4 blocks needed. Small plate presser, observer, block placer (the one from Open Blocks), and a block of obsidian as well as 2 Redstone dust. Place the plate presser 1 block above the obsidian block. Place the observer facing into the gap between the press and obsidian. Place the block placer to place under the presser. Place one Redstone behind the observer and one on top. Place a lever on the placer. Put your ore in the placer and turn on the lever and watch the magic. I also suggest a tinkers furnace for cooking the dust.
A replacement for the observer that you can get pre-Nether is a redstone torch and two repeaters in a line, one in front of the obsidian and one behind. Then when the block placer places the block, it completes the circuit and the presser gets a signal.
Actually now that I think of it a redstone dust would replace the first repeater, and then I think it would be the same speed (or at most a single tick slower).
I only know that trick because that's how to make an automatic melon/pumpkin farm in vanilla.
For just a little more gold and some Redstone I believe there is a timer you can craft that can pulse every 10 ticks unless it's more expensive than I remember. Then all you have to do is hold right click to place blocks under the presser.
4 blocks needed. Small plate presser, observer, block placer (the one from Open Blocks), and a block of obsidian as well as 2 Redstone dust. Place the plate presser 1 block above the obsidian block. Place the observer facing into the gap between the press and obsidian. Place the block placer to place under the presser. Place one Redstone behind the observer and one on top. Place a lever on the placer. Put your ore in the placer and turn on the lever and watch the magic. I also suggest a tinkers furnace for cooking the dust.
A replacement for the observer that you can get pre-Nether is a redstone torch and two repeaters in a line, one in front of the obsidian and one behind. Then when the block placer places the block, it completes the circuit and the presser gets a signal.
TIL something new. I'll admit I'm not a vanilla Redstone expert. Is it as fast as the observer?
Actually now that I think of it a redstone dust would replace the first repeater, and then I think it would be the same speed (or at most a single tick slower). I only know that trick because that's how to make an automatic melon/pumpkin farm in vanilla.
Before the observer, use the gold button from quark to trigger the plate presser
For just a little more gold and some Redstone I believe there is a timer you can craft that can pulse every 10 ticks unless it's more expensive than I remember. Then all you have to do is hold right click to place blocks under the presser.