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THE 555 TIMER IC An Interview with Hans Camenzind Oral History – (Continued) |
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To Camenzind Oral History,Page 7 |
The above photo is a comparison of the size and quantity of all the
discrete components that would be required to reproduce the circuitry
contained in the 555 IC. The scan to
the left is a reproduction of the 555 equivalent circuit, as documented in
the original Signetics 555/556 application notes booklet. There are 23 transistors shown, 15
resistors and two diodes. Similar
discrete components from that timeframe are shown in the photo above, along
with a single 555 in the center of the photo. There are very obvious savings in terms of expense, physical
size, power requirements and complexity to be gained by using the 555,
instead of the discrete components.
Multiply this savings by a factor of several billion (to account for
the number of 555 chips sold since 1972) and the enormous impact of this IC
becomes apparent. |
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© 2004 by Jack Ward. All Rights
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6 |
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