555 timer IC

555 timer IC
The 555 Timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) implementing a variety of timer and multivibrator applications. The IC was designed by Hans R. Camenzind in 1970 and brought to market in 1971 by Signetics (later acquired by Philips). The original name was the SE555 (metal can)/NE555 (plastic DIP) and the part was described as "The IC Time Machine".[1] It has been claimed that the 555 gets its name from the three 5k resistors used in typical early implementations,[2] but Hans Camenzind has stated that the number was arbitrary.[3] The part is still in wide use, thanks to its ease of use, low price and good stability. As of 2003, it is estimated that 1 billion units are manufactured every year.[3] Depending on the manufacturer, the standard 555 package includes over 20 transistors, 2 diodes and 15 resistors on a silicon chip installed in an 8-pin mini dual-in-line package (DIP-8).[4] Variants available include the 556 (a 14-pin DIP combining two 555s on one chip), and the 558 (a 16-pin DIP combining four slightly modified 555s with DIS & THR connected internally, and TR falling edge sensitive instead of level sensitive). Ultra-low power versions of the 555 are also available, such as the 7555 and TLC555.[5] The 7555 requires slightly different wiring using fewer external components and less power. The 555 has three operating modes: Monostable mode: in this mode, the 555 functions as a "one-shot". Applications include timers, missing pulse detection, bouncefree switches, touch switches, frequency divider, capacitance measurement, pulse-width modulation (PWM) etc Astable - free running mode: the 555 can operate as an oscillator. Uses include LED and lamp flashers, pulse generation, logic clocks, tone generation, security alarms, pulse position modulation, etc. Bistable mode or Schmitt trigger: the 555 can operate as a flip-flop, if the DIS pin is not connected and no capacitor is used. Uses include bouncefree latched switches, etc.
Internal block diagram

NE555 from Signetics in dual-in-line package

Usage
The connection of the pins is as follows:

Pinout diagram

555 timer IC

Pin 1 2 3 4 5

Name GND TRIG OUT Ground, low level (0 V)

Purpose

OUT rises, and interval starts, when this input falls below 1/3 VCC. This output is driven to +VCC or GND.

RESET A timing interval may be interrupted by driving this input to GND. CTRL "Control" access to the internal voltage divider (by default, 2/3 VCC). The interval ends when the voltage at THR is greater than at CTRL. Open collector output; may discharge a capacitor between intervals. Positive supply voltage is usually between 3 and 15 V.

6 7 8

THR DIS V+, VCC

Monostable mode
In the monostable mode, the 555 timer acts as a one-shot pulse generator. The pulse begins when the 555 timer receives a signal at the trigger input that falls below a third of the voltage supply. The width of the pulse is determined by the time constant of an RC network, which consists of a capacitor (C) and a resistor (R). The pulse ends when the charge on the C equals 2/3 of the supply voltage. The pulse width can be lengthened or shortened to the need of the specific application by adjusting the values of R and C.[6] The pulse width of time t, which is the time it takes to charge C to 2/3 of the supply voltage, is given by
Schematic of a 555 in monostable mode

The relationships of the trigger signal, the voltage on C and the pulse width in monostable mode

where t is in seconds, R is in ohms and C is in farads. See RC circuit for an explanation of this effect.

555 timer IC

Bistable Mode
In bistable mode, the 555 timer acts as a basic flip-flop. The trigger and reset inputs (pins 2 and 4 respectively on a 555) are held high via pull-up resistors while the threshold input (pin 6) is simply grounded. Thus configured, pulling the trigger momentarily to ground acts as a 'set' and transitions the output pin (pin 3) to Vcc (high state). Pulling the reset input to ground acts as a 'reset' and transitions the output pin to ground (low state). No capacitors are required in a bistable configuration. Pins 5 and 7 (control and discharge) are left floating.

