EP1C6T144C7N - Cyclone 5980-Cell FPGA, 1.5V, 144-TQFP | Altera
MPN: EP1C6T144C7N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $27.02 | $27.02 |
| 10 | $24.85 | $248.50 |
| 100 | $22.5 | $2,250.00 |
| 500 | $20.1 | $10,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $18.4 | $18,400.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C6T144C7N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EP1C6T144C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone |
| Series | Cyclone I |
| Manufacturer | Altera (Intel) |
| Logic Elements | 5980 |
| Logic Cells / CLBs | 5980 |
| Total RAM Bits | 92160 |
| Number of I/Os | 98 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 598 |
| Operating Voltage (Core) | 1.5 V |
| Operating Voltage (I/O) | 3.3 V (LVCMOS/LVTTL) |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 320 MHz |
| Process Technology | CMOS, 130 nm |
| Number of PLLs | 2 |
| Package | 144-TQFP (TQFP-144) |
| Package Size | 22 x 22 mm |
| Lead Pitch | 0.5 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Configuration Modes | PS, AS, JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP1C6T144C7N Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 2 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 3 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 4 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 5 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 6 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 7 | VCCIO — I/O supply voltage (3.3V) |
| Pin 8 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 9 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 10 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 11 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 12 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 13 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 14 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 15 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 16 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 17 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 18 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 19 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 20 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 21 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.5V) |
| Pin 22 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 23 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 24 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 25 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 26 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 27 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 28 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 29 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 30 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 31 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 32 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 33 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 34 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 35 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 36 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 37 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 38 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 39 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 40 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 41 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 42 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 43 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 44 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 45 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 46 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 47 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 48 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 49 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 50 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 51 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 52 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 53 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 54 | VCCIO — I/O supply voltage (3.3V) |
| Pin 55 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 56 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 57 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 58 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 59 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 60 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 61 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 62 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 63 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 64 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 65 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 66 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 67 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 68 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 69 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 70 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 71 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 72 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 73 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.5V) |
| Pin 74 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 75 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 76 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 77 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 78 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 79 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 80 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 81 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 82 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 83 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 84 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 85 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 86 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 87 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 88 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 89 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 90 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 91 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 92 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 93 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 94 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 95 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 96 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 97 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 98 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 99 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 100 | VCCIO — I/O supply voltage (3.3V) |
| Pin 101 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 102 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 103 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 104 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 105 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 106 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 107 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 108 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 109 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 110 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 111 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 112 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 113 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 114 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 115 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 116 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.5V) |
| Pin 117 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 118 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 119 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 120 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 121 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 122 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 123 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 124 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 125 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 126 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 127 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 128 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 129 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 130 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 131 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 132 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 133 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 134 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 135 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 136 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 137 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 138 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 139 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 140 | VCCIO — I/O supply voltage (3.3V) |
| Pin 141 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 142 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 143 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
| Pin 144 | I/O — General purpose user I/O pin |
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
EP1C6T144C7N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing Pipelines, Telecommunications Interface Bridges, ASIC Emulation and Prototyping, Embedded Coprocessor for MCU Systems, Educational and Development Platforms.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C6T144C7N fits industrial motor-control designs that need deterministic multi-axis PWM generation, encoder feedback decoding, and CAN bus bridging in a single low-cost device. Its 5980 logic elements and 98 user I/Os comfortably host three-phase PWM generators, Hall-effect or quadrature decoders, and a soft CAN controller. The 144-TQFP package's 0.5 mm pitch allows hand-reworkable assembly, useful for low-volume industrial controller production.
Recommended
Video Processing Pipelines
The EP1C6T144C7N serves well in cost-sensitive video pipelines such as CCTV-format conversion, frame-rate conversion, and on-screen-display overlay. Its 20 M4K RAM blocks (92160 bits total) buffer line-scan data while the 5980 LEs implement pixel processing, color-space conversion, and timing generators. The 320 MHz fMAX comfortably supports standard-definition video clocks, and the 144-TQFP package brings out enough I/Os for parallel RGB or digital video buses.
