Digital Timers & Hour Meters

Digital timers and hour meters are two simple yet vital components used to track and record time in a variety of applications. They commonly serve to regulate processes and record equipment usage in both industrial and consumer settings.

RS is North America’s largest authorized distributor of automation and controls equipment for many industries. You can find an extensive selection of high-quality components from leading manufacturers, all in stock and ready to be shipped.

Browse our range online today, whether searching for digital industrial timers, digital panel meters or other specifications. You can read on to learn more about their advantages, applications and types.

What are digital timers?

As the name suggests, digital timers are devices used to track time digitally. Whether counting time down or up, they can trigger actions or start timing once triggered. This function can be accompanied by a built-in visual or audible alarm. Information such as the time - in hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds - and battery life is typically presented on a digital display.

Some digital clock timers come with a fixed internal time function while others are programmable. They typically feature stop, start, and reset controls, though timer modules and modes can vary between devices.

What are hour meters?

Similar in function to digital panel meters, hour meters are reliable devices that receive information and track and record elapsed time, commonly in hours and tenths of hours. Most are used to log the running time of equipment and machines to help flag and schedule regular maintenance tasks. These typically include replacing, changing, or checking parts of expensive machinery, or monitoring the running condition in engines and motors.

Digital hour meters allow users to maintain equipment at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals, helping it perform better for longer and retain value.

What are digital timers used for?

Digital timers have many industrial and consumer uses. Also called digital industrial timers, they can be used alongside other industrial controls to support process regulation and record machinery usage. They can work to allow or prevent actions, or stagger them over a set time period.

These devices are also commonly used to manage power usage by powering consumer devices such as cell phones and computers on and off. Digital timers can also control phone line access for data modems if phones are being shared, and limited usage or minimal interference is required.

What are digital hour meters used for?

Though they can be used in medical equipment, most hour meters are integrated with industrial systems or machinery that have engines and motors. In this context, recording elapsed running time is a more accurate way to establish when maintenance is needed than other methods such as calendar days or miles driven, for example.

Motivations for doing so include:

• Scheduling servicing: Regular servicing helps to maintain expensive equipment often used in harsh environments. This could avoid expensive breakdowns delaying commercial construction projects, for example.
• Determining warranty cover: Some equipment is warranted by running hours to give an accurate idea of how long it is likely to last. Elapsed hours recorded by a meter will determine whether equipment is still covered by warranty.
• Equipment resale and rental: Used industrial and agricultural equipment such as cranes and forklifts are commonly resold or rented out based on logged hours. Fewer elapsed hours usually makes equipment more valuable.

What are the different types of digital clock timer?

Digital timers vary depending on their intended function. Common types include:

• Delay-on timers: Devices that wait for a programmed amount of time to pass (i.e. a delay) after receiving a signal before triggering an output. After the delay, the device’s contacts will open or close
• Delay-off timers: Devices that begin timing when the power supply is interrupted. The contacts stay in place for a programmed time period before releasing
• One-shot timers: When power is applied, a one-shot timer’s contacts change and remain that way for a set time period before returning
• Interval delay timers: The opposite of delay-on timers. The relay is triggered when power is supplied, or a switch input is closed
• Recycle timers: The closure of a control switch begins a cycle of powering a load on and off at regular time intervals until the control switch is opened

What are the different types of hour meters?

Hour meters vary by data, power, display, and shape.

• Data can be shown in hours and tenths of hours, as well as volts per hour in some cases
• AC-powered hour meters are typically used in equipment powered by generators, electric motors, or mains electricity. DC-powered devices are more commonly used with battery-operated equipment, such as planes and trucks
• Displays can be electromechanical or liquid crystal displays (LCD)
• Devices can be round or rectangular

Why choose RS for your industrial controls?

Whatever your application and specification requirements, we are sure to have the products to match. You can choose high quality digital timers and hour meters from leading manufacturers and have them delivered right away thanks to our world-class logistics capabilities.

Filter your search by manufacturer, function and more to find the exact products you need. Feel free to contact our expert team if you have any questions. You can also visit our advice hub for industry guides and news.