Open-collector NAND in the 74LS family
The SN74LS38N is a quad 2-input NAND gate from Texas Instruments' 74LS low-power Schottky family, with open-collector outputs that sink up to 24 mA per channel.
What the open-collector output means for your circuit
The open-collector output on each of the four gates can only sink current to ground — it cannot source current. The high-level output is pulled up by an external resistor, so the SN74LS38N is the natural choice for wired-AND busses, level translation to a higher voltage rail, or driving loads like relays and LEDs that need a current sink. Input logic thresholds are standard 74LS: a low below 0.8 V is recognised as a logic 0, and a high above 2 V as a logic 1, with the 5 V supply rail providing the typical 0.8 V noise margin on the low side.
The SN74LS38N comes in a 14-pin plastic DIP (0.300-inch body width, 7.62 mm) with a through-hole mounting style. The 14-PDIP supplier package code matches the standard 0.100-inch pitch DIP footprint that has been a breadboard and PCB mainstay for decades. It ships in a tube — no tape-and-reel, so expect a straight through-hole assembly process without needing a reel feeder.
It is ROHS3 compliant, meeting the latest EU restriction-of-hazardous-substances directive for lead-free soldering processes.