The 74×17 (ex 74HC17) is a chip that comes with six open-collector buffers. An open collector output makes it easy to interface with chips of different logic levels, although swapping it with a standard buffer chip isn’t straightforward.

Learn how it works and how to use it with this beginner-friendly guide and start using open-collector buffers in your projects.

What does the 74HC17 / 74LS17 do?

The 74×17 gives you six open-collector buffers that you can use individually. A buffer is a gate that outputs the same as the input. It’s often used to get more current (and/or) voltage from an output.

How To Use This Chip

The 7417 comes in a 14-pin package, and you need to connect its power pins before you can use it. It supports a VCC voltage of 5V.

This chip uses open-collector outputs which means you can only sink current, not source it.

The output of each gate in the 7417 can sink around 30-50 milliamps when it’s powered with 5 volts.

74×17 Pinout

The 74×17 has 14 pins and contains six open-collector buffers laid out as shown in the pinout diagram below:

Alternatives and Equivalents for 7417

There are only a few versions of the 7417 chip.

Build Something Useful This Evening

This gadget lets you use any IR remote-control to control your lamp, garden lights, heater oven, garage door, or anything else.

The three versions I’ve been able to locate are DM7417 by Fairchild Semiconductor (now Onsemi), the SN7417 by Texas Instruments, and the 7417PC by National Semiconductor. They’re pretty much the same.

It is an obsolete chip, but can still be found.

Datasheet for the 7417 chip

Download the PDF datasheet for your version of the 74×17 here:

• SN7417 (Texas Instruments)
• DM7417 (Fairchild Semiconductor/Onsemi)
• 7417PC (National Semiconductor)