Digital Lighting timers,how do the work?

[Alchemy129]

I'm looking at the larger digital power outlet type ones with several outlets built into them for timing on multiple devices.

Do you have to set them daily or weekly or what? I figured you would just type in plug A on from 9 am till 10 pm and plug B from 10:05 pm till 8:55 am or soemthing like that but i have no idea if thats how it works. The despcriptions of these things have been less than informative at all the store sites i've been too so i figured some of you guys actually owned them and could give some personal experience. I just ordered some lunar lights for my tanks and wanted to get a timer that would automatically switch between day and night time lighting accordingly so i never have to manually turn them on again..is that what they do or will I just be reprogramming the timer every morning instead of flipping the on switch, if thats the case i don't want to bother. Thanks for the help, you guys are a great group.

By the way heres the timer i'm looking to buy: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11379&inm=1&N=2004+113351+2032

 

[Lonewolfblue]

It all depends on the timers. Some have just one on and off time. Others like the ones I use have up to 8 different schedules, as well as doing 7 days a week, just the weekend, or just Mon-Fri, or a single day. So many options. And they are relatively easy to program. And on mine, when the main lights go out, the moonlights come on. There is also a manual and a random mode as well. Random mode will take your individual daily settings, and if they are different on different days, it will pick a setting at random. And for manual, you can have the lights on or off. Looks complicated, but once you do it one time, they are simple to use.

On that site, I use the 3rd one down, the Single Digital.

 

[Alchemy129]

Thanks for the response Lonewolf, looks like you were the perfect person to answer as you own the exact same model I plan on buying. So let me get this straight I just have to get it out and program it once a week and it contorls all my lights automatically for 7 days then I get it back out and restart the program?

 

[malkore]

I do not think you have to restart the program. That would be pretty dumb to have a timer you have to remember to reset/restart each week.

 

[Alshain]

Yeah, like malkore said, you just program it once and it repeats itself each week. What lonewolf meant was that you can have different settings for each day of the week, it holds seven days and then repeats itself.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Thanks for the response Lonewolf, looks like you were the perfect person to answer as you own the exact same model I plan on buying. So let me get this straight I just have to get it out and program it once a week and it contorls all my lights automatically for 7 days then I get it back out and restart the program?

You just set it once, whether you do a different schedule for each day, or the same schedule every day. Once it's set, you just let it run, until you decide you want to change the scheduling, such as the time the lights come on, or off. Or have it like mine where program 1 turns them on at 7:30am and then off at 12:00 noon, then program 2 turns them on at 2pm, and off at 9pm, every day.. Once it's set, you don't have to reset it weekly. It also has a battery backup if the power goes out, so it keeps the programming. The lights will just go out when the power is off, then back on when the power returns.

To put it in easier terms, it's set and forget. Set it once, then forget it. Will keep the same schedule til you decide to make a change.

When you get it, if you have questions, you can pm me and I can walk you through it. The directions that comes with it aren't the best, but it's not too bad.