analog or digital timer.. ?!??

Cannabisworks

Cannabisworks

Active Member
ya but it will cause problems if not seen that there was an out as it comes on back at wrong times. so now 12/12 isnt the same schedule. i havent seen a digi without a backup yet. thats what the bonus if on them we wont have to rest anything.
that has cost me 1 grow and was 1 grow to many. was out and didnt know power went down and came home..light son..alls good i thought. but time was out by 3 hours...hemrie city
 
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bdonson

Well-Known Member
I learned the hard way,, 5-6 grows hermied because of a cheap timer. My timer kept great time, always turned on at the designated time,,,, not so much for turning the lights off, I work so rarely was I in the room when the lights went out. 3 or so years went by when I discovered that the timer turned off correctly at best 50% of the time. Nothing more than bad luck, on the rare occasion I was in the grow room the lights turned off. Until that fateful day and I finally caught the fucker. I changed to an Intermatic a 40 amp model for around $50 from amazon. One of the things you always read about on riu is the importance of light management. If you have money for seeds, soil, grow lights and nutes you better have money for a reliable timer. Not a cheap plug-in chinese pos, digital or not but a good reliable timer. Intermatic sells plug in timers as well and I don't recommend them but I have had good luck with the Intermatic mechanical timers, They are a reasonably priced timer that have been use for decades in a wide varietyof applications from chicken houses to small water wells to only more recently grow light timers. you have to wire them in but it's pretty simple. you can buy 120v or 240v models. I use the 120v at this time but will switch to 240 when I need to replace ballasts to save electricity. I looked on ebay and found them for as high as $130. Amazon sells them for around $50 new. I run 2 400w electronic ballasts and a light mover with amps to spare. The 240v timer I plan to use ran a small pump jack on my well for years without fail. It's very easy to change the time. No they don't have a memory and they aren't digital but if you can't reset your timer when your electricity fails then you have bigger problems than can be solved by this forum,, i'm just sayin
 
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bdonson

Well-Known Member
After reading some of the posts here I just want to add a rule. No wiring when you are stoned Period.
 
Cannabisworks

Cannabisworks

Active Member
ill go for the light comes on when power does at the right time and not even have to think about looking at it...with digi
 
Tuned

Tuned

Well-Known Member
The analog timer I had got hot when in use. 100 degrees F +. So I ditched it for a digital timer.
Temp guns are great for showing hot spots on all your connections.
 
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GrowBoxBudGuy

Member
Back when I first started growing, some 20+ years ago, I started out using an analog timers and had nothing but problems with them... It didn't take many grows before I made the switch to "simple" digital timers that I could pre-program with my preferred lighting schedules... Fast forward 20 years and I haven't been able to find those digital timers so, being short on cash when restarting, I have been using analog again... Just yesterday the timer controlling my lights acted up and my grow missed almost 3 hours of light when they failed to turn on - just like my analogs did decades ago... I either need to dig through 20 years and several moves worth of stuff packed away into storage in an effort to locate my digitals or purchase new... I've never been one to dump a lot of money into my hobbies but this is one instance where the relatively small expense difference is well worth the investment... There's no debate for me, digital timers are the only way to go...
 
Redlig

Redlig

Well-Known Member
I prefer digital because once you learn to use it youll love it. It wont get off if the power goes out is the main reason plus i can really dial it in as far as my pumps go. Once its set its not like im constantly changing it anyway
 
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GrowBoxBudGuy

Member
Redlig said:
I prefer digital because once you learn to use it youll love it. It wont get off if the power goes out is the main reason plus i can really dial it in as far as my pumps go. Once its set its not like im constantly changing it anyway
Click to expand...
Another good reason for digitals right there... Back when I ran flood and drain hydroponics grows I could never have dialed in the 2 - 3 minute pump cycle that ran multiple times per day... Most analogs only allow 30 minute settings per cycle... I'd have been pumping nutrient for an extra 27 - 28 minutes per flood cycle, overworking the overflow return...
 
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