What can I do with 400 555s? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: jayeye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 02:58:30 am
content: On a recent AliExpress order, instead of 20, I ordered 20 lots of 20! At USD 0.80 per lot, I should have checked twice, as it's too much for a single piece, but hey, if you are ordering one, you might as well order five thousand, right?So the question is, I'm unlikely to live long enough to use them all in real projects. Any suggestions for something weird/interesting/fun to do with them?

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 03:41:52 am
content: Look up "555 contest" for ideas.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 07:02:38 am
content: Stocking stuffers for 19 of your friends. I'm assuming you still want the first 20 for yourself.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 07:09:09 am
content: Compressed air and a dart board.

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 07:15:31 am
content: I vote for a functional wall art piece. I brought 50 a while back for less than I would have paid for two when I was a few years younger I suspect I won't need to buy any more

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 02:03:20 pm
content: Sell them or give them to beginners or you local school/college, assuming they have an electronics course.I'm no fan of the 555 timer. There are normally better solutions.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 02:15:42 pm
content: Quote from: jayeye on March 30, 2019, 02:58:30 amWhat do you do with 400 potentially fake 555s?https://zeptobars.com/en/read/Ti-555-NE555-real-vs-face-china-chinese

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 05:19:13 pm
content: Some ideas for you:https://hackaday.com/?s=555

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 06:45:51 pm
content: Scatter them on your desk round your keyboard, pins up as caltrops to keep the cat from contributing to your typing!

author: iMo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 07:01:59 pm
content: https://hackaday.com/2011/08/05/building-a-computer-out-of-555-chips/

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 08:24:14 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on March 30, 2019, 06:45:51 pmOoh, caltrops! Glue them back-to-back in pairs.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 09:25:59 pm
content: Quote from: bitseeker on March 30, 2019, 08:24:14 pmElectroBOOM should do a video . . .

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 09:30:35 pm
content: Order another 155 555s, so you'll then have exactly 555 555s!

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 09:35:01 pm
content: Use a really big low ESR timing cap and no series resistance between the cap and the Discharge pin to turn them into time-delay one-shot detonators. Some experimentation may be required to get them to explode properly rather than just 'cooking off'.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 02:34:59 pm
content: When your done with that let me know what to do with 2.5 pounds of Neon Lamps (NE2)…Steve

author: drescherjm
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 02:50:50 pm
content: Give some away to fellow EEVblog members!

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 03:17:33 pm
content: Organising that is the difficult thing. Packing and posting one jiffy bag to a friend or acquaintance is fairly easy, repeating that 100 times, and attempting to get everybody who can afford it to reimburse you for shipping costs is a royal PITA.However there is a hobby business opportunity here. If someone is willing to act as a regional coordinator, receive donated parcels of parts from members for points credit, EBAY approx 50% to cover costs, their time and a moderate profit, and maintain a current stock list with pack weight, pack quantity and points per pack for each entry.Members could use their points to order stuff from the stock list on a first come first served basis - flat rate no. of points for any order up to a max weight, + points for each pack of items ordered, or buy by paypal if they don't have enough points.

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 03:59:59 pm
content: They make great fan timers! Cheap & dirty!

author: drescherjm
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 04:05:54 pm
content: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/91102/555-temperature-controlled-pwm

author: texaspyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 03:00:44 am
content: 400 pieces, pfffft... whata poser.I once bought 20 reels of 2000 pieces for $1 a reel. I sold 19 of the reels to a surplus dealer for $20 each. Now, what to do with 2000 555's?

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 03:31:28 am
content: Send them to jayeye so his 400 won't feel lonely.

author: richard.cs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 10:20:17 am
content: Quote from: LaserSteve on March 31, 2019, 02:34:59 pmhttp://www.bigclive.com/nixie.htmOtherwise have a play with neon logichttps://lucsmall.com/2016/10/08/neon-ring-counters/

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:12:05 pm
content: Sounds tedious but you could build an array: 20 by 20 would be nice. Make each 555 station accept pulses from its neighbor(s), and emit next pulse to another neighbor, producing a 'wave' propagating from station to station. One option keeps separate directions, another just blast transmits to all close neighbors. (Starts to look like a researcher for neurological function brain / vision)

