Monostable 555 Timer Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the monostable 555 timer calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Formulas Used

Pulse Width

pulse_width_s = 1.1 * r_ohm * c_farads

Pulse Width (ms)

pulse_width_ms = 1.1 * r_ohm * c_farads * 1000

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
r_kohmTiming Resistor()100
c_ufTiming Capacitor(µF)10
r_ohmDerived value= r_kohm * 1000calculated
c_faradsDerived value= c_uf / 1000000calculated

How It Works

555 Timer Monostable Mode

Formula

T = 1.1 x R x C

A trigger pulse starts timing. The output goes high for time T then returns low. The circuit requires a new trigger for each pulse.

Worked Example

R = 100k, C = 10 uF.

r_kohm = 100c_uf = 10
  1. 01T = 1.1 x 100000 x 0.00001
  2. 02T = 1.1 seconds
  3. 03T = 1100 ms

Ready to run the numbers?

Open Monostable 555 Timer Calculator