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555 Oscillator Tutorial

The 555 IC can be used to create a free running astable oscillator to con nuously produce square
wave pulses

The 555 Timer IC can be connected either in its Monostable mode thereby producing a precision mer of a
fixed me dura on, or in its Bistable mode to produce a flip-flop type switching ac on. But we can also
connect the 555 mer IC in an Astable mode to produce a very stable 555 Oscillator circuit for genera ng
highly accurate free running waveforms whose output frequency can be adjusted by means of an externally
connected RC tank circuit consis ng of just two resistors and a capacitor.

The 555 Oscillator is another type of relaxa on oscillator for genera ng stabilized square wave output
waveforms of either a fixed frequency of up to 500kHz or of varying duty cycles from 50 to 100%. In the
previous 555 Timer tutorial we saw that the Monostable circuit produces a single output one-shot pulse
when triggered on its pin 2 trigger input.

Whereas the 555 monostable circuit stopped a er a preset me wai ng for the next trigger pulse to start
over again, in order to get the 555 Oscillator to operate as an astable mul vibrator it is necessary to
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con nuously re-trigger the 555 ICuse
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ming cycle.
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This re-triggering is basically achieved by connec ng the trigger input (pin 2) and the threshold input (pin 6)
together, thereby allowing the device to act as an astable oscillator. Then the 555 Oscillator has no stable
states as it con nuously switches from one state to the other. Also the single ming resistor of the previous
monostable mul vibrator circuit has been split into two separate resistors, R1 and R2 with their junc on
connected to the discharge input (pin 7) as shown below.

Basic Astable 555 Oscillator Circuit

In the 555 Oscillator circuit above, pin 2 and pin 6 are connected together allowing the circuit to re-trigger
itself on each and every cycle allowing it to operate as a free running oscillator. During each cycle capacitor,
C charges up through both ming resistors, R1 and R2 but discharges itself only through resistor, R2 as
the other side of R2 is connected to the discharge terminal, pin 7.

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Then the capacitor charges up to 2/3Vcc (the upper comparator limit) which is determined by the
0.693(R1+R2)C combina on and discharges itself down to 1/3Vcc (the lower comparator limit)
determined by the 0.693(R2*C) combina on. This results in an output waveform whose voltage level is
approximately equal to Vcc – 1.5V and whose output “ON” and “OFF” me periods are determined by the
capacitor and resistors combina ons. The individual mes required to complete one charge and discharge
cycle of the output is therefore given as:

Astable 555 Oscillator Charge and Discharge Times

Where, R is in Ω and C in Farads.

When connected as an astable mul vibrator, the output from the 555 Oscillator will con nue indefinitely
charging and discharging between 2/3Vcc and 1/3Vcc un l the power supply is removed. As with the
monostable mul vibrator these charge and discharge mes and therefore the frequency are independent
on the supply voltage.

The dura on of one full ming cycle is therefore equal to the sum of the two individual mes that the
capacitor charges and discharges added together and is given as:

555 Oscillator Cycle Time

The output frequency of oscilla ons can be found by inver ng the equa on above for the total cycle me
giving a final equa on for the output frequency of an Astable 555 Oscillator as:

555 Oscillator Frequency Equa on

By altering the me constant of just one of the RC combina ons, the Duty Cycle be er known as the
“Mark-to-Space” ra o of the output waveform can be accurately set and is given as the ra o of resistor R2
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“OFF” me is given by:
555 Oscillator Duty Cycle

The duty cycle has no units as it is a ra o but can be expressed as a percentage ( % ). If both ming
resistors, R1 and R2 are equal in value, then the output duty cycle will be 2:1 that is, 66% ON me and
33% OFF me with respect to the period.

555 Oscillator Example No1

An Astable 555 Oscillator is constructed using the following components, R1 = 1kΩ, R2 = 2kΩ and
capacitor C = 10uF. Calculate the output frequency from the 555 oscillator and the duty cycle of the
output waveform.

t1 – capacitor charge “ON” me is calculated as:

t2 – capacitor discharge “OFF” me is calculated as:

Total periodic me ( T ) is therefore calculated as:

The output frequency, ƒ is therefore given as:

Giving a duty cycle value of:

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As the ming capacitor, C charges through resistors R1 and R2 but only discharges through resistor R2 the
output duty cycle can be varied between 50 and 100% by changing the value of resistor R2. By decreasing
the value of R2 the duty cycle increases towards 100% and by increasing R2 the duty cycle reduces
towards 50%. If resistor, R2 is very large rela ve to resistor R1 the output frequency of the 555 astable
circuit will determined by R2 x C only.

