Click here to view a PDF of all the Design Ideas from this issue. Using a CMOS 555 timer and a single NPN transistor, you can drive as many as seven LEDs using a minimal amount of voltage and power ...

This voltage-booster circuit for driving one or more white LEDs uses a 555 timer as its main element (see the figure). The timer, IC1, functions as a resettable astable multivibrator where R1, R2, and ...

LEDs find their way into applications that range from high-end video displays to low-end lighting applications. Designers often need only some of the functions of a dedicated LED driver but can’t ...

Regular readers may recall we recently covered a neat Arduino trick that allowed you to “blow out” an LED as if it was a candle. The idea was that the LED itself could be used as a rudimentary ...

Semtech has introduced an analogue timer chip that runs from 0.9V, but can drive LEDs at over 3V. Called SX8122, to the timer it adds: a simple battery charger, a boost converter, and a power-down ...

Sometimes the best inspiration is limitation. The 555 timer does “one thing” — compares a voltage to a couple thresholds and outputs a signal accordingly. It’s two comparators, a voltage ladder, and a ...

The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) which is used in a variety of timer, delay, pulse generation, and oscillator applications. 555 Signals and Pinout (8 pin DIP) Figure below shows the ...

Heralded as a sub-1 V analog timer platform that revolutionizes the conventional 555 timer for low-voltage, battery-operated small appliances, the SX8122 analog timer extends battery life via ...