Abstract: The noisy amplified signal from a photoelectric device is passed through an electronic low-pass filter before having its direct current component read on a meter. The cut-off frequency of the low-pass filter is adjusted in known manner by rotation of a control knob, so as to suitably match the cut-off frequency to the noisiness of the signal with a view towards speeding up the stabilization of the meter reading. To overcome the sluggishness of the system, the same control knob is briefly pushed, thereby overriding the low pass control. The method of using the system to speed up meter reading is described.