This article is part of the 2022 April 1st series in the Humor topic within our Series Library. The ubiquitous 1971 digital miracle—the 555 Timer—is important, replete with 25 transistors, 15 ...

Most switch-mode power supplies rely on a PWM (pulse-width-modulated) output that is controlled via voltage feedback. A 555-timer IC can inexpensively perform PWM. The circuit in Figure 1 shows how to ...

Used in a variety of timer, pulse generation, and oscillator applications, the 555 was designed in 1971 by Hans Camenzind. A favorite for many engineers, the 555 is still in widespread use due to its ...

Simply adding a diode and potentiometer to a 555 timer operating in the asynchronous mode yields a pulsewidth modulator (PWM) with a duty factor adjustable from 1% to 99% (Fig. 1). Applications would ...

The 555 timer IC is a handful of active components all baked into one beautifully useful 8 pin package. Originally designed for timing purposes, they became ubiquitous parts that can achieve almost ...