74HC86 Pinout
74HC86 Quad XOR Gate · Four 2-input exclusive-OR (XOR) gates, high-speed CMOS, supply 2–6V.
| Pin | Name | Type | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1A | Input | Gate 1 input A |
| 2 | 1B | Input | Gate 1 input B |
| 3 | 1Y | Output | Gate 1 output = XOR(1A,1B) |
| 4 | 2A | Input | Gate 2 input A |
| 5 | 2B | Input | Gate 2 input B |
| 6 | 2Y | Output | Gate 2 output |
| 7 | GND | GND | Ground |
| 8 | 3Y | Output | Gate 3 output |
| 9 | 3A | Input | Gate 3 input A |
| 10 | 3B | Input | Gate 3 input B |
| 11 | 4Y | Output | Gate 4 output |
| 12 | 4A | Input | Gate 4 input A |
| 13 | 4B | Input | Gate 4 input B |
| 14 | VCC | Power | Supply + (2–6V) |
How to read the 74HC86 pinout
- 01
Find pin 1
One end of the chip has a half-circle notch or a dot; with the notch facing up, the top-left pin is pin 1.
- 02
Count counter-clockwise
Count counter-clockwise from pin 1: go down the left side first, then up the right side from the bottom.
- 03
Check the table below
Look up each pin's function by number in the table below; power/ground are color-coded, and alternate-function signals are in parentheses.
Frequently asked questions
What is an XOR gate good for?
XOR outputs high only when its two inputs differ. It is the heart of adders (sum bit), parity generators/checkers, and controllable inverters (one input as data, the other as an invert-enable).
How do I use an XOR as a controllable inverter?
Feed data on one input and a control bit on the other: control=0 passes the data through, control=1 inverts it. Handy for switchable signal polarity.
Pinout data comes from NXP/TI 74HC86 datasheet (standard DIP-14 numbering). Refer to the actual device datasheet as authoritative for the pinout.