Astable mode
In astable mode, the '555 timer ' puts out a continuous stream of rectangular pulses having a specified frequency. Resistor R1 is connected between VCC and the discharge pin (pin 7) and another resistor (R2) is connected between the discharge pin (pin 7), and the trigger (pin 2) and threshold (pin 6) pins that share a common node. Hence the capacitor is charged through R1 and R2, and discharged only through R2, since pin 7 has low impedance to ground during output low intervals of the cycle, therefore discharging the capacitor. In the astable mode, the frequency of the pulse stream depends on the values of R1, R2 and C:
Standard 555 Astable Circuit

[7]

The high time from each pulse is given by

and the low time from each pulse is given by

where R1 and R2 are the values of the resistors in ohms and C is the value of the capacitor in farads. To achieve a duty cycle of less than 50% a diode can be added in parallel with R2 towards the capacitor. This bypasses R2 during the high part of the cycle so that the high interval depends only on R1 and C1.

Specifications
These specifications apply to the NE555. Other 555 timers can have better specifications depending on the grade (military, medical, etc).

555 timer IC

Supply voltage (VCC) Supply current (VCC = +5 V) Supply current (VCC = +15 V) Output current (maximum) Maximum Power dissipation

4.5 to 15 V 3 to 6 mA 10 to 15 mA 200 mA 600mW

Power Consumption (minimum operating) 30mW@5V, 225mW@15V Operating temperature 0 to 70 C

Derivatives
Many pin-compatible variants, including CMOS versions, have been built by various companies. Bigger packages also exist with two or four timers on the same chip. The 555 is also known under the following type numbers:
Manufacturer Custom Silicon Solutions [8] Avago Technologies ECG Philips Exar Fairchild Semiconductor Harris IK Semicon Intersil Intersil Lithic Systems Maxim Motorola National Semiconductor National Semiconductor NTE Sylvania Raytheon RCA STMicroelectronics Texas Instruments Texas Instruments USSR Zetex NXP Semiconductors Model CSS555/CSS555C Remark CMOS from 1.2V, IDD<5A

Av-555M ECG955M XR-555 NE555/KA555 HA555 ILC555 SE555/NE555 ICM7555 LC555 ICM7555 MC1455/MC1555 LM1455/LM555/LM555C LMC555 NTE955M RM555/RC555 CA555/CA555C NE555N/ K3T647 SN52555/SN72555 TLC555 K10061 ZSCT1555 ICM7555 down to 0.9V CMOS CMOS from 2V CMOS from 1.5V CMOS from 2V CMOS CMOS from 2V

555 timer IC

Dual timer 556

The dual version is called 556. It features two complete 555s in a 14 pin DIL package.

Quad timer 558

The quad version is called 558 and has 16 pins. To fit four 555s into a 16 pin package the control voltage and reset lines are shared by all four modules. Also for each module the discharge and threshold are internally wired together and called timing.

Example applications
Joystick interface circuit using quad timer 558
The original IBM personal computer used a quad timer 558 in monostable (or "one-shot") mode to interface up to two joysticks to the host computer.[9] In the joystick interface circuit of the IBM PC, the capacitor (C) of the RC network (see Monostable Mode above) was generally a 10 nF capacitor. The resistor (R) of the RC network consisted of the potentiometer inside the joystick along with an external resistor of 2.2 kilohms.[10] The joystick potentiometer acted as a variable resistor. By moving the joystick, the resistance of the joystick increased from a small value up to about 100 kilohms. The joystick operated at 5 V.[11] Software running in the host computer started the process of determining the joystick position by writing to a special address (ISA bus I/O address 201h).[12] [13] This would result in a trigger signal to the quad timer, which would cause the capacitor (C) of the RC network to begin charging and cause the quad timer to output a pulse. The width of the pulse was determined by how long it took the C to charge up to 2/3 of 5 V (or about 3.33 V), which was in turn determined by the joystick position.[12] [14] Software running in the host computer measured the pulse width to determine the joystick position. A wide pulse represented the full-right joystick position, for example, while a narrow pulse represented the full-left joystick position.[12]

Atari Punk Console

One of Forrest M. Mims III's many books was dedicated to the 555 timer. In it, he first published the "Stepped Tone Generator" circuit which has been adopted as a popular circuit, known as the Atari Punk Console, by circuit benders for its distinctive low-fi sound similar to classic Atari games.

