Re: coutdown 555 timer values?

In article <1122139292.313548.294440@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Chris <cfoley1064@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>The six 555s is the best answer to the OP's question...

That's the Steve Ciarcia (of Byte and Circuit Cellar INK fame) model.
"My favorite programming language is a soldering iron."

But it's certainly debatable, even for a newbie. The 555 method is
going to require a minimum of 3 556s, and a handful of caps and
resistors (some out of spec) in order to accomplish.

The other proposal, using a microcontroller, does require the controller and
a programmer. However, a simple programmer such as my Trivial Low Voltage
Programmer (TLVP) for the PIC can be wired up with a single chip and a
resistor in about the same amount of time to wire up one 555.

The TLVP can be found on my PIC page: http://www.finitesite.com/d3jsys

Now on to programming languages. I'm an advocate for learning
assembly in the microcontroller world because of the prevelence of
usage. However for a quick project an HLL may be in order. Something
along the lines of JAL or SDCC for the PIC is open source, free to use,
and pretty simple to get started on.

The upshot is that wiring 6 555 circuits will complete this project and
give some insight into wiring 555 circuits. But precisely because of
their programmable nature, using a microcontroller can leverage the
setup cost over a bunch of projects. A part like the PIC 16F630 or
the 16F676 cost less than $2 and can be used for a variety of uses.

I just don't think it's as cut and dried as you propose Chris.

BAJ
.

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