Experiment 19: Learning Logic
194 Chapter 4
FundAmentAls
Rules for connecting logic gates
Permitted:
- You can connect the input of a gate directly to your
regulated power supply, either positive side or nega-
tive side. - You can connect the output from one gate directly to
the input of another gate. - The output from one gate can power the inputs of
many other gates (this is known as “fanout”). The exact
ratio depends on the chip, but you can always power at
least ten inputs with one logic output. The output from
a logic chip can drive the trigger (pin 3) of a 555 timer.
The output from the timer can then deliver 100mA,
easily enough for half-a-dozen LEDs or a small relay.
- Low input doesn’t have to be zero. A 74HCxx logic gate
will recognize any voltage up to 1 volt as “low.” - High input doesn’t have to be 5 volts. A 74HCxx logic
gate will recognize any voltage above 3.5 volts as
“high.”
See Figures 4-75 and 4-76 for a comparison of permit-
ted voltages on the input and output side of 74HCxx and
74LSxx chips.
At most 0.1V
Acceptable input
signal range
Guaranteed output
signal range
Max power
consumption
at each pin:
1uA (sink)
1uA (source)
Max power
output
at each pin:
4mA (source)
4mA (sink)
5V
DC
74 HCXX
Logic Gate
Maximum 1.0V3.5VMinimum
Low High
Low High
At least 4.4V
Figure 4-75. Each family of logic chips, and each generation
in each family, has different standards for input and output
minimum and maximum voltages. This diagram shows the
standards used by the HC generation of the CMOS family,
which was chosen for most of the projects in this book. Note
that the current required for input is minimal compared with
the current available for output. The power supply to the chip
makes up the difference.
At most 0.4V
Acceptable input
signal range
Guaranteed output
signal range
Max power
consumption
at each pin:
20uA (sink)
400uA (source)
Max power
output
at each pin:
0.4mA (source)
4.0mA (sink)
5V
DC
74 LSXX
Logic Gate
2.0VMinimum
Maximum 0.8V
Low High
Low High
2.7VAt least
Figure 4-76. Because the LS generation of the TTL family has
such different tolerances for input voltages and different
standards for output voltages, the LS generation of TTL chips
should not be mixed in the same circuit as the HC generation
of CMOS chips, unless pull-up resistors are used to bring the
LS chips into conformance with standards expected by the HC
chips. See Experiment 21 for a case study in using LS chips.