To keep your automated farms, item movers, and redstone wiring running when no players are nearby, you can convert a standard vanilla Lodestone into an active chunk loader. Because these loaders maintain full entity processing and save directly to disk, your machines will continue operating even after you leave the area or restart the server.
Choosing a Loading Tier
Before placing your block, gather a vanilla Lodestone (crafted from Chiseled Stone Bricks and a Netherite Ingot) along with one activation item based on how wide your build is:
- Iron Ingot: Keeps a single 1×1 chunk loaded.
- Diamond: Keeps a 3×3 chunk grid loaded around the block.
- Netherite Ingot: Keeps a 5×5 chunk grid loaded for large complexes.
Activating and Checking Chunk Borders
1. Place the Lodestone near the center of your farm or redstone contraption.
2. Hold your chosen ingot or diamond in your main hand and right-click the Lodestone.
3. Watch for custom particle effects and a block color tint to confirm the loader is running.
4. Check the on-screen heads-up display and the highlighted chunk boundaries in the world to make sure your entire machine sits inside the active border. If part of a redstone line crosses outside the highlighted boundary, either move the Lodestone closer to the center or right-click it with a higher-tier item to expand the loaded area.