EEVblog #555 - 555 Timer Kit
Why Hacker News recommends it
Recommended as a deep, hands-on explanation of how a 555 timer works inside.
What it is
Dave Jones builds the Evil Mad Scientist discrete-component 555 timer kit, then tests it and explains the internal circuitry of the 555 at transistor level. He finishes with scope waveforms.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2014 to 2019.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec spectramax · 2019-04 · on “How to Read a Schematic”
I totally agree with you. There is a deeper problem I think across the board, whether it is electronics books or programming tutorials, mechanical engineering, etc. For example, no one teaches you the way you see in this particular segment of an old EEVBlog episode [1]. Please watch this clip as Dave dives deep into how a simple 555 chip works at the transistor level, breaking down into modules and explaining how each module works. What we need is a book that does the following: Break down REAL circuits from the wild, explain each module in isolation, then explain how it fits into the larger system. No one does this, not in my 15 years of experience in engineering. It is the same everywhere
Recommends okket · 2018-10 · on “The 555 and How It Got That Way”
Don't miss the #555 Episode of EEVBlog where Dave Jones solders this kit and talks a lot about how the 555 works its history: [this video]
Cites cogburnd02 · 2014-12 · on “To elaborate on why open-source hardware is hard”
> You could have an open replacement for e.g. the 555 There is already a kit [1] for a 555-like circuit (I think Dave [2] says there's some reason it can't be used in place of an actual 555) made of discrete components. But there's no indication that it's Open Hardware, though. :-( [1] [LINK] [2] [this video]