TLC555 Timer

willthiswork89

what is it good for, i know everyone told me to get one for my IR Circuit but what can i use it for? and hows it hooked up... these schematics are very hard to read... are there any tutorials on reading some of these difficult schematics? thanks

roseandthistle

Hello. The 555 and 556 and very versatile timer etc. An excellent tutorial is posted by Tony Von Roon at

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/

Hope this helps.

PJAllen

[noparse][[/noparse]Wrong Forum -- should be in The Sandbox]

There are two configurations for a '555':

• astable -- oscillator
• monostable -- "one-shot"

As an oscillator, it is a frequency source (could be fixed or made variable.)

As a "one-shot" you can use it as a source of controlled, repeatable·pulse-width (which can also be fixed or variable.)

With one of each you could control a servo: the oscillator would be set at the refresh rate (50Hz), triggering the "one-shot" whose resulting output pulse-width would determine the servo direction/position and speed (depending whether standard or continuous servo.)

LSB

The 555 may be configured as an oscillator to drive the IR LEDs. The circuit I used is here: http://www.reconnsworld.com/ir_ultrasonic_555timer40khzir.html. The circuit is small, rock solid, and runs off the motor supply (18V), but may be configured to run on lower or higher voltages. It even boasts a trimmer for fine tuning the frequency. It works well and is as simple as it can be.
In my current project, I use the circuit to drive 4 IR LEDs; this frees pins and processing on the Stamp for other purposes.
Once wired and working, you need only read your receivers-- the IR output is managed by the 555. Try Googling 555 tutorial for more info--it’s a very versatile chip with a long history; there is a virtual ton of info out there. How to read and respond to reflected IR is covered , I think, in Parallax's robotics text. Stay active here, someone will list the appropriate Parallax application notes and texts if you require more help.

willthiswork89

thanks fr the help guys but again... these schematics are too hard for me too follow, i can figure out the GND and the VCC pins and thats all i can figure out on my own ...lol cuz theres like a million things connecting and stuff... if anyone has some hints on how they can read these ide love it... thanks again

Matt White

This is a website that's helped me quite a bit while learning electronics.· It has experiments that show you how to assemble the circuits on your breadboard.·This is especially helpful to people new to electronics that may not understand how to read·the schematics or get things wired up correctly based on a diagram.

Here is a section that covers the 555 timer.·
http://www.play-hookey.com/digital/timer_555.html

Most of the IC's and parts on the website can be ordered from·http://www.futurlec.com.

I hope it helps!·

Matt