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Common IC Chips

An integrated circuit is a device combining many transistors, resistors and other electronic components onto a single silicon chip a few millimeters square. Manufacturers have introduced thousands of different ICs since their invention in the late 1950s; some saw production for a few years, others have lasted for decades. Engineers, technologists and hobbyists recognize several common designs that have stood the test of time.

555 Timer
- The 555 timer IC, first designed in the 1970s, is one of the most popular devices of all time, reports IEEE Spectrum magazine. At the time of this publication, manufacturers produce about a billion of the ICs every year. The 555 is an eight-pin device, taking a modular, flexible approach to timer circuits. It has several different modes, including astable, monostable and bistable. Depending on how you configure it in a circuit, it produces a steady stream of electrical pulses or one at a time. Two resistors and a capacitor govern its timing cycle, which ranges from microseconds to hours.
741 Op Amp
- An operational amplifier, or op amp, is a simple-to-use device that amplifies voltage signals. With a design dating back to 1968, the 741 IC is the most widely-used op of all time, according to the Computer History Museum. The 741 has seen use in a host of audio and low-frequency circuits such as filters, oscillators, mixers and amplifiers. As with the 555, the 741 has eight pins, three of which are for the inverting input, non-inverting input and output, and two which provide the IC positive and negative power connections. The 741̵7;s versatility, ease of use and low cost have made it a device popular with electronics designers.
8051 Microcontroller
- Texas Instruments̵7; 8051 microcontroller combines an 8-bit microprocessor with memory, input-output interfaces and other features. Compared to more modern 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers, the 8051 is slow and primitive; however, its wide availability, low cost and simplicity make it an attractive design. It is ideally suited for teaching digital concepts to students and for simple control and automation projects.
7800-series Voltage Regulators
- The 7800 voltage regulator family is a set of ICs that provide clean sources of power for electronic circuits. The 7800 series are fixed-voltage regulators; the last two digits of the part number reflect the rated voltage, so a 7805 regulates to 5 volts, a 7812 regulates to 12 volts and so on. They have only three terminals, for input, output and common connections. The devices take in a slightly higher voltage than their rating at the input and produce an output voltage that does not change despite wide variations in current demand. They also have short-circuit and over-temperature protection built in, so if the part becomes too hot, it simply shuts off.

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