This time, however, [Tim] decided to actually show how this can be done by removing some of the integrated circuits from an electronic dice and relying entirely on the 555 timer for his build.

Where once we might have used an op-amp or two, a 555 timer, or a logic gate ... were likely to be significantly expensive, and integrated circuits, if they even existed, were out of the reach ...

As with many inventions, two people had the idea for an integrated circuit at almost the same time. Transistors had become commonplace in everything from radios to phones to computers, and now ...