As far as I know, there is nothing even close to this on the market.
I have had a few of these for many years. None have ever failed. Setup is straightforward and programming is reasonable.
Having the lights automatically adjust for sunrise/sunset is great. If we leave the house at 4pm and come back at 9pm, the front lights are on.
There is a little bug in the programming (TI034). It screws up if it is programmed to turn on before midnight and turn off after midnight. I forget now how it screws up, because I changed mine to turn off just before midnight. I think it just stayed on.
I would like more flexible programming, but that usually comes with complexity. There isn't much space there for a display.
1. Be able to set an offset (sunset +/- nn minutes).
2. A random feature where it would vary the actual on/off times by +/- nn minutes. This is a minor point, because it already vary some because of changing sunset/sunrise times.
3. Automatic adjustment for daylight savings. That may be a problem, because they could change the cutover date, so maybe it's better as it is.
This also allows me to synch the clock twice a year. The timer does not keep perfect time, which is surprising. I would think it could use the 60 Hz from the grid to stay perfectly in time. Maybe an upgraded model could include a received for the time signal from Colorado? :-)
This is one of my favorite gadgets. It used to be very hard to find. I am glad that Amazon is now carrying it. I often give them away as gifts.
07/30/10 Update: Aube makes quite a few models. It took me awhile to figure out the differences and I bought one wrong model. Some of them are designed for more heavy-duty work and controlling motors (033 & 035). I see that they now have a few new models with more programming options and higher wattage ratings. Most of mine are the 034. These are fine for porch lights. Our front porch light is also wired in with the front outside plug so it can control external Christmas lights. The 500 watt max for the 034 is limiting. I may get the new 071 or 072 to replace that one.
Here's a summary of the model from the Aube website (aubetech dot com). Please excuse the (. . .). That's the only way I could find to make a table.
. . Model . . . . . . . . . . . Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Programs
. TI032-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI032-3W-5 . .500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI034-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI070-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI073-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI033 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . 7 manual
. TI035 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI071 . . . . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI072-3W . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
The 3W means 3-way. The -5 is almond color. Aube by Honeywell TI033/U 7-Day Programmable Timer Switch, White
I installed more of these timers after a lighting guy used one doing our landscape lighting. I've used Intermatic wall timers before and had them crap out on me. These switches are reliable, easy to program, and discreet when replacing a normal wall switch.
I used this to replace my ST01C, controlling a whole house fan. The ST01C has a problem that it would randomly reset the clock to 12:00. This is much better with a neutral line. It's also easier to program. Highly recommended.
I was looking for a timer to control my outdoor lighting. I was first drawn to this product because of the name Honeywell, which is well known quality proven name in the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) business. So if Honeywell could make such a great PLC, then their timers should be par excellence. It turned out that some research after my purchase discovered that Aube was a company all of its own which was acquired by Honeywell in 2008. So this product, given the time frame, may have no Honeywell technology at all.
It turns out that it works great none the less!
NOTE: the key to making this Aube TI033 work in a standard size box with all this wiring is NOT to use the supplied connectors, they may cause the wiring to break and they take up extra space in the already cramped box. Just peal away the ends of the wires to be connected, bind them together by twisting with a pliers and shield the exposed wires with electrical tape - which is flexible and takes up a whole lot less space than connectors!
Pros
-Backed by Honeywell, a well known, well established PLC brand
-The Manual Mode is controlled by the door itself which is also itself a button; push to turn On, push to turn Off. (The On/Off switch shown in one of the pictures behind the door that hides the buttons, turns On/Off the entire device, although it gives the illusion that this is the manual mode switch).
-The door button can be used to switch between manual and automatic mode by just holding down the button for 3 seconds.
-The door button can be used to temporarily override the automatic mode (the follow the programing mode) to turn On or Off the device and this temporary override remains in effect until either the button is pushed again or the next turn on cycle in the automatic program starts.
-To the other reviewers who said this device was too big to fit in a standard size box, I say what standard are you following? I'm using this Aube TI033 to control 3 compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). I took out the triple switch (3 switches in one box), combined the 3 outputs to connect it to the single output of the Aube TI033; then had to run a neutral for the device (that's a lot of wiring in that box!). The box fit, tightly, with all that wiring but it fits well.
In short, take one box device out of box, put another into box.
-Requires a neutral so that in case of shorts, the danger to you would be diminished, the current would prefer the low resistance path back to your panel box and trip your circuit breaker.
-Displays Time (as set by you) in 24hr or 12hr, Day of week, current program running in auto mode and status of output device (On or Off).
-The Aube TI033 has up to 7 programs. Which means 7 times On and 7 times Off. Each of these On and Off times can be set individually to Day (Mon - Sun) or everyday and time of day.
-Has a built in rechargeable battery which can hold the programing data for up to 30 days! More than enough for even a very severe power outage.
-Aube TI033 Can control:
2400Watts (20 Amps @ 120V) (P = IV) (Resistive Loads - incandescent lights, halogen lights, block heater or Inductive Loads - fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights, sodium lamps, electronic ballasts)
1 HP (pool filter pumps, water pumps, ceiling or other fans, any motor up to 1 HP)
5 A tungsten (I don't know much about this!)
Cons
-May not actually have Honeywell tech in it.
-Does not have a short timer function in which you can push a button to turn on a device for a set period of time (eg. 5, 10, 15, 30 mins)
- Requires a neutral - depending on the wiring and the output device you are connecting the Aube TI033 to, you may not have a neutral. For instance with my wiring, my lighting was done with a simple circuit design so that the switch only breaks the live wire and the neutral is connected directly to the bulb, so in order to make this device work, I had to run an additional neutral wire inside the switch box. It will NOT work without this neutral.
- the actual wire than the neutral wiring for the device is made with, is a soft metal so that if the connectors supplied are used and turned a little too tightly, it breaks, as happened with mine and I had to remove it and connect it using a pliers and electrical tape.
NOTE: this device will NOT work without this neutral! When I was attempting to use mine with the broken neutral wire, it wouldn't even turn On!
There is another theoretical solution, in a simple circuit design mentioned above, where the neutral is connected to the bulb/device, the other end of the wire at the switch is theoretically a neutral so you could bind the neutral and output wires of the Aube TI033 and connect it to the live going to the device. I didn't test this to see if it will work, that's why I said theoretically... the reason why I didn't and why I don't recommend it is because if there is a fault, the fault current would have to pass through your device. In this case with say a filament bulb, the filament would act a fuse and burn under heavy current causing the fault current afterward to find an alternative route which could be through you!!!
NOTE: It doesn't come with a faceplate, the one I bought was;
Leviton 021-80401-00W Decora 1-Gang Wallplate, White
There was a small color difference but not noticeable from a small distance... say about 8ft away. Fits perfectly with the face of the Aube TI033 and flush with the wall. - Aube By Honeywell - Intermatic - Timer - Programmable Timer'
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