555 Timer Music Instrument How to Make

[@TheKingofRandom]

Awesome project Steve. Love it!

[@shashwatvishwakarma269]

Big fan

[@RimstarOrg]

Nope, you're not boring me :). Seriously, yours and other feedback are essential to determining what kind of videos I do. Even today I was debating watering down what I'm working on now, but in the past I've gotten much less feedback for watered down videos. So this weeks video will be plenty meaty and your gonna love what I've built - I do! So thanks for the feedback, and keep it coming!

[@Slider2732]

The Stylophone lives on ! Great video instructable...nice too to see the graphite resistor method used in a very practical way. The 555 will drive a 0.25W old radio speaker to a pleasant level :)

[@RimstarOrg]

I love how you think! Generating the square tiles automatically is something I hadn't even considered! That music player is definitely something that haunts me as something I'd like to go further with. Thanks!

[@RimstarOrg]

The Stylophone really does live on! I just checked the wikipedia page and they're manufacturing it again. :) Glad you enjoyed the video. I have a small electromagnetic type speaker from a gift card that I want to try. Just haven't had a chance yet. Sounds like it should work.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I already have videos on making piezoelectric speakers but I'm guessing you mean permanent magnet speakers. I'll add it to the todo list, but there do seem to be a lot of them out there already.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks, Thomas. The second I saw your video and realized what you were doing, I just had to make one too. So thanks for the idea!

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool. I did a resistive keyboard in high school too, for a science fair. But mine was input to my TRS-80 computer joystick port. It supplied 5V and the keyboard gave it back a value from 0 to 5V.

[@andreww1212]

What a cool project. Resistivity and 555 timers all in one! My favorite.

[@LtStJebus]

That's pretty awesome. I like how you say what each addition to the breadboard connects to, and how the thing works. Otherwise I'd be lost. This is definitely something I will try some day.

[@RimstarOrg]

I still haven't tried my small speaker. Thanks for reminding me. :) I agree, they're loads of fun. Turns out there are quite a few things you can do with this, paper and pencil. I got my maze working this morning and then worked on more precise musical notes.

[@RimstarOrg]

Maybe I should just do a video about using breadboards! In every how-to video where I use one I explain a lot of the same things. Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@atsernov]

My teacher had come up with a low cost way to make your own PCBs using a laser printer and CAD. He was featured in a few electronics magazines at the time for it, I used to love minimizing my project boards. I'd consistently have the smallest PCBs in class. I have half a mind to set up a home etching station just to play around with. Lots of little projects I'd love to do. But I'm a mechanic now, and have too many mechanical projects to tinker with as it is :D

[@tonymiller7339]

That Green-Sleeves Jam was killer. Thanks!

[@ThomasKim]

Thank you for sharing good instructions video.

[@TheGiffron]

i did it ......it works perfect .....this is my first circuit ......cool dude ..... i really appreciate ur work . keep the good work :)

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool. And very cool for a first circuit. I know the feeling. Thanks for letting me know, and keep at it.

[@tonysfun]

Very nice and fun video!!!

[@RimstarOrg]

Glad you like it! Wait until you see the new version I'm working on now! Should be in this week's video.

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't know the output waveforms but I did try with a small electromagnetic speaker and it sounded pretty much the same.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks. And thanks for the feedback. I always worry that this level of detail might scare a lot of people away but then I remember that a lot of you also want it. So I put in the detail but try an keep it light and entertaining too.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks Todd! Cool! If he does, make sure you upload a video. And I just remembered you two play piano too, so a virtuoso performance is expected. ;->

[@RimstarOrg]

It already is an audio frequency generator. By varying the resistance, you vary the frequency. You could replace the pencil mark resistor with a potentiometer and get the same result.

[@jorgenhall854]

Thank you! Made this but with a piezo speaker instead of the led. Worked great!

[@RimstarOrg]

Nice!

[@RimstarOrg]

+Anoop Surej Yes, a speaker works too. PS. You don't have a Reply button for your comments because in your Google+ settings you need to change "who can reply to my public posts" to Anyone.

[@RimstarOrg]

Not wanting to butt in on a private conversation, but what's GNU v3 licensed? In case you're referring to something in my video.

[@RimstarOrg]

I love it when that happens! Have fun!

