EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#11

Post by swed420 » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:14 PM UTC

tuvix wrote: post #6

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.

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#12

Post by longwave » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Big Clive is currently livestreaming to celebrate the 555's birthday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzNjFJdaw_I

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#13

Post by FarmerPotato » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:17 PM UTC

3form wrote: post #2

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.

Two videos tomorrow at 5:56!

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#14

Post by SoleilAbsolu » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

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!

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#15

Post by Brian_K_White » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:52 PM UTC

davidwritesbugs wrote: post #4

Oh god I feel old. I remember being an excited schoolboy thinking how magic this was when it debuted.

For me that is blue leds.

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#16

Post by encom » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:55 PM UTC

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.

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#17

Post by amelius » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:56 PM UTC

What component values do you need to time exactly 55 years?

Maybe it could work if you used 5 timers?

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#18

Post by aj7 » Tue, May 05, 2026, 5:57 PM UTC

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.

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#19

Post by regularfry » Tue, May 05, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC

3form wrote: post #2

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.

Re: EEVblog: The 555 Timer is 55 years old [video]

#20

Post by davidwritesbugs » Tue, May 05, 2026, 6:12 PM UTC

Brian_K_White wrote: post #15

davidwritesbugs wrote: post #4

Oh god I feel old. I remember being an excited schoolboy thinking how magic this was when it debuted.

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."