Timer Operation Of Blinds: Part 4

PLEASE NOTE: If you received your timer after to April 1, 2015 please refer the series G blind and shade timer instructions. The instructions on this page are for series R timers, which have been superseded with series G. This page is here for legacy purposes.

In part 3 we discussed how the MCT-1-RF wireless wall mounted timer can be linked to our radio equipped blind and shade motors using RF (Radio Frequency). In part 4, we will learn how to create actual timer events.

The timer is able to memorize a total 18 different motor timing event triggers, organized in a sequential fashion from Monday to Sunday. The 'Timing Number' indicates which of the 18 timing programs is being used or set. However, you do also have the option of toggling the Auto/Manual button at any time to prevent the events from triggering motor actions. You can still use the up/down/stop buttons to control your blind motors manually.

Please keep in mind that this is a 'single channel' controller, and you can have as many motors as you like assigned to it. For a more complex multi-channel system, please see our article about the Vera home automation system.

At this point the timer cover should be removed, the battery inserted into the battery compartment, and the timer unit powered up with some characters on the display, as shown in the picture on the right.

When you remove the battery to change it, there is a built-in temporary battery (the supercap) to allow you enough time to make the change without losing all the settings. If you want to reset the unit and erase all settings, leave the battery out for 5 minutes or longer, until the standby supercap battery has fully discharged.

Timer for blinds and shade motors can be purchased in our online store, click here to view in a new window

The picture at left is a detailed view of all the characters and symbols that will be shown in the LCD liquid crystal display, at various different times during the programming process.

There are basically three rows of characters on the LCD display:

Row 1: Transmit Symbol & Day of Week Indicator (Monday to Sunday)

Row 2: Up/Down Indicators & Current time (or setup mode)

Row 3: Mode Indicator (AUTO), Timing Number & Timing Setup

Programming the Timer and Creating Events for Motor Operation:

Normally the real time clock will display time and date information, but during the programming mode the clock display is converted to a mode indicator. There are 4 basic modes of operation as seen in the following table, and you should be able to press the MENU button and cycle through each of the different modes.

If you try this now, you should see the time display change according to the table sequence below. Continuously pressing the MENU button should continuously cycle you through the modes displayed below. The OK button is used to actually enter/exit a specific setting mode; the menu button is used to cycle through the various settings while in that specific mode.

Please Note: When pressing the buttons, please push them directly and firmly down with your finger. If you push them from an angle, the membrane switch may not make proper contact inside (even though you will still feel the tactile click).

Function	LCD Clock Display	Action
Normal Time Display:		Display reverts back to clock display when setup of any items below is finished.
Set Clock Time & Date:		Press MENU until clock display changes to picture at left, then press OK to begin procedure for entering date and time settings (see example 1 below). Display reverts back to clock display when setup is finished.
Set Event Timing:		Press MENU until clock display changes to picture at left, then press OK to begin procedure for creating a timer event (see example 2 below). Display reverts back to clock display when setup is finished.
Check Event Timing:		Press MENU until clock display changes to picture at left, then press OK to begin procedure to review event settings (see example 3 below). Display reverts back to clock display when setup is finished.
Clear All Events:		Press MENU until clock display changes to picture at left, then press OK to begin procedure to clear all timer settings (see example 4 below). Display reverts back to clock display when setup is finished.

Example 1: Setting the Current Time and Date

Example 2: Set Event Timing

There are two different ways to set event timing; the methods are "mutually exclusive"; you cannot preset daily timings by method 2, and have different timing events on other days. The timer can hold a maximum of 18 motor events per week.

Method 1: Setup of Different Events on Different Days (referred to as WEEKLY TIMING)

• The programming sequence starts with Monday (designated on the display as Pd:01 as shown in pictures below), and you can select a different day of the week for the event by pressing the + or - button: Pd:02 (Tuesday), Pd:03 (Wednesday), etc.
• This method is typically used when you want your motorized shades to behave differently on weekends. Events should be programmed in chronological order. The days of the week are displayed like this:

Method 2: Setup of Same Time Every Day (Quicker than method 1 - referred to as DAILY TIMING)

• This method replaces any weekly timings you may have previously set (the first step requires that you clear the motor event memory). It is designed to accommodate situations where you want to have the shades open in the morning at the same time every day, and close in the evening at the same time every day
• There is no DAY setting in this mode, since the event will happen automatically at the same time every day. Events should be programmed in chronological order.

The first example in the following table shows how you could set up your weekly schedule using the WEEKLY TIMING method; the second example (coming soon) demonstrates the DAILY TIMING method, where the weekday timings are the same, but the weekend operation is different:

Method 1: WEEKLY TIMING

Here's a typical scenario: (events occur at any time, any day of week)

WEEKLY TIMING Setting Procedure for Motorized Blind & Shade Motor Events (press buttons firmly):

#	Action	Observed State
1	press MENU four times from normal clock display state	CL:04 code appears in clock display. The next step will clear the motor event memory, so skip it if you are adding events to an existing program!
2	press OK to clear motor event memory	normal clock display appears, memory is cleared
3	press MENU twice from normal clock display state	d0:02 appears in clock display
4	DAY 1 REPEATING EVENT: press AUTO/MANUAL button to enter WEEKLY TIMING mode; you can set different events for each of the 7 days of the week (Monday=Day1).	Pd:01 appears at clock display, 01 is flashing. The unit is ready for settings for Monday. If you don't need anything to happen on Monday, press the + or - key to get to the first day you want to set. You'll see Pd:xx where xx is the day (flashing)
5	SET EVENT HOUR: press MENU button to enter the hour for an event on the selected day.	HOUR digits start flashing on display; press + (increase) or - (decrease) to adjust the EVENT HOUR (24 hour clock).
6	SET EVENT MINUTE: Press MENU button to enter the minute for an event on the selected day.	HOUR digits start flashing on display; press + (increase) or - (decrease) to adjust the EVENT MINUTE.
7	SET MOTOR ACTION: Press MENU to select Up or Down MOTOR ACTION	Motor direction display is flashing (press up or down button to select). All flashing stops once motor direction has been selected because this completes the settings for one event on that day.
8	IF YOU ARE FINISHED, press OK to complete the procedure and EXIT to regular clock display OR press MENU to continue to the next programmed event; if you continue, you'll see Pd:xx where xx is the day (flashing) again.	Repeat the above procedure to set up to 18 events. IF YOU ARE FINISHED, press OK to complete the procedure and EXIT to regular clock display. If you exit by accident, your settings thus far will be preserved, so skip the 'clear memory' step at the beginning of these instructions and repeat the procedure to add new events.

Method 2: DAILY TIMING

Here's a typical scenario (events occur at same time every day of week):

DAILY TIMING Setting Procedure for Motorized Blind & Shade Motor Events (press buttons firmly):

Example 3: Check Event Timing

Example 4: Clear All Event Settings

Timer for blinds and shade motors can be purchased in our online store, click here to view in a new window

PART 1: Timer for blinds - Removing the Cover

PART 2: Timer for blinds - Controls and Layout

PART 3: Timer for blinds - Linking to a Radio Motor

PART 4: Timer for blinds - Creating Timer Events

We sincerely hope you enjoy using these advanced motors; if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time!