Product Overview
Agilent HCTL-2016PLC Quadrature Decoder and Counter Interface in Surface Mount PLCC, Still in Factory Carrier Tape
Condition
New old stock. The parts are still sealed in their original embossed black carrier tape under clear cover tape, one device per pocket, with the sprocket holes intact along the edge. The photographed strip shows four devices in a row and the tape continues past the frame. Body marking reads Agilent over HCTL- / 2016PLC with a 0217 date code below it. The packages are clean and dark with no scratches, no solder on the J-leads, and no flux residue. The leading pocket at the cut end of the strip is empty and the clear cover tape over it is creased and lifted, so this is a partial strip cut from a larger one; the pockets holding devices are still sealed.
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Product Overview
The HCTL-2016 is a quadrature decoder and counter interface IC: it takes the two-channel output of an incremental shaft encoder, works out direction and count, and hands the position back to your processor over a parallel bus so the CPU is not stuck servicing encoder edges. This is the surface mount member of the family, in a square PLCC with J-leads on all four sides and five leads visible per side in the photo, which is the 20-pin package. The parts here are branded Agilent, which places them in the window after the 1999 Hewlett-Packard spinoff and before the line moved on to Avago and later Broadcom, so they are the correct vintage for equipment built in that era. Counter width, clock rate, and supply voltage are not confirmed here, so verify against the HCTL-2016 datasheet before you design it in.
Key Features
- Part number as marked: HCTL-2016PLC
- Brand as marked: Agilent
- Date code as marked: 0217
- Function: quadrature decoder and counter interface for incremental encoders
- Package: surface mount PLCC, J-leads, five leads per side visible in the photo (20 positions)
- Packaging: sealed factory carrier tape with clear cover tape, one device per pocket
- Condition: new old stock, unused
- Electrical ratings, counter width, and maximum clock frequency: not confirmed, verify against the datasheet before use
Applications
- A motion control engineer adding encoder feedback to a small axis without giving up processor interrupts to edge counting
- A repair technician replacing a failed decoder on a legacy servo or indexer board that was laid out for this PLCC footprint
- A robotics builder reading wheel or joint encoders and polling position over the parallel bus instead of counting edges in firmware
- An instrument builder tracking a rotary encoder on a test fixture or motorized stage
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this chip do that I cannot do in software?
It handles the quadrature decoding and counting in hardware, so your processor reads a position value when it wants one instead of chasing every encoder transition. That is the whole point of the HCTL family.
Is this the surface mount version or the through-hole one?
Surface mount. The PLC suffix on this part is the PLCC package, which is what you see in the photo. If your board is laid out for a through-hole DIP decoder, this is not the one that drops in.
What exactly is printed on the parts?
Agilent, then HCTL-2016PLC, then 0217 on the third line. We are reporting the marking as it reads on the package and not interpreting the date code beyond that.
Have these been used or reworked?
No. They are still in sealed factory carrier tape and the J-leads have never seen solder. Parts ship cut from the tape strip in the quantity you order.
Why buy one or two of these here instead of a taped lot of 25 somewhere else?
Because a prototype or a single board repair needs one or two decoders, not a minimum lot. We cut the exact count you ask for. Shipping is $8 flat rate and free over $28, so a couple of pieces still lands cheaper than a forced-quantity reel, and it goes out the same or next business day from Idaho.
Every encoder is just two square waves arguing about which one came first, and this little PLCC settles the argument so your processor never has to. Put it back on a board that has been sitting still, and something starts turning again.
