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.