Weekend Project: The “Three Fives” Discrete 555 Timer
My 6-year-old is a Circuit Playground fan. Although Adabot is by far his favorite character, Hans 555 is a close second. A colleague of mine thought The “Three Fives” Discrete 555 Timer by Evil Mad Scientist would be a fun project for my son and I to put together.
Although this kit isn’t geared towards 6-year-olds, there were plenty of things he was able to do. There was quite a bit of soldering, which meant there were quite a bit of resistors and transistors (43 in all!) to put into place on the circuit board. I let him take the lead on this portion of the project and he placed them all correctly! I then did all the soldering and let him clip the leads.
Once the soldering was complete, he installed all the thumbscrews and assisted me in installing the IC Legs. Installing the IC Legs was a bit tricky so it was nice having a pair of extra hands!
In less than 2 hours our 555 timer was finished and I have a very happy boy!
Featured Adafruit Products!
“Three Fives” Discrete 555 Timer Kit; The “Three Fives” Discrete 555 Timer kit from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories is a faithful and functional transistor-scale replica of the classic NE555 timer integrated circuit, one of the most classic, popular, and all-around useful chips of all time. (Read more)
Hans 555 Timer IC – Circuit Playground Plushie; Hans is the ‘old man’ of the group. He tends to be nervous and is often indecisive. Hans frequently changes his mind, and is a little fidgety (he oscillates) when he’s not moving around. He is very meticulous and precise in other ways; Hans does not like to compromise, preferring to be in a steady state until a dramatic change is called for. Hans speaks with the voice of a kindly old man with a Swiss-German accent, though his voice can become more nasally when he’s upset or feels strongly about something. His catchphrase is “maybe so, but perhaps not.” (Read more)
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