Cross Reference
Signal

Logic Gates

Single-gate and small-scale CMOS logic for glue, level shifting, and signal conditioning.

What is it?

Logic gates are small ICs implementing one or two Boolean functions, AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, NOT, buffer, Schmitt trigger. Used as 'glue logic' between larger devices: combining flags, inverting signals, debouncing inputs (Schmitt), or buffering long traces. Modern single-gate logic comes in tiny SOT-23-5 / SC-70 / SC-88 packages, much smaller than legacy quad-gate TSSOP packages.

Common logic gate symbolsANDORNOT (inverter)NANDNORXORSchmitt buffer(hysteresis on input)cleans noisy edges3-state buffer(125 / 126 types)for bus sharing
Single-gate logic functions used as "glue" between larger chips, combining flags, inverting signals, level-shifting, and cleaning up noisy edges with Schmitt hysteresis.

When do you need it?

  • Combining two interrupt sources into one MCU pin (OR).
  • Inverting an active-high signal to active-low (NOT).
  • Cleaning a noisy signal with Schmitt-trigger hysteresis.
  • Driving a long high-fanout trace with a buffer.
  • Level-shifting between 3.3 V and 5 V via single-gate logic with 5 V tolerance.
  • Implementing simple state machines without burning MCU pins.

How to pick the right one

Function
AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, NOT, buffer (1G125 = with 3-state), Schmitt buffer (1G17), single-supply level shifter (LV1T08, LV1T126).
Technology family
LVC: 1.65-5.5 V, fast (3-4 ns), high drive (24 mA). AUP: 0.8-3.6 V, low-power, lower drive. Pick LVC for 3.3 V/5 V general logic; pick AUP for sub-2 V battery-powered.
Bits / channels
1G (single), 2G (dual), or 4G/6G (hex/quad legacy).
Output type
Push-pull (default), open-drain (07 type), or 3-state (125/126).
VIH / VIL thresholds
Match to driving signal's logic level, critical when feeding 3.3 V logic from a 1.8 V source.

What Magnias offers

Magnias ML74xxx logic family covers AUP (low-voltage) and LVC (general-purpose) families in SOT-23-5 / SOT-353 / SOT-23-6 / SOT-363 / SO-14 / TSSOP-14 packages. Highlights: ML74LVC1G07 (open-drain buffer), ML74LVC1G125/126 (3-state buffer), ML74LVC2G07 (dual open-drain), ML74LV1T08/126 (level-shifting buffer), and the full AUP1G series for sub-2 V applications.

Common questions

LVC vs AUP, which to use?
LVC for 3.3 V / 5 V general-purpose. AUP for battery-powered designs running at 1.8 V or below where every microamp counts.
Why use a single-gate IC instead of a discrete BJT inverter?
Smaller (SOT-353 is tiny), faster (sub-5 ns), cleaner switching, no resistors needed. Modern designs default to logic ICs.
Open-drain vs push-pull, which when?
Open-drain for signals shared between multiple drivers (I²C-style buses, interrupt sharing). Push-pull for everything else (faster edges, no pull-up resistor needed).
What does 1T mean in ML74LV1T08?
Translates a single-supply logic input from a lower voltage (1.65-5 V) to the local VCC level. Used for simple level shifting between voltage domains.