DIY: Classic 555 Timer Kit

Follow along as we build and test one of our favorite kits of all time, the Discrete 555 Timer! Build a huge version of one of the most iconic and surprisingly versatile integrated circuits of all time from transistor and resistors.

The 555 chip has been used at one time or another by nearly every E.E. alive, and you can use it to detect pulses, make lights blink, debounce inputs, trigger alarms, and even make music (terrible music, but music nonetheless!). We first wrote up the kit in our Hands On column in Spectrum (link below), and this is second version, which features some improvements over the original.

Read more about it here: https://spectrum.ieee.org/build-your-...

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00:00 Introduction and hello!
00:39 The 555 integrated circuit
01:05 Inside the 555
02:24 Oscillator mode applications
03:06 Origin of the 555
03:28 Unboxing the Discrete 555 timer kit
04:28 Comparing the 555 kit to the 555 chip
05:21 Soldering
05:54 Kit creator Eric Schlaepfer and his book "Open Circuits"
07:00 Problems with my jig!
07:33 The voltage divider
10:06 Inside Tea
13:05 Transistors
13:44 Cleaning up the leads
14:44 Silkscreen details
20:43 Radio Shack soldering iron magic goo
22:54 Getting the decorative legs on
24:36 555 chip test circuit
25:15 Wiring in the 555 kit


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