As a kid I didn’t understand what the 555 timer chip on the Apple II disk controller was doing but I learned the hard way that when you misalign the pins on the drive connector cable and the 555 chip releases its blue smoke you can’t use the drive anymore :(
5:55 video released on May 5th, as per description :)
For something feeling like a fairly specific IC, I remember seeing many projects that use it throughout the years in wacky ways - and seeing it makes me happy to know that the sentiment for this little piece is shared.
I recently dug one out to use as a hardware shutdown timer to power off an rpi's PSU once it has presumably halted without having to resort to a dedicated MCU for the task.
I also remember being amazed, and did a forehead slap, when an old army bomb disposal man explained how, what I thought was an innocent device, was used by the IRA in bombs.
I still have the Forrest Mims III Radio Shack "555 Engineer's Mini-Notebook" somewhere in my basement. And rumor has it that Sammy Hagar can't drive 555 because his car just isn't fast enough!
The Mims books are fantastic. As a kid I collected every mini notebook and the green Radio Shack "Getting Started in Electronics." They were my intro to electronics along with the Radio Shack kits.
Back when radio shack still existed I would buy a 555 timer during every visit. I live collecting them and still have a bunch somewhere stored. I continue to do it with the 328p arduino boards as well whenever I visit my local microcenter.
Can't watch it right now, but upvoted for Dave Jones. He's taught me so much. Absolute treasure, and the host of one of the last great active forums. Thank you for not blackholing all that info on the disaster that is Discord, like so many other communities.
As a kid I didn’t understand what the 555 timer chip on the Apple II disk controller was doing but I learned the hard way that when you misalign the pins on the drive connector cable and the 555 chip releases its blue smoke you can’t use the drive anymore :(
5:55 video released on May 5th, as per description :)
For something feeling like a fairly specific IC, I remember seeing many projects that use it throughout the years in wacky ways - and seeing it makes me happy to know that the sentiment for this little piece is shared.
The trick is that it's sold as a timer but it's really a kit of parts from which you happen to be able to build a timer.
There's a lesson in there somewhere.
Can even build a computer out of them
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/05/building-a-computer-out-of-5...
Two videos tomorrow at 5:56!
That's fine, but you know you have to concatenate them and sell them as one unit, right?
Big Clive is currently livestreaming to celebrate the 555's birthday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzNjFJdaw_I
I have a Displate of a decapped 555 hanging near my EE workbench:
https://displate.com/displate/2002057
Built an atari punk console using these with my late father. Still have it hanging on my wall in a shadow box.
I recently dug one out to use as a hardware shutdown timer to power off an rpi's PSU once it has presumably halted without having to resort to a dedicated MCU for the task.
Oh god I feel old. I remember being an excited schoolboy thinking how magic this was when it debuted.
I also remember being amazed, and did a forehead slap, when an old army bomb disposal man explained how, what I thought was an innocent device, was used by the IRA in bombs.
Ha. When I was a teenager I used to build 555s into timers for the same purpose using a no PCB rats nest construction.
Though surprising the family at dinner with a small explosion was a much more innocent purpose.
For me that is blue leds.
Yes! I remember thinking "damn you band gap physics, if we only had blue leds we could do colour displays with LEDs, but that can never happen."
I still have the Forrest Mims III Radio Shack "555 Engineer's Mini-Notebook" somewhere in my basement. And rumor has it that Sammy Hagar can't drive 555 because his car just isn't fast enough!
The Mims books are fantastic. As a kid I collected every mini notebook and the green Radio Shack "Getting Started in Electronics." They were my intro to electronics along with the Radio Shack kits.
I have a paper copy of "IC 555 projects" kicking around on my bookshelf still!
PDF version here https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Bernards-And-Babani/Babani/...
I used to get exited about this. Hahaha I think I miss those days.
Back when radio shack still existed I would buy a 555 timer during every visit. I live collecting them and still have a bunch somewhere stored. I continue to do it with the 328p arduino boards as well whenever I visit my local microcenter.
also today's date is 5.5. and the video is 5m55s
What component values do you need to time exactly 55 years?
Maybe it could work if you used 5 timers?
How exactly is exactly? Can I make it measure 1 hour with an allowed tolerance of 55 years, plus or minus. :)
I don't think you could do it. Not with the original BJT variant anyway. :)
Can't watch it right now, but upvoted for Dave Jones. He's taught me so much. Absolute treasure, and the host of one of the last great active forums. Thank you for not blackholing all that info on the disaster that is Discord, like so many other communities.
Time to slow it down to lower frequencies and give it more frequent checkups.
The late Harold DuBose use to use the 555 as a power inverter as it could sink 200ma at the laser companies he worked for. Convenient and cheap.
Makes me wonder if we could have a 555 circuit with a trigger time of 55 yrs
killer oneshot, laughed hard..
and this is the fifth comment