The venerable 555 timer chip is now 55 years old!

Considered one of the most popular chips in history, it is estimated that tens of billions have been produced since Hans Camenzind designed the iconic integrated circuit way back in 1971.

Now you can up your geek cred by displaying this realistic 16:1 model of the chip in a DIP8 package. The top lifts off to reveal the internal construction, including the original Signetics die bonded to the lead frame. The 8 pins realistically enter the interior of the chip and wrap around the die.

For extra realism, use fine wires (I used 30 AWG copper) to model the bonding wires that attach the pins to the proper pads on the die. See my pictures to see the bonding locations. I found that a soldering iron gently applied to each end of the wire securely melted the wire into place. If you do it right, it almost looks like an actual welded wire bond.

See my other 555 model, which is a desk plaque of the die that shows much more detail.