Digital vs. Mechanical

Digital or Mechanical?

  • Mechanical

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Digital

    Votes: 14 87.5%

  • Total voters
    16
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Zouave

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DO you prefer digital or mechanical equipment?
Specifically timers for lights and heaters but even in general (gauges, thermometers etc.)
 

dmarcus

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Digital for me, we have our sprinklers and lights for tort's and inside flowers on digital timers and I love the digital temp gauge..
 

Neal

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I've converted to digital. Back a few months ago, I used the mechanical dial type of timer. One that was hooked up to a CHE in a hatchling enclosure pooped out and I didn't notice it for a couple of days. I nearly lost them to the cold, but I brought them back to life.
 

John

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Both types of controls can be reliable or not, depends on the maker and of course the price range, I personally use both, but because I do heavy commercial and industrial climate and process controls for a living I have a wider range of controls available to me then most. Anyway at the end of the day it depends on the instrument itself not the type.
 

jaizei

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In my experience, digital timers are more reliable, and the ones with an internal battery are even better because they can remember all the settings if there is a power outage.

For gauges, thermometers, etc. I like to use both.
 

Tom

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Yep. I use both. It totally depends on the application and the individual product.
 

Madkins007

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As a rule of thumb, digital equipment is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. Look at all the things that are digital now that you would not willingly go back to the mechanical versions of- phones, calculators, radios, TVs. music players...

I used to work with an old mechanical calculator (aka 'adding machine')- punch the buttons, pull the crank- the sounds were so distinctive- tika tika tika CA-CRUNCH. It is where the term 'crunching numbers' came from.
 

CtTortoiseMom

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Mechanical timer, digital point & shoot thermometer and digital humidity and temp sensor's. I manually do the CHE's though:)
 

John

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Madkins007 said:
As a rule of thumb, digital equipment is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. Look at all the things that are digital now that you would not willingly go back to the mechanical versions of- phones, calculators, radios, TVs. music players...

I used to work with an old mechanical calculator (aka 'adding machine')- punch the buttons, pull the crank- the sounds were so distinctive- tika tika tika CA-CRUNCH. It is where the term 'crunching numbers' came from.

I have to disagree here Mark. The things you use as examples are not the controls they are the controlled devices, and none of them have to do with climate, which I believe this thread was based on. When it comes to temperature the mechanical controls (depending on manufacterer) are just as reliable as their new digital replacements, The advancement here is in accuracy, which in most cases with reptile keeping is a small advancement most applications are not so critical that a fluctuation of a few degree's matters. The bourdon tube type controls are reliable and have been proven to be for many years, the electronic controls have reduced the lag and can achieve more precise control but in most cases are the same size and wieght and have not been on the market long enough to prove thier reliability, I know of mechanical controls that have been doing the same job for twenty years now, while alot of other components on the machine have been replaced do to failure. I feel the same way about time clocks they may have become more accurate but dependable has yet to be proven. As I stated I use both, my setups all are wired to be fail safe, two thermostats wired in parrellel, one electronic and one mechanical.
 

tortoisenerd

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I have digital timers and temp gun, but thats about all the tort equipment I use. Before those, I had a mechanical timer, which made a very annoying clicking noise, and wasn't very reliable (it would randomly stop), and one of those silly digital probe thermometers (way too slow).
 

Madkins007

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squamata said:
Madkins007 said:
As a rule of thumb, digital equipment is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. Look at all the things that are digital now that you would not willingly go back to the mechanical versions of- phones, calculators, radios, TVs. music players...

I used to work with an old mechanical calculator (aka 'adding machine')- punch the buttons, pull the crank- the sounds were so distinctive- tika tika tika CA-CRUNCH. It is where the term 'crunching numbers' came from.

I have to disagree here Mark. The things you use as examples are not the controls they are the controlled devices, and none of them have to do with climate, which I believe this thread was based on. When it comes to temperature the mechanical controls (depending on manufacterer) are just as reliable as their new digital replacements, The advancement here is in accuracy, which in most cases with reptile keeping is a small advancement most applications are not so critical that a fluctuation of a few degree's matters. The bourdon tube type controls are reliable and have been proven to be for many years, the electronic controls have reduced the lag and can achieve more precise control but in most cases are the same size and wieght and have not been on the market long enough to prove thier reliability, I know of mechanical controls that have been doing the same job for twenty years now, while alot of other components on the machine have been replaced do to failure. I feel the same way about time clocks they may have become more accurate but dependable has yet to be proven. As I stated I use both, my setups all are wired to be fail safe, two thermostats wired in parrellel, one electronic and one mechanical.

There are always going to be exceptions. Musicians prefer mechanical/analog/tubed amps over the digital versions and a lot of music lovers prefer vinyl over CD.

