A recent electrical remodeling project left me in need of a dual-timer.  I had two outdoor transformers that I wanted to turn on and off at the same time.  And, because I want different settings for during the week and weekends, I needed a programmable model.

I found the Intermatic Digital Outdoor Timer, model HB800RCL, and it meets all of my needs.  Not perfectly, as I'll explain a bit later, but at least my Outdoor Malibu Lights come on and go off when I want them to.

This unit measures 5 1/2" wide, 4 1/2" high, and 2" deep.  It is designed to hang on a wall.  The power cord is only 2 feet long (a bit short, in my opinion).  And there's a screen, several programming buttons and a round knob.  A great feature is the battery back-up that allows the unit to continue working properly even if there's a power outage.  There's a small green indicator button that lights when the controlled devices are on, and turns off when the devices are off.  This is handy if your controlled devices are not actually near the timer, so you can easily verify if they're on or off.  

There are three general modes.  Auto means "follow the set program".  Manual means "I'm going to use the on/off switch, overriding all programmed settings".  And Random means "turn on/off at random times" - handy for when you're on vacation and want your home to look "lived in".

As far as programming goes, this unit is very flexible.  You can set up to 28 different "events".  An event is a turn on or a turn off at a specific time.  An event can be set for a single day, for all days, for weekdays only, or for weekends only.  You can also choose to turn the device on or off at dusk or at dawn, rather than at specific times.  It doesn't use a photocell for this feature, it uses the current date and your actual location to calculate dawn and dusk times (which you can override if you don't like the default settings).  You can also program the unit to adjust itself automatically for daylight savings time.  In this case, you have to tell it what week of what month to change the time.  It comes pre-loaded with default settings but you can override them if your location is different from the default.

Programming the unit isn't too difficult, once you get the hang of it.  It's similar to programming a VCR.  You enter each event screen and move along the various fields setting the day(s) you want the event to occur, the time, and which event (on or off).  There's a round knob that's used to scroll forwards or backwards through the event's options.  So, for instance, when you're on the "day" field the first choice you see is "Mo-Su" (every day).  Turn the knob once and it changes to "Mo-Fr".  Another turn brings up "Sa-Su".  The next seven turns are for the individual days.  Once you find the option you want, hitting "ok" brings you to the next field.  And when you finish all of the fields for that event, you can move onto the next event.  Whenever you're finished, a final "ok" saves your program.

This unit accepts two inputs so you can control two devices at once.  However, the programming does not allow you to control the devices separately.  And I find that to be silly.  It would have been so easy to add one more field to each event - "left device, right device, or both".   In my case, I want both devices to work at the same time.  But I can easily imagine a scenario where you'd want the devices to work independent of each other.  But that's not an option.

Another problem is that the screen does not have any kind of backlight.  It's impossible to read in low light conditions.  It would be so much better if pressing a button could light up the screen!

Other than those two issues, I find this device meets my needs.  It allows for some very flexible programming, and I love that it has a battery backup.  What a pleasure not to have to adjust it every time we lose power!  Approximately $25, highly recommended if you need a programmable dual-timer.


If you need a much simpler, mechanical timer, check out this one from Brinks.

Recommended: Yes