Top 5 Minecraft redstone clock designs

An observer clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)
An observer clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

Redstone clocks are a kind of device in Minecraft. They’re essentially a type of power source that is repeatedly turning on and off. Redstone clocks are a type of redstone circuit. Redstone circuits are devices in Minecraft which can activate or control different mechanisms in the game. They can act in a continuous loop or in response to external stimuli, like an item dropping or a player moving.

Partially because of this, redstone clocks can come in a wide variety of designs and time-frames. They can be as short as just a single tick, as long as 20 minutes, and anywhere in-between. Here’s a list of the top five Minecraft redstone clock designs.


Top 5 Minecraft redstone clock designs

5) Rapid pulsar torch clock

A rapid pulsar torch clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)
A rapid pulsar torch clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

Made of gold blocks, redstone wire, and redstone torches, rapid pulsar torch clocks can be maintained even as their torches burn out. This results in a rapid pulsar signal. They can be a bit unreliable, however, as the signals may be inconsistent.


4) Observer clock

A Minecraft observer clock powering redstone lamps (Image via Minecraft)
A Minecraft observer clock powering redstone lamps (Image via Minecraft)

Observer clocks are simple to make, and Minecraft players can construct one by having two observers observe each other. Observer clocks can be made longer with the addition of repeaters and are able to be switched on or off with a lever or a piston.


3) Single item hopper-loop clock

A hopper loop clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)
A hopper loop clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

For every four ticks, this clock bounces an item between two hoppers. The clock runs while the input is off, and it turns its signal output off as the input turns on. While the pulse is technically only 3.5 ticks long, this can mostly be treated as a simple 4-clock.

Players can also add another comparator to one of the hoppers in order to get another clock signal that’s inverted from the other.


2) Multiplicative hopper clock

An adjustable hopper clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)
An adjustable hopper clock in Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

This Minecraft machine uses a hopper clock to control the flow of the machine’s secondary stages, which produces a very long clock period.


1) Ethiopian hopper clock

An upside-down variant Ethiopian hopper clock (Image via Minecraft)
An upside-down variant Ethiopian hopper clock (Image via Minecraft)

This clock earns its spot at the top of our list because of its wide range of uses. Ethiopian hopper clocks can also generate several useful outputs, including:

  • Clock signals
  • Cycle off-pulse
  • Cycle pulse
  • Half-cycle off-pulse
  • Multi-clock signals

Ethiopian hopper clocks can have a time period ranging from eight ticks to 256 ticks. This can be altered if the player uses a variant of this clock, such as the smoothed or compact Ethiopian hopper clocks.


Minecraft's redstone clocks are a unique and fun part of the game's redstone mechanics.