I can respect that it is a bad design, thanks for explaining why. Just out of interest, could I trouble you to briefly explain why an op amp reduces the effects of fluctuations in the transistor's beta? I've ordered some samples of the mcp6021, hopefully they won't take too long.
Perhaps this is also a silly question, since you already said that I needed a rail-to-rail input/output amp. Until I receive them in the mail, I was wondering about an alternative way to use the TL082. If I use a +/-12V supply, is it possible to have the TL082 output set close to 5V? I'm wondering basically if it the TL082 is running at +/-12V, then the outputs/inputs don't have to be close to either rail. I think this is theoretically suitable for gating the timing parts of the circuit, is that correct? I'm assuming that I can then still run the 555 and flipflop @ 5V using a regulator and keep that part of the circuit the same. Is this a feasible work around until I get the proper amps?
Perhaps this is also a silly question, since you already said that I needed a rail-to-rail input/output amp. Until I receive them in the mail, I was wondering about an alternative way to use the TL082. If I use a +/-12V supply, is it possible to have the TL082 output set close to 5V? I'm wondering basically if it the TL082 is running at +/-12V, then the outputs/inputs don't have to be close to either rail. I think this is theoretically suitable for gating the timing parts of the circuit, is that correct? I'm assuming that I can then still run the 555 and flipflop @ 5V using a regulator and keep that part of the circuit the same. Is this a feasible work around until I get the proper amps?