What do observers do in Minecraft?

Observer blocks are great tools for Minecraft players who enjoy tinkering with redstone, but many are not exactly sure how to use them.

Observers started off as a block only available on Minecraft Windows 10 Edition but were later added to Minecraft Java Edition in Snapshot 16w39a. Observer blocks are a part of the redstone family, being redstone compatible.

Observers send redstone signals whenever a block placed next to it has been altered in some way, including being mined, placed, and so on. They can even detect the age of crops.

Crafting an Observer Block in Minecraft

Crafting an observer block requires blocks that are easily found in mines and one single item from the Nether (Image via Minecraft)

Observers are fairly easy to craft, mainly needing blocks that are easily found in mines and one single item from the Nether. The crafting recipe can be found in the picture above.

Using an Observer Block

The observer block detects each time the lever is switched, sending a signal down the redstone (Image via Minecraft)

Java Edition observers and Windows 10 Edition observers both have slightly different uses.

A simple example of an observer block in use can be found above. In this example, a lever was placed on the observing side of the block. The observer block detects each time the lever is switched, sending a signal down the redstone, which turns on the redstone lamp.

Whenever two observer blocks face each other, they will send continuous pulses of redstone signals. This can be super helpful for players who plan on building redstone clocks.

All redstone designers find great uses out of observers, a seemingly simple block that can be used to create great things.

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