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Category Archives: 555 Timer

DIY Geiger Counter using 555

Posted on October 16, 2016 by R-B Leave a comment

Geiger counters are used to detect beta particles and gamma rays radioactive emissions. The counter consists of a tube filled with an inert gas such as helium, neon, or argon at low pressure, to which a high voltage is applied. The tube becomes conductive of electricity when it is impacted by a high-energy particle or photon. Tanner_Tech‘s Instructable shows how to build the simplest 555 timer based DIY Geiger counter using minimal electronic components. Tanner_Tech‘s design uses 555 timer IC as an astable multivibrator to drive a step-up transformer through a MOSFET in order to generate the high voltage required for

Automatic solar charge controller

Posted on October 5, 2016 by R-B Leave a comment

Based on Michael Davis’s circuit, vina1991 built an automatic solar charge controller for a 12V battery using the 555 timer IC. It is a switching circuit controls the connections between the solar panels output and battery terminals. You can set the upper and lower thresholds for battery voltage so that the charger can automatically switch back and forth between charging and cut-off mode. When the battery terminal voltage goes below the lower limit, the charging process begins, which stops automatically when the battery voltage reaches the upper limit. The switching is performed using a relay switch.

555 Timer as power usage sensor

Posted on June 9, 2015 by R-B One comment

Electricity meters usually have blinking LED lights whose flashing rate is associated with the amount of energy usage. This example shows how to use a 555 timer chip acting as Schmitt trigger combined with a phototransistor or LDR to sense the flashing LED on the electricity meter for monitoring electricity usage. The output of the 555 timer chip is connected to one of the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi. A Python script (executing in the background) recording 555 events is calculating actual energy usage [e.g. Watt] every time the 555 is signaling and stores epochs in an SQLite3 database. From this, another

Wireless reset button for your router

Posted on May 4, 2015 by R-B One comment

Does your router go wonky once every few days and require manual resetting? I know my old router did that quite a bit. Taylor Burley writes about his wireless reset button that will allow you to reset your router and modem from any room with just a click of the button. A 555 timer in monostable mode and a hacked door bell were the only things really needed to build this reset. Keep in mind that since I used a powerstrip this device can be adapted to any ac device, within the limits of the relay. I tried to make this project

Heart-shaped LED chaser for Valentine’s Day

Posted on January 27, 2014 by R-B Leave a comment

This heart-shaped LED chaser would be a nice addition to your bouquet or any other gift for Valentine’s Day. The build process is very simple and uses the 555 timer IC (configured as an astable multivibrator) and CD4017B decade counter.

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