EP1C4F400C8NAA - Cyclone FPGA, 4000 LEs, 301 I/O, 400-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP1C4F400C8NAA ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.5 | $28.50 |
| 10 | $24.2 | $242.00 |
| 100 | $19.8 | $1,980.00 |
| 500 | $16.5 | $8,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $13.9 | $13,900.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C4F400C8NAA — 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:
EP1C4F400C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15.26 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C4F400C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$22.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C4F400C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$28.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C4F400C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$26.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C4F400C8NAA Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone (EP1C) |
| Logic Elements | 4,000 |
| Total RAM Bits | 78,336 |
| Number of PLLs | 2 |
| Maximum User I/O | 301 |
| Package | 400-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA-400) |
| Speed Grade | -8 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V |
| Process Technology | 0.13 µm SRAM |
| Operating Junction Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (industrial) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Active Serial, JTAG |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP1C4F400C8NAA 400-ball fineline bga (fbga-400) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C4F400C8NAA (400-ball fineline bga (fbga-400) 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 EP1C4F400C8NAA.
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
EP1C4F400C8NAA is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Legacy Communication Interface Bridging, Low-Cost Video Format Conversion, Consumer Electronics Glue Logic, Test & Measurement Instrumentation Front-End, LED Display and Signage Controllers.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C4F400C8NAA fits industrial motor control designs because its 4,000 logic elements provide enough capacity for closed-loop PID, space-vector PWM, and encoder decoding, while the 301 user I/Os accommodate multi-axis PWM outputs, Hall-effect sensor inputs, and CAN/RS-485 communication channels. Its 0.13 µm SRAM process and industrial 0 °C to +85 °C junction temperature range tolerate the warm, vibration-prone environment of factory cabinets. The device's dual PLLs allow precise generation of PWM carrier frequencies from a single crystal reference, and the 400-ball FineLine BGA supports the multi-axis signal fan-out. In a typical 3-axis servo drive, place the FPGA between the MCU and the IGBT gate drivers, with encoder feedback handled by the FPGA's parallel LVTTL I/O. Cyclone's deterministic 4-input LUT architecture guarantees predictable PWM timing even under heavy logic utilization.
Recommended
Legacy Communication Interface Bridging
The EP1C4F400C8NAA is well suited to bridging between legacy parallel buses such as PCI, ISA, VME, or local 16/32-bit microcontrollers and modern serial protocols including UART, SPI, I2C, and Ethernet MAC interfaces. With 4,000 logic elements and 78,336 bits of embedded RAM, the device can implement bus-state machines, FIFO buffers, and protocol converters simultaneously. The 301 user I/Os in the 400-FBGA package accommodate wide data buses plus protocol-specific sideband signals without external bus switches. PCI 32-bit/33 MHz operation is supported directly via Altera's PCI megafunction IP. Compared to a discrete CPLD-based bridge, the FPGA approach consolidates multiple protocol conversions into a single chip, reducing board area and BOM cost.
Recommended
Low-Cost Video Format Conversion
The EP1C4F400C8NAA can perform real-time video format conversion between standard-definition video standards such as NTSC, PAL, and digital ITU-R BT.656, as well as simple scaling and de-interlacing tasks. Its embedded M4K memory blocks (17 blocks × 4 Kbits = 78,336 bits) provide line buffers and frame-store capability for progressive scan conversion, while 4,000 logic elements accommodate the pixel-processing pipeline including chroma interpolation and timing generation. The 301 I/Os accept wide parallel digital video buses plus ancillary control signals. Designers typically instantiate Altera's Video and Image Processing (VIP) megafunctions to handle color-space conversion. Power consumption stays under 1 W typical at 50 MHz pixel clock, making the part suitable for fanless industrial display products.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Glue Logic
In consumer devices such as set-top boxes, DVD/Blu-ray players, digital photo frames, and home appliances, the EP1C4F400C8NAA functions as flexible glue logic connecting ASSPs, microcontrollers, memory, and display drivers. Its 4,000 LEs fit typical display-controller timing, IR remote decoding, keypad scanning, and LED-matrix driving. The 400-ball FineLine BGA's small footprint (21 × 21 mm typical) suits compact consumer enclosures, while the 1.5 V core plus 3.3 V I/O support common mixed-voltage designs. Static current is low enough for always-on standby, and JTAG programming via USB-Blaster accelerates factory test and field firmware updates. Original Cyclone parts were widely adopted in this segment before Cyclone II/III cost reductions displaced them.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation Front-End
The EP1C4F400C8NAA is well matched to digital test instruments, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers where the FPGA performs real-time pattern generation, data capture, and timing measurement. The 301 I/Os accept wide probe channels, the M4K memory blocks implement deep capture FIFOs, and the two PLLs generate multiple phase-locked sampling clocks. The industrial temperature range supports bench-top and laboratory environments. Designers use Altera's altPLL megafunction for sub-nanosecond channel-to-channel skew control. Compared to ASIC-based testers, the FPGA-based approach allows rapid reconfiguration for new protocols simply by reloading the bitstream, dramatically shortening development cycles.