But, speaking of controllers, I really like my household, digital, programmable rheostat, and I appreciate that my digital habitat light timers have been more reliable than the mechanicals that were always getting bumped, dropping pins, getting stuck on a given time, etc. My digital ZooMed thermostat is still rocking along after some 4 years, and for the cost of it, I could not have touched a mechanical version.

HOWEVER- a big part of the answer in a given situation is going to be 'what is available to you in your price range for the job you are doing?'
 

John

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Madkins007 said:
squamata said:
Madkins007 said:
As a rule of thumb, digital equipment is lighter, smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. Look at all the things that are digital now that you would not willingly go back to the mechanical versions of- phones, calculators, radios, TVs. music players...

I used to work with an old mechanical calculator (aka 'adding machine')- punch the buttons, pull the crank- the sounds were so distinctive- tika tika tika CA-CRUNCH. It is where the term 'crunching numbers' came from.

I have to disagree here Mark. The things you use as examples are not the controls they are the controlled devices, and none of them have to do with climate, which I believe this thread was based on. When it comes to temperature the mechanical controls (depending on manufacterer) are just as reliable as their new digital replacements, The advancement here is in accuracy, which in most cases with reptile keeping is a small advancement most applications are not so critical that a fluctuation of a few degree's matters. The bourdon tube type controls are reliable and have been proven to be for many years, the electronic controls have reduced the lag and can achieve more precise control but in most cases are the same size and wieght and have not been on the market long enough to prove thier reliability, I know of mechanical controls that have been doing the same job for twenty years now, while alot of other components on the machine have been replaced do to failure. I feel the same way about time clocks they may have become more accurate but dependable has yet to be proven. As I stated I use both, my setups all are wired to be fail safe, two thermostats wired in parrellel, one electronic and one mechanical.

There are always going to be exceptions. Musicians prefer mechanical/analog/tubed amps over the digital versions and a lot of music lovers prefer vinyl over CD.

But, speaking of controllers, I really like my household, digital, programmable rheostat, and I appreciate that my digital habitat light timers have been more reliable than the mechanicals that were always getting bumped, dropping pins, getting stuck on a given time, etc. My digital ZooMed thermostat is still rocking along after some 4 years, and for the cost of it, I could not have touched a mechanical version.

HOWEVER- a big part of the answer in a given situation is going to be 'what is available to you in your price range for the job you are doing?'

Hey Mark what kind of household heat do you have that would require the use of a rheostat? I've never used any controls sold by zoo med or any other reptile product distributor for that matter, most of the stuff is made by companys I deal with and zoo med or whoever slaps their name on it and marks up the price. plus they are usually way behind or sell the cheapest made products so they can have a greater mark up. I prefer to go to the source and purchase higher quality equipment at the same price.As far as time clocks go I have always used the type commonly used for hot water heaters, without any trouble a pair of pliers works well to tighten the pins so they don't drop:D
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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I think mechanical is fine. Digital is more precise, but then, most reptiles are adapted to living in a suitable range of conditions, not necessary at one particular value. I have a mechanical timer for the light and CHEs that flicks on at about 7am and turns off around 9pm - not exactly, but close enough. I use analogue gauges for temperature and humidity. They don't give precise values, but then, that is not necessary. As long as the humidity is somewhere between 20 and 60% (usually 10-30% in Colorado), the ambient temperature between 70 and 80 F, and the hot spot between 90 and 95 F, our Russian torties will do fine.
 

Madkins007

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squamata said:
Hey Mark what kind of household heat do you have that would require the use of a rheostat? I've never used any controls sold by zoo med or any other reptile product distributor for that matter, most of the stuff is made by companys I deal with and zoo med or whoever slaps their name on it and marks up the price. plus they are usually way behind or sell the cheapest made products so they can have a greater mark up. I prefer to go to the source and purchase higher quality equipment at the same price.As far as time clocks go I have always used the type commonly used for hot water heaters, without any trouble a pair of pliers works well to tighten the pins so they don't drop:D

I've been fighting a fever all weekend, and it shows at the oddest times. I have no idea why I used 'rheostat' there instead of thermostat.

If you have info about ZooMed, etc. stuff under different names cheaper- can you share that? I know they don't make their own stuff, but can never find stuff like it under other names.

Hot water heater timers. Yeesh. These things are rugged, reliable, and great for larger installations, but they would be such overkill for my Tortarium. If I used pliers on the plastic pins of the smaller lamp timers I was talking about, they would shatter. Instead, for about $15, I have a digital timer that is small, discrete, flexible in the programming (much more flexible than I need, actually)

And that brings me right back to- the right tech for the right job. Running a big installation? mechanical/analog may be your best choice, but I am pretty happy with my nearly 100% digital set-up.
 

SnakeyeZ

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I prefer digital. I have always had problems with analog timers. Either I'm too stupid to use them or they are crappy ones I have bought in the past. I have digital timers on my misting systems and tortoise lights and I'll never do it any other way again.
 
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