Hardware Podcasts

276: Playing a Song on a Potato

Embedded.fm · 31 Jan 2019 · 1h 17m · Episode 276

What this episode covers

Jesse Rutherford, founder of Bentronics.com and author of The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to the 555 Timer, explains the internal architecture of the 555 timer IC, detailing its comparators, flip-flop, and discharge transistor. He discusses how the chip's hysteresis and control voltage pin allow for creative applications like the Atari Punk Console and playing music on a potato, while offering advice to hobbyists to ignore credential barriers and start building. The conversation covers the transition from his early component store to writing a color-printed book with Fritzing breadboard layouts to help beginners bridge the gap between schematic and physical assembly.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Bentronics.com, Texas Instruments, RadioShack
Products
Atari Punk Console, Commodore 64
Chips
555 timer
Tools
Fritzing
Also
Arbitrary

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