⏱️ Timer Combinator

Give your circuits a sense of timing. Timer Combinator adds configurable delays, timed pulses, repeating cycles, and an output that can stay on until reset—all in one combinator.

Use it to run a pump for a few seconds, delay a warning, flash a lamp, or coordinate the next step in a production circuit. Choose what starts the timer, how long it waits, and which signal it sends. Your connected circuit decides what happens next.

Built for Factorio 2.1, with no electricity requirement. Only the base game is required. English and French are included.

🔧 Quick setup

Research Circuit network, then craft a Timer Combinator from one arithmetic combinator.
Connect a constant combinator to INPUT and a lamp to OUTPUT. Set the lamp to enable when T > 0.
Open the timer. Keep Start at S > 0, RESET at R > 0, Per trigger, Stop after = 1, and output Signal T = 1.
Set Delay to 1 second and Duration to 1 second, with Pulse selected. Click Apply and reset.
Keep R = 0 and leave S = 0 briefly so the timer can read the false start condition. Then set S = 1. The lamp lights after the delay and stays on for one second.
For another run, click Reset timer, lower S to 0, let the timer read it, then raise S again. You can also reset through R > 0; clear R before rearming and starting.

🔄 Timing modes

Per trigger: Each time your start condition becomes true, an idle timer starts one countdown. Keeping the condition true does not start another run. New starts during a countdown or pulse are ignored.
Repeat: One start launches successive delay-and-pulse cycles. The sequence continues even if the start condition becomes false.
Stop after: Limits completed cycles since the last reset. Use 0 for unlimited cycles. Once the limit is reached, reset before starting again.
Hold until reset: After the delay, the output stays on until reset. This requires Per trigger and Stop after = 1.

Delay is the waiting time between pulses. In Repeat mode, a 30-second delay and 2-second duration produce pulse starts 32 seconds apart. The first pulse follows the initial 30-second wait.

Choose ticks or seconds, from one tick to 24 simulation hours. One second is 60 simulation ticks; pausing the game also pauses the timer.

💡 Ideas for your factory

Timed pumping: Send a five-second pulse to a pump configured to enable on your chosen signal.
Delayed warning: Start a countdown when a problem appears. Wire a recovery condition to RESET to cancel the warning if the problem clears.
Blinking indicator: Use Repeat with equal delay and duration for a lamp that alternates between off and on.

🚦 Controls and useful details

RESET cancels the current run, clears the output and cycle count, and takes priority over starting. After reset, the start condition must become false before another start.

Edits take effect only when you click Apply and reset, which also cancels the current run. Closing the window discards unapplied edits.

Blueprints and settings copy carry your timer's settings. Copies start fresh; they do not inherit a running countdown. Pasting settings onto an existing timer resets it.

The output contains only your selected signal and value; input signals are not forwarded. To switch a whole bundle of signals, use the timer to control a decider combinator.

Some machines and mods check their inputs less often than others. Give those receivers a longer pulse so they have time to notice it.

❓ Help and support

Read the complete guide or report a problem on the issue tracker. Include your Factorio version and the timer settings so the problem can be reproduced.

🙏 Credits and license

Source code is released under the MIT License. Factorio's graphics belong to Wube Software. Thumbnail artwork was created with generative AI.