r/breadboard • u/BREADBOARDstuff113 • 3d ago

Question How can i make my 4 bit binary counter slower?

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22 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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6

u/Salt3y 2d ago

Not seeing anything connected to your clock inputs… you’ll need to build a 555 timer circuit or if you’re fine not strictly using the breadboard, you can use an arduino/other micro controller to control the clock.

4

u/Agent_Teto 2d ago

What's clocking it? You need a clock input to step the chip through each count. Build an ne555 set to the speed you want the counter to run at. If you want to count with a button, make a debounced rising edge trigger

1

u/wackyvorlon 2d ago

Put another counter in front of it. Use the carry signal to drive your original counter.

1

u/Tymian_ 2d ago

Where is the clock source?

1

u/War_Trax 2d ago

Slow the clock that steping the counter down, but I am not seeing here, It looks like the pin is floating.

1

u/rolling_atackk 1d ago

I'll take a guess, and say this is a 74HC393 4 bit binary counter IC, and judging by your VCC and GND connections, the CLK pin (the long yellow wire) is floating

"Floating" refers to an input pin that is not connected ro anything, so random electromagnetic waves are "detected" as input

What you're seeing is basically the IC taking random electromagnetic waves coming from, say, your WiFi Router, and thinking you're pressing the "Go to the next number" really quickly

You can either connect this to a debounced and pulled-down button to manually make it count up; or you can look into an automated clock, like a 555 IC in astable configuration

Toodles!

ETA: Don't take my pin number to heart. Look at YOUR specific IC's datasheet to know which pin is CLK

1

u/electronics_maker 1d ago

The clock pin is floating, it requires a clock source so control it