EP1C12WWAA - Cyclone FPGA 12K LE, FBGA Package | Intel
MPN: EP1C12WWAA ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $34.2 | $342.00 |
| 100 | $28.9 | $2,890.00 |
| 500 | $24.5 | $12,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $21 | $21,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C12WWAA — 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:
EP1C12F256C8N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12Q240C6N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C8
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C7N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12Q240C8N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324I7N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F256I7N
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View Datasheet →EP1C12WWAA Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone (original) |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Logic Elements | 12,060 |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 239,616 bits |
| Embedded RAM Blocks | 52 (M4K) |
| PLLs | 2 |
| Maximum User I/O | 173 (package-dependent) |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Process Technology | 0.13 μm SRAM |
| Package Type | Wire-bond FBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Configuration Interface | Serial / Parallel / JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (per legacy Altera AA suffix) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete - check PCN before new designs |
EP1C12WWAA wire-bond fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C12WWAA (wire-bond fbga 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 EP1C12WWAA.
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
EP1C12WWAA is suitable for 6 applications: Consumer Electronics Display Controllers, Industrial Control and PLC Backplanes, Communications Protocol Bridges, ASIC Prototyping and IP Validation, Automotive Infotainment Pre-Processors, Educational FPGA Development Platforms.
Consumer Electronics Display Controllers
The EP1C12WWAA fits consumer display controllers because its 12,060 logic elements handle LVDS-to-RGB conversion, on-screen display overlay, and gamma correction lookup tables within a single device. The 239,616 embedded RAM bits provide line buffers for deinterlacing and scaling operations without external SDRAM. With 173 user I/Os and LVDS support, the device directly drives DVI/HDMI transmitter PHYs in set-top boxes and LCD TV mainboards. Estimated resource utilization for a 1080p scalar ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 LEs and 30 to 40 M4K blocks, leaving headroom for additional image-processing IP.
Recommended
Industrial Control and PLC Backplanes
The EP1C12WWAA serves industrial PLC and motor-control backplanes where deterministic logic and multiple protocol interfaces are required. The 2 PLLs derive precision PWM-aligned clocks for three-phase motor control, while 12,060 LEs implement encoder counters, Modbus/Profibus slaves, and EtherCAT slave controllers in soft logic. The wire-bond BGA's thermal performance suits enclosed industrial cabinets, though designers should derate switching losses for sustained operation. Industrial-grade variants (suffix 'I') extend the operating temperature range to -40 C to +100 C, qualifying the silicon for factory-floor deployments.
Recommended
Communications Protocol Bridges
The EP1C12WWAA fits low-density communications bridges where multiple legacy protocols must be translated at line-rate speeds. The 4-input LUT architecture efficiently maps protocol state machines, while the 52 M4K blocks hold route tables, packet descriptors, and FIFO buffers. The two PLLs provide independent clock domains for ingress and egress ports, eliminating metastability in asynchronous protocol conversions such as UART-to-SPI, I2C-to-LPC, or HDLC-to-Ethernet bridges. Estimated throughput for a typical 8-port serial concentrator consumes 5,000 to 8,000 LEs and 20 to 30 M4K blocks.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and IP Validation
The EP1C12WWAA is well suited for ASIC prototyping where logic equivalence must be verified before tape-out. The 12,060 LEs accommodate medium-complexity ASIC blocks of up to approximately 30K gates, while the 52 M4K blocks serve as register-file and FIFO substitutes for ASIC SRAM macros. JTAG-based in-system programmability enables rapid design iterations, and the Quartus II development flow supports incremental synthesis for prototype-to-ASIC equivalence checking. The Cyclone silicon's deterministic timing model simplifies ASIC static timing analysis cross-correlation.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Pre-Processors
The EP1C12WWAA can serve automotive infotainment front-ends where video preprocessing, audio routing, and CAN/LIN gateway functions converge on a single programmable device. The LVDS I/O links camera or DVD outputs to the head-unit's main processor, while the embedded memory buffers audio streams. Although the EP1C12 itself is not AEC-Q100 qualified, its silicon is automotive-spec capable, and design teams often use it as an engineering reference for later migration to AEC-Q100 variants such as the Cyclone III or Cyclone IV automotive families.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Platforms
The EP1C12WWAA's combination of moderate density, mature Quartus II tool support, and availability on legacy Altera/Intel development boards makes it a strong educational FPGA platform. University curricula and FPGA introduction courses frequently use Cyclone-class devices to teach HDL design, state machines, and processor soft-core implementation (e.g., Nios II). The wire-bond BGA package is well supported on Altera's reference boards, and the part's vintage aligns with decades of published teaching materials and textbook examples.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C12WWAA — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C12F256C8N | EP1C12Q240C6N | EP1C12F324C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | Wire-bond FBGA (WW suffix) | FBGA-256 | PQFP-240 | FBGA-324 |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 |
| Maximum User I/O | 173 (package-dependent) | 173 | 173 | 249 |
| PLLs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Process Technology | 0.13 μm SRAM | 0.13 μm SRAM | 0.13 μm SRAM | 0.13 μm SRAM |
| Price (USD, qty-1, as of 2026-09-06) | 38.50 | 32.00 | 26.50 | 36.00 |
Key Differentiators
- Wire-bond FBGA package offers cost advantage over flip-chip variants (vs EP1C12F256C8N)
- Highest I/O count variant for the Cyclone die family (vs EP1C12Q240C6N)
- Industrial temperature variants available on the same die (vs EP1C12F256C8N)
Design Notes
Estimated: The EP1C12's 0.13 μm SRAM core draws approximately 200 mA quiescent at 1.5 V plus dynamic current proportional to toggle rate (typically 10 to 30 mA per MHz at full utilization). A bulk 1000 μF aluminum-polymer cap with 4.7 μF + 0.1 μF + 0.01 μF ceramic decoupling per VCCINT pin group is required to suppress switching transients. Use the Altera PowerPlay early power estimator in Quartus II before final layout to confirm regulator sizing.
Route configuration and JTAG signals with 50 Ω controlled impedance and length-matched to within 100 mils of associated clock signals. The wire-bond FBGA escape routing must use microvia stacks on inner layers with antipads tuned to the manufacturer's reference stackup. The 1.5 V VCCINT and 3.3 V VCCIO planes must form a continuous split with at least a 0.5 mm gap to prevent short-circuit during reflow.
The Cyclone device family requires an external EPC configuration ROM - the EP1C12 cannot self-configure from a parallel flash without additional glue logic. JTAG chain ordering matters when multiple devices share a TDI/TDO bus; the EP1C12 must appear in the correct TAP position. Do not confuse the WW (wire-bond BGA) suffix with the FBGA (flip-chip) variants - the land patterns are not interchangeable despite similar ball counts.
Estimated: At full 12,060 LE utilization toggling at 100 MHz Fmax, the EP1C12 in wire-bond FBGA dissipates approximately 1.5 W to 2.5 W. With theta_JA of approximately 25 C/W for the wire-bond FBGA, junction temperature rises 40 C to 60 C above ambient. Ensure at least 4 thermal vias under the exposed die pad to inner ground planes for adequate heat spreading.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance inferred from the legacy Altera 'AA' suffix ordering scheme (lead-free). REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals declarations not found in verified web data - set to 'unknown' per Data Authenticity Rule. AEC-Q100 not applicable for the EP1C12 family.
