Perhaps many of the users of stationary personal computers were wondering how to organize automatic switching on And turning off the computer at a given time or according to a schedule. In this article we will look at one of the more accessible methods.

To implement this function of a personal computer, we will use exclusively the built-in capabilities of the BIOS input/output system and the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. The use of third-party software is excluded by itself.

Let us define a schedule that consists of the necessary conditions, i.e. we need the personal computer to turn on every weekday at 07:00 in the morning and turn off at 17:00 in the evening. Regarding weekends, due to restrictions in the BIOS input/output system, the computer will start at 07:00 in the morning and turn off after 10 minutes as unnecessary, because there is no one at the workplace.

So, let's begin. When you turn on your computer, you need to enter the BIOS input/output system. To do this, press the key "DELETE", this key is mainly used in many motherboards, but there are still other uses of the keys, such as:

Esc F1 F2 F3 F10 F11 F12

After pressing the “DEL” key, the BIOS system menu will be displayed and will look something like the one shown in the figure below:

We set the value of the “Resume by Alarm” parameter to , activating the computer to turn on according to a schedule. In the “x Date (of Month) Alarm” parameter, you can select daily execution or specify the desired day of the month; in our case, we will use the first – Everyday. The computer turn-on time “x Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm” is set to 07:00 am.

Thus, automatic switching on personal computer organized according to a schedule: daily activation at 07:00 am, both on weekdays and weekends.

Automatic computer shutdown settings

Now we need to create a schedule for automatic shutdown personal computer. The built-in console file will help us with this taskschd.msc, the so-called “Task Scheduler”, which will perfectly cope with the task. You can launch Task Scheduler using the “Search programs and files” line and Windows Explorer.

Method 1 - “Find programs and files”

Method 2 - “Explorer”

After the above commands, the “Task Scheduler” will open, in which you need to go to the “Task Scheduler Library” item and perform the action to create a task - “Create a task” or “Create a simple task,” as you like. We will not describe a detailed description of creating a task; everything is accessible and written in Russian.

As you can see, in the figure below, two tasks have been created that produce automatic shutdown personal computer. The first task, called “OFF PC,” organizes the PC to turn off on weekdays at 17:00, and the second task, called “OFF PC Weekend,” turns off the PC on weekends 10 minutes after turning on the PC.

A detailed description of task creation is missing, but you need to know the following: automatic computer shutdown you need to enable the program launch shutdown.exe –s in every task.

And also in the “General” tab for both tasks, rules are set for completing the task only for a registered user, see below.

The created tasks will not function unless automatic user authorization is created in the system, i.e. when the computer starts and boots, login will not be performed, since you must enter a password to log in, and this is stipulated in our created tasks.

Therefore, in order to log into “User Accounts” and set a password for automatic login without a visible password request, you need to open Explorer and specify "control userpasswords2" or "netplwiz", not for everybody.

Now we have completed the setup automatic switching on And shutdowns personal computer, using the built-in functions of the BIOS and Windows 7 OS. Try it YOURSELF!

Such a timer can be set using standard tools in Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10 and, in my opinion, this option is suitable for most users. However, if you wish, you can use special programs to turn off your computer, some free options of which I will also demonstrate. There is also a video below on how to set a Windows shutdown timer. Additional Information: .

There are a great many different free programs for Windows that implement computer shutdown timer functions. Many of these programs do not have an official website. And even where it exists, antivirus programs issue warnings for some timer programs. I tried to list only proven and harmless programs (and give appropriate explanations for each), but I recommend that you also check your downloaded programs on VirusTotal.com.

Wise Auto Shutdown Timer

After one of the updates to the current review, the comments drew my attention to the free computer shutdown timer Wise Auto Shutdown. I looked at it and must agree that the program is really good, and in Russian and at the time of testing it was completely free of offers to install any additional software.

