The article offers the author's insights on which of the 555 timer and microcontroller is better for timing chores. The author states that a clock could be provided by a typical 555 astable multivibrator timer circuit, which could drive shift registers and other logic circuits. He says that ...
Signetics developed the 555 timer in 1971. This common multivibrator application is an integrated circuit and remains in production today. It operates in bistable, astable, or monostable modes based on how it is connected and how the circuit’s external components are arranged. The timer is used ...
Astable multivibrators do not transfer the entire output signal to the input. This is due to resistance within the circuit, lack of a completely closed loop at the output terminals, and the tendency for one capacitor or transistor to absorb energy at a slightly different rate than the other. ...