Flow control apparatus and method for controlling the flow of gravity fed substantially cylindrical objects through a gravity runway wherein a starwheel, a star-shaped ferrous pulse rotor and a ferrous rotor are each spaced from each other and axially fixed to a free wheeling shaft mounted in a frame connected to a gravity runway such that the starwheel lobes jut into and rotate through the gravity runway. Each starwheel lobe engages each of a successive line of gravity cans as the cans fall through the runway. A magnetic sensor is mounted on the frame near the star-shaped pulse rotor such that as cans free fall past the starwheels and rotate the free wheeling shaft star points on the pulse rotor rotate past the sensor and disturb the sensor's emitted magnetic field. For each disturbance, the sensor emits an electrical pulse signal. Each pulse signal is transmitted to stator coils which extend radially inward on a fixed stator housing concentrically surrounding the rotor such that each pulse signal is capable of magnetically attracting a rotor pole to a stator pole thereby retard rotation of the rotor for the duration of the pulse signal. If the voltage amplitude of the pulse signal exceeds a pre-set threshold voltage a signal of controlled duration is transmitted to energize all of the coils and stator poles to momentarily attract the rotor poles and retard the can flow through the runway.