EP1C12F324C6N - Cyclone 12,060 LEs FPGA, 324-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP1C12F324C6N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $33.2 | $332.00 |
| 100 | $28.75 | $2,875.00 |
| 500 | $25.4 | $12,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $22.1 | $22,100.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C12F324C6N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1C12F324C8N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324C7N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324I7N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324C6AA
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$36.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F324C6AA
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone® |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 12,060 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LAB) | 1,206 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 |
| Embedded Multipliers (9-bit) | 52 |
| Phase-Locked Loops (PLL) | 2 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 249 |
| Process Technology | 130 nm SRAM |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V |
| Package | 324-ball FineLine BGA |
| Speed Grade | 6 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to 85°C (commercial; C6N suffix) |
| Configuration Method | SRAM, serial/parallel via EPCS flash or JTAG |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, PCI, SSTL |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free) |
EP1C12F324C6N 324-ball fineline bga Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C12F324C6N (324-ball fineline bga package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP1C12F324C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Safe Operating Area (SOA) & Thermal Characteristics
No official SOA curve available for this digital IC. Always operate within absolute maximum ratings specified in the datasheet. Ensure adequate cooling and derate as needed.
Typical Applications
EP1C12F324C6N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing and Display Controller, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, USB and Ethernet Bridging Logic, Telecom Equipment Glue Logic, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Automotive Infotainment Pre-processing.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C12F324C6N fits industrial motor control designs because its 12,060 logic elements and 52 embedded 9-bit multipliers provide ample headroom for implementing field-oriented control (FOC) and space-vector PWM (SVPWM) IP cores, while the 249 user I/Os of the 324-ball FineLine BGA expose enough pins for parallel quadrature encoder interfaces, Hall-sensor inputs, and three-phase PWM outputs. The two on-chip PLLs allow precise synthesis of the high-frequency carrier waveform (typically 10-20 kHz) from a low-frequency crystal reference, and the LVDS-capable I/O banks simplify connection to industrial differential line drivers. Unlike microcontrollers, the FPGA can execute the entire current-loop calculation in a single 10 kHz cycle with deterministic latency, which is critical for torque ripple minimization in servo drives.
Recommended
Video Processing and Display Controller
In video pipelines such as multi-format HDMI/DVI input expanders, LCD scalers, and industrial camera preprocessing, the EP1C12F324C6N provides the parallel pixel bandwidth that microcontrollers cannot match. The 249 I/Os of the 324-BGA comfortably accommodate 24-bit RGB plus control signals, while the 52 multipliers accelerate 2D convolution and color-space conversion (YUV to RGB) in real time. The two PLLs derive independent pixel clocks for input capture and output display, and the M4K memory blocks serve as line buffers for scaling operations. Designers commonly pair the EP1C12 with an external DDR SDRAM controller IP to handle full-HD frame buffers.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
Software-defined radio (SDR) baseband processing requires hundreds of multipliers running in parallel for FIR filtering, channelization, and FFT butterfly operations - exactly the workload the EP1C12F324C6N's 52 embedded 9-bit multipliers and 12,060 LEs are designed for. The LVDS I/O banks connect directly to high-speed ADC/DAC pairs such as the AD9235 or AD9772a, with the two on-chip PLLs generating the ADC sampling clock and FPGA internal logic clock from a single reference. The 239,616 bits of M4K RAM hold filter coefficients and circular sample buffers. Compared to a DSP processor, the Cyclone implementation achieves deterministic latency and 5-10x throughput per MHz on parallel FIR structures.
Recommended
USB and Ethernet Bridging Logic
Designers building USB-to-Ethernet, USB-to-SPI, or Ethernet-to-parallel bridges often implement the protocol engines in an FPGA rather than buying a costly ASIC. The EP1C12F324C6N's 12,060 LEs hold a soft USB 2.0 device or 10/100 Ethernet MAC core alongside state machines, FIFOs, and DMA controllers, while the 52 multipliers accelerate CRC-32 and hash computations. The 249 I/Os of the 324-BGA package expose enough buses for parallel UTMI/ULPI PHY interfacing and RGMII Ethernet connections simultaneously. Industrial temperature variants (I7N suffix) make the device viable for outdoor networking equipment.
