What are Timeclocks and How Do They Work?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Most electricians in the skilled trades have come across time clocks (24-hour electrical timers or dawn to dusk) in their careers at least once. But what are they used for and how do they work? In todays episode of Electrician U, Dustin tackles this question.
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In essence, a time clock is a big switch that turns on & off electrical equipment at certain times of the day. The time clock differs from a standard switch, however, and does the switching between on/off without the need for someone to actually flip the switch. The clock mechanism is electrically run and the on/off times are manually set upon initial installation of the clock on the clock dial itself. These on/off actuators are referred to as “trippers”. The installing electrician puts the respective on/off trippers on the clock face at the times they want the load being controlled by the clock to come on and go off. As the clock spins around, those trippers move a mechanical lever that either closes the contact (and power goes to the load) or opens the contact (and power goes off to the load). So once the clock is installed, the on/off times are set, and the loads installed/wired, the time clock is relatively self sufficient and requires no external input from anyone.
Time clocks are available in single pole or two pole and are available in a few different voltage ranges. Again, they are most often used to control some type of exterior light fixtures, but can be used to control any load you want to come on/go off at a particular time. Regardless of what you are using it to control, make sure you check the clocks rating vs. the load you are trying to control. If you need to control several circuits worth of lights/equipment or large equipment, consider using the time clock to control a contactor (or rather the control circuit that controls the contactor). Another way you can link the timeclock with some other type of control would be to use the clock to control a photocell. That way if its not dark yet when the time clock says to come on (for instance in the summer when its lighter outside longer), the photocell wont send power to the equipment until its dark enough.
Another thing that can be done is to put multiple trippers on the dial face. So, your lights will come on at say 700 when your employees are leaving, turn off when they have all left by 800, stay off all night as the buildings unoccupied, then come back on at say 0500 when they are returning and back off again at 0700 when its light outside again. A tip to save some aggravation. Make sure you tighten the trippers to the dial face really well as the spinning action will tend to make them come loose over time. Another point to keep in mind is that mechanical timeclocks will need to be reset to account for time changes and also adjusted periodically.
There are also digital timeclocks available. Same concept without the mechanical clock spinning around! Some of these models can be programmed with several different on/off settings and can also account for time changes, so they don’t need to be adjusted as frequently. BMS (Building Management Systems) or Lighting Control Panels can also be used as a time clock of sorts and some of these can even be monitored remotely via ethernet and can turn lights on/off without having to be at the building itself!!
Gotta say you are the best at "breaking things down Barney style". In a field where no one has the time or patience to explain anything, your videos are greatly appreciated.
Sweet Skippy The Magnificent reference!
30 years ago I used these on electric water heaters. Turned it on 2 hours before I woke up. Plenty of time to get a warm shower. Then throughout the day the hot water would slowly reduce in temperature. Worked great for me. Saved a lot of money.
It's cool to see that classic mechanical time clocks are still being used.
I have never heard these called, " time clock". Only heard them called timers. What I know as a "time clock" is the device that records employee's hours whether electronically or with a time card.
Also called punch clocks or check in clocks haha :D
We use T101/T103 and T102/T104 timers for lights like you said when workers leave at night when they arrive in the mornings. I was thinking right when you said it to not forget the lineman pliers for that extra quarter turn to lock them in. Great stuff you have here, another video to share with the newbies.
Hey, Electrician U, you should gives us a tour of all your Electrical Books.
For many clients, they will happily pay for the nicer ones that keep the time through power outages, can set times relative to sunrise/sunset, adjust for saving time changes, and can set for holidays. IMHO, the basic ones like the T101,etc. are wrong for most applications and best for devices that only need to be regularly on for periods, like a pool circ.
Technology Connections did a video on timers not long ago. He go's indepth on how they are built and function. He, of course, takes one apart to show the internals. It's an interesting video for those interested.
Hey Dustin the last one I installed actually had standard/daylight savings setting
It was awesomely easy to set and self changed at time change
growing up we always had one that ran the pump for the pool. And my parents have one at their new house that turns on recepticals on the roof we use for holiday lights. an old school way before the smart devices came about to automatically turn on the decorations when you aren't home.
