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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software » Lunettas - circuits inspired by Stanley Lunetta
A good battle tested 555 clock/timer?
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aerogramma



Joined: Feb 27, 2008
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Location: Roma, Italy - London, UK
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:17 pm    Post subject: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer?
Subject description: tried a few but still searching :)
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Hello everyone,
does anyone here have a schematic available of a very good, tried and tested 555 based clock?

For sequencing usage etc

I've tried a few designs but I still don't seems to get satisfactory results of what should be a very basic construction... but I can see a lot of you here have succesfully implemented one in your project

thanks and all the best!

Wink

aero
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fluxmonkey



Joined: Jun 24, 2005
Posts: 708
Location: cleve

PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

what kind of problems have you run into? 555 astable oscillator design is pretty bog-standard, i think:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/ne555timer2calc.html

but maybe if we knew more about what you found unsatisfactory...


b

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aerogramma



Joined: Feb 27, 2008
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

thanks bbob

i need to drive sequencers ( a la baby sequencer) and and other cmos (like a 40106)

so it will have to have a pot to change speed/ratio...

the ones i have tried never have the right 'sensibility' going from slow to fast too abrutply and i suspect as a consequence the speed range also seems very limited ...like after a certain treshold it just goes still (or what it sounds/looks like still).

this by listening to an audio output or just observing a led attached to it
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droffset



Joined: Feb 02, 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have a booklet that's all about the 555 timer and it's applications, not sure if it's in print where you live. I sort of intend to assemble a really great 555 timer from the different designs that will do the best bits of what i find cool:

-square wave
-sawtooth wave
-pulse width modulation
-change ranges with cap switching

I think it can be done, just need to work on it a bit, to make a mega555.

Of course if it's already been done I'd build it immediately, heh.
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fluxmonkey



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

aerogramma wrote:
thanks bbob

i need to drive sequencers ( a la baby sequencer) and and other cmos (like a 40106)

so it will have to have a pot to change speed/ratio...

the ones i have tried never have the right 'sensibility' going from slow to fast too abrutply and i suspect as a consequence the speed range also seems very limited ...like after a certain treshold it just goes still (or what it sounds/looks like still).

this by listening to an audio output or just observing a led attached to it


so cool, do this:
> figure out the frequency range you need... for sequencing, you might decide you want to go from 60 to 180 Beats Per Minute, which is 1 to 3 Hz.
>Now use that calculator in the link i posted to find a capacitor/resistor combinations that gives you those values. Keep the cap the same and keep plugging in resistor values til you get the desired high and low Hz
>you might not need the whole range of a pot... maybe the resistance values you come up with are a swing between 50k and 100k... in that case, put another resistor in series with the pot to limit the swing (say a 50k resistor in series with a 50k pot will give you a swing between 50k and 100k total resistance)

b

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Rykhaard



Joined: Sep 02, 2007
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

droffset wrote:
I have a booklet that's all about the 555 timer and it's applications, not sure if it's in print where you live. I sort of intend to assemble a really great 555 timer from the different designs that will do the best bits of what i find cool:

-square wave
-sawtooth wave
-pulse width modulation
-change ranges with cap switching

I think it can be done, just need to work on it a bit, to make a mega555.

Of course if it's already been done I'd build it immediately, heh.


I have Forrest M. Mimms Radio Shack book on 555 circuits. IIRC, it has at least, everything that you've mentioned above. Whether they can all be done at once or not, is the question. (Saw, Square and Pulse together, should not be a problem, with a couple of opamps as well.) I'll have to find it and have a look.
Come to think of that - I wonder if I could go with the 555 for deriving a Triangle wave from the (7)555's Saw and Square combination ...... time for breadboarding. Wink
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aerogramma



Joined: Feb 27, 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

bbob wrote:




so cool, do this:
> figure out the frequency range you need... for sequencing, you might decide you want to go from 60 to 180 Beats Per Minute, which is 1 to 3 Hz.
>Now use that calculator in the link i posted to find a capacitor/resistor combinations that gives you those values. Keep the cap the same and keep plugging in resistor values til you get the desired high and low Hz
>you might not need the whole range of a pot... maybe the resistance values you come up with are a swing between 50k and 100k... in that case, put another resistor in series with the pot to limit the swing (say a 50k resistor in series with a 50k pot will give you a swing between 50k and 100k total resistance)

b


great and precious advice Very Happy thanks again bbob... will try out!
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Tim Servo



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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:01 am    Post subject: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer? Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hey Aero,

You might try an audio taper pot instead of a linear one. That might make it easier to make adjustments and get predictable results, although it won't change the overall range of the clock.

