outlet timer (for soldering iron)

[charles]

I am looking for some kind of outlet timer to hook my soldering station to. I have accidentally left it on overnight once or twice already, whoops.

So, I want a setup that will cut the power to the iron if it is on for more than say an hour or two (just in case I forget to turn if off again). Does anyone else have a setup for this? Are there any recommendations for out of the box solutions? I have seen several outlet timers but many of them seem to be quite coarse, i.e. a single turn equals a full 24 hours, or designed more for scheduled events like a lighting timer for instance.  I have never dealt with mains wiring, so am a bit hesitant about a diy circuit. However, if that is clearly the best way to handle the problem, I can make a weekend project of it so that I can do it slowly and carefully.

[rob77]

i'm "turning off" my whole mini-lab when i'm leaving. nothing get's powered overnight (unless i'm there overnight of course;)).

[mariush]

There are ready made things with timers pretty much everywhere, all the local malls have them here for example.

here's amazon page with 3 typical keywords for those: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=timer%20switch%20plug

[charles]

Thanks for the reply. However, I am aware that they exist, I guess I was just looking to see if anyone had any recommendations.

[Bored@Work]

Thanks for the reply. However, I am aware that they exist, I guess I was just looking to see if anyone had any recommendations.

Yeah, if you don't already have one in your lab, add a good smoke detector to your shopping list.

Second recommendation: The timers you just got recommended might all not do what you want. These timers typically repeat the timer settings daily. So next day your iron will turn on again unsupervised

Third: If you want a DIY solution, but don't want to mess with main, there are DC switchable power strips available. The most simple ones I have seen have a simple relay inside, controlled by 5V or 12V DC. More "advanced" ones have a USB PC interface, and others use an RF remote control or even GSM (we use those to remotely power-cycle a server that likes to crash ...).

[NiHaoMike]

http://www.belkin.com/conserve/socket/

[charles]

Yeah, I saw that Belkin socket. However, somewhat confusingly, it says "coming soon" on the Belkin website but "Discontinued by Manufacturer" on the official amazon product page linked from the Belkin webpage. So, I was a bit hesitant to consider it further.

[NiHaoMike]

I have actually seen that Belkin gadget for sale in stores.

Another choice:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Westek-60-Minutes-In-Wall-Countdown-Timer-White-TMSW60MW/203675440
You'll need to supply your own enclosure, outlet, and power cord.

[Legit-Design]

Depending where in the world you are:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-15-Amp-Outdoor-Plug-In-Mechanical-Dusk-to-Dawn-Countdown-Timer-with-Grounded-Outlet-49824/204209975 has that 2-hour option, I can't say for sure but looks like it's non recurring 2hr timer.
many in wall options:
http://www.homedepot.com/b/N-5yc1v/Ntk-All/Ntt-countdown%2Btimer?Ntx=mode%20matchall&NCNI-5