Introduction: 555 Timer in Monostable Mode - a Tutorial With Theory, Schematic, & Lab Sections

About: Hi there! My name is Patrick, and I am an electronics engineering technician who works full time as a lab tech, and part time as an electronics engineer/salesman. I own an ebay store, and two websites, which …

Hi all!!!
This is my third of many electronic block tutorials for my upcoming electronics learning board.  This video demonstrates the monostable function of the 555 timer.  The purpose of this circuit is to create lengthened pulses from a short pulse or a series of short pulses.  Because this circuit is non-retriggerable, if the input receives many short pulses, the circuit will turn those trigger pulses into one long pulse.  This video offers a circuit diagram, a theory lesson, and a lab section, where I place the circuit on a breadboard, and actually show the circuit in action.

This circuit is useful for many reasons, but one use for this circuit is often overlooked.  It can be used to hardware-debounce switches.  In the video, I show you how to trigger a pulse using a switch, and with a transistor switch, so that another IC or sensor can be triggering factor.

My electronic learning boards have many functions that are broken down into blocks.  Each block have a dedicated tutorial video that offers circuit diagrams, theory, and lab sections.  Once the board is complete, the user is encouraged to watch these videos before actually creating the circuit on the board.  This way, they aren't just following instructions.  After watching the videos, they should be able to understand how the circuits are working based on the interfacing of the blocks.  

A 555 timer costs next to nothing, and can be found in any electronics store.  They can also be purchased in bulk over ebay for pennies a piece!

Pre-Order Our Multi-Project Electronics Learning Board Here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181182203711&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

My first two block videos:
Non-Inverting Op-Amp Circuit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD1QkDFzh30
Op-Amp Comparator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7beZocF34AU

More on the way, so stay tuned, and thanks for watching!

Warm regards,
Patrick Mitchell
Engineeringshock Electronics
http://www.engineeringshock.com
http://www.electroniclessons.com