The problem with this basic astable 555 oscillator configura on is that the duty cycle, the “mark to-space”
ra o will never go below 50% as the presence of resistor R2 prevents this. In other words we cannot make
the outputs “ON” me shorter than the “OFF” me, as (R1 + R2)C will always be greater than the value of
R1 x C. One way to overcome this problem is to connect a signal bypassing diode in parallel with resistor
R2 as shown below.

Improved 555 Oscillator Duty Cycle

By connec ng this diode, D1 between the trigger input and the discharge input, the ming capacitor will
now charge up directly through resistor R1 only, as resistor R2 is effec vely shorted out by the diode. The
capacitor discharges as normal through resistor, R2.

An addi onal diode, D2 can be connected in series with the discharge resistor, R2 if required to ensure
that the ming capacitor will only charge up through D1 and not through the parallel path of R2. This is
because during the charging process diode D2 is connected in reverse bias blocking the flow of current
through itself.
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Now the previous charging me of t1 = 0.693(R1 + R2)C is modified to take account of this new charging
circuit and is given as: 0.693(R1 x C). The duty cycle is therefore given as D = R1/(R1 + R2). Then to
generate a duty cycle of less than 50%, resistor R1 needs to be less than resistor R2.

Although the previous circuit improves the duty cycle of the output waveform by charging the ming
capacitor, C1 through the R1 + D1 combina on and then discharging it through the D2 + R2
combina on, the problem with this circuit arrangement is that the 555 oscillator circuit uses addi onal
components, i.e. two diodes.

We can improve on this idea and produce a fixed square wave output waveform with an exact 50% duty
cycle very easily and without the need for any extra diodes by simply moving the posi on of the charging
resistor, R2 to the output ( pin 3 ) as shown.

50% Duty Cycle Astable Oscillator

The 555 oscillator now produces a 50% duty cycle as the ming capacitor, C1 is now charging and
discharging through the same resistor, R2 rather than discharging through the mers discharge pin 7 as
before. When the output from the 555 oscillator is HIGH, the capacitor charges up through R2 and when
the output is LOW, it discharges through R2. Resistor R1 is used to ensure that the capacitor charges up
fully to the same value as the supply voltage.

However, as the capacitor charges and discharges through the same resistor, the above equa on for the
output frequency of oscilla ons has to be modified a li le to reflect this circuit change. Then the new
equa on for the 50% Astable 555 Oscillator is given as:

50% Duty Cycle Frequency Equa on

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Note that resistor R1 needs to be sufficiently high enough to ensure it does not interfere with the charging
of the capacitor to produce the required 50% duty cycle. Also changing the value of the ming capacitor,
C1 changes the oscilla on frequency of the astable circuit.

555 Oscillator Applica ons

We said previously that the maximum output to either sink or source the load current via pin 3 is about
200mA and this value is more than enough to drive or switch other logic IC’s, a few LED’s or a small lamp
etc and that we would need to use a bipolar transistor or MOSFET to amplify the 555’s output to drive
larger current loads such as motor or relays.

But the 555 Oscillator can also be used in a wide range of

waveform generator circuits and applica ons that require very
li le output current such as in electronic test equipment for
producing a whole range of different output test frequencies.

The 555 can also be used to produce very accurate sine, square
and pulse waveforms or as LED or lamp flashers and dimmers to
simple noise making circuits such as metronomes, tone and
sound effects generators and even musical toys for Christmas.

We could very easily build a simple 555 oscillator circuit to flash

a few LED’s “ON” and “OFF” similar to the one shown, or to
produce a high frequency noise from a loudspeaker. But one
very nice and simple to build science project using an astable based 555 oscillator is that of an Electronic
Metronome.

Metronomes are devices used to mark me in pieces of music by producing a regular and recurring musical
beat or click. A simple electronic metronome can be made using a 555 oscillator as the main ming device
and by adjus ng the output frequency of the oscillator the tempo or “Beats per Minute” can be set.

