EP1C6T144I8N - Cyclone FPGA 5980 LEs, 144-TQFP | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP1C6T144I8N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $32.4 | $324.00 |
| 100 | $26.85 | $2,685.00 |
| 500 | $22.1 | $11,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $18.75 | $18,750.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C6T144I8N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EP1C6T144I8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone I (original Cyclone) |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 5,980 |
| Process Technology | 130 nm |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V (1.425 V to 1.575 V) |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 275.03 MHz |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 92,160 bits |
| Embedded RAM Blocks | M4K (4 Kbit each) |
| PLLs | 2 |
| User I/O Pins (max) | 98 |
| Package | TQFP-144 (22x22 mm, 0.5 mm pitch) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +100C (Industrial) |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Configuration Method | Serial (EPCS) / JTAG |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (Gull-Wing, JEDEC LQFP) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| LVDS Support | Yes (dedicated LVDS pairs) |
| DSP Blocks | Embedded multiplier blocks (no dedicated DSP block per Cyclone I) |
EP1C6T144I8N Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 2 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 3 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 4 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 5 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 6 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin 7 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 8 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 9 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 10 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 11 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 12 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 13 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 14 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 15 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 16 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 17 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 18 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 19 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 20 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 21 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin 22 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 23 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 24 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 25 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 26 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 27 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 28 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 29 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 30 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 31 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 32 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 33 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 34 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 35 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Pin 36 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 37 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 38 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 39 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 40 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 41 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 42 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 43 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 44 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 45 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 46 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 47 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 48 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 49 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 50 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Pin 51 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 52 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 53 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 54 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 55 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 56 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 57 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 58 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 59 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 60 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 61 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 62 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 63 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 64 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 65 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 66 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 67 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.5 V) |
| Pin 68 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 69 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 70 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 71 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 72 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 73 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 74 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 75 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 76 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 77 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 78 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 79 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 4) |
| Pin 80 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Pin 81 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active-low) |
| Pin 82 | MSEL0 — Configuration mode select 0 |
| Pin 83 | MSEL1 — Configuration mode select 1 |
| Pin 84 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active-low) |
| Pin 85 | CONF_DONE — Configuration complete (active-high) |
| Pin 86 | DCLK — Configuration clock input |
| Pin 87 | DATA0 — Configuration data input |
| Pin 88 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.5 V) |
| Pin 89 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 90 | TDI — JTAG test data input |
| Pin 91 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin 92 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin 93 | TDO — JTAG test data output |
| Pin 94 | nCE — Chip enable (active-low) |
| Pin 95 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 96 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 97 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 98 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 99 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 100 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 101 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Pin 102 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 103 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 104 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 105 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 106 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 107 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 108 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin 109 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 110 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 111 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 112 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 113 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 114 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 115 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 116 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin 117 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 118 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 119 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 120 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 121 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 122 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 123 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 124 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 125 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 126 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 127 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 128 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 129 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 130 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 131 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 132 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin 133 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 134 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 135 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 136 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 137 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 138 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 139 | VCCD_PLL1 — PLL1 digital supply |
| Pin 140 | VCCA_PLL1 — PLL1 analog supply |
| Pin 141 | GND_PLL1 — PLL1 ground |
| Pin 142 | CLK1 — PLL1 clock input |
| Pin 143 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 144 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
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
EP1C6T144I8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control (Stepper/Servo PWM), UART-to-SPI / UART-to-I2C Bus Bridge, Legacy Peripheral Emulation and Glue Logic, Low-Density Video Processing and Display Interfaces, Education and Hobby FPGA Development, Industrial Data Acquisition Front-End.
Industrial Motor Control (Stepper/Servo PWM)
The EP1C6T144I8N is well-suited to industrial stepper and servo motor PWM generation because its 5,980 logic elements and two PLLs can drive multiple high-resolution PWM channels at 50-200 kHz switching rates with sub-microsecond dead-time insertion. The 98 user I/Os accommodate quadrature encoder inputs, Hall-sensor feedback, direction/enable lines, and serial command ports simultaneously. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) supports factory-floor and outdoor-edge cabinet installations where ambient temperatures can swing widely. Use the two PLLs to derive high-frequency PWM counter clocks from a low-frequency crystal reference. Typical reference designs use approximately 30 percent of available LEs for a 4-axis stepper controller, leaving room for safety logic and communication stacks.
Recommended
UART-to-SPI / UART-to-I2C Bus Bridge
The EP1C6T144I8N serves as a flexible legacy-protocol bridge between UART-equipped microcontrollers and SPI/I2C peripherals because its 5,980 LEs can implement multiple master/slave state machines in parallel with deterministic latency. The 98 user I/Os allow one UART pair plus up to four SPI slaves or eight I2C buses to be bridged simultaneously. Industrial temperature grade supports factory automation backplanes, and the TQFP-144 hand-solderable footprint simplifies prototype rework. Configuration via serial flash (EPCS4) boots the bridge without host intervention. Reference designs typically consume 15-25 percent of available logic for a 4-channel protocol bridge with FIFO buffering, leaving resources for additional glue logic.