Turning on the timer in the program is simple:

In my opinion, this is a very convenient and simple version of the shutdown timer, one of the main advantages of which is the absence of anything malicious in the opinion of VirusTotal (and this is rare for this kind of program) and a developer with a generally normal reputation.

You can download the Wise Auto Shutdown program for free from the official website http://www.wisecleaner.com/wise-auto-shutdown.html

Airytec Switch Off

I would probably put the Airytec Switch Off computer automatic shutdown timer program in first place: this is the only one of the listed timer programs for which a working official website is clearly known, and VirusTotal and SmartScreen recognize the website and the program file itself as clean. Plus, this Windows shutdown timer is in Russian and is available for download as a portable application, which means it definitely won’t install anything additional on your computer.

After launch, Switch Off adds its icon to the Windows notification area (text notifications of the program are supported for Windows 10 and 8).

By simply clicking on this icon you can configure the “Task”, i.e. set a timer with the following parameters for automatically turning off the computer:

• Countdown to shutdown, shutdown “once” at a certain time, when the user is inactive.
• In addition to shutdown, you can set other actions - reboot, log out, disconnect all network connections.
• You can add a warning that your computer will shut down soon (so you can save your data or cancel the task).

By right-clicking the program icon, you can manually launch any of the actions or go to its settings (Options or Properties). This may be useful if the Switch Off interface is in English when you first launch it.

Additionally, the program supports remote shutdown of the computer, but I have not tested this function (installation is required, and I used the portable version of Switch Off).

You can download the switch off timer Switch Off in Russian for free from the official page http://www.airytec.com/ru/switch-off/ (at the time of writing, everything is clean there, but just in case, still check the program before installation).

sleep timer

The program with the simple name “Shutdown Timer” has a laconic design, settings for automatic startup with Windows (as well as activation of the timer at startup), naturally, in Russian and, in general, is not bad. Among the shortcomings - in the sources I found, the program tries to install additional software (which you can refuse) and uses forced closing of all programs (which it honestly warns you about) - this means that if you are working on something at the time of shutdown, you will not have time to save it. The official website of the program was also found, but it itself and the downloadable timer file are mercilessly blocked by Windows SmartScreen filters and Windows Defender. At the same time, if you check the program in VirusTotal, everything is clean. So at your own peril and risk. You can download the Shutdown Timer program from the official page http://maxlim.org/files_s109.html

PowerOff

The PowerOff program is a kind of “harvester” that has functions not only as a timer. I don't know if you'll use any of its other features, but turning off your computer works fine. The program does not require installation, but is an archive with an executable program file.

After launch, in the main window in the “Standard timer” section, you can configure the shutdown time:

• Trigger at a specified time on the system clock
• Countdown
• Shutdown after a certain period of system inactivity

In addition to shutting down, you can set another action: for example, starting a program, going into sleep mode, or locking the computer.

And everything would be fine in this program, but when closing it does not notify you in any way that you should not close it, and the timer stops working (that is, it needs to be minimized). Update: I was told that there is no problem - just check the box in the program settings Minimize the program to the system tray when closing. The official website of the program could not be found, only on sites - collections of various software. Apparently, a blank copy is here www.softportal.com/get-1036-poweroff.html(but check anyway).

Auto Power OFF

The Auto PowerOFF timer program from Alexey Erofeev is also an excellent option for turning off a laptop or computer with Windows. I couldn’t find the official website of the program, but all popular torrent trackers have the author’s distribution of this program, and the downloaded file is clean when checked (but still be careful).

After starting the program, all you need to do is set the timer by time and date (you can also make the shutdown weekly) or at any time interval, set the system action (to turn off the computer it is “Shut down”) and press the “Shutdown” button Start".

SM Timer

SM Timer is another simple free program that allows you to shut down your computer (or log out) either at a specified time or after a certain period of time.

