On 2014-Aug-26, at 3:27 PM, Eric Smith wrote:
  I wrote:
  Some moron at TI has revised the
SN5404/SN54LS04/SN7404/SN74LS04
 datasheet to claim that all unused inputs must be held at Vcc or GND 
 On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 2:46 PM, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
  Is it? I thought that for plain TTL and (I think)
LS it was good practice
 to pull unused inputs up via a resistor and not link them straight to
 Vcc. 
 For "plain" TTL yes.  One of the purported advantages of LS was not
 needing to do that.  I forgot about that detail when commenting on the
 TI datasheet lossage.
  Something about supply line spikes causing
breakdown of the input
 transistor. 
 I've heard that explanation and I suppose it sounds plausible but I would like
 to find an authoritative statement from TI (i.e., in a TI data sheet
 or application
 note).
 Fairchild AN-363 "Designing with TTL" dated June 1984 mentions
 standard TTL, LS, S, ALS, AS, L, and F (but omits H), and states
 without reference to a specific family:
 A good design rule is to tie unused inputs to a solid logic level.
 Inputs are usually tied to V CC through a 1 k? to 5 k? resistor,
 since tying them to ground means supplying the I IL current
 instead of the I IH current. I IL is several orders of magnitude
 greater than I IH . The resistor is recommended to protect the
 input against V CC voltage surges and to protect the system
 against the possibility of the input shorting directly to ground.
 A single 1k resistor can handle up to 10 inputs. 
(Sent this an hour earlier in response to the earlier response, but it hasn't shown up
yet, so replying here instead)
Did you explicitly want a reference from TI, or something explanatory from an
'authority' ?
The characteristics and design treatises at the beginning of Fairchild TTL databooks
address it in a little more detail.
(from the 1978 version):
        "For a permanent high signal, unused inputs can be tied to Vcc.
        A current limiting resistor, in the range of 1K to 5K, is recommended for
emitter-type inputs since these break down
        at some unspecified voltage over 5.5V and power supply misadjustment or
malfunction can cause damage unless
        current is limited.
        .. diode-type LS-TTL inputs have breakdown voltages above 15V and thus protective
resistors are not normally required."
Sidetracking, it's interesting to note that most LS-TTL isn't 'really'
TTL, it's DTL with Schottky input diodes.