Circuit of the Timer 555 as an Astable MIV

Construction of Astable MIV

• Pin 1 is grounded; pins 4 and 8 are shorted and then tied

to supply +Vcc, output (VOUT is taken form pin 3; pin 2
and 6 are shorted and the connected to ground through
capacitor C, pin 7 is connected to supply + VCC through a
resistor RA; and between pin 6 and 7 a resistor RB is
connected.
• At pin 5 either a bypass capacitor of 0.01  F is connected
or modulation input is applied.
 Salient features of IC 555
The important features of the IC 555 timer are as given
below
1. Timing from microseconds to hours.
2. Monostable and Bistable operation.
3. Adjustable duty cycle.
4. Ability to operate from a wide range of supply voltage (
2-18V).
5. Output compatible with CMOS ,DTL and TTL
 Working of ASTABLE MULTIBRATOR using IC 555
• In figure, when Q is low or output VOUT is high, the discharging
transistor is cut-­off and the capacitor C begins charging toward VCC
through resistances RA and RB.
• Because of this, the charging time constant is (RA + RB) C.
• Eventually, the threshold voltage exceeds +2/3 VCC, the
comparator 1 has a high output and triggers the flip-flop so that its Q
is high and the timer output is low.
• With Q high, the discharge transistor saturates and pin 7 grounds so
that the capacitor C discharges through resistance RB with a
discharging time constant RB C.
• With the discharging of capacitor, trigger voltage at inverting input of
comparator 2 decreases.
• When it drops below 1/3VCC, the output of comparator 2 goes high
and this reset the flip-flop so that Q is low and the timer output is
high.
• This proves the auto-transition in output from low to high and then to
low as, illustrated in fig ures. Thus the cycle repeats.
 Working of Astable Multivibrator using IC 555

• When the power supply Vcc is switched ON, the external timing capacitor
C charges towards Vcc through the resistor R1 and R2. with a time
constant (R1 +R2)C.
• During the charging period, the transistor Q1 is held open by the flip flop,
• When the voltage across the capacitor reaches the reference level 2Vcc /3
of the upper comparator, it changes the state of the flip flop and this turn
the transistor Q1 ON.
• the capacitor C discharges through the resistor R2 and the transistor Q1
with the time constant R2C.
• Current also flows into the transistor Q1 through the resistor R1.
• Resistor R1 and R2 must be large enough to limit this current and prevent
the damage to the discharge transistor Q1.
• The minimum value of resistor R1 is approximately Vcc/0.2 where 0.2 A is
the maximum current flowing through the On transistor Q1.
• During the discharge of the timing capacitor C,as it reaches the reference
level Vcc/3 of the lower comparator, it trigger the lower comparator and
changes the state of the flip flop again.
• At this stage the flip flop output Q is zero which in turn makes the
transistor Q1 OFF and the cycle repeats.
 Application of IC 555 timer

Some of the most important application of IC 555 timer are

as follows
1.Monostable and Astable Multivibrator.
2.DC-DC Converter.
3.Digital logic probes.
4.Pulse generator.
5.Precision Timer.
6.Burglar alarm.
7.Sequential Timer.
8.Linear ramp generator.
9.Time delay generator.