Short Circuit
Redstone engineering in Minecraft has always been a delicate balance between creativity and sheer physical space. Massive contraptions require sprawling layouts, careful timing, and a willingness to dedicate entire chunks to logic. The Short Circuit mod changes that philosophy entirely. It introduces a fast, compact, and modular way to design redstone circuits, allowing you to shrink complex builds into a single block while retaining full functionality.
Instead of building a 20-block-long piston extender or a multi-level memory cell, you can now design the logic inside a contained space, then place that logic as a single, reusable block in the world. This is not just about saving space; it is about rethinking how you approach redstone entirely. The mod supports Minecraft versions for modern releases and is available for multiple mod loaders, including Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and Quilt (which uses the Fabric API). Whether you are a technical player or a casual builder, this add-on opens up new possibilities.
Core Items and How They Work
Short Circuit introduces four craftable items that form the foundation of its gameplay: the Circuit, the Poking Stick, the Truth Assigner, and the Labelling Stick. Each has a specific role in creating, configuring, and optimizing your redstone designs.
The Circuit Block
The Circuit item looks like a repeater with green torches. When placed, it appears as a glass block with a carpet inside, representing an uninitialized circuit. To activate it, you need the Poking Stick. Right-click the placed block with the stick, and you will be transported inside the circuit. The interior has six walls, labeled U (up), D (down), L (left), R (right), F (front), and B (back), which correspond to the direction you placed the block. You can mark walls as inputs or outputs by crouch right-clicking them with the Poking Stick. Inputs receive external redstone signals, while outputs send signals from inside the circuit to the world.
Once you have built your internal logic, leave the interior by right-clicking a wall with the Poking Stick. Then, right-click the circuit block with an empty hand. If your design follows the rules, the components you placed inside will appear within the block, and the circuit becomes ready to receive signals. This process is intuitive and encourages experimentation.
Duplication and the Poking Stick
One of the most powerful features is duplication. You can duplicate circuits by right-clicking circuit items on a placed circuit block. This makes it incredibly easy to reuse a design without rebuilding it from scratch. The Poking Stick also has additional uses. Crouch right-clicking a circuit hides its inner components, which is useful when you have many dynamic circuits rendering and want to reduce lag. You can also cycle the exterior size of a circuit between 4 and 256 (powers of 2 only) by right-clicking the stick towards nothing.
The Truth Assigner: Zero-Tick Integrated Circuits
The Truth Assigner, affectionately called the "washing machine," is the heart of Short Circuit's speed. Dynamic circuits, built from standard redstone components, have inherent delay. The Truth Assigner solves this by simulating the circuit and constructing a truth table based on its outputs. The result is an integrated circuit (IC) that operates at zero ticks, meaning it activates instantly from external sources and immediately updates neighbor blocks. This is a game-changer for players who need lightning-fast logic.
However, the Truth Assigner is not always the best choice. You should avoid converting a dynamic circuit to an IC in two main situations. First, if delay is intentional in your design, an IC removes it entirely. Second, if your circuit contains a memory component, such as a copper bulb that changes state based on inputs, the conversion will not preserve that behavior correctly. Understanding these limitations is key to using the tool effectively.
Configuring the Truth Assigner
To get the correct IC, you must configure the Truth Assigner. The first field sets the maximum delay in game ticks per second. If the output does not change after this delay, it is forcefully recorded. The record mode toggles between "First Change" and "Full Delay." "First Change" records the output as soon as any output changes, while "Full Delay" waits the entire duration. The bit button cycles between 4, 2, and 1-bit modes. Since redstone signals range from 0 to 15, a 4-bit representation is standard. However, simulating all possible combinations can be slow. For example, a 3-input circuit at 4-bit takes 16x16x16, or 4096, iterations, which can take over three minutes even with a 1-tick max delay. Using 2-bit reduces that to 64 iterations, and 1-bit to just 8. If your circuit does not depend on signal strength, consider using 1 or 2-bit for faster results.
Integrated circuits can also be duplicated just like dynamic ones. Any circuit item can switch between dynamic and integrated forms, giving you flexibility in how you deploy your designs.
Labelling Stick and Visual Clarity
The Labelling Stick is a simple but essential tool for managing multiple circuits. Since all integrated circuits share the exact same model, distinguishing between them can be difficult. Right-clicking a circuit block cycles through the 16 dye colors, while crouch right-clicking cycles in reverse. This color-coding system is invaluable for complex projects with many different functions. You can also use the stick on walls inside the circuit to toggle annotations, helping you document your builds.
For players looking to expand their toolkit, the foxygame.net launcher offers a seamless way to manage add-ons. It provides one-click installation for mods like Short Circuit, ensuring you get the correct version for your loader without manual setup. The launcher also includes an add-on catalog and auto-updates, so you always have the latest features and version compatibility handled for you.
Known Issues and Reporting Bugs
No mod is without its quirks. The integrated circuit block model can be used to see through the world when MoreCulling is used. Additionally, integrated circuits cannot output directly to the walls of circuits. If you encounter unintended behavior, the developer encourages you to report bugs on the GitHub issues tab. To make fixes easier, try creating variations of the buggy circuit, such as swapping component order or changing input/output sides. Duplicate the circuit and place multiple copies to see if they all fail. If you confirm a consistent issue, include the circuit in your bug report.
Inspiration and Design Philosophy
Short Circuit draws inspiration from the Compact Machines mod and real-world computer engineering. Compact Machines allows players to create single blocks that house a larger interior volume, passing items, fluids, and energy through the sides. Short Circuit applies this concept to redstone. In real circuit design, complex systems are built from smaller, simpler components. A 1-bit full adder uses XOR, AND, and OR gates. An arithmetic logic unit combines logic gates, adders, and multiplexers. A CPU integrates memory and registers. Short Circuit aims to bring this hierarchical design philosophy to Minecraft, squashing circuits into one block and making them cloneable for reuse.
Getting Started with Short Circuit
To begin, you will need to download Short Circuit from Modrinth or CurseForge. The mod supports multiple loaders, so choose the version that matches your setup. If you prefer to build from source, you can use JDK 21 and run the Gradle build commands provided in the repository. The compiled files will be output in the loader-specific build directories.
For installation, the process is straightforward. Place the mod file in your mods folder, ensure you have the correct loader installed, and launch the game. If you are unsure about how to install, many launchers provide guidance. The foxygame.net launcher simplifies this further by offering a curated mod catalog and direct installation, so you can get Short Circuit for Minecraft running in minutes without manual file management.
Once installed, craft the four items and start experimenting. Begin with a simple circuit, like an AND gate, to understand the workflow. Then move on to more complex designs, such as a full adder or a memory cell. The ability to duplicate and color-code circuits makes large projects manageable, and the Truth Assigner ensures your logic runs at maximum speed.
Short Circuit is a powerful addition to any redstone engineer's toolkit. It reduces clutter, improves performance, and encourages modular thinking. Whether you are building a compact ALU or just want to tidy up your base, this mod delivers on its promise of fast, compact, and modular circuit design. Support the developer on Ko-fi if you find the project valuable, and happy building.