In addition to our user programmable REUK Super TImer and Super Timer 2 products we make a large number of other timers to order specific to the needs of individual projects.

Today we put together a timer for a very interesting project – a drifting buoy designed to measure various metrics such as salinity, temperature, and location, and transmit them over a radio link at regular intervals as the buoy drifts on tides and currents in the sea. Our timer turns on the power to the buoy electronics for half an hour once every six hours so that it can collect and transmit data. The maximum total current draw to be switched by this timer is 2 Amps at 12VDC.

Although the timer will be fitted in an airtight container, we thought it better not to use a mechanical relay as high humidity and the marine environment is very corrosive and can cause relays to fail rapidly. Instead we made the whole timer solid state with a MOSFET used to switch the output current. We also made it nice and small and used very low power LEDs with high resistor values to minimise power consumption of the timer itself. All component values user were over-specced for greater reliability.

If you need any kind of timer, email neil@reuk.co.uk with full details of your requirements.