My choice is the NE555 monostable multivibrator, often referred to as simply the 555 (Fig. 1). It has its own Wikipedia page and you can buy it from a number of sources.

The bipolar NE555 timer IC is widely used in inductorless dc-dc converters, most frequently in doubling and inverting converters. However, another very popular IC, the LM386 audio amplifier, may ...

Surprise at what appeared to be a flaw in the design of the NE555 led to an interesting experiment and to the even more interesting history surrounding the chip and its designer.

[NE555]’s work is a excellent example of this technique using a fine enameled wire (you can find this on eBay as “magnet wire”), wirewrap board, and careful hand soldering.

In Figure 2 , the NE555 has beenreplaced by a monostable comprisingG 3 and G 4 , D 4 , and R F . R 6 has beenchanged to 1 MΩ, and diode D 3 hasbeen added to the input of G 3 . ResistorR holds G 4 ’s ...

It has become a bit of a running joke in the Hackaday community to suggest that a project could or should have been done with a 555 timer. [Tim] has rather taken this to heart with his latest Elect… ...