I'm trying to learn how to use a 555 timer using this tutorial. I think I know the basics, but I'm not sure, so could someone confirm/deny if I'm doing this correctly?



What I think it does is when the trigger is used, the capacitor is charged through the resistor. When the capacitor is fully charged, electricity can no longer pass that way, so the electricity then goes to the output, at which point the capacitor is discharged. Is this correct?

 

Not quite. The capacitor charges thru the resistor. When the trigger is pulled low, the output goes high and the capacitor is discharged. The output remains high until the capacitor charges to 2/3V, at which time the output goes low and stays low until the next trigger.

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OK, so the capacitor is charged through the resistor, then when low voltage is applied to the trigger, this causes the capacitor to discharge through the output?

Thanks for your help BTW

 

As You see on block diagram, the pin7 is an open collector, exactly for cap. discharging.

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I'm glad this thread got started it ties in with a project I'm working on. I am using the timer with a trail-camera and I need it to limit the length of time between pictures. Basically I need 12v power for 2-3 seconds and off for 5-10 minutes. If I understand correctly it's the Capacitor that determines the "off" time. Is that correct? I would imagine the value of the resistors will have some effect on that as well. Any suggestions?