Medium

NE555 PWM Motor Speed Controller

The 555 timer in astable mode, used as a PWM generator, controls a DC motor's speed by varying pulse width instead of voltage.

Circuit Diagram

+9V 555 pin 8 VCC pin 1 GND POT 10K pin 7 DISCHG pin 6/2 THR+TRIG C timing pin 3 OUTPUT base R Q1 BC337 C → motor E → GND MOTOR 1N4007 NE555 astable used as PWM generator — pot sets motor speed

How to Build It

  1. Place the NE555 timer on the breadboard.
  2. Connect pin 8 (VCC) to the positive rail and pin 1 (GND) to the negative rail.
  3. Connect a potentiometer between pin 7 (DISCHARGE) and pins 6/2 (THRESHOLD/TRIGGER, tied together).
  4. Connect a capacitor between pin 6 and GND — sets the base frequency.
  5. Connect pin 3 (OUTPUT) to a BC337 transistor's base through a resistor.
  6. Connect the transistor's collector to one motor terminal, the other terminal to the positive rail.
  7. Connect a 1N4007 diode across the motor (voltage-spike protection).
  8. Turn the potentiometer — the motor speed should vary smoothly.

Bill of Materials

ProductCodeQty
Potentiometer knob block 57 211 57212 1
Integrated circuit 1
Capacitor (electrolytic/ceramic/SMD/film) 860020674015 1
Diode/bridge rectifier 1N4007-DIO 1
Resistor DR47K-8/9 1
Transistor (incl. IGBT) 1
← All kits  ·  Newsletter