Recommended
Telecom Equipment Glue Logic
Telecom line cards often need to consolidate protocol adaptation, framing, alarm scanning, and backplane interfacing in a single low-cost programmable device. The EP1C12F324C6N with 12,060 LEs and 324-BGA is widely deployed for glue-logic consolidation on legacy TDM/ATM backplanes, replacing multiple 74-series TTL parts with one programmable device. The two PLLs regenerate clock trees for downstream framers and SERDES devices, and the LVDS-capable I/Os connect to neighbouring FPGAs across the backplane with minimal external components. Cyclone remains a cost-effective glue-logic solution when the BOM cannot justify a newer Cyclone V or Cyclone 10 device.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Bench-top logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and arbitrary waveform generators use FPGAs to capture, time-stamp, and process high-speed parallel data streams. The EP1C12F324C6N fits these instruments because its 249 I/Os accept wide parallel probe buses, its 52 multipliers perform on-the-fly CRC and encoding, and its M4K RAM blocks hold deep capture buffers. The two PLLs derive multiple phase-aligned sampling clocks from a single TCXO reference, and Quartus II's SignalTap embedded logic analyzer uses the device's internal JTAG for in-system debug without external probing. Industrial users select the I7N suffix variant for equipment that must operate across -40°C to 100°C.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Pre-processing
In cost-sensitive automotive head units and rear-seat entertainment modules, the EP1C12F324C6N's 12,060 LEs and 52 multipliers handle video scaling, de-interlacing, and graphics overlay ahead of the main application processor. The 324-BGA exposes 249 I/Os for digital RGB or LVDS display panels and for parallel camera inputs, and the two PLLs synthesize independent pixel clocks for capture and display. The C6N suffix supports 0°C to 85°C commercial operation; designers requiring -40°C to 100°C automotive temperature range select the I7N variant or the C6AA suffix variant. Cyclone is preferred over an ASIC for low-volume infotainment programs where NRE costs must be minimized.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C12F324C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C12F324C8N | EP1C12F324C7N | EP1C12F324I7N | EP1C12F324C6 | EP1C12F324C6AA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 324-ball FineLine BGA | 324-ball FineLine BGA - same | 324-ball FineLine BGA - same | 324-ball FineLine BGA - same | 324-ball FineLine BGA - same | 324-ball FineLine BGA - same |
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Speed Grade | 6 (C6N) | 8 (faster) | 7 | 7 (industrial temp) | 6 (non-RoHS variant) | 6 (automotive temp) |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to 85°C (commercial) | 0°C to 85°C | 0°C to 85°C | -40°C to 100°C | 0°C to 85°C | Automotive grade |
| Logic Elements | 12,060 | 12,060 - same | 12,060 - same | 12,060 - same | 12,060 - same | 12,060 - same |
| RAM Bits | 239,616 | 239,616 - same | 239,616 - same | 239,616 - same | 239,616 - same | 239,616 - same |
| Embedded Multipliers | 52 (9-bit) | 52 - same | 52 - same | 52 - same | 52 - same | 52 - same |
| Maximum User I/Os | 249 | 249 - same | 249 - same | 249 - same | 249 - same | 249 - same |
| PLLs | 2 | 2 - same | 2 - same | 2 - same | 2 - same | 2 - same |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes (N suffix) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Verify - non-N suffix may be non-RoHS | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Best price-performance balance in the Cyclone EP1C12 family (vs EP1C12F324C8N)
- Industrial temperature option available in identical 324-BGA footprint (vs EP1C12F324I7N)
- RoHS lead-free finish confirmed by N suffix (vs EP1C12F324C6)
Design Notes
Estimated: Cyclone EP1C12 core current at 50% LE utilization, 100 MHz operation typically draws 200-400 mA from VCCINT (1.5 V). Decouple every VCCINT ball with a 100 nF X7R ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the BGA, plus a 10 µF bulk capacitor near the regulator. Each VCCIO bank should have its own 100 nF + 10 µF decoupling pair to limit switching-noise coupling into adjacent I/O banks. Power sequencing: VCCINT must reach 1.0 V before VCCIO banks ramp, per Cyclone datasheet.
The 324-ball FineLine BGA requires a 6-layer or 8-layer PCB with dedicated VCCINT, VCCIO, and GND planes. Use 0.20 mm via-in-pad with epoxy-filled capping for clean BGA escape; signal layers should be microstrip or stripline with controlled impedance (50 Ω single-ended, 100 Ω differential) on all clock and LVDS traces. Match trace lengths within 150 mils (3.8 mm) for DDR-style source-synchronous interfaces to keep setup/hold margins positive.
Do not leave MSEL[3:0] floating - the four strap pins select the configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG, Fast Passive Parallel) and an undefined state can lock the FPGA in an unsupported mode. Always include a JTAG header (10-pin 0.05" Samtec FTSH or equivalent) for Quartus II programming and SignalTap debug. Configure unused I/O pins as input tri-stated with weak pull-up to avoid unnecessary current draw, and never use the JTAG TCK pin as a general-purpose I/O when JTAG is required for production programming.
Estimated: at 50% LE utilization, 100 MHz, the EP1C12F324C6N dissipates roughly 0.5-0.8 W (VCCINT current × 1.5 V). With a 324-BGA thermal resistance around 15-20 °C/W on a 6-layer PCB with internal copper planes, junction temperature rise above ambient stays under 15°C. Designs pushing 80%+ utilization or sustained heavy multiplier activity should size copper pours under the BGA to at least 1 cm² connected to GND for additional heat spreading.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per the Intel/Altera product page. The N suffix denotes lead-free BGA finish. AEC-Q100 automotive qualification is NOT available on the C6N commercial variant; select the C6AA suffix for automotive temperature grade. REACH SVHC reporting compliant per manufacturer declaration.
