Please help with logic IC families...

[Christopher List]

Hi Gang,

I picked up The Art of Electronics a week or two ago (great book) and was 
browsing through when I noticed the table of logic IC families (74C, HC, AC, 
4000, blah, blah). It must've been an omen because the next day I get a 
shipment of IC's that I ordered and the 4016's are labeled:
HCF4016B

- I didn't know what to make of it. Everything I've done so far has been with 
+15v power supplies, and so I've always just ordered 4000 stuff without much 
thought. I usually got CD4000 from the suppliers, used 'em, no problem. So I 
try looking this chip up in the book. It's got the  HC line that runs on +5 or 
+6, and the 4000B line that runs on +15  - but nothing with both. So I tried it 
an it works (so far) - but that's never good enough for me. I'm confused and I 
hate that.

Should this thing be at +15? Is this some kind of high-speed +15v CMOS. What 
about the 74C -  I see they're 15v as well? But the CD54HC4000A is 5v - right?

Some simple rules of thumb would be greatly appreciated. I always thought the 
major groups of modern IC's were "74" types (5v) and "CD4xxx" types (15v) - but 
The AofE tells me that's not so - and it doesn't clarify some of these 
seemingly "cross-named" IC's. My world is coming apart - all is chaos and 
entropy. Please help...


Thanks,
- CL
(No TV)