'Standard' logic IC series for new(ish) designs

[AleisterCrowley]

When I was more into hands-on electronics the standard logic series were 4000B for CMOS, and 74LS for TTL
74LS was gradually replaced by (with?) 74HC

What are the current 'go to' series for basic circuits (appreciate there are variations for high speed/low power/low voltage etc)?

I could probably get an idea from the RS and Farnell sites ,but frankly I find the online catalogues a lot more difficult to use than the old paper telephone directory-sized ones

[Breelander]

When I was more into hands-on electronics the standard logic series were 4000B for CMOS, and 74LS for TTL
74LS was gradually replaced by (with?) 74HC

Gosh, that takes me back, 74L was the new thing when I was last working with logic ICs

HeeE's a list of all the (many) families now available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7400-seri ... s#Families

[kiloran]

When I was more into hands-on electronics the standard logic series were 4000B for CMOS, and 74LS for TTL
74LS was gradually replaced by (with?) 74HC

Gosh, that takes me back, 74L was the new thing when I was last working with logic ICs

HeeE's a list of all the (many) families now available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7400-seri ... s#Families

That's a scary long list! I was heavily involved in the launch of 74HC in the early 80's, and at the time there was basic 74, 74S, 74LS and 4000-series and that was about it. That list has over 30 types!

--kiloran

[MrFoolish]

You'd generally use a small, cheap microcontroller these days for a project which needs a bit of logic.

If you really want to use a logic series IC, I'd suggest deciding what supply voltage (e.g. 5V) you plan to use and look through the datasheets to see what's a good fit.

[simoan]

When I was more into hands-on electronics the standard logic series were 4000B for CMOS, and 74LS for TTL
74LS was gradually replaced by (with?) 74HC

Gosh, that takes me back, 74L was the new thing when I was last working with logic ICs

HeeE's a list of all the (many) families now available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7400-seri ... s#Families

That's a scary long list! I was heavily involved in the launch of 74HC in the early 80's, and at the time there was basic 74, 74S, 74LS and 4000-series and that was about it. That list has over 30 types!

--kiloran

Yes. Interesting old artefacts! I used many of these families what seems a lifetime ago now. I remember a project I worked on where we used the unbuffered 4000 series CMOS inverter to create an oscillator that was effectively an analogue circuit for touch detection. These days I wouldn’t use them for any kind of serious project and would use a Programmable Logic Device or FPGA instead. Nice bit of nostalgia though

[csearle]

When I was more into hands-on electronics the standard logic series were 4000B for CMOS, and 74LS for TTL
74LS was gradually replaced by (with?) 74HC

Gosh, that takes me back, 74L was the new thing when I was last working with logic ICs

HeeE's a list of all the (many) families now available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7400-seri ... s#Families

That's a scary long list! I was heavily involved in the launch of 74HC in the early 80's, and at the time there was basic 74, 74S, 74LS and 4000-series and that was about it. That list has over 30 types!

--kiloran

At the risk of further nudging this discussion into non DAK territory I recall the 74HC series was great because one had the familiar functionality of the 74 series but with power consumption considerably reduced (mainly subject to the rate of change of state).

To address AC's point though I suspect that very little is now done with such building blocks because it is cheaper and more flexible (as has been suggested) to get the data into a microcontroller, do the maths there, and output the result to wherever it needs to be. C,

[AleisterCrowley]

But...waaah waaah waaah .. I don't want to use a microcontroller - I prefer proper logic chips, and none of this surface mount nonsense either
Seriously, one issue with a microcontroller is you need the programmer and software - OK probably cheap as chips on eBay these days but it spoils the fun

[AleisterCrowley]

...These days I wouldn’t use them for any kind of serious project and would use a Programmable Logic Device or FPGA instead. Nice bit of nostalgia though

None of my projects are serious !
And I think using a micro-controller etc for everything offends against KISS principles.

[PhaseThree]

The bottom line is that no-one in industry uses discrete logic chips any more and haven't done for a decode or so.
All the R+D product development boards I see and work with nowadays contain FPGAs and/or MPUs. And more commonly an FPGA containing a CPU.

For better or worse the 74x series of black plastic blobs and their related logic devices have been consigned to history.
Unfortunately the current chip shortages have pushed up prices and restricted availability for all semiconductor devices, but something like this might work for you when it becomes available again.

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tiny ... 0109935699

[Sobraon]

Aleister crack open the virtual wallet and treat yourself to an Arduino Uno development kit for a tenner from Ebay ( possibly even cheaper from Banggood) and have some fun. This is the KISS solution now, as others have said things have moved on a bit since 1978 .

[simoan]

...These days I wouldn’t use them for any kind of serious project and would use a Programmable Logic Device or FPGA instead. Nice bit of nostalgia though

None of my projects are serious !
And I think using a micro-controller etc for everything offends against KISS principles.