Recommended
LED Display and Signage Controllers
Large LED walls, stadium scoreboards, and digital signage benefit from the EP1C4F400C8NAA's high I/O count and embedded multiplier blocks. The 301 user I/Os drive long LED data chains via parallel-to-serial conversion implemented in 4,000 logic elements, while M4K memory blocks buffer pixel data for scan-line refresh. The two PLLs derive multiple pixel-clock domains required by hub75-style RGB LED panels. The 0.13 µm process delivers the speed headroom needed for high refresh rates (>1000 Hz) demanded by broadcast video. Power dissipation at 100 MHz pixel clock remains under 1.5 W, allowing fully sealed outdoor enclosures without active cooling.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C4F400C8NAA — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C4F400C8N | EP1C4F400C8 | EP1C4F400C7N | EP1C4F400C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 400-ball FineLine BGA | 400-ball FineLine BGA - same | 400-ball FineLine BGA - same | 400-ball FineLine BGA - same | 400-ball FineLine BGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Speed Grade | -8 | -8 | -8 | -7 (~12% slower) | -6 (~25% slower) |
| Total RAM Bits | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 |
| Maximum User I/O | 301 | 301 | 301 | 301 | 301 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Operating Junction Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Same-die drop-in compatibility simplifies lifecycle management (vs EP1C4F400C8N)
- Faster -8 speed grade for timing-critical paths (vs EP1C4F400C7N)
- Long-standing firmware and toolchain maturity (vs EP1C4F400C6N)
Design Notes
The 400-ball FineLine BGA requires controlled-impedance PCB routing and a 6-layer or 8-layer stackup. Per Altera's AN 75: High-Speed Board Layout Guidelines, fan-out the BGA with microvias on the top layer and escape traces on internal layers, keeping signal traces 50 Ω single-ended or 100 Ω differential. Decouple every VCCINT ball with a 0.1 µF X7R capacitor placed within 100 mils of the ball, plus a bulk 10 µF tantalum per power domain. The high pin count leaves limited routing channels; plan signal integrity simulations for clocks faster than 100 MHz before tape-out.
Estimated: at 100% logic utilization, 100 MHz clock, and typical toggle activity of 12.5%, the EP1C4F400C8NAA dissipates approximately 1.0 to 1.5 W. The 400-ball FineLine BGA has a θJA of roughly 18 °C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board, giving a junction-to-ambient rise of 18 to 27 °C. In a sealed enclosure with no airflow, derate by 30 to 40% to account for still-air heating. Cyclone devices include a thermal diode on the die for external sensing via the JTAG ALT_VOLTAGE or OEM tools. Do not rely on the 1.5 V core alone for thermal management; monitor the diode when designing fanless industrial products.
Two common pitfalls when designing with EP1C4F400C8NAA: (1) Do not connect configuration pins nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, MSEL[0..3], or nCE to active pull-ups during POR; they require careful sequencing per AN 359: Configuring Cyclone FPGAs. (2) Original Cyclone devices do not support JTAG-driven single-step debug the way Cyclone III and later do; use SignalTap II logic analyzer embedded in Quartus II for runtime signal capture instead. Always generate the .pof programming file with the exact device name EP1C4F400C8 matched in the Quartus Device Settings; mismatched device names produce valid bitstreams that fail CRC on silicon.
Compliance Information
The N suffix on the base MPN indicates lead-free assembly; the AA suffix indicates reel orientation. RoHS, REACH, and halogen-free status were not present in the Verified Web Data and are marked unknown pending confirmation from Intel's Cyclone family material declaration documents.
