The first thing you usually do with the 555 is to blink a LED, that's the universal "hello world" of electronics. Then, you can connect a speaker and do funny n

The first thing you usually do with the 555 is to blink a LED, that's the universal "hello world" of electronics. Then, you can connect a speaker and do funny noises. Can't compare it with a PIC or any uC, they are much more complex devices to operate. When you are 10 year old it blows your mind.