Mechanical Signs: Colored Signs That Power Redstone Based on Text (Java)

Problem
The signs are purely decorative. Redstoners are forced to place levers and buttons nearby in order to do anything useful.

Solution
Add mechanical signs: a painted sign with text emits a redstone signal.

Rules:

Empty or unpainted — decoration, no signal.

Painted with text — emits a signal.

Signal strength = symbols ÷ 2 (max. 15).

Glowing text = 1 symbol = 1 signal.

Erased text — signal is gone. Instantaneous.

The signal goes down (if standing) or to the side (if hanging).

Leaves do not transmit the signal.

Works with a comparator.

Color = text type. Code locks:

Red — only numbers

Orange — only Latin letters

Yellow — only special characters

Blue — only Cyrillic letters

Purple — only hieroglyphs

Pink — only emojis

White — any text

Other colors — combinations (numbers + letters, letters + symbols, etc.)

If at least one character doesn’t fit, there’s no signal. Classification by Unicode ranges; check only during editing — the server isn’t overloaded.

Old worlds:
Signs before the update won’t be activated. To make them mechanical, repaint or rearrange. The player has full control.

Examples:

Combination lock: red sign + 1234 — the door opens.

Hidden hatch: a plate with text under the carpet.

Analog: 10 symbols = signal 5, the comparator reads it.

Balance:
It only unlocks redstone components (dust, pistons, lamps), not doors and chests. Paint = an additional resource.

Conclusion:
Simple in concept, deep in implementation. Expands redstone, doesn’t break old worlds, provides code locks and traps.