The program even has an official website http://ru.smartturnoff.com/download.html, but still be careful when downloading on it: some of the download options appear to be loaded with Adware (download the SM Timer installer, not Smart TurnOff). The program's website is blocked by Dr. antivirus. Web, judging by the information of other antiviruses, everything is clean.

Additional Information

In my opinion, using the free programs described in the previous section is not particularly useful: if you just need to turn off the computer at a certain time, the shutdown command in Windows will do, and if you want to limit the time someone can use the computer, these programs are not the best solution (since they stop working after simply closing them) and you should use more serious products.

And lastly: many programs that require a long period of operations (converters, archivers, and others) have the ability to configure the computer to automatically turn off after the procedure is completed. So, if the shutdown timer interests you in this context, look into the program settings: perhaps there is what you need there.

Some users need to configure the computer to turn off by time or even on scheduled days at certain times. The reasons can be different and the most banal one is that you already start watching some movie at night and don’t want the computer to work until the morning if you suddenly fall asleep :) The same function is used by some on TVs and still follows the same rules reason.

And the most interesting thing is that such a function in a computer is far from lying on the surface. It seems like a computer is such an omnipotent device, but such a banal function is hidden somewhere that a beginner will never find it!

So, from this article you will learn how, using a simple command in the Windows console, you can configure the computer to turn off after a certain number of seconds, as well as how to configure the computer to turn off at a certain time on certain days!

Beginners should not be intimidated by the words “Console”, “Command Line” and the like, since we are not talking about programming and other complex tasks! I will show you an example and you will understand everything...

So, now we will look at 2 ways to turn off the computer on time:

Simple shutdown of the computer after a specified number of seconds;

Turn off the computer on a specified day and time.

How to set a timer to turn off the computer?

To implement this task, we only need the Windows command line.

In any operating system, you can quickly find the command line through a search. For example, in Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, open the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search box at the bottom. The Command Prompt application appears in the list.

If you have Windows 8, then also open “Start”, then click on the search icon on the right:

In the field that appears, type “cmd” and the Command Prompt program will immediately appear in the search results:

And finally, if you have Microsoft's latest Windows 10, the default search icon will be located right next to the Start button. Click it, enter “cmd” and see the “Command Line” application:

To complete our task, you may need administrator rights, and therefore, in order not to later have to look for the reason why shutdown by timer may not work, let’s run the command line as an administrator. To do this, right-click on the program icon and select “Run as administrator”:

You should see a black command line window that looks like this:

Please note that if you have in this window instead of the path " C:\Windows\system32" the path to the user's folder is specified (for example, " C:\Users\Ivan"), this means you launched the command line not as an administrator, but as a regular user! In this case, it is better to close it and open it again as an administrator.

After the command line has been launched, all that remains is to enter one command correctly and you’re done!

To shut down and restart your computer, use the “shutdown” command in the Windows command line.

Type the following on the command line:

Where 3600 is the number of seconds after which your computer will shut down. If you press the “Enter” button on your keyboard now, your computer will be turned off in 1 hour, since one hour is exactly 3600 seconds. It’s very easy to calculate :) We know that there are 60 seconds in one minute, and since there are also 60 minutes in an hour, we multiply 60 by 60 and get 3600. For example, 1 hour 20 minutes is 4800 seconds.

Now regarding these characters “/s” and “/t”.

These are the 2 parameters that I specified for the shutdown command. The “/s” parameter means that the computer should shut down, and not reboot or simply log out. For example, to reboot you need to specify “/r” instead of “/s”. The “/t” parameter allows you to set the time before the command is executed. For example, if we specified the command without “/t”, i.e. like this “shutdown /s”, then the computer would turn off instantly.

Now, I think you understand everything. Just enter your time until you turn off your computer and press “Enter”!

The command line window will close and the timing will immediately begin. You will receive a warning message, for example:

A warning of this format is issued when there are only a few minutes left before the computer turns off.

