This tutorial is an excerpt from one of our newest books - the Minecraft: Guide to Redstone. It's jam-packed full of tips, tricks and step-by-step guides to brilliant redstone contraptions. It also looks rather pretty. You should check it out!

We’re going to use the piston clock circuit as the basis for a handy mob farm, which lures in sunlight-hating mobs. It uses some of the outer loops of the piston clock to initiate different parts of the trap, and collect all the drops in easily accessible chests.

1. Start by digging a 2 x 2 ditch for the piston clock, then place a redstone torch in each of the spaces.

2. Add a piston on each side of the ditch, facing the torches below. You'll need to place a single block to start the circuit, but do this at the end so it doesn't affect your build.

3. Now add the outer loops of the piston clock. For each loop, place a repeater facing into the side of the piston, then place redstone from the back of the repeater to the edge of the ditch.

4. Add another redstone dust beside one loop, then build a redstone ladder by placing slabs and adding redstone on top. You may need to place solid blocks first to place each slab in the top of the block space.

5. Now build a platform from solid blocks, one block higher than your highest slab. It should be six blocks long by six blocks wide.

6. Leave a one-block border around the platform, then place a solid block in each corner, and place a large chest in the spaces between each block.

7. Place a dropper on top of each block, so there is a dropper facing each of the chests. Now place a hopper directly in front of every dropper. You'll need to sneak while placing the hoppers on the chests.

8. Now build a 6 x 6 ring in the block space above the droppers and hoppers. It should be the same size as the platform you built in step 5.

9. Fill the gaps in the ring with more hoppers. One hopper should feed directly into each of the droppers below, and the output tubes of other hoppers should feed into the ones above the droppers. You'll need to sneak when placing these as well.

10. Add a row of dispensers facing the hoppers. Extend your current redstone ladder to the new platform, and use a repeater to strengthen the signal. Then loop redstone around the outer hoppers and on top of the dispensers. When the circuit is finished, you’ll have to fill each of the dispensers with fire charges to defeat the trapped mobs.

11. Create a second redstone ladder leading from another loop of the piston clock. It should be two slabs taller than the first redstone ladder.

12. Build a new platform, two blocks higher than the current floor, so it's a block higher than the top slab in your new redstone ladder. Destroy the blocks one block away from the edge to create a small ring.

13. Place trapdoors in the block spaces, and add a loop of redstone around it. You’ll need to place a pair of repeaters in the loop facing in the same direction a few blocks apart, as the signal will be at its weakest when it reaches this height. Now add the solid block on top of a redstone torch in the piston clock.

14. Now to lure in mobs, build a platform three block spaces above the trapdoors. This will provide shelter from the light, so mobs will hide there, drop through the trapdoors, get pelted with fire charges and drop their items when they die. The items will siphon down into the hoppers, and end up in the chests for you to collect.

The Minecraft: Guide to Redstone is available to buy right now - and it looks a lot nicer in print than it does on the site. Download the pdf of this tutorial below for proof!