6-Digit Digital Stopwatch and Timer
Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)
Industrial Electronic Digital Timers
Time Interval of Periodic Events
Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppmSpan tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)
Duty Cycle and (PWM)
Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppmSpan tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)
Serial Input 6-Digit Remote Display
Display from -999,999 to +999,999
High read rates at up to 60 or 50 conversions per second.
Electronic Timers: Digital Panel Meters for Event and Interval Timing
An electronic timer is a digital panel meter built around one job: measuring elapsed time rather than a signal value or a pulse count. Where a standard panel meter reads voltage or temperature and a counter totalizes pulses, a timer instead captures the duration between two events — a single interval, an accumulated total across repeated cycles, the period of a recurring event, or the on/off ratio of a pulse-width-modulated signal. These timers are built on the same 1/8 DIN modular platform as the rest of the Laureate Series, with a crystal time base calibrated to ±2 ppm and a 6-digit LED display, so precision timing sits alongside meters and counters on the same panel using the same setup workflow.
Four Timer Configurations
- 6-digit stopwatch and timer: Measures single event durations from a start trigger to a stop trigger, used for production cycle timing and experiment tracking.
- Time interval of periodic events: Measures the duration of recurring cycles with high accuracy, suited to machine cycles and continuous operations.
- Duty cycle and PWM: Analyzes pulse width modulation up to 1 MHz, used in motor speed control and power regulation.
- Serial input 6-digit remote display: Displays a range from -999,999 to +999,999, with read rates up to 60/50 conversions per second from an incoming serial data stream.
Key Technical Specifications
- Time base: Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm, with ±1 ppm/°C temperature stability and ±5 ppm/year long-term drift.
- Display: 6-digit LED across every configuration.
- Form factor: Compact 1/8 DIN housing, consistent with the rest of the Laureate Series.
Where Electronic Timers Fit in a Panel
- Machine cycle monitoring: Timing recurring production cycles to flag drift from the expected rhythm.
- Motor speed and power regulation: Verifying PWM duty cycle on motor drives and power control circuits.
- Experiment and process dynamics timing: Capturing precise single-event durations in test and lab settings.
- Remote and networked readouts: Using the serial input configuration as a large, clear display for a value computed elsewhere in a system.
Electronic Timer Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between an electronic timer and an electronic counter?
A counter processes a pulse train, counting pulses or computing a rate from their frequency. A timer instead measures duration — the elapsed time between two events, whether a single interval, an accumulated total, or a repeating cycle period. A counter answers "how many" or "how fast"; a timer answers "how long."
Can the stopwatch/timer configuration track more than one interval, or just a single start-stop cycle?
It depends on configuration — single event timing captures one interval from a start trigger to a stop trigger, while an accumulated mode sums duration across multiple repeated start/stop cycles into a running total, so the same base configuration supports both a one-time measurement and a cumulative one.
How does time interval of periodic events differ from basic single-event timing?
Basic single-event timing captures a single, typically non-repeating interval. Periodic event timing is built to measure the duration of a recurring cycle — the time between one occurrence of a repeating event and the next — which suits monitoring the consistency of a machine cycle rather than a one-off measurement.
What frequency range does the duty cycle/PWM configuration support?
This configuration analyzes pulse-width-modulated signals up to 1 MHz, computing the on/off ratio as a duty cycle, which covers the switching frequencies typically used in motor speed control and power regulation circuits.
What is the serial input remote display configuration actually used for?
It's a 6-digit display that receives its value over a serial connection from another device rather than measuring a signal directly, acting as a large, clear remote readout for a value another instrument or controller has already computed, across a range of -999,999 to +999,999.
Can a timer trigger a relay or control output based on elapsed time?
Yes, with the appropriate option board. A timer can drive relay outputs from configurable time-based setpoints and retransmit its reading as an analog output, functioning as both an indicator and a simple time-based controller.
How does the timer's timing resolution compare to typical process timing needs?
Single and accumulated event timing on this platform can resolve intervals down to a fraction of a microsecond, which comfortably covers typical industrial process timing needs and extends to faster, more demanding applications such as capturing brief transient events.
Electronic Timer Questions From the Field
My accumulated timer total doesn't match what I'd expect from counting cycles manually — what should I check?
Confirming the start and stop trigger conditions (such as signal edge or logic level) are configured to match exactly what the connected sensor or switch actually outputs is the first step, since a mismatch between the expected and actual trigger condition can cause extra or missed start/stop events that accumulate into an incorrect total over time.
My machine cycle timer shows cycle times slowly drifting over a long production run — is that expected?
Some cycle-to-cycle variation is expected if the mechanical process itself isn't perfectly consistent, since the timer accurately reports real variation rather than introducing its own error; if the drift seems larger than the process should produce, checking for signal noise or a marginal trigger threshold on the input is the standard next step.
My duty cycle reading on a motor drive doesn't match what I'm seeing on a scope — what should I check?
Confirming both instruments are measuring the same point in the circuit and using the same definition of "on" (active-high vs. active-low) is the first step, since a duty cycle calculation depends entirely on which signal transitions are being counted as the start and end of the "on" period.
My serial-input remote display shows a frozen or stale value — what should I check?
Confirming the sending device is still actively transmitting on the expected serial protocol and address is the first step, since a remote display configuration shows whatever it last received and has no way to know the data source has stopped updating.
My timer's relay isn't triggering at the time setpoint I configured — what should I check?
Confirming the setpoint value and relay mode (normally open vs. normally closed) are configured as intended is the first step, since a relay that appears not to trigger is often configured correctly but for a different condition than expected.
My single-event timing reading seems to include extra time I didn't expect — what should I check?
Confirming the exact start and stop trigger points match where the physical event actually begins and ends is the first step, since an event timer measures precisely between its configured triggers, and a trigger set slightly before the true start or after the true end will add that extra time into the reading even though the timer itself is functioning correctly.
My PWM duty cycle reading becomes unstable as the signal frequency approaches the 1 MHz limit — what should I check?
Confirming the signal isn't degraded by cable length, noise, or signal rise/fall time limitations at that frequency is the first step, since signal integrity becomes more critical as frequency approaches the upper end of the instrument's rated range.
