components

555 Timer Contest Highlights

To mark the recent passing of Hans Camenzind, we are running a 555 mini-retrospective this week. Last year Jeri Ellsworth held a 555 timer contest in the categories of Artistic, Complex, Minimalist, and Utility. Here are some photos and schematics of the first place winners from that contest.

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Top 10: 555 Timers

Top 10: 555 Timers

To mark the recent passing of Hans Camenzind, we are running a 555 mini-retrospective this week. Today I’ve rounded up some of my personal favorite 555 content from our archives, arranged in arbitrary top 10 order. Many of these are “fun” or “meta” 555 type posts. We’ll be following on later in the week with more circuit-specific 555 coverage. Stay tuned!

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RIP Hans Camenzind

RIP Hans Camenzind

We were saddened to learn last week that Swiss-born engineer, Hans Camenzind, had died on August 8th. In honor of the life and work of Hans Camenzind, we’re declaring this 555 Week.

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Fabric Jacketed Power Cords

Fabric Jacketed Power Cords

Apparently there’s a retro vogue going on in the design world when it comes to appliance, lamp, and power cords. Shown here, a selection of colorful braided fabric cable looms available from Sweden’s FRINAB Fristad Industri Aktiebolag. Check out the free samples they’re mailing to interested parties.

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DIY Contact Mic – Collin’s Lab

DIY Contact Mic – Collin’s Lab

It’s amazing what a little disk can do … when it’s layered with piezoelectric crystals. Piezo disks are impressively sensitive to vibration and can easily be adapted to work as a contact microphones. The trick is the preamp – a basic circuit used to match the piezo’s signal to levels compatible with modern audio gear inputs. The resulting piezo/preamp combo can be used for electrifying an acoustic guitar or simply exploring the lesser-heard world of small sound around us.

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