EP1C4F324C8L - Cyclone FPGA 4000 LEs FBGA-324 | Altera
MPN: EP1C4F324C8L β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $95 | $95.00 |
| 10 | $88 | $880.00 |
| 100 | $78 | $7,800.00 |
| 500 | $68 | $34,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $59.5 | $59,500.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C4F324C8L β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1C4F324C8
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View Datasheet βEP1C4F324C7N
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View Datasheet βEP1C12F324C8L
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View Datasheet βEP1C20F324C8N
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View Datasheet βEP1C4F324C8L Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone |
| Device Type | FPGA |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 4000 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 400 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 249 |
| Embedded Memory | 78 Kbits (M4K blocks) |
| Number of PLLs | 2 |
| Package | 324-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Body Size | 19 x 19 mm |
| Ball Pitch | 1.0 mm |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | C8 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to 85 C (Commercial) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (lead-free, RoHS-compliant) |
| Configuration Method | Serial (active serial via EPCS/EPCQ flash) |
| Internal Operating Frequency | Up to 405 MHz (per datasheet maximum) |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, SSTL, PCI |
| Development Tool | Quartus II (13.0 SP1 or earlier, legacy support) |
EP1C4F324C8L Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 2 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 3 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 4 | I/O Bank 1 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 5 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 6 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 7 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 8 | VCCINT β Core supply voltage 1.5 V |
| Pin 9 | I/O Bank 2 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 10 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 11 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 12 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 13 | I/O Bank 3 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 14 | VCCIO1 β I/O Bank 1 reference voltage (3.3 V / 2.5 V / 1.8 V) |
| Pin 15 | I/O Bank 4 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 16 | I/O Bank 4 β User I/O or dedicated pin (per Quartus pin assignment) |
| Pin 17 | TMS β JTAG Test Mode Select (dedicated) |
| Pin 18 | TCK β JTAG Test Clock (dedicated) |
| Pin 19 | TDO β JTAG Test Data Out (dedicated) |
| Pin 20 | TDI β JTAG Test Data In (dedicated) |
| Pin 21 | nSTATUS β Configuration status (dedicated) |
| Pin 22 | nCONFIG β Configuration control (dedicated) |
| Pin 23 | CONF_DONE β Configuration complete (dedicated) |
| Pin 24 | DCLK β Configuration clock (dedicated) |
| Pin 25 | DATA0 β Configuration data input (dedicated) |
| Pin 26 | CLK0 β PLL clock input 0 (dedicated) |
| Pin 27 | CLK1 β PLL clock input 1 (dedicated) |
| Pin 28 | VCCA_PLL1 β PLL1 analog supply 1.5 V |
| Pin 29 | GNDA_PLL1 β PLL1 analog ground |
| Pin 30 | VCCA_PLL2 β PLL2 analog supply 1.5 V |
| Pin 31 | GNDA_PLL2 β PLL2 analog ground |
| Pin 32 | VCCINT β Core supply voltage 1.5 V |
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
EP1C4F324C8L is suitable for 6 applications: Software Defined Radio (SDR) Frontend, Industrial Motor Control Interface, Video Processing & Display Bridge, Communication Protocol Bridge, Educational FPGA Development Platform, Consumer Electronics Glue Logic.
Software Defined Radio (SDR) Frontend
The EP1C4F324C8L fits SDR frontend designs because its 4000 LEs and 78 Kbits of M4K memory are sufficient to implement I/Q channelization, FIR filtering, and digital down-conversion at sample rates up to 65 MSPS. Its 2 PLLs provide independent clocks for ADC sampling and DDC mixing, while 249 I/Os interface parallel ADCs like the AD9226. The C8 speed grade closes timing at typical 50-100 MHz system clocks, making the EP1C4F324C8L a documented platform for early-generation HPSDR projects.
Recommended
Industrial Motor Control Interface
The EP1C4F324C8L suits industrial motor-control interface boards because its 249 I/Os drive encoder inputs, Hall-sensor arrays, PWM outputs, and isolated SPI links to gate drivers. The 1.5 V core and commercial temperature range (0-85 C) fit cabinet-mounted installations. Its 2 PLLs generate phase-shifted PWM clocks, while M4K RAM blocks buffer current/voltage samples for the control loop. The FBGA-324 footprint is straightforward to reflow on 4-layer FR-4 with proper thermal via arrays.
Recommended
Video Processing & Display Bridge
The EP1C4F324C8L is well matched to low-resolution video bridge applications such as converting DVI/HDMI to LVDS panel signals or deinterlacing SD video at 480i/576i. The M4K blocks implement line buffers for horizontal scaling, and 78 Kbits is enough to double-buffer a 720x480 grayscale frame. LVDS I/O support lets the device drive modern TFT panels directly. Its C8 speed grade closes 25-65 MHz pixel clock timing, and the FBGA-324 footprint accommodates the high pin count required by parallel video interfaces.
