Many components, and thereby entire builds, can be activated and deactivated with Redstone, which is like Minecraft's version of electricity. Several power sources are available with different properties.
Redstone Blocks give off a constant signal to all sides, including the block underneath.
Honorary mention: Redstone Lamps give off light while powered. This is not a power source, but it was useful to be included to visualize power.
Levers provide constant power to the block they are placed on when flicked, and unpower it when flicked again.
Buttons, when pressed, briefly provide power to the block they are placed on and then turn off again automatically. The duration of the signal is 1 or 1.5 seconds depending on the material of the button.
Signals can be carried by wires of Redstone Dust. This reduces to signal strength for every block it travels until it peters out after 15 blocks.
Repeaters can boost a weakened incoming signal to maximum strength again, also adding a delay of 0.1 to 0.4 seconds between receiving/losing input and turning the output on/off.
Most other blocks, like wood and stone types, can also be turned into a power source like a temporary Redstone Block by activating a lever or button placed on it, or leading a turned on repeated into it.
Redstone Torches also provide constant power, but can be turned off by powering the block they are attached to. Also, unlike other sources, they don't power that block or the one below it.
Copper Bulbs are both a light source and power source, that turn on when they are powered once and stay on when they are unpowered. When they are powered again, they turn off and stay off until the power turns off and on again.
This kind of posts is a bit of an experiment. Please let me know if you found it interesting and would like to see more of these or whether my time is better spent showing results rather than explanations.