[@atsernov]

I remember building a 555 timer key board for my high school electronics class. I never did get around to building a case for it, but the 8 keys worked just fine :D

[@RimstarOrg]

Red is 100, orange is 1000. At least according to the charts I just checked. And I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial! Thanks for watching them.

[@Kajidimeh92]

I made a variation of this once but using slightly different components and instead of a piezo I used a speaker. They're quite fun to play with. :D

[@hp26711]

i did your corona motor project for last years stem fair it was amazing u are awesome u are one great scientist i can tell u that

[@SirSauko]

Looking at the coloured lines of each resistor I noticed the 6.8 KOhm resistor is actually a 68 KOhm Resistor, because it has a Blue Line (6) followed by a Gray Line (8) which make the number 68, and then you have the Red Line which is 10^3 (1000), so the final number would be 68 x 10^3, and if you replace 10^3 by the multiplier "Kilo" you get 68 Kilo Ohms... Correct me if I am wrong (my sight is not really good hheheh)... The tutorial is wonderful however!! Keep them coming :)

[@RimstarOrg]

It could be your voltage level. 2 AA batteries in series is only 3 volts. My piezo buzzer needs at least 4 volts.

[@RimstarOrg]

@Aravind Mani, Probably a short somewhere dumped a lot of current from the batteries into the 555, or maybe one of your resistors is shorted inside. Luckily 555 timers are cheap, usually you can't even buy just one at a time. Recheck everything and try again I guess. I also replied using a PM to Aravind Mani. KZbin won't let me reply to his comment here.

[@RimstarOrg]

An audio amplifier would go in place of the speaker. The speaker would then be connected to the output of the amplifier.

[@RimstarOrg]

You're right, the beep is supposed to be continuous. I'd suggest rechecking all your connections to make sure you've got everything right. It's very easy to make a mistake when using a breadboard.

[@RimstarOrg]

The capacitor connected to the speaker blocks the DC. The output from the chip is pulsed DC at that point and since the capacitor blocks the DC component, the speaker gets only the AC component. But as you saw, it still works without the capacitor. That's my understanding anyway. I give a link in the description to the webpage I got the circuit from, but given the english translation errors on that page I don't think they're the original author. It's a pretty common circuit.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks Grant! Glad to hear it! A little tamer than your projects but fun nonetheless.

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, it's possible. Look at the wikipedia page for "555 timer ic" and scroll down to the heading "Astable". You'll find the formula for calculating the frequency given a capacitance and two resistances. Read that section. Plug the formula into a spreadsheet and you'll be able to try all sorts of values. Also do a google search for "555 timer datasheet" and pick a datasheet. In it you should see a Free Running Frequency chart.

[@tunicana]

Very intuitive way to change the resistance;)

[@dsflores]

Cool Project to try with my 6 year old! Thanks!

[@DiyEcoProjects]

Rimstarorg, thanks mate for your video... this is a great.. Im thinking if you retitle this as "how to use a breadboard" or reshoot it im sure you will get a lot of views. Nice one.

[@FLASH11AIR]

You are a great help once I get this project in I shall post a video. Thanks a lot

[@RimstarOrg]

It's 0.1 microfarad. I bought mine from a local electronics store but you can find them online, ebay for example. It doesn't have to be 0.1 microfarad, just something that small or smaller. You can try with your 10 microfarad one, but your pencil marks will be wide, that's all. If you look at my other video you'll see I used a 0.0023 microfarad (2.3 nanofarad one). That one I took from a circuit board from some electronic thing I took apart, not even sure what that thing was.

[@RimstarOrg]

Sounds like you have a project ahead of you, a Stylophone lookalike, and do a video of course. :)

[@aravindmani304]

This same circuit fryed my 555. I probably did it wrong... I did use the correct resistor values, tho. Still a cool video.

[@SAMIMYS]

nice as usual. didn't know that little 555 can do music too :) that pencil resistor is very interesting part. what if we don't have a pencil but try to connect a computer keyboard to it? as the keyboard is full of different resistors inside.

[@tehcno007]

nice...really liked when you were saying "this one goes here and that one goes there"i was wondering why you didnt use battery connected with a buzzer in series witha variable resistor(the pencil marks)what is the use of the 555 timer??

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RimstarOrg]

Hmmm... Looks interesting, thanks. If they allow embedding of videos I might just submit this one. Looks like the get projects from outside.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thank you sir! I'll try to live up to that!

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool! Let us know. I'd love to see it.

