In the Comments Below:

Give Us Your Weird or Unusual 555 Timer Ideas!   

If we like your idea you could win free swag or parts to use in your project!

"That 555 family was a total surprise.  I wanted to make it flexible, that was the whole purpose, but I didn’t realize it was so flexible.  There are applications now that still sound crazy to me.  And the quantity!  In the second year it moved to the largest quantity sold of any IC and it has stayed that way for 30 years.  The original application was as a timer and oscillator, but it has moved well beyond that." - Hans R. Camenzind, inventor of the 555 Timer

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the first 555 Timer,  we are launching a 555 Timer Madness competition.  The 555 Timer Madness contest challenges you to do something special or unusual using 555 timers.   The 555 timer is very versatile and it can be used in a variety of circuits and in unusual circuits such as a Schmidt triggers, abstable gadgets, long period timers, LED flashers and alarms, signal injectors, egg timers, continuity timers, morse code timers, beeping prank devices, security trip alarms, music synthesizers, traffic light control systems, and more.  You are free to submit any project as long as it has a 555 timer in it.   Since this a 555 Timer Madness competition we are most interested in projects that feature something weird  or unusual using 555 timers! 

Submit Your 555 Timer Projects Here:

Submit Entry

Submit your blog in  555 Timer Madness  or tag your project blog 555timermadnessch

Deadline:   Submit your project anytime from now until the 18th of October!

A 555 timer IC or 555 oscillator is a cheap and helpful precision timing device that can act as a simple timer to generate single pulses or long-time delays, or as a relaxation oscillator producing a string of stabilized string waveforms of varying duty cycles, ranging from 50 to 100%. The timer is so named because it packs a trio of internally connected 5 kΩ resistors to generate two comparative reference voltages. It’s also an incredibly robust 8-pin chip that can act as a monostable, bistable, or astable (the output voltage rises and falls in a stable pattern) multivibrator, making it suitable for a myriad of applications, including delay timers, pulse generators, LED and lamp flashers, alarms, tone generators, logic clocks, frequency division, power supplies, and more. The 555 timer hasn’t changed much since its inception in 1971. The first prototypes were released as the NE555V (plastic DIP) and SE555T (metal TO-5), which were differentiated by a dual in-line package and a metal-semiconductor package, respectively. Signetics would announce the NE555 timer/oscillator IC in 1972, and in that same year, the timer was produced by 12 different companies and quickly became a best-selling product for electronics manufacturers. There are two different types of 555 timers, both being eight-pin chips. The most common offers a rectangular ‘V’ package, denoted by four pins placed down each side. The other version, which was previously the most common but has now fallen from favor somewhat, is the circular ‘T’ package that looks similar to a capacitor.

You can learn more about the 555 Timer by downloading the following ebook:  The Fundamentals of 555 Timers - eBook

The 555 Timer was designed by Hans Camenzind in 1955 and is based on an idea for the 555 timer/oscillator chip that grew out of his earlier electronics experiences.  Growing up in Zurich, Switzerland, he learned to fix radios before going to college. In 1960, Hans and his wife moved to the US whe he earned an MSEE from Northeastern University in Boston.   He joined Signetics in 1968 because he wanted to design linear circuits and thought the company would give Fairchild Semiconductor a serious run in the linear IC market. By 1970, he resigned and became an independent contractor and IC designer, after feeling like Signetics, who became his first customer, had lost their way.It was as a consultant for Signetics, that Hans designed the 555 timer’s circuit and created its physical layout.  Although you could say that the name 555 timer comes from the three 5k resistors in its internal circuit, according to Hans R Camenzind that's not exactly the case.   According to him, it was Signetics manager, ArtFury’s love for the number “555” that led to the naming of the circuit.  As it would turn out the 555 timer chip, easily outlasted Signetics who released the first 555 timer, by several decades. Philips Semiconductors (which was spun off and renamed NXP in 2006) would acquire Signetics in 1975, eventually retire their brand.   You can read an oral history of Hans Camenzind here:  THE 555 TIMER IC AN INTERVIEW WITH HANS CAMENZIND - THE DESIGNER OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT EVER DEVELOPED

Here are some 555 Timer Projects to help inspire you:

Episode 552 - Magical Potion Bottle Rack

The Learning Circuit 67: 555 Timer Project | Flashing LED Headband

555cc by jc2048

555 Timer Voltage Inverter by fmilburn

The Learning Circuit: 63: LED Dominos Using a 555 Timer

555 Frequency Synthesizer by jc2048

Your Chance to Win

Your Prizes

One Grand Prize Winner Wins a $200 Shopping Bundle	Three First Place Winners Win  a $100 Shopping Cart
One Grand Prize Winner Wins a $200 Shopping Cart!	3 First Place Winners a Win $100 Shopping Cart!

Some Terms & Conditions Apply:  How to Redeem Your Shopping Cart for Project14

Your Project, Your Ideas!