfect for creating automatic arrival stations for your railway network. Another key use involves a minecart with TNT. Running a TNT minecart over a powered activator rail will light its fuse. It will then explode after a few seconds. This is used in mining operations and certain advanced redstone machines. An activator rail can also trigger a minecart with a command block to run its command. It is a very specific but powerful tool for anyone looking to automate processes in their world.
How to craft Activator Rail in Minecraft
Crafting Table
6What can Activator Rail make in Minecraft
No items can be crafted.