[@Prayimario]

Knowing that the speaker "farts", does that mean it converts the square wave into triangle waves? If so, wouldn't a regular 8Ω speaker with the magnet and wire combo produce a smoother sounding output?

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm sure you can use bare conductive paint but it would be a little more difficult. From a resistivity chart for it that I just found online the resistance is a lot lower than for the graphite pencil marks I showed in this video. That means it would be harder to make specific frequencies at specific locations. But I'm sure with patience it could be done. I talk about the calculations needed in detail in my other related video "How to Make 555 Timer Music Player and Maze Solver".

[@ThomasKim]

My video was updated. check "555 timer piano" video.

[@tubeinfoful]

Thanks for step by step with the circuit board INSTRUCTINS AND ITS VALUES I like this

[@RimstarOrg]

No, that's not normal. I don't see why it would stop after 4 seconds without playing. Are you using all the same electrical components and battery sizes as mine?

[@prateekkarnal8843]

thanks for replying so fast... I just wanted to ask the reason you have connected the speaker to a capacitor. My speaker was producing sound without a capacitor. Is it necessary?

[@Slider2732]

Ha, that's cool. Had one til I moved to the USA in 2007. The cord thing broke but it was a classic from childhood. Would be fun to make an enclosure for one of these that modelled the look. Once put a 12" woofer on Pin 3, it worked ! very low volume but funny to hear it.

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool! Let us know how it goes! Even upload a video if you can.

[@MattyTeare]

Hey, for your keyboard, what value resistors did you use between the notes? Thanks

[@malihaarifkhan1493]

Great,could u please tell that if I need to amplify the sound,where do I attach an additional circuitry for an audio amplifier? Would be obliged if you answer :)

[@RimstarOrg]

You could but it the amount of resistance between each musical note will have to be awfully small. In other words then pencil mark will have to be very wide. The smaller the capacitor value the easier to make pencil marks. See my other video "How to Make 555 Timer Music Player and Maze Solver" for more on this. There's a link in the description below this video. In that video I use a 2.3 nanofarad capacitor (0.0023 uF).

[@69GangstaWestside]

i might be boring you because i put comments like that on each&every one of your videos, but i just can't stop myself from saying for like the 1000th time - YOU'RE AMAZING, rimstar.org!!! so easy to craft, yet so original and thought-inspiring. simply awesome! i hope you'll never stop making videos!

[@RimstarOrg]

Glad you liked it, my friend. No where near your caliber of musical talent though.

[@FLASH11AIR]

i was wondering will i be able to use 68 ohms, 1k-ohms and a 10k-ohms instead??? also instead of a .1 microfarad capacitor can i use a 10microfarad?? thanks

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks!

[@RimstarOrg]

Actually, I don't weld, but you're right, they do look like tacks! :)

[@RimstarOrg]

I just tried. That affects the volume. It doesn't seem to affect the pitch/frequency. The purpose of the 555 timer is to affect the pitch/frequency.

[@PotionsMaster666]

Awesome video. . . . I have an question - If I connected a transformer to the output of the 555 will I get an AC output from the transformer ?

[@RimstarOrg]

I with on that! Gotta get the word out more.

[@FLASH11AIR]

one more question can i use any 555 timer or is there a specific one? thanks

[@RimstarOrg]

Really? I've definitely got to crack open a keyboard now. The mind boggles with ideas. Wonder if it's possible to make a speaking keyboard with a 555?

[@FLASH11AIR]

Is a .1uf metalized film capacitor okay to use?

[@hp26711]

is the graphical representation on the website u showed me is the same with the resistor

[@RimstarOrg]

+hp26711 I don't understand your question.

[@hp26711]

ok thx does the side u start on breadboard for circuit matter and how can i fugure out an analysis

[@RimstarOrg]

+hp26711 Which side you start on the breadboard doesn't matter but keep in mind what I said before in a previous reply about making sure of which holes are connected inside the breadboard. For analysis, the first thing I'd do is check that everything you did matches the diagram. Then, if you don't know your breadboard well, I'd check that you're sure if the holes are connected inside the breadboard like you need them to be. Then I'd start checking all the individual components: measure the resistance of the resistor, the capacitance of the capacitor (if you meter has the feature for that), the battery voltages. The thing that usually breaks for me is the wires at the speaker. Twice that I recall, one of those connections at the speaker itself was no good.

