Sentence:  The idea is that the combinational machine will act as a <WSD>one-shot</WSD> device such that, when the signal turns on, the machine will immediately turn it off again. This practice should be avoided: It is prone to ambiguous interpretation, and if the one-shot action is needed, it can be provided unambiguously by a sequential machine. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A programmable interval timer.