EP1C20F400I7 - Cyclone FPGA 20K LE FBGA-400 | Intel
MPN: EP1C20F400I7 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $42.5 | $42.50 |
| 10 | $38.2 | $382.00 |
| 100 | $34.85 | $3,485.00 |
| 500 | $31.4 | $15,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $28.75 | $28,750.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C20F400I7 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EP1C20F400I7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone |
| Logic Elements | 20,060 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 294,912 |
| M4K Memory Blocks | 60 (4 Kbit each) |
| Maximum User I/O | 301 |
| PLLs | 2 |
| Process Technology | 0.13 µm CMOS |
| Package | 400-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA), 21 x 21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Speed Grade | I7 (industrial, slowest) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +100C (industrial, junction) |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Configuration Modes | AS, PS, JTAG |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete (Cyclone generation discontinued) |
EP1C20F400I7 400-ball fbga (fineline bga), 21 x 21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C20F400I7 (400-ball fbga (fineline bga), 21 x 21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch 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 EP1C20F400I7.
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
EP1C20F400I7 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing Front-End, Low-End Networking Line Card, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, DSP Co-Processor / Soft Processor Host, Aerospace Avionics Databus Interface.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C20F400I7's 20,060 logic elements and 301 user I/O pins make it well suited for multi-axis motor control boards. Designers instantiate soft PWM generators, encoder quadrature decoders, and current-control loops in the LE fabric, using the 60 M4K memory blocks as lookup tables for sinusoidal commutation. The I7 industrial temperature grade supports factory-floor ambient up to +70C with margin, while the 0.13 µm CMOS design tolerates the electrical noise typical of variable-frequency drive cabinets. Compared to a microcontroller-only solution, the EP1C20F400I7 runs four simultaneous current-control loops at 50 kHz each with deterministic latency, and the LVDS-capable I/Os interface directly to 26LS31/32 differential line drivers for encoder feedback.
Recommended
Video Processing Front-End
For broadcast and surveillance front-ends, the EP1C20F400I7 ingests ITU-R BT.656 or Camera Link streams and performs color-space conversion, gamma correction, and scaling in real time. Each M4K block provides a 36-bit-wide single-port RAM that doubles as a line buffer, allowing progressive-to-interlaced conversion or field-rate conversion without external SDRAM for small image sizes. With 301 LVTTL/LVCMOS I/Os, the FPGA can simultaneously capture 8-bit parallel video from three sensors and drive a 24-bit RGB LCD interface. The 1.5 V core reduces dynamic power versus earlier 2.5 V Cyclone predecessors, enabling fanless operation in sealed video-wall enclosures.
Recommended
Low-End Networking Line Card
The EP1C20F400I7 implements 100-Mbps Ethernet MACs with on-chip FIFO buffers, POS-PHY Level 2 system-side interfaces, or 16-channel HDLC framers typical of access-network line cards. The DDR SDRAM interface port supports up to 133 MHz, providing 17 Gbps of external memory bandwidth for packet buffering in dedicated SSRAM or DDR SDRAM chips. Designers commonly instantiate a Nios II/s soft processor to handle management-plane SNMP and CLI parsing while keeping the data plane in pure hardware for deterministic line-rate throughput. The I7 industrial temperature grade suits outdoor DSLAM cabinets and street-side aggregation enclosures.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Bench-top instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and pattern generators leverage the EP1C20F400I7's combination of 301 I/Os and 20 K LEs to implement multi-channel capture logic. Each M4K block serves as a 4-Kbit deep state buffer, while the four-input LUTs encode custom JTAG, I2C, SPI, or proprietary serial protocol state machines. The I7 industrial temperature range supports lab-to-factory temperature sweeps, and the JTAG-based configuration allows rapid in-system reprogramming during protocol bring-up. Compared to discrete 74-series logic, one EP1C20F400I7 replaces thousands of TTL gates while consuming a fraction of the board area.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processor / Soft Processor Host
Embedded systems designers instantiate a Nios II/f or Nios II/s soft processor in the EP1C20F400I7, gaining a fully customisable on-chip CPU with selectable multiplier, branch prediction, and cache depth. The 60 M4K blocks become tightly-coupled instruction/data memories, allowing deterministic zero-wait-state access at speeds above 100 MHz in the I6/I7 speed grade. The remaining logic budget accommodates custom peripherals such as Sigma-Delta ADC interfaces, PWM banks, or hardware crypto accelerators. This single-chip CPU+FPGA approach eliminates an external host processor, saving both BOM cost and PCB area in industrial IoT edge nodes.