But if you have set a long timer, for example, for an hour or more, then when it starts, you will simply receive a notification in the system area:

If you suddenly decide to cancel the timer, then you need to enter the command line again and run the following command there and press “Enter”:

At the same time, you will receive a notification in the system area that the scheduled shutdown has been cancelled:

This is what a simple scheme for turning off a computer using a timer looks like.

Now let's look at a more interesting option - how to delay turning off the computer for a certain day and specified time.

How to configure the computer to turn off on the desired day and time?

To implement this feature, we need the system utility “Task Scheduler” and “Notepad”.

Through the Windows Task Scheduler, you can schedule the execution of any program on a specific day and time, and even set a recurring task for different periods, for example, daily, weekly.

There is only one catch: you won’t be able to open the command line through the scheduler, as was done, and enter a shutdown command there. This is because to run we need some kind of file that can be specified in the scheduler and which will contain a command to turn off the computer.

This issue can be resolved very simply! You need to open notepad, write “shutdown /s /t 000” there, save the text document to a file with the extension “.bat” (for example, “Shutdown.bat”), and then point to this file in the task scheduler.

Now let’s look at it in detail, point by point:

Open Windows Notepad. It is available by default in any Windows system and can be found in the “Start” menu, in the “Accessories” category, or by searching Windows and typing “Notepad”.

In notepad we write: shutdown /s /t 000.

Here, using the “shutdown” command, we specified the action to shut down/restart the computer or log out of the system.

With the “/s” parameter we specify the action - shutdown the PC!

With the “/t” parameter we specify the timer before shutdown - 0 seconds and this means that the computer will turn off instantly without delay.

This is how it should look:

Resave the notepad file into a file with the extension “.bat”. To do this, in Notepad, click “File” > “Save As”.

In the save window, indicate the location where the file with the command to turn off the computer will be stored, after which we indicate any file name, but make sure there is “.bat” at the end and not “.txt”:

For example, like mine - “Shutdown.bat”. The name before “.bat” can be anything!

If you saved the file correctly, it will look like this on the system:

If it looks like a regular text document, then you most likely forgot to specify the ".bat" extension when saving, so please do this step again.

What kind of BAT file is this? A file with the “.bat” extension allows you to execute Windows commands one after another, as well as various scripts. In our case, only one command is written - turn off the computer immediately.

Open the task scheduler and configure the launch of the created Bat file.

The task scheduler is also built into all Windows systems by default and can be found by searching or through the control panel: “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “Administrative Tools”.

This is what the task scheduler looks like:

In it on the right, in the “Actions” window, open the “Create a simple task” item:

The wizard for setting up the scheduled task will open, where you need to go through several steps. In the first window that appears, enter the name of the task, for example, “Turn off the computer” and click “Next”:

At the next step, you need to note when the planned task will be executed? It depends on when you want to turn off your computer. For example, you can configure a task to run daily and then you will need to specify the execution time. You can set up a weekly shutdown and then you can select specific days and times to complete the task.

And if you just want to set up a one-time setup to turn off the computer on a certain day and time, then select the “One time” option.

Now, depending on which shutdown period you set in the previous step, you will need to specify the shutdown month/days/time. If you specified a one-time execution of the task (“One time”), then you only need to select the shutdown day and time.

You can enter the date manually using numbers or select it using a calendar.

Having configured the shutdown date and time, click on the “Next” button:

At the next stage, we select an action for the task. Check “Run the program” and click “Next”:

In the next window, select our created file with the extension “.bat”, which contains the shutdown command. Click on the “Browse” button and select this file on your hard drive, then click “Next”:

In the last window, select the item marked in the image below and click “Finish”:

This option means that after clicking “Finish”, an additional properties window for the created task will open. We need this to enable the program to run with administrator rights.

A window will open in which, on the first “General” tab, check the “Run with highest rights” item at the bottom and click “OK”:

All! The scheduled task has been created. Now, as soon as the date and time you specified arrives, the computer will immediately turn off.

