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 ...

This simple LED driver circuit allows us to drive up to seven LEDs by using a single NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) AA cell. The circuit produces voltage pulses at a much higher level than the input ...

It’s back! The 555 timer contest wants to see you do something cool with the 555 timer chip. At stake is the adulation of electronics geeks everywhere. Three top winners will be awarded a $150 ...

Picture it: you’re on the treadmill, running through a forest, sweating like a pig, and the doorbell rings because a package is being delivered. Would you even hear it? Chances are, if you’re rocking ...