Pulse Width Modulation

The 555 can be used to generate a variable PWM signal using a few external components. The chip alone can drive small external loads or an amplifying transistor for larger loads.

555 timer IC

Bibliography
van Roon, Tony (1995). "555 Timer Tutorial" [15] Tony van Roon (VA3AVR) Website. Retrieved 2010-04-05. Engdahl, Tomi (1994). "PC analogue joystick interface" [16]. EPanorama.net. Retrieved 2009-06-06. Eggebrecht, Lewis C. (1983). "Interfacing to the IBM Personal Computer". Sams Publishing. ISBN: 978-0672220272. Retrieved 2010-04-05.

External links
Surtell, Tim (2001). 555 Timer Circuits - the Astable, Monostable and Bistable [17] Electronics in Meccano. Hewes, John (2010) 555 and 556 Timer Circuits [18] The Electronics Club. LF/LM555 Data Sheet(PDF) [19] Fairchild Semiconductor, 2002. Falstad, John (2010)Java simulation [20] of 555 oscillator circuit. Falstad.com NE555 datasheet (PDF) [21] Collection of 555 Datasheets. DataSheetArchive.com. Roca, Juan Carlos Galarza (2007) Using NE 555 as a Temperature DSP [22] "The Parallel port as an Input/output Interface" (unpublished book) NE555 Frequency and duty cycle calculator [23] for astable multivibrators. Daycounter.com. 2004. Notes 20% inaccuracy. "Eagleapex" (2007) Time-lapse [[intervalometer [24]] for SLRs using a 555]. Instructables.com.

References
[1] van Roon, "pg. 1" (http:/ / www. sentex. ca/ ~mec1995/ gadgets/ 555/ 555. html) [2] Scherz, Paul (2000) "Practical Electronics for Inventors," p. 589. McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics. ISBN: 978-0070580787. Retrieved 2010-04-05. [3] Ward, Jack (2004). The 555 Timer IC - An Interview with Hans Camenzind (http:/ / www. semiconductormuseum. com/ Transistors/ LectureHall/ Camenzind/ Camenzind_Page2. htm). The Semiconductor Museum (http:/ / www. semiconductormuseum. com/ ). Retrieved 2010-04-05. [4] van Roon, Fig 3 & related text. [5] Jung, Walter G. (1983) "IC Timer Cookbook, Second Edition," pp. 4041. Sams Technical Publishing; 2nd ed. ISBN: 978-0672219320. Retrieved 2010-04-05. [6] van Roon, Chapter "Monostable Mode." [7] van Roon Chapter: "Astable operation." [8] http:/ / www. customsiliconsolutions. com [9] Engdahl, pg 1. [10] Engdahl, "Circuit diagram of PC joystick interface" [11] Engdahl, "Joystick construction" (http:/ / www. epanorama. net/ documents/ joystick/ pc_joystick. html#introduction). [12] Engdahl, "PC analogue joystick interface" (http:/ / www. epanorama. net/ documents/ joystick/ pc_joystick. html#pc_interface). [13] Eggebrecht, p. 197. [14] Eggebrecht, pp. 197-99 [15] http:/ / www. sentex. ca/ ~mec1995/ gadgets/ 555/ 555. html [16] http:/ / www. epanorama. net/ documents/ joystick/ pc_joystick. html [17] http:/ / www. eleinmec. com/ article. asp?1 [18] http:/ / www. kpsec. freeuk. com/ 555timer. htm [19] http:/ / www. fairchildsemi. com/ ds/ LM%2FLM555. pdf [20] http:/ / www. falstad. com/ circuit/ e-555square. html [21] http:/ / www. datasheetarchive. com/ search. php?q=NE555& sType=part& ExactDS=Starts [22] http:/ / www. globu. net/ pp/ english/ pp/ ne555. htm [23] http:/ / www. daycounter. com/ Calculators/ NE555-Calculator. phtml [24] http:/ / www. instructables. com/ id/ SORIJ3MFAQDX2PW/

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