555 Simple Oscillator [tutorial]

The easiest and cheapest way to make an oscillator is using the famous 555 timer chip, which in Indonesia it cost roughly about Rp. 800,-. It’s a simple oscillator which produced a square wave  signals. You can also call it as “Poor man’s oscillator” :P. Even as simple as it is, or as cheap as it is, this oscillator is still a powerful instrument. I build this oscillator based on “Laser Ray” Schematic from “50 555 Circuits” E-book by Collin Mitchel. I also made the EagleCAD schematic and board file bellow.

Part List

First thing first, you’ll need:

• NE555 IC-Intergrated Circuit (duh)
• 5K Potentiometer
• 250K Potentiometer
• 480 ohm resistor (1/4 or 1/2 Watt)
• 0.1 uF capacitor
• 2 pcs 10uF capacitor
• 1 LED (any color)
• 1 on/off switch
• 9V Battery clip

Schematic

PCB layout

PCB print (inverted)

Download EagleCAD schematic file here: [>>link<<]
Download EagleCAD board file here: [>>link<<]