DUSTIN PLEASE DO A SERIES AND PARALLEL VIDEO SPECIFICALLY THE WAY TO DETERMINE IF A CIRCUIT IS ONE OR THE OTHER
Great information, please make a video over lighting control system
You are the epitome of a great electrician! I hope to be just as good and knowledgeable as you one day buddy 💪🏼
Awesome video like always Dustin, dude I've been learning so much from your videos. I am planning on going for my license in about a years time. I am currectly working for a pool company, wiring up equipments and installing subpanels. I have installed countless of this time clocks for pumps or pool chemical systems. Any chance we can get a video going into Article 680 on the NEC? Some love for the forgotten chapter. Thanks Dustin you're the man.
Astronomical ones are the best to sell your customers, with the exception of a long power outage, they will automatically control lighting dusk to dawn year round based on the date without needing to reset. They do have a capacitor to keep the setting for short time periods where power is lost.
Wow, have we stepped back to the 1920s - Electromechanical timers in a lunch box.
Modern people use photo eyes lol
@@Yotaciv
Which works great, if you want something to energize at 3 P M.
Not so great at 3 AM.
What do you when the tripper won't turn the switch? Is it fixable? Had to replace a $125 Intermatic pool timer. BTW - don't forget that if the GFCI trips, you'll need to reset the time.
Old sparky and called the big ugly gray box that we punched a time card a time clock. Worked on probably 15 different timers. Most interesting ones were used on freezers & chill boxes. Defrost timer had several adjustable settings. Timer would start defrost cycle by closing ammonia solenoid, turning off fans the opening up a hot gas solenoids for up to 20 minutes depending on ice build up. Then hot gas solenoids closed and ammonia solenoid would open .Fans would not start for at least two minutes to give water a chance to drip off coils. Installed a seven day 4 pole timer in my house over 35 years ago for all of my outdoor Christmas lights. Real pain in the ass to zero in the 14 trippers. Think it was Intermatic that made a timer that rep!aced a single pole toggle switch years ago. Big problem was that when light bulb burned out you had to reprogram the settings .
Congratulations 500K 🎉🍾🎊
We use them for defrost cycles on walk in freezers
Interesting when I clicked on this I was thinking time clock as in that thing that you take your card out of the slot punch in when you start work and punch out when you are done with your shift and go home. I generally have used those as light timers or timers.
Can you do a video for a 3 phase motor time clock set up
These are great for grow rooms and green houses
Can you do a video on app transfer switches for home use?
Nothing stops the clock he is holding, a TORK T101. Except when the tab that pushes the switch mechanism becomes bent because it ran 10yrs.
It's super weird that Technology Connections just covered these three weeks ago. A coincidence I know. Just weird that two channels I follow covered the same niché device only a few weeks apart. That probably says more about me than either of you guys though. Lol
I wonder what sort of answers you would get if you did a random poll to 50 people...
" How would they instruct a person to safely lock out and tag out a time clock."
I don't know the correct english here (vernacular).
A very small town I stayed at had remote monitoring.
I was early at the grocery store 6am. Drizzling outside, store opens at 7am. Doing work on my phone and still twight at 6:27am the parallel buildings banner light begins flickering. I hear a loud groan.
60 seconds later Groan.
What is this noise??
Again, another.
And another.
GROAN...
BANG!
A very large transformer blew because someone reset it 5 times.
I was the 112 view and it was just posted 10 mins ago…😮
When I read the video title I automatically thought of the time clock you use to punch in and out of work! I thought to myself wow he must be really struggling for content. Then my next thought was wow is the new work force so stupid that they don’t know how to clock in and out of work! 😂 😂😂
Timecock
Dustin, thanks for your videos…..but……as a master electrician….how many time clocks do you work on …..on an average day….😂
lol thought this would be 9 minutes about how to not be late to work 😂
Doesn't even feel like learning haha
Uno
It's a timer not a "time clock"!!
Never heard it called a timer
Because speed can’t be clocked and distance can’t be clocked