# 555 timer IC Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/555-timer-ic/ 15 people recommended 555 timer IC in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 11 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 6 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** People recommend the 555 timer as a cheap, versatile, easy-to-learn chip that needs no programming, though critics say it is rarely the best choice today. Summary written by Claude from 30 comments. ## Why people recommend it - Good for timing and switching circuits (3 comments in the sample): "it makes a really nice missing pulse detector, better than you can easily do with comparators" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46826562)) "my favorite use of a 555 is in a solar charge controller. It is a voltage controlled switch!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48031352)) "My favorite 555 use was as a one-shot to power off a NIC after using its wake-on-LAN signal" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48035427)) - Good for beginners and learning (2 comments in the sample): "The 555 timer is perhaps the easiest oscillator for a beginner if you are willing to put up with +/-10% drift." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46008492)) "A few 555 can teach people a lot, and burning out parts is part of the learning process." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822472)) - Versatile, used in many projects (2 comments in the sample): "I remember seeing many projects that use it throughout the years in wacky ways" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48024990)) "The 555 is a versatile little thing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46821757)) - Fun and delightful to use (2 comments in the sample): "555s are such delightful little guys." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48037445)) "555 timers are a lot of fun." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46827621)) ## What people warn about - Superseded by newer, better options (3 comments in the sample): "poor/early designs like the 741 opamp that has since been superseded by much better chip designs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46825414)) "it's also now almost never the best or even a good solution for any of the problems it solves" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822395)) "too high level; most of the stuff you can build with 555 you can do with standard BJTs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46825342)) - Power hungry, drains batteries (2 comments in the sample): "The 555 is very power hungry compared to a typical cheap low-power microcontroller." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822052)) "if I tried to operate them from a battery, the 555 would drain it in hours" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46824088)) - Changing it means rewiring or desoldering (2 comments in the sample): "To do the equivalent with a 555 timer means, at minimum, de-soldering a bunch of components" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48470589)) "you can't patch those implementations without physically rewiring them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46821186)) - Seen as amateurish or cringe (2 comments in the sample): "it seemed to be a hobbyist's chip that real consumer products didn't use and felt amateurish" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822078)) "Sure, it's kind of cringe. I've shipped stuff with 555 timers in it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46826763)) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "555 timer IC", https://hackerapproved.com/p/555-timer-ic/ (15 recommend, 1 mixed, 11 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.