555 Timer Used for Fading/Flashing LED

Figure 1 

The project is a simple way of producing a fading LED without the need to program the chips or write the code but rather using a few simple components with a constant fade up and fade down as the end result.

To get started with the construction, the schematic was used and predrilled the PCB before drawing the traces to provide more flexibility when drawing. This works well for one sided board and not suitable for two sided boards. Once the traces were routed, it should be transferred and drawn on the board. The drawing method was used due to the simplicity of the circuit while the toner transfer method can be used for a more complex circuit or for a more streamlined process. Anything drawn on the copper will not be dissolved by the acid. To speed up the etching process, the traces were drawn and all of the dead spaces were filled with more ink.

The components are placed by ensuring the proper polarity. The pin1 on the 555 timer is the top left pin and both the capacitor and the LED have one long lead and one short lead.

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