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:19:47 pm
content: Quote from: RJHayward on April 01, 2019, 04:12:05 pmThat is a rather famous research project which has been published in many places. The original version used ordinary 555 chips. It was called "firefly" and showed how gradually all the individual units would drift towards flashing in synch. That is certainly what I would do with hundreds of 555 chips.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:26:39 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on March 30, 2019, 02:15:42 pmFrom the webpage:If only have they marked it "CN555" with proper data-sheet - it would have been totally legitimate and fair product.Now to the original question: I do like RJHayward's and RCrowley's suggestion. That would be an awesome project. Wiring it would be very tedious, though.

author: texaspyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:33:45 pm
content: Any ideas what to do with 30,000 2N7000's. Got 12 reels of 3000 pieces from the same place / price as the 555's. Sold a couple of reels...

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:08:59 pm
content: Quote from: texaspyro on April 01, 2019, 04:33:45 pm30,000 units? WOW! You may try to further sell them.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:25:55 pm
content: If more people jump in with all of their inventory overages, you can join forces and build something truly spectacular or downright scary.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:38:03 pm
content: At those prices those 555s and 2N7000 are hardly worth re-selling. The shipping costs more than the goods.But it gives me a good idea for a similar firefly project.I've got over a hundred 18650 cells that I have reclaimed from discarded laptop batteries.I can create a small PC board with all the components and a couple of 18650 cells.And put them into one of these plastic boxes. Then have some "firefly building-blocks".

author: jayeye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 06:15:54 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on March 30, 2019, 09:30:35 pmHahahah... almost worth spending USD 8 for that

author: jayeye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 06:16:48 pm
content: Quote from: Nusa on March 30, 2019, 07:02:38 amIf I do that this year, I won't have any friends the year after

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 02:40:56 am
content: Time to make new friends!

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 10:56:58 am
content: You can do 133 of these:https://www.instructables.com/id/Fizzle-Loop-Synth-V3/

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 12:37:03 pm
content: Quote from: LaserSteve on March 31, 2019, 02:34:59 pmQuote from: texaspyro on April 01, 2019, 04:33:45 pmMaybe try some surplus dealers?Also, as has been suggested, schools.I am sure many of us would take some if postage did not cost more than getting them direct from China.A lot of us have stocks of things we have no use for but do not know how to put to good use.

author: drescherjm
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 01:48:29 pm
content: BTW, I purchased a dozen 555s last week to try out some of these ideas along with a few of the basics.

author: drescherjm
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 01:51:31 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on April 06, 2019, 10:56:58 amI think I would have to try this when the wife is out. I can imagine her reaction to the noise...

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 04:34:39 pm
content: Jayeye:"What can I do with 400 555s?"A Class D bridge tied load stereo amplifier: 15W per channel into 4 ohm load could use 84 of themLineup per channel: One 555 as triangle wave generator, one as comparator (low Z audio in to CV pin) to generate a PWM then 20 as inverting buffers, and 20 as non-inverting buffers, with current sharing resistors in series with each output to combine them into a pair of inverted and non-inverted PWM outputs good for >3A.Combine that with 2x RoGeorge's suggested 'Synth' and you are up to 90 555's used, Build four units for the kids of your least favourite colleagues or ex-friends and you'll be universally hated by their parents, and *still* have 40 555's left for your own stock.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 06:07:25 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on April 06, 2019, 10:56:58 amThat was a hoot of a noise maker!

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 09:42:32 pm
content: Quote from: LaserSteve on March 31, 2019, 02:34:59 pmYou could give them to meNE-2 lamps are great for nightlights, relaxation oscillators, trigger tubes, and all sorts of applications where an LED is too boring.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2019, 09:56:31 pm
content: This is the answer to the neons question:

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2019, 02:14:13 am
content: That's awesome, I wonder if those are standard NE-2's though or trigger tubes? A while back a friend of mine played with a NE-2 based ring counter and found it to be a bit fiddly. Ambient light levels would affect triggering and the characteristics changed as the lamps aged. It's possible that carefully designed it would work well.