Smart LCD  with Automatic Brightness Adjusting Using Arduino and LDR Sensor Here is a simple Arduino project that focuses on adjusting the brightness of an LCD screen whenever there isn’t  sufficient light in a room. The Arduino reads the surrounding light intensity using an LDR sensor.  The room temperature and humidity range will also be displayed on the LCD. The entire hardware of this simple project usi ...

Reverse engineering the popular 555 timer chip (CMOS version) This article explains how the LMC555 timer chip works, from the tiny transistors and resistors on the silicon chip, to the functional units such as comparators and current mirrors that make it work. The popular 555 timer integrated circuit is said to be the world's best-selling integrated circuit with billions sold since it was designed in 1970 b ...

If you've played around with electronic circuits, you probably know[1] the 555 timer integrated circuit, said to be the world's best-selling integrated circuit with billions sold. Designed by analog IC wizard Hans Camenzind[2] in 1970, the 555 has been called one of the greatest chips of all time with whole books devoted to 555 timer circuits. Given the popularity of the 555 timer, I thought it would be int ...

The 741 op amp is one of the most famous and popular ICs[1] with hundreds of millions sold since its invention in 1968 by famous IC designer Dave Fullagar. In this article, I look at the silicon die for the 741, discuss how it works, and explain how circuits are built from silicon. I started with a 741 op amp that was packaged in a metal can (above). Cutting the top off with a hacksaw reveals the tiny silic ...