Product Overview
The NE555 from Texas Instruments is the industry-standard precision timer IC capable of producing accurate time delays or oscillation. Operating from 4.5V to 16V, it can sink or source up to 200mA at the output and supports both monostable (one-shot) and astable (free-running) modes with timing from microseconds to hours.
Key Specifications
- Supply Voltage: 4.5V ~ 16V
- Output Current: Sink or source up to 200mA
- Trigger Level: 1/3 VCC
- Threshold Level: 2/3 VCC
- Control Voltage: 2/3 VCC (typical, adjustable)
- Timing Range: Microseconds to hours
- Output Rise Time: 100ns (typical)
- Output Fall Time: 100ns (typical)
- Quiescent Current: 2mA (typical)
- Maximum Frequency (astable): ~500kHz
- Operating Temperature: 0°C ~ 70°C (NE555)
- Reset Active Level: Low (overrides all other inputs)
- Monostable Pulse Width: t = 1.1 × R × C
- Astable Frequency: f = 1.44 / ((R1 + 2×R2) × C)
- Astable Duty Cycle: (R1 + R2) / (R1 + 2×R2)
- Package: PDIP-8, SOIC-8, TSSOP-8
Features
- Timing from microseconds to hours
- Astable or monostable operation
- Adjustable duty cycle
- TTL-compatible output (200mA sink/source)
- Reset overrides all other inputs
- Control voltage pin for threshold modulation
- Only 2-3 external components for basic operation
- Available since 1972 — over 1 billion units shipped annually
Applications
- Precision timing and time-delay generation
- Pulse generation and PWM control
- LED flasher and blinker circuits
- Tone and melody generation
- Power-on delay and debounce circuits
- Square wave and clock generation