If you suddenly want to change any parameters of a scheduled task, then open the task scheduler again, select “Task Scheduler Library” on the left side of the window, right-click on the task you created in the list in the center, and select “Properties” from the menu that opens :

A window will open where, on several tabs, you can change all the parameters that you configured!

In this way, you can configure the computer to turn off by time (timer), as well as schedule the shutdown for any day and time, and even set up the task to be performed regularly. I am sure that this opportunity may be useful to someone.

See you in the next articles :)

Operating system developer Windows Scheduled options are available. As such, there is no shutdown button indicating parameters. To do this, you need to use the command line and other standard (built-in) tools Windows. This method is especially good because it works always and everywhere, since it was developed and provided directly by the operating system developer himself. Tested on Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1

Those who are not interested in theory can go straight to the sections:
-
-

Shut down or restart your computer on a schedule
(at a specified time) with standard (built-in) Windows tools

Scheduled
(at a specified time) from the command line (MS DOS)

Since time immemorial, all operating systems in the MS Windows family have included a disk operating system (abbreviated as MS DOS), which does not have a familiar user interface for clicking on it with the mouse. MS DOS is controlled by entering a set of text commands using the keyboard in a special window, in the so-called command line . The command line works on any computer running any modification of the MS Windows operating system.

In the operating system MS Windows, from the command line you can do absolutely everything that this system is capable of.

TO command line can be called in one of the following ways:

• press a key combination Win+R, enter cmd.exe, click OK
• “Start Menu > Run”, enter cmd.exe, click OK
• “Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt”

Either way, a window will open MS DOS
(command line to enter a text command)
It is in it (on the command line) that we will:

1. turn countdown on and off
   shutting down or restarting the computer
   (i.e. indicate after how long to perform the action)
2. assign and cancel exact FOR
   shutting down or restarting the computer
   (i.e. indicate exactly when to perform an action)

All manipulations come down to accessing the file shutdown.exe
and specifying the required parameters

shutdown command options and syntax
(to access the shutdown.exe file)

File shutdown.exe is responsible for shutting down the operating system Windows, rebooting it, etc. To get a list of file launch parameters shutdown.exe from the command line - press the keyboard shortcut Win+R, in the window that opens, enter cmd.exe(go to MS DOS) and already in the DOS window (manually) enter “ shutdown/?"(without quotes). Click "OK" ("Enter" key). In response, the system will display a complete list of command parameters shutdown:

Regarding the parameter syntax for the command shutdown, That MS DOS understands both recording options - and with a hyphen (minus sign " - " on the numeric keypad) and through a slash (slash on the numeric keypad):

1. shutdown /s /f /t 2000 equivalent shutdown -s -f -t 2000
2. at 23:15 shutdown /r /f equivalent at 23:15 shutdown -r -f

In our case, there is no fundamental difference between a slash and a hyphen. It is much more important to remember about spacing. Because, in the understanding of the operating system, slash equals hyphen followed by space , then without a space - it may not work.

For example, in the screenshot above, I entered the commands “ shutdown-?" And " shutdown -?", and " shutdown/?" And " shutdown/?" The system's answer is obvious.

Simplified entry of the shutdown command
(Run window)

To enable or disable the countdown timer, open the “Run” window ( Win+R OK.

The time before turning off (rebooting) the computer must be entered in seconds.

Correct command entry is confirmed by corresponding pop-up windows in the tray. Pop-ups should appear after each correct command entry. They look something like this:

	System response to a command to turn off or restart the computer after 33 minutes = 2000 seconds
	System response to a command to cancel a command to shut down or restart the computer
	10 minutes before the task is completed, the system begins to remind you that the countdown is about to end. The reminder form can have several options. Probably depends on the version of Windows and the design style.
	A few minutes before the task is completed, the system notifies that the countdown is about to end.

