[Video Tutorial] How to build Timer Cascades and Automatic Selectors

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DicemanX

Brain of Cthulhu
This is meant to be a basic tutorial on constructing timer cascades and automatic selectors, both of which have been used in a number of my recent autofarms. Two types of timer cascades are discussed: single pass auto-terminating cascades, and cyclic cascades with a hoik mechanism that can detect which timer pairs are in the ON state to shut off the entire cascade with one lever pull. The automatic selector is a mechanism that can cycle through a number of different outputs by pulling a single lever continuously. I recently used this mechanism in selecting a surface in the underground mob autofarm, but it has many other applications as well.

Note that I do not present the most compact versions possible; instead, I elect to present versions that are easy to understand.


Video:



Timer Cascade Schematics:

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The single pass auto-terminating cascade is on the left. When you pull the lever it starts the cascade, and when the final timer activates, it sends an output signal (represented by the torch) and sends a dummy ghost down the hoik track, hitting a pressure plate along the way that turns off the timer.

The cyclic cascade is on the right. It cycles through the timers in the cascade in cyclic fashion, generating an output with each cycle. The hoik mechanism keeps track of which two timers are in the ON state, and shuts them off if the lever is pulled. The same lever is used to start the cascade by activating a pair of timers.

The cascades can be any length. For instance, the cascades I use in mob farming (see below) are 2 minutes and 20 seconds per cycle by joining 28 5-second timers.


Automatic Selector Schematics:

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The automatic selector uses a hoik track to switch from one surface to the next surface with every pull of the lever. Each lever pull actuates the surface currently in the foreground, and deactuates the next surface. This mechanism can be duplicated to run in the reverse direction by adding a second hoik track running in the opposite direction.


Examples of farms that use these wiring mechanisms:



Temple Autofarm (uses a cyclic timer cascade):



Underground Mob Autofarm (uses a surface selector and a cyclic timer cascade):



Recursive Lunar Event farm (uses three single pass auto-terminating cascades):

 
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@DicemanX Can you make a Stopwatch using the Timer Cascade Plz?

The cyclic cascade already functions as a stopwatch. When you pull the lever to start it, it begins counting off the seconds, and another pull stops the time but retains the spot where the cascade was stopped. This mimicks the pause function of a stopwatch. There is no reset to start though since it wasn't necessary for the builds that have used this cascade in the past, but if a future build requires a reset it can be engineered without much trouble by apprending a global reset track.
 
I think you misunderstood, Using the looping mechanism, is it able to make a stopwatch with a visual display?

The visual display is something separate though. I actually built a digital clock that can function as a stopwatch a while ago:

http://forums.terraria.org/index.ph...t-functions-option-to-set-starting-time.6526/

It's easier to build in 1.3, but it still works perfectly. A pull of a lever starts and stops time, and a pull of several reset levers returns the time back to 0:00:00.
 
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