What Alternate Current works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt |
| Minecraft versions | 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2, 1.19.2, 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.21.1, 1.21.8, 26.1, 26.2 |
| Environment | Server |
Alternate Current is a Minecraft Java mod that replaces vanilla's redstone dust update logic with a non-locational algorithm, cutting the block and shape updates a wire sends every time it changes power. It installs server-side (the integrated server covers singleplayer automatically), with Fabric, Quilt, and NeoForge builds current through 26.2 and a Forge build capped at 1.20.4. MIT licensed, with source and an issue tracker on GitHub.
What Alternate Current changes
Vanilla redstone dust recalculates its power level in isolation, so a single wire in a grid can flicker through half a dozen values before settling, and each change fires 42 block and shape updates, many of them duplicates. Alternate Current builds the whole connected network first, finds the wires receiving power from outside it, and spreads that power inward once, so each wire only sets its block state a single time. The redstone lag fix that follows from this is mostly about volume: fewer redundant updates means fewer wasted recalculations across a busy farm or line.
The same rewrite also makes update order direction-based instead of tied to world coordinates, which fixes the long-standing Mojira bug MC-11193 where a redstone network updated its neighbors in a locational, sometimes chaotic order. That is the honest trade-off: a contraption timed around the old locational quirks can behave differently once dust updates in a predictable direction instead. The mod only touches dust. It does nothing for lag coming from hoppers, entity ticking, or other block types.
Installation and loader support
- Fabric, current build mc26.2-1.9.0
- Quilt, current build mc26.2-1.9.0 (shares the Fabric jar)
- NeoForge, current build mc26.2-1.9.0
- Forge, capped at mc1.20-1.7.0, no build past Minecraft 1.20.4
- No required dependencies on any loader
Fabric, Quilt, and NeoForge track the current release closely, so grab whichever jar matches your loader from the Modrinth files page. Forge is the outlier here, stuck two years behind on 1.20.4, so Forge-based modpacks and servers on newer Minecraft versions have to wait or switch loaders for redstone dust optimization. Server owners chasing broader tick lag alongside this mod often pair it with Lithium, which targets general server-side performance rather than dust specifically.
Server-side and singleplayer
Compatibility and version reach
Alongside the mainline loaders, separate Ornithe builds extend Alternate Current's reach back through every major Minecraft release down to alpha a1.0.11, a genuinely unusual range for a redstone mod and mostly relevant to retro modding projects rather than a current server. Redstone technicians who already run Carpet Mod for testing and rule tools can add Alternate Current alongside it without conflicts, since neither changes the other's block behavior.
Downloads are exclusively from Modrinth or CurseForge under the project's own listing. There is no bundled installer and no mirror on MinecraftHub, so grab the jar straight from the source and match it to your loader and Minecraft version before dropping it into the server's mods folder.
Alternate Current mod showcase, redstone dust speed comparison
Questions about Alternate Current.
5 questions
How do I install Alternate Current?
Drop the jar into the mods folder like any Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, or Quilt mod. Because it is server-side, it has to be on the server the world runs on. In singleplayer that means your own install, since the integrated server handles it automatically. A client-only install does nothing on a multiplayer server that does not also run it.
Does Alternate Current work with Fabric?
Yes. Fabric and Quilt builds are current through Minecraft 26.2 (version 1.9.0), published the day before the matching NeoForge build. Forge support stalled earlier, at 1.20.4 on version 1.7.0, so Forge modpacks on newer Minecraft versions cannot use it yet.
Is Alternate Current safe to use on multiplayer servers?
It is a small, focused rewrite of vanilla's own redstone dust logic with no new blocks or items, and it is MIT licensed with source on GitHub. It changes the order dust updates fire in, so test it on a world backup before adding it to a live server with dust-heavy contraptions.
Which Minecraft version does Alternate Current support?
Fabric, Quilt, and NeoForge builds reach the current 26.2 release. Forge stops at 1.20.4. Through the Ornithe loader, separate builds also cover versions back to Minecraft alpha, though those are a niche path for retro modding rather than a live server option.
Does Alternate Current change how redstone works?
It changes redstone dust specifically, not redstone as a whole. Power still spreads the same distance and follows the same rules, but the order in which a wire network updates its neighbors becomes deterministic instead of locational. Dust-based contraptions timed around the old, inconsistent update order can behave differently after installing it, and the mod does nothing for lag from other sources like hoppers or entities.