So for example, a tempo of 60 beats per minute means that one beat will occur every second and in
electronics terms that equates to 1Hz. So by using some very common musical defini ons we can easily
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Metronome Frequency Table

Musical Beats per

Rate Cycle Time (T) Frequency
Defini on Minute

Larghe o Very Slow 60 1sec 1.0Hz

Andante Slow 90 666ms 1.5Hz

Moderato Medium 120 500ms 2.0Hz

Allegro Fast 150 400ms 2.5Hz

Presto Very Fast 180 333ms 3.0Hz

The output frequency range of the metronome was simply calculated as the reciprocal of 1 minute or 60
seconds divided by the number of beats per minute required, for example (1/(60 secs / 90 bpm) =
1.5Hz) and 120bpm is equivalent to 2Hz, and so on. So by using our now familiar equa on above for
calcula ng the output frequency of an astable 555 oscillator circuit the individual values of R1, R2 and C
can be found.

The me period of the output waveform for an astable 555 Oscillator is given as:

For our electronic metronome circuit, the value of the ming resistor R1 can be found by rearranging the
equa on above to give:

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Assuming a value for resistor R2 = 1kΩ and capacitor C = 10uF the value of the ming resistor R1 for
our frequency range is given as 142k3Ω at 60 beats per minute to 46k1Ω at 180 beats per minute, so a
variable resistor (poten ometer) of 150kΩ would be more than enough for the metronome circuit to
produce the full range of beats required and some more. Then the final circuit for our electronic metronome
example would be given as:

555 Electronic Metronome

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This simple metronome circuit demonstrates just one simple way of using a 555 oscillator to produce an
audible sound or note. It uses a 150kΩ poten ometer to control the full range of output pulses or beats,
and as it has a 150kΩ value it can be easily calibrated to give an equivalent percentage value corresponding
to the posi on of the poten ometer. For example, 60 beats per minute equals 142.3kΩ or 95% rota on.

Likewise, 120 beats per minute equals 70.1kΩ or 47% rota on, etc. Addi onal resistors or trimmer’s can be
connected in series with the poten ometer to pre-set the outputs upper and lower limits to predefined
values, but these addi onal components will need to be taken into account when calcula ng the output
frequency or me period.

While the above circuit is a very simple and amusing example of sound genera on, it is possible to use the
555 Oscillator as a noise generator/synthesizer or to make musical sounds, tones and alarms by
construc ng a variable-frequency, variable-mark/space ra o waveform generator.

In this tutorial we have used just a single 555 oscillator circuit to produce a sound but by cascading
together two or more 555 oscillator chips, various circuits can be constructed to produce a whole range of
musical and sound effects. One such novelty circuit is the police car “Dee-Dah” siren given in the example
below.

555 Oscillator Police “Dee-Dah” Siren

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The circuit simulates a warble-tone alarm signal that simulates the sound of a police siren. IC1 is connected
as a 2Hz non-symmetrical astable mul vibrator which is used to frequency modulate IC2 via the 10kΩ
resistor. The output of IC2 alternates symmetrically between 300Hz and 660Hz taking 0.5 seconds to
complete each alterna ng cycle.

159 Comments

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Omo Samuel
NE555 mer is a compact and very advanced window comperator.

Posted on September 19th 2020 | 10:12 am

 Reply
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 Michael
thank you

Posted on September 15th 2020 | 5:21 pm

 Reply

Milan
Very helpful for beginners. Simple language. No confusion.

Posted on September 14th 2020 | 5:22 am

 Reply

Sumayya
It’s very helpful to understand the concept in detail

Posted on August 03rd 2020 | 5:22 pm

 Reply

S.Rupasinghe
27th July 2020
Excellent tutorial.
Rups

Posted on July 27th 2020 | 12:53 pm

 Reply

Gary Topping
I seemed to have fixed my problem by adding a 0.01uF cap on the output of pin 3 to gnd and
replaced both the 10K and the diode… and alas I am ge ng the said “dee-dah” sound… Cheers
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Posted on July 21st 2020 | 12:09use
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  Reply

Gary Topping
Thank you for the informa ve posts, they are a great help to me understanding electronics… anyway
tonight I built the 555 Oscillator Police “Dee-Dah” Siren, to spec (or as in the ar cle) I used a 100R
resistor for the speaker, but all I got was a buzzing noise, but then I removed the 10K from output
pin IC1 to Control pin IC2 and also removed the diode, and get what could be called a siren but
more sounds like a repe ve strangled bird. Now I know these are examples for the ar cle, but what
I would like to know is have I done something wrong or is the diagram wrong… cheers

Posted on July 21st 2020 | 11:19 am

 Reply

Kassim
Very informa ve and detailed explana on. This is the first me I I dedicated my me to read it. Hope
to follow further comments.