Recommended
Aerospace Avionics Databus Interface
Avionics integrators have historically used the EP1C20F400I7 to implement ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, or AFDX line receivers and transmitters on commercial-off-the-shelf cards. The 20 K LE fabric hosts multiple dual-redundant 1553 channels with each bus monitored independently, while the 301 LVTTL/LVDS I/Os bridge to external transceivers such as the Holt HI-1565 or Data Device Corporation BU-61741. The I7 industrial temperature range supports -40C cold-soak scenarios and high-altitude convection cooling. Long-term supply risk now drives many aerospace programs to migrate to Cyclone IV GX or Microsemi ProASIC3 equivalents qualified to DO-254.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C20F400I7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C20F400I6 | EP1C20F400I-6 | EP1C20F400 | EP1C20F400C8N | EP1C20F400C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) - same | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) - same | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) - same | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) - same | 400-ball FBGA (21x21 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) - same |
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Logic Elements | 20,060 | 20,060 - same | 20,060 - same | 20,060 - same | 20,060 - same | 20,060 - same |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 294,912 | 294,912 - same | 294,912 - same | 294,912 - same | 294,912 - same | 294,912 - same |
| Maximum User I/O | 301 | 301 - same | 301 - same | 301 - same | 301 - same | 301 - same |
| Speed Grade | I7 (slowest industrial) | I6 (faster industrial) | I6 (faster industrial) | unspecified (typically C7/C8) | C8 (commercial, faster than I7) | C7 (commercial, faster than I7) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +100C (industrial, junction) | -40C to +100C - same | -40C to +100C - same | 0C to +85C (commercial) typically | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V - same | 1.5 V - same | 1.5 V - same | 1.5 V - same | 1.5 V - same |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Approx. Unit Price @ 1000-pc (USD) | 28.75 | ~30-33 (slightly higher I6 demand) | ~30-33 | [DATA_NEEDED] | ~22-26 (commercial, cheaper) | ~22-26 |
Key Differentiators
- Slowest industrial speed grade maximizes timing margin (vs EP1C20F400I6)
- Industrial temperature qualification for harsh environments (vs EP1C20F400C8N)
- Same die as other Cyclone I variants ensures soft-binary compatibility (vs EP1C12Q240I7)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 100 MHz operation with moderate logic utilization (~50% of 20,060 LEs switching), the EP1C20F400I7 typically draws 0.5-1.0 A from a 1.5 V core rail. Provide at least 2 x 100 µF bulk tantalum capacitors plus one 0.1 µF ceramic per VCCINT pin and one 0.1 µF per VCCIO pin. Estimated input decoupling based on standard FPGA power integrity guidelines; refer to the Cyclone Device Handbook for actual measured quiescent and dynamic current curves. Power sequencing must follow Intel's VCCINT-then-VCCIO requirement to avoid latch-up.
The I7 speed grade is qualified to +100C junction, but actual junction temperature in a 21x21 mm FBGA depends heavily on PCB copper area and airflow. Provide at least 4 inner-layer copper pour areas of 1 oz copper under the FBGA footprint connected by 0.3 mm thermal via arrays (8-12 vias per cm^2). Without a heatsink or significant airflow, expect 15-25C junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (theta_JA), per Altera package thermal characterization. For sealed industrial enclosures, derate junction by 20C or consider Cyclone IV devices that offer lower power at equivalent LE counts.
The 400-ball FineLine BGA uses a 1.0 mm pitch, which is routable on standard 4-layer FR-4 with 0.2 mm/8 mil traces between balls using microvia-in-pad (preferred) or dog-bone fan-out. Maintain 0.4 mm clearance between BGA balls and any inner copper pour to avoid solder bridging. Reference the Altera Cyclone Device Handbook Package Information chapter for exact land pattern dimensions. JTAG header (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO, TRST) must be present on every PCB for in-system programming and boundary-scan test.
Do not confuse the EP1C20F400I7 (Cyclone I, 0.13 µm, 1.5 V) with EP2C20F256 (Cyclone II, 90 nm, 1.2 V) or EP3C20F256 (Cyclone III, 65 nm, 1.2 V). The configuration bitstream is NOT compatible across Cyclone generations, so Quartus II must target the correct family. The configuration memory (EPCS4/EPCS16/EPCS64) must also be from the Cyclone-era family list. Mixing Cyclone I bitstreams into a Cyclone III configuration device will fail programming without warning.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance per Intel/Altera product page. First-generation Cyclone parts are not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive applications use automotive-grade Cyclone IV or later families. Halogen-free status not explicitly published - default unknown.
