Sometimes simpler is better — when you don’t need the the computational power of an onboard microcontroller, it’s often best to rely on a simple circuit to get the job done. With cheap Raspberry Pis ...

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 ...

Sometimes the best inspiration is limitation. The 555 timer does “one thing” — compares a voltage to a couple thresholds and outputs a signal accordingly. It’s two comparators, a voltage ladder, and a ...