Posted on June 01st 2020 | 11:11 pm

 Reply

Long-Time Engineer
Beware building the metronome as shown; if the pot is turned fully to the 60 bpm posi on, it will
likely blow up th e discharge transistor on pin 7.
Rather, insert a minimum 1k resistor between the junc on of R2, pin 7 and that end of the pot.
The value of R1 may need to be tweaked – not bothered to do any calcs on it, just trying to prevent
the loss of 555s!

Posted on March 29th 2020 | 5:43 pm

 Reply

Oleao
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 Using OUT to charge/discharge CT to create a 50% duty cycle is clever, but it (may / most likely)
requires a buffer a er the output to prevent the next stage from dis/charging CT! So the argument
that this circuit is be er than using D1/D2 is lost because the new circuit s ll requires isola on from
downstream circuit.

Posted on March 26th 2020 | 4:27 pm

 Reply

lamamri aissa
VERY BENIFIT EXPLICATION THUNKYOU VERY MUTCH

Posted on January 24th 2020 | 9:21 pm

 Reply

VANDICK
Tutoriais excelentes

Posted on November 23rd 2019 | 11:44 pm

 Reply

Saurabh
Sir, can i use a sinusoidal wave besides a square wave of same frquency. At the place of 555 uotput.
Or i can’t use.

Posted on September 23rd 2019 | 10:03 am

 Reply

S lter
The 555 output is by construc on rectangular. If you need a sinusoidal wave, you will
need a conversion circuit that is driven from the 555 output.
If the output frequency is fixed and if the purity of the sinus is not very cri cal, a ladder
network of three RC cells may do the job. Do note that the sinus amplitude will be
significantly lower than the 555 output.
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Posted on October 18th 2019 | 2:30 pm
  Reply

Wayne Storr
We do not understand your vague ques on

Posted on September 23rd 2019 | 12:53 pm

 Reply

Prajwal
Super

Posted on July 23rd 2019 | 2:58 am

 Reply

Saumitra Ray
i want the values of R1, R2 and C for t1=5 secs and t2=10 minutes for an astable mul vibrator…
please help

Posted on July 02nd 2019 | 6:15 pm

 Reply

varun vijay
1) Design a clock generator using a stable mul vibrator such that its duty cycle is 60% and clock
frequency is f=10 khz.
2) find the expression of B(s) in a given bridge oscillator and draw the frequency response of B(s).
also locate the oscilla on frequency on it if : A(s) = 30 at s= jw=10

Posted on June 19th 2019 | 6:38 am

 Reply

Jamila
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 Very educa ve ar cle

Posted on June 18th 2019 | 4:41 pm

 Reply

LP Bilham
Is it possible to put a poten ometer into a 60 Hz ciruit to “trim” the cicuit from the devia on due to
the load? eg. the circuit is running at 59 or 61 Hz due to load and be able to “trim” it back to 60 Hz.

Thank you

Posted on June 12th 2019 | 3:42 am

 Reply

Jesús B. Cepero
This 555 theore cal descrip on is very interes ng and useful. In my par cular case, I would like to
ask something: I am currently designing a high voltage power supply, by using a 555 astable as pulse
generator and a high speed swithing device with IRF740 MOSFET applied to the primary winding of
a tv flyback transformer. I would like to know your opinion on both aspects: first, which duty cycle is
best for this applica on, since I have been trying to approach to 50%, and second, is there any
configura on to obtain high voltage stability by changing the 555 frequency within a smal frequency
band or it is be er to act over the flyback primary winding voltage?. This design is part of my phisics
doctorate thesis work in which I have to design and develop an electron gun for characteriza on of
micro and nano structured materials in our physics lab. I’ll be forward to receiving your advice and
opinions, sugges ons etc. Best regards.

Posted on June 10th 2019 | 3:53 am

 Reply

Mogomotsi Nawa
Which resistor values must i use to produce 38KHz on a 555 mul vabrator?

R1and R2 respec vely.

Posted on May 29th 2019 | 9:53 am

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