The Laureate Series Programmable Digital Panel Meters feature a modular design, offering maximum flexibility at a minimal cost. All boards are isolated from meter and power grounds. The base configuration for a digital panel meter, digital counter, or digital timer consists of a main module (with computer and plug-in display boards), a power supply board (Vac or Vdc), and a signal conditioner board. Optional plug-in boards include setpoint controller boards, analog output boards, and digital interface boards. Read more...

Industrial Electronic Digital Counters

Frequency, Rate, or Period

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$325.00

Rate, Totalizer with Functions

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$366.00

Pulse Input Totalizer

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$325.00

Analog Input Totalizer

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$313.00

Batch Controller Pulse Input

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$366.00

Batch Controller Analog Input

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$366.00

AC Phase, Angle, and Power Factor

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$366.00

Quadrature Encoder Input

Time Base Crystal calibrated to ±2 ppm
Span tempco ±1 ppm/°C (typ)
Long-term Drift ±5 ppm/year (typ)

$367.00

What Is a Digital Panel Meter Used as an Electronic Counter?

An electronic counter is a Digital Panel Meter built to count events rather than read a continuous signal — pulses from a proximity switch, a flow meter, a rotary encoder, or an AC line frequency input. Instead of converting a steady voltage or current into a number, a counting Digital Panel Meter watches for individual pulses, tallies them, and shows the running count, rate, or elapsed time on its display. Because the underlying hardware is the same modular 1/8 DIN platform used across Laurel's meter line, a counter-configured Digital Panel Meter can be scaled to engineering units (feet, gallons, RPM, parts per minute), totalized over time, and combined with a second input channel for ratio or rate-and-total functions — all without the bulk of a dedicated PLC.

Picking the Right Counting Digital Panel Meter

  • What's generating the pulse: Proximity switch, contact closure, magnetic pickup, AC line, or encoder output each call for a slightly different input stage and noise filtering.
  • Single value or math between two inputs: A basic Digital Panel Meter counter shows one rate or total; an extended version can add, subtract, multiply, or divide two channels (A+B, A-B, A×B, A/B) for ratio and net-flow calculations.
  • Totalizing vs. batching: If you just need a running count, a standard totalizer is enough; if the meter needs to shut off a valve or relay at a preset count, you need the batch-controller version.
  • Display digits and update speed: High-speed pulse trains or six-digit totals need a meter rated for the read rate and digit count your process actually produces.
  • Output needs: Decide if the Digital Panel Meter needs to drive a relay at a setpoint, send a scaled analog signal, or report over serial/Ethernet to a PLC.

Where Counting Digital Panel Meters Get Used

  • Production counting: Tallying parts off a line or cycles on a machine to track output against targets.
  • Flow totalizing: Summing pulses from a turbine or paddlewheel flow meter into a running total for billing, batching, or inventory.
  • Speed and rate display: Showing motor RPM, conveyor speed, or line rate from an encoder or tachometer signal.
  • Batch fill control: Counting toward a preset pulse total, then triggering a relay to stop a fill or dispensing cycle automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a counting Digital Panel Meter different from a standard voltage/current meter?

A standard Digital Panel Meter reads a continuous analog signal and converts it to a number. A counting Digital Panel Meter instead watches for discrete pulses — from a switch, encoder, or flow sensor — and accumulates or rates them. The input electronics, not the display, is what differs between the two.

What's the difference between a totalizer and a rate meter?

A totalizer adds up every pulse it sees and keeps a running sum — useful for tracking total production or total flow over time. A rate meter instead measures how fast pulses are arriving right now and displays that as a speed, RPM, or flow rate. Many Digital Panel Meter counter models can show both at once, on two channels.

Can a Digital Panel Meter counter do math between two inputs?

Yes, on extended counter models. Functions like A+B, A-B, A×B, and A/B let the meter combine two pulse channels — for example, calculating net flow as the difference between an inlet and outlet meter, or a mixing ratio between two ingredient feeds — and display the result directly rather than requiring an external calculation.

How does a batch controller Digital Panel Meter stop a fill automatically?

A batch controller counts incoming pulses (from a flow meter, for example) toward a preset target value. Once that target is reached, it switches a relay output to close a valve, stop a pump, or otherwise end the cycle — then it can reset and repeat for the next batch, all without operator intervention.

What kind of signal can a Digital Panel Meter counter accept?

Most counting Digital Panel Meters accept NPN/PNP proximity switches, dry contact closures, TTL/CMOS logic levels, magnetic pickups, and AC voltage inputs up to a few hundred volts. The right choice depends on what's generating the pulse in your application — match the meter's input spec to your sensor's output type.

How accurate are Laurel's Digital Panel Meter counters?

Laurel's frequency, rate, and counter-style Digital Panel Meters use a crystal time base calibrated to ± 2 ppm, with span tempco around ± 1 ppm/°C and long-term drift around ± 5 ppm/year. That stability holds up well for production counting, billing-grade totalizing, and precise rate display over the life of the instrument.

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