But when it comes to digital electronic circuits KISS means using a single device, not wire-wrapping or designing a PCB containing dozens of individual DIL sockets. It will also be much cheaper! I made the transition over 30 years ago. Nostalgia is nice but Ignoring cheaper, easier modern approaches is a little bit crazy. I wouldn’t even be sure it would be easy to source these type of components given current semiconductor shortages.

[servodude]

...These days I wouldn’t use them for any kind of serious project and would use a Programmable Logic Device or FPGA instead. Nice bit of nostalgia though

None of my projects are serious !
And I think using a micro-controller etc for everything offends against KISS principles.

You tell 'em!

Sometimes a MCC or an FPGA just doesn't do the job (or doesn't on its own).

Still pretty common to use discete logic to "common" GPIO from multiple IC where that's a functional requirement (e.g. interlocks, enables from different souces )
- or buffering to provide better/more suitable drive voltages/currents
- or to provide a more convenient place to put protection for parts of the board that might be getting exposed (i.e tracked towards user facing ports)

Anyways as this is DAK:
Current nomenclature from manufacturers would appear to refer to "LVC/LCX/Z Series" for CMOS anyway

But part names get wierdly esoteric.
Choosing one from the schematic in front of me a TI SN74LVC1G32-Q1 (out of stock locally ) is equivalent to a NC7S32M5X (apparently and in stock)

Best/easiest/safest thing to do is fill in the form that describes what you need on a supplier's website, pick what's in stock and check that the data sheet matches what you need

-sd

[AleisterCrowley]

Aleister crack open the virtual wallet and treat yourself to an Arduino Uno development kit for a tenner from Ebay ( possibly even cheaper from Banggood) and have some fun. This is the KISS solution now, as others have said things have moved on a bit since 1978 .

You're making me feel very old. A fellow enthusiast/radio ham is well into Arduinos now, so may well take a look as he has abit of experience.
I still reckon a circuit needing , for example, ten outputs going high sequentially (decade counter/sequencer) you're better off with a CD4017 and a 555 clock

[simoan]

Aleister crack open the virtual wallet and treat yourself to an Arduino Uno development kit for a tenner from Ebay ( possibly even cheaper from Banggood) and have some fun. This is the KISS solution now, as others have said things have moved on a bit since 1978 .

You're making me feel very old. A fellow enthusiast/radio ham is well into Arduinos now, so may well take a look as he has abit of experience.
I still reckon a circuit needing , for example, ten outputs going high sequentially (decade counter/sequencer) you're better off with a CD4017 and a 555 clock

You'll be telling us you still use a crank handle to start your car soon

[Rover110]

The other issue, if you're a hobbyist, is getting chips that are large-enough to solder-to!
Even with a pcb designed for the job, I find it very difficult to hand-solder packages that have pins on 0.5 mm pitch.
If you want a DIL / DIP package, I think you won't find much newer than HC.

Looking at Farnell, they still have some 4000BE, 74LS, 74HC - but a very limited set due to the world chip shortage. And RS's web-site seems designed to prevent you from choosing only between those items in stock!

Nowadays I'm not after much "glue" logic so I go for single gates e.g. 74LVC where needed.

[AleisterCrowley]

''
You'll be telling us you still use a crank handle to start your car soon

I don't drive. If I need to travel I get one of Mr Brunel's excellent 'steam trains'. They are the future - much quicker than canals and stagecoaches

[AleisterCrowley]

The other issue, if you're a hobbyist, is getting chips that are large-enough to solder-to!
Even with a pcb designed for the job, I find it very difficult to hand-solder packages that have pins on 0.5 mm pitch.
If you want a DIL / DIP package, I think you won't find much newer than HC.

Looking at Farnell, they still have some 4000BE, 74LS, 74HC - but a very limited set due to the world chip shortage. And RS's web-site seems designed to prevent you from choosing only between those items in stock!

Nowadays I'm not after much "glue" logic so I go for single gates e.g. 74LVC where needed.

Yes, always DIP. Using SMD means designing and etching a PCB - no stripboard /prototyping board
The only exceptions are the rare cases where space is restricted, or for RF circuitry at VHF and above where lead inductance matters (so not logic chips anyway - more stuff like amplifiers, MMICs etc)

[simoan]

Looking at Farnell, they still have some 4000BE, 74LS, 74HC - but a very limited set due to the world chip shortage. And RS's web-site seems designed to prevent you from choosing only between those items in stock!

These old components (and other low tech interface type chips) manufactured on old silicon technology processes are at the heart of the chip shortage. It would be incredibly annoying to have a few discrete 74 series logic components preventing you from testing a whole system containing GPU's, FPGA's etc. which are manufactured on the latest silicon geometries. Probably not a problem for a home enthusiast but I'm glad to be out of the industry after 35 years, and doing it as a hobby is the absolute last thing on my mind in retirement!

All the best, Si

[AleisterCrowley]

Well don't blame me - my current stock of 4000B series were bought down the Edgware Road in about 1980

[MrFoolish]

You'll need to be pretty careful with your grounds, track lengths and decoupling, or else glitches are likely to ruin your day.