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Choose a CD4050B when a timer signal must keep its logic polarity; choose a CD4049UB when the signal should be inverted. Both are six-channel logic buffers/converters, not timer generators: they can condition or drive a signal in a timer circuit, but do not establish the timing interval themselves.
How do the CD4050B and CD4049UB differ?
| Decision point | CD4050B | CD4049UB | What it means in a timer circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logic function | Six-channel noninverting buffer | Six-channel inverting buffer | Use the CD4050B to preserve active-high/active-low sense. Use the CD4049UB when inversion is wanted or handled elsewhere in the logic. |
| Role | Buffer and logic-level converter | Inverter, buffer and logic-level converter | Neither part generates the timer interval; the surrounding circuit or a separate timer device does that. |
| Family supply range listed by TI | 3 V to 18 V | 3 V to 18 V | These are product-page family values, not a substitute for checking the electrical limits for the exact device and operating conditions. |
| Maximum sink-current parameter listed by TI | 18 mA | 18 mA | This product-page parameter is not a guarantee that the output will meet a desired logic voltage at that current. Check the datasheet’s guaranteed operating points for your supply, temperature and load. |
Texas Instruments identifies both devices for logic-level conversion, including a use in which the input signal’s high level can exceed VCC. That does not mean any input voltage is safe: verify the conversion conditions and absolute maximum ratings in the datasheet for the exact part before connecting a higher-voltage signal. See TI’s CD4049UB and CD4050B datasheet, revised February 4, 2026.
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Which part should go in a timer signal path?
Use the CD4050B when polarity must stay the same
If the timer input needs the same active-high or active-low sense as the upstream signal, the CD4050B’s noninverting function is the direct choice. Confirm that its output levels meet the following input’s thresholds under the actual supply and load conditions.
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The CD4049UB inverts its input. That may be useful when a timer input expects the opposite logic state, but account for the inversion in the rest of the circuit. If the timer’s behavior depends on a particular edge or active level, verify that the resulting polarity is correct for the whole signal path.
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What drive capability does TI specify?
TI lists CMOS current sink/source driver applications for both devices and says they can directly drive two DTL or TTL loads. Its datasheet gives this example condition: VCC = 5 V, VOL ≤ 0.4 V, and IOL ≥ 3.3 mA. Treat that as a qualified application statement, not a promise for arbitrary loads or every supply voltage.
The TI product pages list an 18 mA maximum sink-current parameter for each family. Do not use that number alone to decide whether a timer input, indicator, or other load can be driven: the relevant question is whether the output is guaranteed to meet the needed high and low voltages at the current your circuit draws. Consult the condition-specific electrical tables in the datasheet and the respective CD4050B and CD4049UB product pages.
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What to check before selecting one
- Required polarity: decide whether the timer input must receive the same logic sense or an inverted one.
- Input voltage: if the signal’s high level exceeds VCC, confirm that the datasheet’s logic-conversion conditions apply and that no absolute maximum rating is exceeded.
- Supply rail: check the exact part’s electrical tables at the intended supply rather than relying only on the family supply range listed on a product page.
- Load and thresholds: identify the timer input’s required high and low levels, input current and any other connected loads, then check guaranteed output specifications.
- Edge requirements: confirm the timer input’s threshold and edge needs. The correct polarity alone does not establish that a particular signal transition will work as intended.
- Exact device: verify manufacturer, suffix and package against the datasheet you are using.
Without a specific schematic, supply, timer input and load, it is not possible to determine a particular RC interval, oscillator stability, edge quality or circuit-specific drive result. Those depend on the complete design, not just the buffer-versus-inverter choice.
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