
14.18 | Chapter 14
no emitter current is possible because of the open
circuit. Therefore, a oating TTL input is equiva-
lent to a HIGH output. Because of this, unused
TTL inputs are left unconnected: an open input
allows the rest of the gate to function properly.
There is a disadvantage to oating inputs.
When an input is left open, it acts as a small
antenna. Therefore, it picks up stray electromag-
netic noise voltages. In some environments, the
noise pickup is large enough to cause erratic operation of logic circuits. For this reason,
itispreferred to connect unused TTL inputs to the supply voltage.
14.5.4 | TTL Loading and Fan-out
The TTL ...