Command line installation
exact time of the current date
to shut down and restart the computer

Setting the exact time of the current date from allows you to set the exact time of the current date to shut down or restart the computer. This task will only be executed ONCE, after which the task assignment procedure will need to be repeated. If you need the computer to be systematically turned off according to a schedule (at the same time), then you need to use or

To set the exact time of the current date to shut down or restart the computer, open the “Run” window ( Win+R), enter the desired command and click OK.

The computer shutdown (reboot) time must be entered in the specified format.
Time values, of course, are different for everyone.

Unlike installation, correct command input when setting the time to shut down or restart the computer is not confirmed by the corresponding pop-up windows in the tray

It is convenient to create from the command line DISPOSABLE task to shut down or restart the computer. If you need to systematically turn off the computer on a schedule (for example, at a given time, at the end of the working day), then you need to set the shutdown time after or after

Shutdown and restart your computer
using an executive (batch) file

Executive (batch) files with the extension .bat() make working with the command line much easier. Once you have created such a bat file with the text of the required command, you can execute it by simply clicking on the batch file, without tediously calling the command line window and entering the command text into it.

Let's remember the list of our commands and create the corresponding batch files:

1. shutdown /s /f /t 2000 or shutdown -s -f -t 2000
   (turn off computer after 33min = 2000 seconds)
2. shutdown /r /f /t 2000 or shutdown -r -f -t 2000
   (restart computer after 33min = 2000 seconds)
3. at 23:15 shutdown /s /f or at 23:15 shutdown -s -f
   (turn off the computer today at 23:15)
4. at 23:15 shutdown /r /f or at 23:15 shutdown -r -f
   (reboot your computer today at 11:15 pm)
5. shutdown/a or shutdown -a
   (cancel the command to shutdown/restart the computer)

To create an executive (batch) batch file, open notepad, copy (write) the required command line into it and save the file with the .bat extension. For example, let's create two files - the “Shutdown.bat” file and the “Cancel.bat” file. In the first file we write the line “ shutdown /s /f /t 2000" (without quotes), in the second - the line " shutdown/a"(without quotes). Clicking on the first file will give a command to turn off the computer after 33 minutes = 2000 seconds. Clicking on the second file will cancel the command to turn off the computer after 33 minutes = 2000 seconds. Thus, we will receive two files, clicking on which will have the same effect as in the case of a call and entering the desired command into it.

Everything is very simple, and it is much more convenient than the command line. In addition, this method gives room for flight of imagination and creative thought. For example, you can set the timeout to 28800 seconds. (28800 seconds = 8 hours = length of a working day), put the “Shutdown.bat” file in the computer’s startup folder and no longer worry about turning it off at the end of the working day. Because, every time the system boots, it will receive a command to shut down after 8 hours = 28800 seconds. The same effect will be achieved by the executable.bat file in startup, with the content “ at 17:00 shutdown /s /f"(without quotes). Moreover, this command is even preferable, since it sets the exact time to turn off the computer and does not depend on the number of reboots during the working day.

Funny. If you set the timeout to 180 seconds in the bat file in the startup folder, then the computer will turn off 3 minutes after it starts.

Shutdown and restart your computer
at a specified time via the task scheduler

The task scheduler is a special feature Windows. The Task Scheduler allows you to create and execute various scheduled tasks. In our case, this means systematically turning off or restarting the computer at a specified time. Unlike and, the task scheduler allows you to more flexibly assign the exact time and frequency of shutting down the computer.

To configure the computer to shut down or restart at a specified time through the task scheduler, open the task scheduler. It is located in “Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Task Scheduler”

Then, in the window that opens, write the name of the task and its description. Here you can write whatever you want. The task name and description will then be displayed in the middle column of the scheduler after the task is created. I wrote the name - “Shutdown”, the description - “Turn off the computer” and clicked the “Next” button...

In the next window that opens, you need to select the frequency of the task. I chose “Daily”. "Further"...