I kinda liked the 555 based seq clock in Barry Klein's "Electronic Music Circuits" book (page 65, and make sure you check the errata on Barry's web site if you have the book). Otherwise, you might want to try a 4046-based clock. Very simple to get a wide range clock out of that one, and it's voltage-controlled (linear) to boot!

Tim (unpredictable, but still gets results) Servo



aerogramma wrote:
thanks bbob

i need to drive sequencers ( a la baby sequencer) and and other cmos (like a 40106)

so it will have to have a pot to change speed/ratio...

the ones i have tried never have the right 'sensibility' going from slow to fast too abrutply and i suspect as a consequence the speed range also seems very limited ...like after a certain treshold it just goes still (or what it sounds/looks like still).

this by listening to an audio output or just observing a led attached to it
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aerogramma



Joined: Feb 27, 2008
Posts: 156
Location: Roma, Italy - London, UK
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:37 am    Post subject: Re: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer? Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Tim Servo wrote:
Hey Aero,

You might try an audio taper pot instead of a linear one. That might make it easier to make adjustments and get predictable results, although it won't change the overall range of the clock.

-snip-
you might want to try a 4046-based clock. Very simple to get a wide range clock out of that one, and it's voltage-controlled (linear) to boot!

Tim (unpredictable, but still gets results) Servo



thanks tim! using a log taper is already yielding much better results

is there a 4046 based clock design you'd reccomend?

aero (a few solder joints away from tim's TH VCO)
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Rykhaard



Joined: Sep 02, 2007
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:12 am    Post subject: Re: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer? Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

aerogramma wrote:
Tim Servo wrote:
Hey Aero,

You might try an audio taper pot instead of a linear one. That might make it easier to make adjustments and get predictable results, although it won't change the overall range of the clock.

-snip-
you might want to try a 4046-based clock. Very simple to get a wide range clock out of that one, and it's voltage-controlled (linear) to boot!

Tim (unpredictable, but still gets results) Servo



thanks tim! using a log taper is already yielding much better results

is there a 4046 based clock design you'd reccomend?

aero (a few solder joints away from tim's TH VCO)


You could use this. I pulled it from my Liquid HiHat. Smile The original circuit came FROM that purpose for a VC Clock from an article in ...... I believe it were Synapse magazine.
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Tim Servo



Joined: Jul 16, 2006
Posts: 924
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:43 pm    Post subject: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer? Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ryk's schematic is a great one. The original is here:
http://www.cyndustries.com/synapse/synapse.cfm?pc=59&folder=jan1978&pic=45

and here's another interesting 4046 application, although it has nothing to do with what we're talking about here (besides the fact that it appears to be very Lunetta-esque):
http://www.cyndustries.com/synapse/synapse.cfm?pc=51&folder=may1977&pic=33

Thanks to Cyndustries for making these Synapse scans available.


Tim (gotta love that Synapse magazine) Servo
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Rykhaard



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Posts: 1290
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:12 pm    Post subject: Re: A good battle tested 555 clock/timer? Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Tim Servo wrote:
Ryk's schematic is a great one. The original is here:
http://www.cyndustries.com/synapse/synapse.cfm?pc=59&folder=jan1978&pic=45

and here's another interesting 4046 application, although it has nothing to do with what we're talking about here (besides the fact that it appears to be very Lunetta-esque):
http://www.cyndustries.com/synapse/synapse.cfm?pc=51&folder=may1977&pic=33

Thanks to Cyndustries for making these Synapse scans available.


Tim (gotta love that Synapse magazine) Servo


Thanks for confirming my poor ol' timer's memory Tim! Smile

And MANY thanks for posting that other link! But where the heck to get that other chip from. Sad I'm very interested in that circuit tho! Smile (For my Lunetta machine - who should be tomorrow have his 1st 2 VC 'voices', from one of my Liquid HiHats, that I'm modifying to a Liquid Voice. Wink )
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