Recommended
Communication Protocol Bridge
The EP1C4F324C8L is ideal for protocol-bridge designs that convert UART/SPI/I2C to Ethernet, USB, or CAN. Its 4000 LEs hold the full state machine and DMA engine for a TCP/IP offload engine, while M4K memory stores packet buffers. Two PLLs derive independent clocks for the host-side UART and the network-side MAC, simplifying multi-rate bridging. The 249 I/Os are sufficient for parallel bus interfaces to legacy microcontrollers without external bus switches.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Platform
The EP1C4F324C8L is widely used in university and hobbyist FPGA courses because its 4000 LEs are large enough for full RISC-V cores, VGA controllers, and audio synthesizers, yet small enough for students to comprehend the synthesized netlist. The Quartus II toolchain (free Web Edition) supports the device natively, and the FBGA-324 has been adopted by popular Terasic-style dev boards. Lead-free C8L variant supports modern SMT lab equipment and RoHS-compliant coursework projects.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Glue Logic
The EP1C4F324C8L handles consumer glue-logic tasks where multiple discrete CPLDs would otherwise be needed: keypad scanning, IR receiver decoding, LED matrix driving, and audio routing. Its low unit cost at high volume and JTAG-supported in-field reprogrammability simplify firmware updates. The 1.5 V core plus LVCMOS/LVTTL I/O bank compatibility integrates with both legacy 3.3 V and modern 1.8 V SoCs, and the FBGA-324 footprint supports compact handheld device layouts.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C4F324C8L β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C4F324C8 | EP1C4F324C7N | EP1C4F324C6N | EP1C12F324C8L | EP1C20F324C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) - same | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) - same | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) - same | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) - same | FBGA-324 (1.0 mm pitch) - same |
| Logic Elements | 4000 | 4000 | 4000 | 4000 | 12,060 | 20,060 |
| Embedded RAM | 78 Kbits | 78 Kbits | 78 Kbits | 78 Kbits | 239 Kbits | 314 Kbits |
| Speed Grade | C8 | C8 | C7 (faster) | C6 (fastest) | C8 | C8 |
| Lead-Free | Yes (L suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (L suffix) | Yes (N suffix) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Toolchain | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 or earlier | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 | Quartus II 13.0 SP1 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
Key Differentiators
- Lead-free RoHS-compliant solder balls (vs EP1C4F324C8)
- Higher logic density in same FBGA-324 footprint (vs EP1C12F324C8L)
- Faster speed grade options available (vs EP1C4F324C7N)
Design Notes
The EP1C4F324C8L requires three independent supply rails: VCCINT = 1.5 V (core), VCCIO = 3.3 V / 2.5 V / 1.8 V per bank, and VCCA_PLL = 1.5 V (PLL analog). Decouple each rail with 0.1 uF X7R ceramic capacitors placed within 5 mm of every supply pin, plus a bulk 47-100 uF tantalum or polymer cap on each rail. Estimated: core current draw scales with logic utilization; typical designs at 50 MHz with 60% utilization draw 100-300 mA on VCCINT. Use a star-ground topology to keep digital return current away from PLL analog ground.
The FBGA-324 package with 1.0 mm ball pitch requires 4-layer FR-4 stack-up with a continuous ground plane beneath the device. Use 0.5 mm micro-via-in-pad (VIP) or dog-bone fan-out to route signals out of the inner rows; trace width 0.1 mm (4 mil) and 0.2 mm (8 mil) via pads are typical. Place a thermal via array (0.3 mm drill, 1.0 mm pitch) under the center ground balls to dissipate the 1-2 W typical dissipation. Estimated: total GPIO trace length should not exceed 25 mm to preserve signal integrity at 100 MHz LVCMOS.
Do not attempt to configure the EP1C4F324C8L without a valid serial configuration device - the FPGA will not enumerate user I/O until nCONFIG rises with CONF_DONE asserted. Verify MSEL[2:0] strap pins match the desired configuration mode (AS = 000, JTAG-only = 101). Quartus II versions newer than 13.0 SP1 do not support Cyclone I and will refuse to compile. Also avoid mixing JTAG chain devices with different VCCIO levels without a level translator - 3.3 V JTAG will damage 1.8 V configuration memories.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant per Altera product marking ('L' suffix on FBGA-324 denotes lead-free solder balls). Halogen-free status not explicitly listed in the verified distributor data and is set to 'unknown'. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs in this commercial-grade part. Conflict-minerals compliance inferred from standard Altera/Intel PSG policy.
