# Digital timers suck



## maknwar (Aug 10, 2008)

Am I the only one that hates digital timers? I can't find a decent one that goes off when I want it to. What does everyone else use?


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## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

I use a mechanical timer. lol.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Aug 8, 2011)

I use the Brinks dual outlet digital timer from Wally World and never have had a problem with it other then it seems to get about 5 minutes fast after 8 months.


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

I use mostly the old Marineland timers, which work flawlessly. I recently added a Coralife Power Center to my setup, and for exactly one minute after the lights come on in the AM and one minute before the lights go off in the PM my T5HO lights (2 fixtures on 2 different tanks) flicker on and off like a strobe. Pretty weird.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

xxbenjamminxx said:


> I use the Brinks dual outlet digital timer from Wally World and never have had a problem with it other then it seems to get about 5 minutes fast after 8 months.


 
SAME thing works GREAT.. first bank of lights come on and second powerhead with this timer. love it


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

I hate mechanical timers they are so clicky... keeps me up at night. It's worse than any noise I've ever heard.. grinding...


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

I use one of the of the Zille power centers (yes for reptiles) but its the EXACT same thing as the coralife style but like 8 bucks cheaper at petsmart go figure. Getting it set can be a PITA at times but once its set I have not had any issues with the timer and lights coming on / off when needed. I did have to get my first one replaced though it got some weird short and the on off got messed up but the company replaced it willingly with no issue so I cant complain.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

There are different brands, some work, some don't. 

Some of the really cheap ones are sensitive to electric/magnetic interference, and just don't work when they encounter any. Putting them close to or plugging in fluorescent lights will not be a success story.

Others tend to reset themselves when power fluctuations occur. Yet others don't keep their settings after power outages, even thought the label tells otherwise. Some of the "powercenters" are known to randomly burst into flames.

But for sure there are some that work flawlessly. Difficult to tell which ones work and which ones suck, because the outer hull and brand don't always coincide with the electronics inside. Try the brand(s) mentioned here, and be prepared to pay about $5 more than what you pay for the absolute rock bottom priced (sucky) ones.


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

Can anyone recommend a digital timer that does multiple on/off events a day? Mine are on/off at X times, but won't let me split times like for 4 hours on, 2 off, 4 hours on for the same day.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

TexasCichlid said:


> Can anyone recommend a digital timer that does multiple on/off events a day? Mine are on/off at X times, but won't let me split times like for 4 hours on, 2 off, 4 hours on for the same day.


I have seen some that have like a cycling setup... but I think its a preset 15 minutes cycle to create "tidal" effects on reef tanks.

For something like that you may be better off with a mechaincal timer that has the little pins you push down to select your times, you can make those do about anything you want.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

xxbenjamminxx said:


> I use the Brinks dual outlet digital timer from Wally World and never have had a problem with it other then it seems to get about 5 minutes fast after 8 months.


Can you manually override this timer either on or off and have it do it's thing at the next cycle?

I have a couple dual mechanical timers from Harbor Freight, you can manually turn them on but it will stay on until you hit that switch again. My older mechanical timers will reset themselves either way. But as others have said, that timer is the loudest thing under my 90g.

The problem I have with the digital ones is seeing the display and figuring out how to program them. lol


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I've tried like, 4-5 brands of digital timers. every one of them has reset on me.


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## djscotty (Sep 14, 2010)

NWA-Planted said:


> I use one of the of the Zille power centers (yes for reptiles) but its the EXACT same thing as the coralife style but like 8 bucks cheaper at petsmart go figure. Getting it set can be a PITA at times but once its set I have not had any issues with the timer and lights coming on / off when needed. I did have to get my first one replaced though it got some weird short and the on off got messed up but the company replaced it willingly with no issue so I cant complain.


This works exactly as advertised but I have learned if you try and unplug a filter or like a heater during a water change it will reset itself or go into protection mode. I usually would like to have my lights on during a water change but I have learned that I will have to reset the timer everytime. This is no fault to the timer itself as it is doing its job.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

maknwar said:


> Am I the only one that hates digital timers? I can't find a decent one that goes off when I want it to. What does everyone else use?


I prefer like your self, the mechanical ones, I found some at CVS pharmacy, they have tiny ticks for the time increments. Maybe 5 mins? They also have a nice 3 prong in/out.

They run 7-9$.

Have a simple on/off switch on the side for "manual".


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Wasserpest said:


> There are different brands, some work, some don't.
> 
> Some of the really cheap ones are sensitive to electric/magnetic interference, and just don't work when they encounter any. Putting them close to or plugging in fluorescent lights will not be a success story.
> 
> ...


Not sure if you can share brands or not on the flaming powercenter? I hadn't ever heard of any issues with these....and I've got one I was going to use on a build! :help: not the kinda thing one wants to hear right before using one!

As for the OP, I've always found light timers, digital or mech. to be hit and miss. Digital's are almost always worse and not worth the $. If you find a good mech one, hang on to it or buy an extra of same brand. Personally I find the type with the clips you put in manually for the on/offs to be the most reliable.


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## AlecFish (Nov 26, 2011)

xxbenjamminxx said:


> I use the Brinks dual outlet digital timer from Wally World and never have had a problem with it other then it seems to get about 5 minutes fast after 8 months.


