Real Life Working Redstone From Minecraft

In the game Minecraft, there is a mineral known as redstone. It is extremely fun to use in the game as it allows users to create circuits and inventions. I decided to bring redstone to life using real world materials that closely replicate its attributes in game.

- Copper Powder (this can easily be found on ebay or amazon) (this is the "redstone")

- Arduino (I used this as a power supply but you can use whatever you like depending on the circuit you make) - Jumper Wires (I used this to connect arduino to the copper powder)

- Salt

- Water
- Rubber Gloves (Copper Powder can damage skin)

- Dust Mask (To prevent inhaling copper powder) (i forgot to wear a mask and ended up tasting copper in the back of my throat for a whole day and developed a cough)

Its important to dissolve salt in hot water. I used sea salt, but any salt will suffice. This process is important as it makes the water more conductive. I found what works best is a ratio of 1 part salt and 2 parts water.

This can be a bit difficult. I simply mixed them together on my mat, but you can mix them in a container if you want to place your redstone somewhere later. Start by pouring very small amounts of water onto the copper, for instance if you have 5 parts copper, start by putting 1 part water. The copper powder may reject the water and wont mix together, so what I found is effective is using your hands. Make sure you wear a glove first since copper powder may irritate the skin. Then basically push your hand into the water and copper, trying to press the two together and while pressed down make a circular motion with your hand. Gradually add more small amounts of water until you reach a desired consistency that resembles a paste. If you add too much water you can always use a tissue to soak up any excess.

Once you have mixed the copper powder with salt water you can form it into whatever shapes you like. It is fairly conductive however it can be resistive and may result in some voltage loss. You can use it how you would normally use a wire and connect its ends to whatever you wish. I would not recommend using it with voltages higher than 12 V as it can burn, create small arcs and I believe the fumes it creates are harmful.

I have managed to get it to turn on LEDs and for the PWM signal for a servo. I tried getting it to provide 5 V to a servo but there was too much voltage loss. I connected it to arduino via jumper cables and holding the wire down into the copper powder mix, but you can most likely use tape to hold the wires in contact with the mixture.

You can create almost any circuit you wish with this redstone mixture. I know it doesnt look exactly like it does in the game but it is the most accurate way to create redstone in the real world.