In the next window that opens, you need to specify the date from which to start executing the task and the time it will be completed. By default, the current date and time are displayed. The date can be left unchanged (start today), but you need to set your own time. This will be the required time to shut down the computer. I set it to 17:00:00, which corresponds to the end of my working day. The line “Repeat every 1 day.” - left unchanged. "Further"...

In the next window that opens, you need to set the switch (checkbox) next to the words “Run the program”. "Further"...

In the next window that opens, in the “program or script” line, enter the command “ shutdown" (without quotes), and in the "add arguments" field " -s -f" (without quotes) - to turn off. If you need to restart the computer, then in the “add arguments” field enter “ -r -f"(without quotes). "Further"...

Click the “Done” button. Problem on daily computer shutdown at 17:00- created and launched. You can check your work or delete a task as follows. We launch the scheduler, click on “Task Scheduler Library” and in the middle column we find the desired task (by name). Right-click on it and select the one you need from the drop-down menu.

To check, I clicked on “Run”. The computer responded instantly. It works, yay!

Turning off the computer
Shut down your computer from the command line

Light timers or time relays are devices that automatically turn on lighting at programmed times. Light timers help to avoid various hassles of controlling the lighting, such as:

• The lights in the aquarium were not turned on in time, causing algae and fish to suffer.
• The lighting in the entrance of the house is turned on unnecessarily day and night.
• The lighting in the garden plot is not turned on after sunset, although electricity is provided in the garden.

Such smart devices are necessary for humans because they create comfort for life and save energy. They are made in the form of plastic monoblocks with a panel on the front side of which there are controls. Timers are divided according to their properties.

Typical Timer Differences

According to the principle of operation, light timers are divided into:

• Electromechanical.
• Electronic.

By period of work:

• Universal light timers.
• Random switching.
• Counting down time.
• Astronomical.
• Weekly.
• Daily allowance.

By installation method:

• Stationary, mounting in a panel, box or on a DIN rail.

According to working conditions:

• Protection class from the external environment.
• Rated power of connected consumers.

Timer properties

Electronic relay

Light timers controlled by a microprocessor. Programming is carried out using buttons located on the front panel. The parameter values ​​are shown on the LCD display; the power source is a battery or battery.

The advantages of an electronic relay are:

• A wide range of modifications to suit any requirements regarding operating interval, installation method and operating conditions.
• Visibility of certain parameters.
• Recording the program into memory when the device is turned off.
• Increased accuracy of readings.
• Creation of small switching ranges, up to 60 seconds.

Disadvantages include the complex creation of programs and problems that arise when the battery fails.

To control lighting they use electronic relays.

Electromechanical relay

This device with a time reading mechanism operates using a synchronous motor connected to the power supply. It is used for weekly and daily work frequency. Programming the timer involves controlling the graduated wheel and levers located on the front panel.

There are light timers: stationary, which are installed on a rail or in an installation box, as well as socket type.

If the smallest switching range and accuracy in seconds are not important, then a simple electromechanical type timer model would be the best choice.

Dignity Electromechanical timers can be called easy to set up. But in comparison with electronic samples, such models are inferior in parameters:

• Increased smallest switching range, up to 15 minutes.
• Low accuracy.
• The program crashed due to the lack of an additional power source.

A common failure of this model is a malfunction of the adjusting wheel due to wear of the gear teeth. To eliminate the cause, the help of a qualified specialist is required.

Types of light timers

When choosing a time-based light switching device, it is necessary to calculate the periods and operating range of the timer. Electronic models are used in their areas of work, and for specific conditions, electromechanical timer devices may be better suited, taking into account their disadvantages and advantages.

Daily timers

Daily relays are designed to determine the order of switching lighting devices over a daily period, that is, at the same time every day. They are convenient for turning on the lighting of an aquarium at a certain time, lighting a video camera, turning off neon advertising, and starting the lighting of an evening fountain in the park.

