Six inverters in a 14-SOIC — what the 74LS04DR brings to the board
The SN74LS04DR is a hex inverter from TI's 74LS family, packing six independent NOT gates into a 14-SOIC package. Each gate takes a single input and delivers a complementary output, making it the standard choice for signal inversion, oscillator buffers, and logic-level translation in 5 V systems. The 74LS series runs on a 4.75 V to 5.25 V supply and is rated for 0°C to 70°C commercial environments — think bench instruments, office peripherals, and industrial control panels that don't see extreme temperatures.
Output drive and timing — the numbers that matter for your BOM
Each output can source 400 µA and sink 8 mA. The 15 ns propagation delay at 5 V with a 15 pF load is typical for the 74LS family.
Lifecycle and compliance — still active, no LTB watch needed
No end-of-life notice is on record.
For dual-sourcing or a drop-in with wider temperature range, the SN74HCS04PWR (74HCS series, -40°C to 125°C) is a functional alternative in the same 14-SOIC footprint, though it uses a different logic family and supply range.