3/10/25, 9:50 PM Timers: CAPS Module 1 - Introduction to PLC's

Timers
A timer is a PLC instruction measuring the amount of time elapsed following an event. Timer
instructions come in two basic types: on-delay timers and off-delay timers. Both “on-delay”(TON)
and “off-delay”(TOF) timer instructions have single inputs triggering the timed function.

Timer on-delay (TON)

An “on-delay” timer activates an output only when the input has been active for a minimum
amount of time. Take for instance this PLC program, designed to sound an audio alarm siren prior
to starting a conveyor belt. To start the conveyor belt motor, the operator must press and hold the
“Start” pushbutton for 10 seconds, during which time the siren sounds, warning people to clear
away from the conveyor belt that is about to start. Only after this 10-second start delay does the
motor actually start (and latch “on”):

Figure 40

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Similar to an “up” counter, the on-delay timer’s elapsed time (ET) value increments once per
second until the preset time (PT) is reached, at which time its output (Q) activates. In this
program, the preset time value is 10 seconds, which means the Q output will not activate until the
“Start” switch has been depressed for 10 seconds. The alarm siren output, which is not activated
by the timer, energises immediately when the “Start” pushbutton is pressed.

An important detail regarding this particular timer’s operation is that it be non-retentive. This
means the timer instruction should not retain its elapsed time value when the input is de-activated.
Instead, the elapsed time value should reset back to zero every time the input de-activates. This
ensures the timer resets itself when the operator releases the “Start” pushbutton. A retentive on-
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delay timer, by contrast, maintains its elapsed time value even when the input is de-activated. This
makes it useful for keeping “running total” times for some event.

Most PLCs provide retentive and non-retentive versions of on-delay timer instructions, such that
the programmer may choose the proper form of on-delay timer for any particular application.

The IEC 61131-3 programming standard, however, addresses the issue of retentive versus non-
retentive timers a bit differently. According to the IEC 61131-3 standard, a timer instruction may be
specified with an additional enable input (EN) that causes the timer instruction to behave non-
retentively when activated, and retentively when de-activated.

The general concept of the enable (EN) input is that the instruction behaves “normally” so long as
the enable input is active (in this case, non-retentive timing action is considered “normal”
according to the IEC 61131-3 standard), but the instruction “freezes” all execution whenever the
enable input de-activates. This “freezing” of operation has the effect of retaining the current time
(CT) value even if the input signal de-activates.

For example, if we wished to add a retentive timer to our conveyor control system to record total
run time for the conveyor motor, we could do so using an “enabled” IEC 61131-3 timer instruction
like this:

Figure 41

When the motor’s contactor bit (OUT contactor) is active, the timer is enabled and allowed to time.
However, when that bit de-activates (becomes “false”), the timer instruction as a whole is
disabled, causing it to “freeze” and retain its current time (CT) value. This allows the motor to be
started and stopped, with the timer maintaining a tally of total motor run time. If we wished to give
the operator the ability to manually reset the total run time value to zero, we could hard-wire an
additional switch to the PLC’s discrete input card and add “reset” contacts to the program like this:

Figure 42

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Whenever the “Reset” switch is pressed, the timer is enabled (EN) but the timing input (IN) is
disabled, forcing the timer to (non-retentively) reset its current time (CT) value to zero.

Timer off-delay (TOF)

The other major type of PLC timer instruction is the off-delay timer. This timer instruction differs
from the on-delay type in that the timing function begins as soon as the instruction is deactivated,
not when it is activated. An application for an off-delay timer is a cooling fan motor control for a
large industrial engine. In this system, the PLC starts an electric cooling fan as soon as the engine
is detected as rotating, and keeps that fan running for two minutes following the engine’s shut-
down to dissipate residual heat:

Figure 43

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When the input (IN) to this timer instruction is activated, the output (Q) immediately activates (with
no time delay at all) to turn on the cooling fan motor contactor. This provides the engine with
cooling as soon as it begins to rotate (as detected by the speed switch connected to the PLC’s
discrete input). When the engine stops rotating, the speed switch returns to its normally-open
position, de-activating the timer’s input signal which starts the timing sequence. The Q output
remains active while the timer counts from 0 seconds to 120 seconds. As soon as it reaches 120
seconds, the output de-activates (shutting off the cooling fan motor) and the elapsed time value
remains at 120 seconds until the input re-activates, at which time it resets back to zero.

The following timing diagrams compare and contrast on-delay with off-delay timers:

Figure 44

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While it is common to find on-delay PLC instructions offered in both retentive and non-retentive
forms within the instruction sets of nearly every PLC manufacturer and model, it is almost unheard
of to find retentive off-delay timer instructions. Typically, off-delay timers are non-retentive only.

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