Same here! These are great, timing is spot on every time. I hated the mechanical ones they were so annoying I hate it when the click like every 5 minutes or so. 

Upgrade to a digital, they are much easier to set and are more precise IMO. The brinks one for me costed 12 bucks at Lowes.


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## Wicket_lfe (Aug 21, 2008)

Chlorophile said:


> I hate mechanical timers they are so clicky... keeps me up at night. It's worse than any noise I've ever heard.. grinding...


 
lol so true, but for the most part mine are pretty silent...for now.


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## Assassynation (Dec 23, 2011)

My mechanical timers are awesome, they have two sets of on/off pins so you can have different light configurations. Now I want a 4bulb T5HO fixture.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

I've been using some outdoor intermatic mechanical timers for years. They are quiet and accurate. I'm scared of the digital ones.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

mmmmm i use digital timers and havent had an issue with them yet...

The one i use is the one by GE with a power strip.

So far its been pretty reliable... program it is a pain in the butt tho, but once u got the programs done, i havent had an issue yet.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

Naekuh said:


> mmmmm i use digital timers and havent had an issue with them yet...
> 
> The one i use is the one by GE with a power strip.
> 
> So far its been pretty reliable... program it is a pain in the butt tho, but once u got the programs done, i havent had an issue yet.


Does it have battery backup for power outages?


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I use three of these, two for lights and one for CO2. I can't hear them run at all. I did have one fail on the same day I bought it but exchanged it and the current ones of been running non-stop for two years.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brinks-Grounded-Timer/16816086


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

I wonder how anyone could call a mechanical timer quiet.. I've tried two kinds and they click like 10 times a second =[ 
I have to sound proof my aquarium cabinet so I can sleep at night..


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## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

I have 4 intermatic Digital timers running my 58. They've been flawless for over 5 years. I may update the to the new DT620 because when Daylight Savings changed calendar dates a while back that feature wasn't adjustable, so know I have to manually reset it twice a year.

Tommy


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

My mechanical timers all sound like those wind up toy cars. On the other hand, tonight my nice digital power strip took a total dump. I think it is old school analog timers from here for me.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

hbosman said:


> Does it have battery backup for power outages?


yep... it does...


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

Chlorophile said:


> I wonder how anyone could call a mechanical timer quiet.. I've tried two kinds and they click like 10 times a second =[
> I have to sound proof my aquarium cabinet so I can sleep at night..


I'm tell'n ya, these don't make noise. Buy one, I think they were like $6.00 several years ago.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brinks-Grounded-Timer/16816086


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## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

hell yeah i hate digital timers as welll mine once after a power failure stopt and for days stayed like this...... reset and other magics after..... no life sign.... at all .... i put it back in the main line and after some days starts to work again but after that i never use it in the aquarium ... i got two mechanicals whom makes some noise but not much of it, but works like charm ... i love them ... go mechanical you will not regrete it... ( three times cheaper than digital... ok, ok, no fancy display or such but who cares


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

Here's what I use / milled up. It's a 6x6X4 NEMA box with 3 hard wired timers: The 3 times were originally synchronized, but after a year they have drifted slightly. Since they are staggered by 1 hour each, it doesn't matter.


Actual thread:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/d...-light-hood-circadian-rhythm.html#post1560843


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## Storm (Aug 7, 2011)

Cheapest mechanical timers I have found are at Ikea in the lighting department. You get 2 for $5 and they work great.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80134449/

That being said, I have a digital timed power strip from Utilitech (purchased at Lowe's) that is OK. It has 8 grounded power outlets, 4 on timer, 4 always on. You can program up to 10 different on/off times for the 4 outlets. I also like that it has a master power off switch, which is handy for powering off the lights and filter during water changes. Mechanical timers have to be unplugged, and then they lose 15 minutes or so if that's how long it takes for you to do your WC.

The one thing about the Utilitech I would warn you about is that a few times it has lost it's memory during a power outage. It has small batteries to keep time, but for some reason they don't always work. So, if you do have a power outage, you might find that the clock is flashing 12:00 and your on/off schedules are lost. This has only happened a couple times, but they seem flakey compared to the more expensive reef-type timed power strips. Hell, it was only $10 so I guess you get what you pay for.


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## l Spidy l (Jan 19, 2012)

dont know if you can get them in the us but i'll be putting in a drayton 722 dual channel central heating switch on mine... you can control 2 different things seperately and they have manual override, boost (on for an hour), holiday mode and if there is a loss of power they have a built in memory which stores the programme you have set so you dont need to reset it all...


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

hbosman said:


> I'm tell'n ya, these don't make noise. Buy one, I think they were like $6.00 several years ago.
> 
> http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brinks-Grounded-Timer/16816086


Alright... I'm gonna buy one - it better be quiet!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I use this one for my stand alone tanks, and I have a two prong one for my betta tank + bowl. Neither makes any audible noises, but with mechanical you can't have it accurate by the minute.

*Edit: this is what I bought actually, 2-pack for $10. Reviews say it runs a little fast but I haven't noticed.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Crazy... Never knew quiet timers existed. I'm actually doing soundproofing on my cabinet right now so I don't have to hear the constant click grind whir.


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