00:00Okay, so if you've ever tried to build a blinking LED circuit, a simple tone generator,
00:04or basically any beginner electronics project, you already know the 555 timer is the little
00:10chip that makes it all happen. The problem? Buying them one at a time is a total waste of money.
00:17So I went digging and found the 5 best 555 timer kits and assortments out there right now,
00:23and honestly, a couple of these surprised me. Let's get into it.
00:27First up is the classic, the NE555P integrated circuit pack, available in 10, 25, or 50 pieces,
00:35running about $21. This is the no-frills option, just genuine DIPA timer chips, nothing else.
00:42And look, sometimes that's exactly what you want. If you already have a drawer full of sockets and
00:49breadboards, you don't need to pay extra for accessories. Nearly 4,900 of these have sold
00:55with a perfect 5-star rating, which tells you the quality control is solid. These chips run cool,
01:01they're consistent batch to batch, and if you're prototyping oscillators or PWM circuits,
01:06having 25 spares on hand is genuinely liberating. Now, if you're doing anything that involves
01:11soldering, this next one is the smarter buy. It's a 20-piece bundle, 10 NE555P chips and 10
01:188-pin dip sockets, for about $24 and change. Here's why that matters, soldering an IC directly
01:25to a board and then frying it means you're desoldering 8 pins with a chip that's already
01:28dead. With sockets, you just pop the old one out and drop a new one in. 10 seconds, done.
01:36For 3 or 4 extra dollars over the bear chips, you're buying yourself a whole lot of forgiveness.
01:42Almost 4,700 sold, 5 stars across the board. Product number 3 is basically the scaled-up
01:49version of that same idea, a full kit with 555 chips plus matching DIP-8 sockets, available in 10,
01:5525, or 50-piece configurations, around $25. What I like here is the flexibility.
02:03If you're teaching a class, running a maker space, or just building a proper starter kit for Arduino
02:08projects, you can size it to your actual needs instead of buying the same 20-piece bundle four
02:12times. It's specifically marketed toward DIY and Arduino starters, and the pairing makes sense,
02:19555 timers and microcontrollers play really well together for clock signals and debouncing.
02:24Okay, this fourth one is the big one, and it's my pick if you're setting up a real workbench.
02:29It's an 85-piece IC chip assortment covering 10 different types, you've got your NE555 timers,
02:35LM324 quad-op amps, and a bunch of other essential DIP-integrated circuits.
02:41It's around $109, which is definitely the premium option here, but think about what you're actually
02:46getting. 10 different chip families means you can build timers, amplifiers, comparators,
02:52and filters without ordering anything new. If you do repair work or you're constantly starting new
02:58projects, this saves you weeks of shipping delays. 4,100 sold, 5 stars.
03:04And finally, the budget champion. This is another 20-piece combo, 10 NE555 chips,
03:1110 8-pin sockets, but it comes in at just over $20, making it the cheapest complete kit on this
03:16list. Ratings of 4.9 instead of a straight 5, which is a hair lower, but with nearly 4,000
03:23units sold,
03:24that's still a really strong track record. Honestly, if you're brand new to electronics and
03:29you just wanna mess around with a breadboard on a weekend without committing serious cash,
03:33this is where I'd start. Same chip, same sockets, few dollars less.
03:39Alright, that's my top 5. All the links are down in the description,
03:44so go grab whichever one fits your bench. If this helped you out,
03:48hit that like button and subscribe I've got more component roundups coming.
03:52Thanks for watching, and go build something!
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