Timers

Type	MechanismFurniture
Placeable	✔️ (1 wide × 1 high)
Use time	15 (Very fast)
Rarity
Research	1 required

Deactivated (top) and activated (bottom) timers.

Timers are triggering mechanisms that periodically send an activation signal to other mechanisms. There are five / three different types of timers, which differ in the interval at which the signal is sent: 5 Second Timer, 3 Second Timer, 1 Second Timer, 1/2 Second Timer, and 1/4 Second Timer.

Timers need to be placed in order to function; they require either a block or a platform beneath them. They are toggled on and off by pressing the ⚷ Open / Activate button on them. Timers can also be activated and deactivated using other mechanism activation items. For example, a Switch on the same path of wires will toggle a timer on and off. Multiple timers on the same circuit will also repeatedly toggle each other on and off.

On the Desktop, Console, Old-gen console, and Mobile versions, timers can be crafted at an Iron or Lead Anvil. On Desktop, Console, Mobile, and 3DS , they can be purchased from the Mechanic.

Types

	Tile ID	Tooltip	Buy	Sell
1 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 583	144	Activates every second	1 / 50	20
3 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 584	144 (1)	Activates every 3 seconds	1 / 50	20
5 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 585	144 (2)	Activates every 5 seconds	1 / 50	20
1/2 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 4484	144 (3)	Activates every half of a second	2	40
1/4 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 4485	144 (4)	Activates every fourth of a second	2	40

Crafting

Recipes

Result	Ingredients	Crafting station
1 Second Timer	Gold Watch Wire	Iron Anvil or Lead Anvil
1 Second Timer	Platinum Watch Wire
3 Second Timer	Silver Watch Wire
3 Second Timer	Tungsten Watch Wire
5 Second Timer	Copper Watch Wire
5 Second Timer	Tin Watch Wire

Notes

If a timer A activates another timer B with the same duration, B will trigger before A (thereby deactivating A before it can trigger again).
- This allows timers to be chained in sequence into a "timer cascade", to provide a long delay before activating a circuit. Normally, only the last timer in the chain will continue repeating; a timer cascade can be made to repeat their combined delay (and prevent the last timer from continuing) by having the last timer in the chain reactivate the first one.
Exiting a world and re-entering it resets all timers to their inactive state.
The Crab Engine and Bird Engine methods can be used to produce a similar effect at faster intervals.
Timers are considered background objects when placed, so they do not block any creatures from passing through them.

Tips

The buy price of the 1 Second Timer (1) is lower than the sell price of the 10 Gold Bars (120) or 10 Platinum Bars (180) required to craft it. Hence, it is more money-efficient to sell the bars and buy the timer than to use them for crafting the timer.