The humble op-amp can be configured into so many circuit building blocks that it has become an indispensable tool for designers. If we had to pick one part to crown as the universal component in the world of analogue electronics, it would have to be the operational amplifier. Posted in Misc Hacks Tagged 555, discrete transistors, Hans Camenzind, recreation, reproduction If you want to go really big-scale with your own reproduction project, check out the MOnSter 6502 from five years ago for further inspiration. We covered a similar, but larger, discrete 555 timer project back in 2011. has done this kind of project before, most recently making a discrete recreation of of the classic 741 op-amp. We might think a 1.0 x 0.6 mm component as small, but compared to its neighboring resistors in this circuit, it’s huge. The transistors are your standard 2N3904 / 2N3906, but purchased in a not-so-standard DFN (Dual Flat Pack, No Leads). Speaking of sizes, have you ever soldered an EIA 01005 resistor? We agree with who wrote on a post about standard chip resistor sizes, the 01005 is a “ridiculously small chip package that can barely be seen by the naked eye.” It is 16 thou x 8 thou (0.4 mm x 0.2 mm) in size, and despite its name and placement in the Imperial series, it is not half the size of an 0201. In the end, he went with Hans Camenzind’s original circuit, both as a tribute and because it used the fewest transistors - a point which helped manage the final size, which is only a little bit bigger than the IC! He examined a handful of different implementations - and by examined, we mean dissected them and studied the die circuitry under a microscope. The first task was deciding which 555 circuit to implement. For bonus points, he also managed to put it in a package that’s the same basic size, pin compatible with, and a plug-in replacement for the original. Over at Tiny Transistor labs, took it upon himself to reproduce the classic 555 timer in discrete transistor form.
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