Having trouble finding 7476?

Thread Starter

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
7476, 74LS76, are getting hard to find and are pricey if you can find them. Over $3.00 from Jameco, for instance. An alternative might be a 74LS112 ($0.65, Jameco). Same function and with conventional power pin configuration.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
7476, 74LS76, are getting hard to find and are pricey if you can find them. Over $3.00 from Jameco, for instance. An alternative might be a 74LS112 ($0.65, Jameco). Same function and with conventional power pin configuration.
Its probably been superseded by a more advanced logic family. Probably a 74ALS76 - I'm a bit rusty on the middle letters in logic family numbers. Go to one of the manufacturers websites and find out which families there are - most will outperform the basic LS part, but you have to watch out for low voltage families and CMOS parts may not do the source/sink capability you need.
 

Thread Starter

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
Hello,

Where are you located?
That way we can possibly provide more local advice.

Bertus
I'm in Las Vegas, NV. For an town with slot machines in every corner store it seems a contradiction that parts are so hard to find. DIP packages seem to be going away also. Breadboarding SSOT is a pain. :)
 

Thread Starter

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
Its probably been superseded by a more advanced logic family. Probably a 74ALS76 - I'm a bit rusty on the middle letters in logic family numbers. Go to one of the manufacturers websites and find out which families there are - most will outperform the basic LS part, but you have to watch out for low voltage families and CMOS parts may not do the source/sink capability you need.
Students! Take note.
Thanks.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,932
True. I wonder why teachers are stuck on 7476?
Because that is what is in the text books and, since the focus is primarily on the fundamental concepts, using the latest/greatest is not a big issue. Plus, the older non-CMOS families with higher voltages and slow edges tend to be somewhat more tolerant to sophomore handling and breadboarding practices.

Also, many teachers have never worked in industry, so they are only comfortable with the material that THEY saw in college and rely overly on the textbook content to shape their curriculum.

Plus, there is a legitimate Catch-22 involved with textbooks. If you use the latest text, then you are requiring students to purchase books that cost a couple hundred dollars a piece when, in most courses, the concepts are perfectly well covered by older texts that are available on the used market for ten bucks or so. But it is hard to require out-of-print versions for a course because no bookstore can guarantee sufficient stock to cover the course and students get left dangling in the wind. So what instructors tend to do is find an established text that hasn't been updated in a while, has a good reputation, and is still in print. By adopting it the bookstore can stock a limited number of new texts but students can get used texts from third party sellers at a decent price. There is also an element of laziness here because using a stable, older text means that you don't have to constantly be spending time revising your syllabus to accommodate minor text changes.
 

Thread Starter

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
Because that is what is in the text books and, since the focus is primarily on the fundamental concepts, using the latest/greatest is not a big issue. Plus, the older non-CMOS families with higher voltages and slow edges tend to be somewhat more tolerant to sophomore handling and breadboarding practices.

Also, many teachers have never worked in industry, so they are only comfortable with the material that THEY saw in college and rely overly on the textbook content to shape their curriculum.

Plus, there is a legitimate Catch-22 involved with textbooks. If you use the latest text, then you are requiring students to purchase books that cost a couple hundred dollars a piece when, in most courses, the concepts are perfectly well covered by older texts that are available on the used market for ten bucks or so. But it is hard to require out-of-print versions for a course because no bookstore can guarantee sufficient stock to cover the course and students get left dangling in the wind. So what instructors tend to do is find an established text that hasn't been updated in a while, has a good reputation, and is still in print. By adopting it the bookstore can stock a limited number of new texts but students can get used texts from third party sellers at a decent price. There is also an element of laziness here because using a stable, older text means that you don't have to constantly be spending time revising your syllabus to accommodate minor text changes.
Books? Are you still using printed books? :) How nostalgic.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,932
Many texts are still only available in print. And the same reasoning holds even for those that are available in electronic form -- new editions are generally very expensive while older editions can often be had for a fraction of the price.
 
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