Hex inverter, 9.3 ns propagation delay at 5 V
The CD74ACT04E: Each channel inverts a single input, making it the basic logic building block for signal conditioning, oscillator circuits, and data bus buffering where a clean logic-level complement is needed. Propagation delay is 9.3 ns max at 5 V into a 50 pF load — fast enough to keep up with most 5 V microcontrollers and peripheral buses running at tens of megahertz.
Output drive and temperature range
Each output sources or sinks 24 mA — enough to drive a standard TTL load, an LED indicator through a current-limiting resistor, or the input of several downstream logic gates without a buffer. The 4 µA max quiescent current means the chip draws almost nothing when the inputs are static. Input logic thresholds are 0.8 V low and 2 V high — compatible with both 5 V TTL and 5 V CMOS families. The 14-DIP (0.300-inch, 7.62 mm) through-hole package is breadboard-friendly and survives rework cycles that would stress a fine-pitch SMD part.
Active production, ROHS3 compliant
No official second-source or pin-compatible replacement is registered from TI. The 74ACT04 function is widely cloned across logic families (74HC04, 74HCT04, 74LS04), but each has different supply voltage, input thresholds, and speed — a direct swap requires checking the system's Vcc and timing budget.