Recommended
Telecommunications Interface Bridges
The EP1C6T144C7N bridges legacy telecommunications interfaces (T1/E1, parallel PCM, UART multiplexing) into modern packet backplanes. Its 5980 LEs implement serializer-deserializer state machines, while the 92160-bit RAM serves as elastic FIFO buffering between clock domains generated by the device's two PLLs. The 144-TQFP's 98 I/Os expose multiple UART, SPI, and I2S channels in parallel.
Recommended
ASIC Emulation and Prototyping
The EP1C6T144C7N is widely used to prototype and emulate ASIC RTL before tape-out. Its 5980 LEs map to a few hundred thousand ASIC gates, enough for sub-system verification of glue logic, register files, and modest DSP pipelines. The JTAG configuration interface enables rapid design iteration, while the 144-TQFP footprint simplifies mechanical integration into prototype boards.
Recommended
Embedded Coprocessor for MCU Systems
The EP1C6T144C7N functions as a programmable coprocessor attached to a microcontroller host via SPI, parallel bus, or UART. The FPGA offloads compute-intensive tasks such as FFT pre-processing, custom cryptographic primitives, or high-speed sensor fusion, freeing the MCU for control-loop duty. With 5980 LEs and 92160 RAM bits, the EP1C6 handles many real-time signal-processing pipelines without external memory.
Recommended
Educational and Development Platforms
The EP1C6T144C7N is a popular FPGA for university digital-logic labs and hobbyist development boards because of its manageable 5980-LE size, affordable unit cost, and compatibility with the Altera Quartus II toolchain (free version supports Cyclone I). The 144-TQFP package's hand-solderable 0.5 mm pitch is at the practical limit for student assembly, and its abundant I/Os accept LEDs, switches, and 7-segment displays directly.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C6T144C7N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C6T144C8N | EP1C6T144C7 | EP1C6T144C6N | EP1C6T144C6 | EP1C6T14417N | EP1C3T144C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 144-TQFP | 144-TQFP - same | 144-TQFP - same | 144-TQFP - same | 144-TQFP - same | 144-TQFP - same | 144-TQFP - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Speed Grade | C7 | C8 (faster) | C7 (same) | C6 (slower) | C6 (slower) | C7 variant | C8 (faster) |
| Logic Elements | 5980 | 5980 | 5980 | 5980 | 5980 | 5980 | 2910 |
| Total RAM Bits | 92160 | 92160 | 92160 | 92160 | 92160 | 92160 | 59904 |
| User I/Os | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 104 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Max Frequency | 320 MHz | 320 MHz | 320 MHz | 320 MHz | 320 MHz | 320 MHz | 320 MHz |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes (lead-free) | Yes | No (leaded version) | Yes | No (leaded version) | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible faster speed grade (vs EP1C6T144C8N)
- Larger logic density vs EP1C3 in same package (vs EP1C3T144C8N)
- Mature, widely available Cyclone I silicon (vs EP1C12F324C6N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 100% resource utilization (5980 LEs, 20 M4K blocks, all 98 I/Os toggling at 100 MHz), the EP1C6T144C7N draws roughly 300-500 mA from VCCINT and 100-200 mA from VCCIO. Place 100 uF bulk + 0.1 uF high-frequency ceramic decoupling capacitors adjacent to every VCCINT and VCCIO pin pair, plus a 10 uF bulk capacitor at the regulator output. The Cyclone Device Handbook's powerplay estimator tool provides device-specific numbers for your design before committing to a regulator.
Route the dedicated clock input pins (CLK[0..3] on the EP1C6T144) as 50-ohm controlled-impedance traces, length-matched within 100 mils if used for a DDR-style or source-synchronous interface. Keep JTAG chain signals (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) away from fast switching I/O to avoid configuration-mode interference. The 0.5 mm pitch TQFP package requires 4-mil trace-and-space design rules; plan escape routing accordingly.
Do not power the EP1C6T144C7N with VCCIO=3.3V while VCCINT=1.5V out of sequence during hot-plug events - always ramp VCCINT before or simultaneously with VCCIO. Always issue a CONFIG_DONE acknowledge check after configuration; a missing CONFIG_DONE signal is the most common cause of 'blank' Cyclone I designs. Verify the bitstream was generated for the correct device ID (EP1C6) and package (T144) in Quartus II - bitstreams targeting a different package or family member will not configure correctly.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant lead-free version (suffix 'N') per Altera/Intel product marking. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - not intended for automotive safety-critical applications.
