How to Use Looptimer Buttons

Jake Gronsky

Take a look at your Looptimer box when it arrives. The directions are there! But to make it easier, I wanted to give a full tutorial on how the buttons work. (I'll probably do a video on it soon. Stay tuned).

-Jake @ Looptimer

The Front Buttons

There are three buttons on the face of your Looptimer. From left to right: M, S, and S/S.

M: Minutes

This button adds time to your timer in minute increments.

Short press: adds 1 minute
Hold for 3+ seconds: adds 5 minutes, then continues adding 5 minutes every half-second until you let go

Good to know: When you press M, you'll hear a soft, satisfying click. That's intentional. It gives you a small sensory signal that something happened without any beeping or buzzing.

S: Seconds

This button adds time in second increments. Works the same way as M, just smaller steps.

Short press: adds 1 second
Hold for 3+ seconds: adds 5 seconds, then continues every half-second

Together, M and S let you set any time between 1 second and 99 minutes and 59 seconds. That precision is one of the things that sets Looptimer apart from dial-based timers.

S/S: Start / Stop

This is your main control button. It starts and pauses the countdown.

Short press while timer is set: starts the countdown
Short press while counting down: pauses the timer
Short press while paused: resumes the countdown

Tip: When you start or pause the timer, you'll hear a click at whichever sound level your switch is set to. This helps confirm the action, especially useful in classrooms or busy environments.

Button Combinations

A few things on Looptimer are done by pressing two buttons together or using a quick double-press. Here's what each one does.

M + S (short press together): Clear to Zero

While the timer is paused, press M and S at the same time. This resets the display to 00:00 so you can start fresh with a completely new time.

When to use it: You've finished a session and want to set a brand new time rather than reusing the last one.

S/S double-press: Reset to Last Time

While the timer is paused, quickly press S/S twice. The timer immediately jumps back to the time you last used in that session.

When to use it: You ran a 25-minute focus block and want to run another one. Double-press S/S and you're ready to go again, no re-entering needed.

M + S/S (short press together): Enter Color Mode

While the timer is paused, press M and S/S at the same time. This opens the color and direction settings.

Inside color mode:

Short press S/S: cycles through the six color options (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, Purple, Gradient)
Hold S/S for 3 seconds: switches the light direction between Fill-up and Empty-out
Press M or S: saves your selection and exits color mode

About Gradient Mode: The light shifts from blue to red as time counts down. It gives you a gentle visual cue that you're getting closer to the end, without any sudden alerts.

The Back Switches

On the back of your Looptimer are two small switches. They control the power, display, and sound settings.

Left Switch: Power and Display

This switch has three positions:

Off

The timer is completely powered down.

On (with display)

The timer is on and the four-digit number is always visible, whether you're setting time, counting down, paused, or at 00:00.

On (without display)

The timer is on, but the number hides during the active countdown. The digits come back as soon as you pause, finish setting time, or the timer expires.

Why this matters: For some people, watching numbers tick down creates anxiety rather than calm. This setting lets the light loop do all the work. You can glance at the frame, see how far the light has traveled, and keep your focus without fixating on a number.

Right Switch: Sound

This switch controls the alarm volume. Three positions:

Silent

No sound at all. The light ring will still flash when time expires. Good for noise-sensitive environments, quiet workspaces, or when the visual cue is enough on its own. This is the default

Low

The alarm plays at 60 to 70 decibels. Comparable to a normal conversation. Works well in home or office settings.

High

The alarm plays at 100 decibels. Loud enough for classrooms, kitchens, or any space with background noise.

How the alarm works: When time reaches 00:00, a single beep plays. If you don't stop the timer, it beeps again after 10 seconds, then again, increasing in frequency until you acknowledge it. This way, you don't miss the end of a session even if you're deep in focus.

What Happens When Time Runs Out

When your Looptimer reaches 00:00, a few things happen at once:

The full light ring flashes on and off
The alarm plays if sound is enabled
The display begins counting up from 00:00, showing how much time has passed since expiration

To stop the flashing and alarm, press any button. The timer will reset to the last time you had set.

About the count-up: Instead of just stopping at zero, Looptimer keeps going. If you finish a task a few minutes early, or run a bit over, you can see exactly by how much. It turns the end of a timer into information rather than a hard stop.

Quick Reference

Here's a summary of every button action in one place.

Button / Action	What It Does
M (short press)	Add 1 minute
M (hold 3s+)	Add 5 minutes, continues while held
S (short press)	Add 1 second
S (hold 3s+)	Add 5 seconds, continues while held
S/S (short press)	Start, pause, or resume countdown
S/S double-press (paused)	Reset to last used time
M + S (paused)	Clear to 00:00
M + S/S (paused)	Enter color and direction mode
S/S in color mode	Cycle through colors
Hold S/S in color mode	Toggle light direction
M or S in color mode	Save and exit
Any button at expiration	Stop alarm and reset to last time

Still have questions?

Learn more about why we chose these six light colors
See how other verified customers use their visual timer
Read honest reviews on how Looptimer turned into one of the most beneficial visual timers for the ADHD community
Explore the Looptimer difference

And as always, reach out to me @ jake@looptimer.com with questions.

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