Let's say I have variable number (minimum 4 to maximum 7) of blocks positioned vertically:
(B)
(B)
(B)
B
B
B
- B
What's the most efficient way to have them put horizontally like this (using a lever to turn it on and then off), without sticky pistons and make this process being able to be replicated all over again without manual intervention (other than activate the lever)?
- (B) (B) (B) B B B B
(Notice that the two - define the same level)
Well in fact that's not so complicated when you think about it. Do you want to make it reversible ? You just have to create a clock with redstone. Do you want to do it in smp or single player mode ? Because I think in smp clocks are still buggy.
This is how you could do that :
|----------[P]
| [B] <- Block creation here ? (Such as cobblestone ?)
| [B]
| [B]
| [B]
| [B]
| [B]
[Clock System]-[P][B][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][P] <- Optional
[Ground]|---------[P] <- Optional
So here you'll have to put some switches nearly everywhere you need to (I'm lazy and that would be complicated to draw on this schematic). The left and upper pistons ([P]) are used to make those blocks horizontal, and the lower one and right one to make them back to vertical, so you'll have to : When you want to make them horizontal, activate the up and left pistons (connected to the clock), and vice versa when you want to make them vertical.
I may be wrong but that's how I would do that. Though maybe you should only put 6 blocks, because of the 7 block limit with pistons. Try and tell us if it works.
By the way if you don't want this to be inverted, just remove the right and lower pistons. That will only do vertical -> horizontal and not the reverse system.
If you told me exactly what you want to do with that I could help you a bit more than that. This technique is used a lot to make cobblestones farm. When you dig the last block of the horizontal line, another block is created and is pushed. Notice that this system will take some time and work block by block. I don't think there is a system that is faster and without using a clock (unless you want it to be manual)
Here is the link for the clock system : Clocks with repeater/pistons
I don't believe this is possible in vanilla minecraft.
You can move a set of vertical blocks to being horizontal by replacing them with other blocks (which will still be vertical).
Here's a basic mockup, using sand and a gravity feed for the replacement blocks:
B - a block that you want to move
P - a piston
S - a replacement block of sand or gravel
S
S
S
S
S
S
P S
BSSP
B
B
B
B
B
BP
The process goes like this: first the bottom piston should push a block to the left, and retract. Then the top piston pushes a block down and retracts. Finally, the top right piston pushes a block of sand left and retracts.
The replacement blocks are necessary because the top piston has to be able to push the blocks down, and it can't push air. This mockup uses sand because you can feed in blocks of sand using nothing but gravity, so it makes the process simpler.
If you leave a seven block pit below the set of blocks that you want to make horizontal, you can have the sand drop out of view as soon as the other blocks have been made horizontal, though I'm not sure how much that would do visually, given that you'd still likely have the pistons and sand feed system visible.
To implement this simple example, you'd need a short-pulse clock connected to the three pistons, with appropriate delays to ensure they fire in the correct order, and a switch to control when the process starts.