[@HobbyBots]

While you can get low power versions, the 555 is a TTL IC meaning it uses 5v logic. If you check the datasheet with your version you will probably find a minimum 4.5v min supply voltage.

[@InnovationBlast]

i wonder if you could make this with Bare Conductive Paint? It might be to conductive...

[@FLASH11AIR]

i am not getting any signal would it be my voltage level? im currently using 2 AA batteries? thanks again

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks.

[@RimstarOrg]

Glad you like it (and I'm guessing you're not referring to my musical talent :)).

[@RimstarOrg]

Your resistances are fine but your capacitor capacitance is high. The difference in resistance between each musical note will be very small, only 60 ohms between C3 and D3, for example. This means your pencil mark will have to be very thick to get that small a resistance. See my video "How to Make 555 Timer Music Player and Maze Solver" for how I calculate it. There's a link at the end of the video and in the description below the video.

[@firoxlion]

I too would like to see some more about breadboards. They look interesting enough, but I don't quite see their full potential.

[@RimstarOrg]

It is cool, isn't it! If you liked that then you'll really like the project I did right after it where I automated the music playing using something like punch cards. See my video "How to Make 555 Timer Music Player and Maze Solver". There's a link at the end of this video and in the description below it.

[@giroalvaII]

can you have an output jack instead of the buzzer? like the ones on electric guitars?

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, you can put an output jack instead.

[@teresazhang6915]

so if I wanted a sturdier model, could I replace the graphite with buttons and assemble it on a blank PCB?

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes. There are a number of those around. My own evolved into this hand-cranked version using conventional resistors kzbin.info/www/bejne/jX6Uk42dd9Z3opY. But a PCB one with resistors would be simpler to make I think. The video about my intermediate version here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoS0Z3Snps2GndE shows how to work out the resistor values.

[@teresazhang6915]

Perfect, thanks for telling me.

[@burgies1636]

Nice video! I'm going to make this now =]

[@sowmyaprasad3219]

how did you design this circuit and find the suitable resistor and capacitor values?

[@RimstarOrg]

+Sowmya Prasad I didn't design the circuit. It's a pretty common one but I give a link in the video description to where I found it. Regarding the resistor and capacitor values, I explain how to find them in my follow-up video where I make a more sophisticated music player using the same circuit kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoS0Z3Snps2GndE. And in case you're interested, the ultimate one I made is in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/jX6Uk42dd9Z3opY.

[@HimShaan]

Thanks for the great video

[@tabitharachel5837]

thku sooooo much.......love ur way of explanation

[@FLASH11AIR]

I hate to bother but where can I purchase a .1microfarad capacitor? Thanks again

[@anoopsurej244]

Does it work if I replace the piezo buzzer with a speaker?

[@hp26711]

if u change the width of the graphite resistor will it change the sound.

[@RimstarOrg]

+hp26711 That's expected. The wider it is, the lower the resistance.

[@hp26711]

it isnt working for me is it the wires, because i used wires that came with the breadboard is th piezo buzzer because it is a 6v rohs conform buzzer pls help as soon as possible

[@RimstarOrg]

+hp26711 Recheck all your connections. I had to try two or three different pencils before I found one that worked. If you have another 555 chip you could try it instead, just in case there's something wrong with the one you're using. It could be that your buzzer requires too high a voltage. Mine is rated for from 4V to 28VDC. To get a higher voltage, you could try adding one more AA battery in series, positive output wire of your existing batteries to the negative of this added one. Or just make sure you're using all new batteries.

[@prateekkarnal8843]

could i use a 3.3 uF capacitor instead of that 0.1 uF capacitor.

[@aswani3711]

Hi there. Would I still get the same result by using a buzzer in the place of a speaker?

[@RimstarOrg]

Hi. The speaker I used is a buzzer, so yes. I guess I was using the term speaker in the general sense. BTW you can also use a small electromagnetic type of speaker too.

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, a 0.1uF metalized film capacitor should be fine.

[@atifabd]

Would it work if I used a normal speaker, and not the buzzer?

[@FLASH11AIR]

Ok so you say to get a (.1 microfarad) capacitor or is it a( 1microfarad) capacitor

[@kunalgurnani5611]

will the circuit work if i replace 51ohms resistor with 56ohm resistor?

[@RimstarOrg]

kunal Gurnani Sure, that shouldn''t matter much.

[@SirSauko]

My bad... heheheh, sorry.... Thank you so much again, great tutorial :)