alt Hacker NewsWhen I was in college I was not in an engineering program but I was self-learning electronics. I was trying to learn to use a 555 timer to do something and couldn't get it to work.
So I went to the office hours of a random EE professor thinking they would help me out. Instead I got scolded about how 555 timers are not real engineering and that I shouldn't waste his time.
I never used a 555 timer ever since.
Replies
How hilariously transparent that he didn’t know how to use a 555 and didn’t want to admit it.
I used to salvage components from electronic stuff and was always looking out for 555s but never found any, in a whole range of vintages from 1970's to 2000's. I ended up with the same conclusion - it seemed to be a hobbyist's chip that real consumer products didn't use and felt amateurish for some reason I didn't understand.
That is a terrible learning environment. Our profs always leave a box outside the laboratory with free expired textbooks, partial part lots, and damaged/old test equipment.
Some people get into Science, Software, and Electronics for the wrong reasons.. And end up miserable teaching after failing in the private sector.
A few 555 can teach people a lot, and burning out parts is part of the learning process. Most fold the DIP legs under like a "dead bug", as that is the tradition to prevent its accidental re-use.
In terms of component cost, ATTINY or PIC10 mcu have internal RC oscillators with configurable PWM pin hardware. Thus a single component is usually better than the accumulated precision error in discreet parts around a 555.
I usually recommend an RC car/truck build, https://eater.net/6502 , and or an LDOmotors Voron kit. Getting your Ham Radio technician license will also introduce you to an intuitive understanding of EE component model limits.
This covers a lot about discreet analog circuits, and I recommend trying to figure out how every circuit works on your own:
https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofelectroniccircuits...
Simulators are not perfect, but they are a lot cheaper when starting out. =3
Tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/@FesZElectronics/videos
Tools:
https://www.analog.com/en/resources/design-tools-and-calcula...
https://web.archive.org/web/20200218212700/http://spectrum-s...
This requires a GPU on Windows, but is a more advanced newer Spice simulator:
https://www.qorvo.com/design-hub/design-tools/interactive/qs...
What a spectacular failure of education.