Now that you've been introduced to the foundational concepts behind circuits, this document will help you apply these concepts through a guided PCB design project.
By the end of this activity, you'll be able to read and interpret datasheets, build schematics, source real parts, and lay out a fully routed PCB.
The 555 timer is a small, cheap, general-purpose IC that can generate precise timing pulses or oscillate continuously. It uses two external resistors (often called feedback resistors) and a capacitor to set the timing.
It has three basic modes of operation: Monostable, Astable, and Bistable. We will only be focusing on the Astable mode of operation for this assignment, since we want a continuously blinking LED.
The datasheet for the specific part we're using, the Texas Instruments LM555, can be found here:
Don't read the datasheet from cover to cover! A lot of the information will not be useful to us. Instead, here are the sections you typically want to look at when designing a PCB:
First, find the following sections: