 |
 Signetics NE555 in 8-pin DIP package | |
| Type | Active, integrated circuit |
|---|---|
| Invented | Hans Camenzind (1971) |
| First production | 1972 |
| Electronic symbol | |
 Internal block diagram[1] | |
The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit used in a variety of timer, delay, pulse generation, and oscillator applications. It is one of the most popular timing ICs due to its flexibility and price. Derivatives provide two (556) or four (558) timing circuits in one package.[2] The design was first marketed in 1972 by Signetics[3][4] and used bipolar junction transistors. Since then, numerous companies have made the original timers and later similar low-power CMOS timers. In 2017, it was said that over a billion 555 timers are produced annually by some estimates, and that the design was "probably the most popular integrated circuit ever made".[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TI_NE555_Datasheetwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Signetics_1985_Linear_Databookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Fuller, Brian (15 August 2012). "Hans Camenzind, 555 timer inventor, dies". EE Times. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Signetics_1972_Linear1_Databookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lowe, Doug (2017-02-06). Electronics All-in-One For Dummies. Wiley. p. 339. ISBN 978-1-119-32079-1.
The 555 timer chip, developed in 1970, is probably the most popular integrated circuit ever made. By some estimates, more than a billion of them are manufactured every year.