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
, they can be purchased from the Mechanic.
Types
Timer | Tile ID | Tooltip | Buy | Sell | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 Second Timer Internal Item ID: 583
|
144 | Activates every second | 1 / 50 ![]() |
20 |
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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 |
---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() or ![]() | |
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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.
History
- Desktop 1.4.1: All timers can now also be purchased from the Mechanic.
- Desktop 1.4.0.1: Introduced the 1/2 and 1/4 Second Timers; they can be purchased from the Mechanic.
- Desktop 1.3.0.1: Sprites updated. Old sprites were
- Desktop 1.1: Introduced.
- Console 1.0.933.1: Sprites updated to match Desktop 1.3.0.1. (
)
- Console 1.0.750.0: Sprites updated to match Desktop 1.3.0.1. (
)
- Console-Release: Introduced.
- Switch 1.0.711.6: Introduced.
- Mobile 1.4.0.5.0: Introduced the 1/2 and 1/4 Second timers.
- Mobile 1.3.0.7:
- Sprites updated to match Desktop 1.3.0.1.
- No longer sold by the Mechanic.
- Re-added crafting recipes.
- Mobile 1.2.6508:
- Now sold by the Mechanic.
- No longer craftable.
- Mobile 1.1.5536: Introduced.
- 3DS-Release: Introduced, bought from the Mechanic.