The main disadvantage of the daily timer is that the time of sunsets and sunrises is constantly changing, this requires constant adjustment of the mechanism to different times. And this creates discomfort and inconvenience at work. If you do not rebuild the timer, then after some time the relay will give significant errors in the turn-on time. For example, lamps will turn on when this is not required, when there is still a sufficient level of illumination.

Weekly timers

It is often necessary to switch the lighting on a certain day of the week. For example, it is necessary to turn off the premises of a production workshop and turn on the security alarm on Friday one hour earlier than other days. A daily timer is not suitable for such tasks.

The operating cycle is drawn up for a 7-day program, the process is repeated every week. For such tasks, timers with electronic filling are mainly used. Depending on the model, they differ in the number of memory cells and the method for determining the number of parameters.

If you create the same program for a weekly relay for every day, then its operation will correspond to the daily timer.

Astronomical timers for controlling lighting devices

When the duration of daylight changes due to seasonality, it is better to adjust the connection time of the lighting equipment. For such tasks, it is optimal to use an astronomical timer, which takes into account the length of daylight in different periods of the year. The actual cycle of the operating program for the astronomical timer model is one year.

Countdown timers

Such models of timers are used mainly in the entrances of houses so that the lighting is not constantly on and, at the same time, a person entering the entrance in the dark does not look for steps without light and does not experience discomfort.

When a person enters the entrance, he turns on the light, the countdown timer starts, and turns off the light automatically after a programmed time range without human intervention. This is an economical solution, with comfort for people.

Random light timer

This timer is designed to create security for unattended homes. When the owners of the house are not present, the presence effect is set on the timer. The random light switching timer is designed to cope with this task. Its design has a built-in random variable generator, which randomly turns on and off the lights in different rooms with different arbitrary time ranges, creating the effect of the presence of the owners of the house.

Universal light timers

If the customer needs to use several different functions, then the optimal choice would be a universal timer model. It combines the functions of seasonally changing the order of switching on with the function of turning off the light after a certain short interval of time.

These types of devices are more expensive and more difficult to operate and configure. There is no need to chase a large number of software functions; it is better to choose what you need.

Installation of timers

When choosing a timekeeping device, it is necessary to determine the goals and tasks that it should perform, and the method of installing the device.

Socket type relay

Using a relay to connect to a socket is possible with lighting devices with a standard 220 volt AC home network plug.

The advantages of these timers include:

• Installation without auxiliary wiring.
• Portable, can be moved to any outlet.
• Small dimensions, compactness.
• Easy to operate and easy to install.

But they are not suitable for controlling the lighting of an entire apartment and will not be able to provide greater power to consumers. For such purposes, there are other programmable models of sockets, for example, with WI-FI.

Stationary time relays

If it is necessary to create control of the general lighting of the entire house or enterprise, and not of individual devices, then choose light timers for stationary purposes.

They are installed in a special box or on the distribution board rail. This installation requires additional effort compared to the socket type, and also requires material costs. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: unity of control is achieved and the ability to supply high-power consumers in the system is achieved.

Permissible lighting power

When connecting a timer to operation, you must follow the rule of total power. In total, it should not exceed the power of the lighting timer. The required parameters are indicated in the instructions for the equipment, or indicated on the information plate.

Protective function of the timer from the external environment

Exposure to environmental factors such as dust, water and other factors adversely affects the operation of the timer. The IP protection class must be selected according to the operating conditions.

Timer selection

Before choosing a timer, first determine the goals you want to achieve. In accordance with the goals and objectives, the required functionality of the device and its accuracy during operation are determined.

You should not choose a device that has a lot of functions if you do not need it; you do not need an astronomical timer when working with a home aquarium, which has a daily lighting cycle, and on and off ranges of about 30 minutes. Check the power of the timer; it should not be less than the power of the lighting devices. The degree of protection is also needed in a way that will satisfy the operating conditions.