PCBWay is having a great Winter sale now, check it out here:
https://www.pcbway.com/
We’re going back to an old one - the venerable vacuum tube 555 timer. This was a really fun project we took on a while back to try to make a 555 timer out of just vacuum tubes, and while the prototype made at home on the mill was excellent in every sense of the word, we were struggling coming up with a more professional looking version. Well, fear not, our sponsor PCBWay is here! PCBWay hooked me up with some pretty righteous PCBs, so let’s take a look at what they sent and see if we can get the new and improved 555 going.
Everything on the 555 timer is available here:
https://github.com/Nakazoto/ue555
Notably, here’s the link to the datasheet:
https://github.com/Nakazoto/ue555/blob/main/UE555_Datasheet_v0.1.pdf
And here’s the link to the gerber files:
https://github.com/Nakazoto/ue555/tree/main/Gerber%20Files
If you need tubes, I strongly suggest either 6AU6 or the 6CB6, both work brilliantly. Just search eBay or your local auction site for “6AU6 lot” or “6CB6 lot.”
The 7-pin sockets can be found on most online retailers like Amazon or AliExpress. Just search for “7 pin tube socket” and look for the ones that are PCB mount.
If you want to support the channel please hop over to Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/usagielectric
Also, we now have some epic shirts for sale!
https://my-store-11554688.creator-spring.com
Come join us on Discord and Twitter!
Discord: https://discord.gg/p7UsfHD
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UsagiElectric
Intro Music adapted from:
Artist: The Runaway Five
Title: The Shinra Shuffle
https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01847
Thanks for watching!
Chapters
0:00 A look back at the OG 555
1:28 The new hotness
2:30 A close look at the new PCBs
5:14 Let’s build it
7:50 A close look at the datasheet
9:10 Tuning the OpAmps
13:01 Testing: Schmitt Trigger
14:24 Testing: Astable oscillator
16:46 How do you get one?
18:53 What’s next? (The CSS555!)
21:49 Bunny!