Recommended
Legacy Peripheral Emulation and Glue Logic
Modern microcontrollers and SoCs often lack parallel ISA, VGA, IDE, or PS/2 interfaces that older industrial equipment requires. The EP1C6T144I8N emulates these legacy peripherals through custom logic state machines mapped into its 5,980 LEs and 92 Kbits of embedded RAM. The TQFP-144 package exposes enough user I/O (98) to drive a full 16-bit ISA bus with wait-state generation, while two PLLs can synthesize non-standard pixel clocks for VGA output emulation. Industrial temperature grade matches legacy equipment deployment environments. Quartus II schematic or Verilog/VHDL entry supports a wide IP library for glue logic, including FIFO, dual-port RAM, and state-machine templates.
Recommended
Low-Density Video Processing and Display Interfaces
The EP1C6T144I8N can drive LVDS displays, capture composite video, or perform simple on-screen display (OSD) overlay because its 5,980 LEs can implement a video timing generator, frame buffer interface, and pixel-processing pipeline at moderate resolutions (VGA 640x480 at 60 Hz). Dedicated LVDS pairs on select pins drive flat-panel displays directly without external LVDS serializer ICs. The two PLLs generate pixel clocks from a 27 MHz reference. 92 Kbits of embedded RAM holds one or two scan-line buffers for OSD blending. This application benefits from speed grade 8 timing margin and is best prototyped on the TQFP-144 hand-solder-friendly package.
Recommended
Education and Hobby FPGA Development
The EP1C6T144I8N is widely adopted in university digital-design courses and maker projects because the TQFP-144 package is hand-solderable and breadboard-compatible with breakout PCBs. Its 5,980 LEs are large enough for meaningful projects (32-bit CPU cores, simple VGA games, USB device firmware) but small enough that students can understand the synthesis output without being overwhelmed. Quartus II Web Edition 13.0sp1 supports Cyclone I fully and remains a free toolchain. Industrial temperature grade means student projects work for outdoor demos and robotics competitions. Many open-source soft-core CPUs (NIOS II, RISC-V RV32I, Z80) target this device directly.
Recommended
Industrial Data Acquisition Front-End
The EP1C6T144I8N fits as a data-acquisition front-end preprocessor because its 5,980 LEs can implement digital filtering, decimation, and threshold detection on parallel ADC sample streams before forwarding to a host processor. The 98 user I/Os accept wide parallel ADC buses (up to 32 bits plus clock and control), and the two PLLs derive multiple ADC sample clocks from a system clock. Industrial temperature grade matches factory and outdoor sensor deployments. Embedded M4K RAM blocks provide sample buffering between acquisition bursts. Quartus II SignalTap logic analyzer is invaluable for debugging real-time sample timing during prototyping and validation.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C6T144I8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C6T144I7N | EP1C6T144C8N | EP1C6T144C7N | EP1C6T144I8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | TQFP-144 | TQFP-144 - same | TQFP-144 - same | TQFP-144 - same | TQFP-144 - same |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 5,980 | 5,980 | 5,980 | 5,980 | 5,980 |
| Embedded RAM | 92,160 bits | 92,160 bits | 92,160 bits | 92,160 bits | 92,160 bits |
| User I/O Pins | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| Speed Grade | 8 | 7 (faster) | 8 | 7 (faster) | 8 |
| Lifecycle Status (2026) | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy |
Key Differentiators
- Original Cyclone I family - hand-solderable TQFP-144 footprint (vs Cyclone IV EP4CE6E22 (EQFP-144, different pinout))
- Industrial temperature grade with full Last Time Buy availability (vs Cyclone II EP2C6T144 (commercial temp only))
- Free toolchain support through Quartus II 13.0sp1 Web Edition (vs Modern Intel FPGAs (Cyclone 10 LP, Cyclone V))
Design Notes
The EP1C6T144I8N requires four distinct supply rails: VCCINT (1.5 V core, 1.425-1.575 V range), VCCIO (per-bank, 1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V selectable), VCCA_PLL (analog PLL supply, 1.5 V), and VCCD_PLL (digital PLL supply, 1.5 V). Decouple each VCCINT pin with a 0.1 uF ceramic plus a 10 uF bulk capacitor within 5 mm of the pin. Each VCCIO bank requires its own decoupling network. VCCA_PLL and VCCD_PLL must be filtered through ferrite beads from VCCINT to prevent PLL jitter. Power sequencing is not strictly required but VCCINT must reach stable regulation before JTAG configuration begins.
Route the two PLL clock input traces (CLK0, CLK1) as short 50-ohm matched differential pairs with continuous ground reference. Place configuration-related pins (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, DCLK, DATA0) with short, parallel routes; the DCLK signal in particular is sensitive to skew during AS configuration. Use a 4-layer PCB with dedicated ground and power planes - this is mandatory for Cyclone I designs targeting more than 100 MHz internal performance. Place the EPCS configuration flash within 50 mm of the FPGA to keep DCLK traces short.
Three common pitfalls when designing with the EP1C6T144I8N: (1) Forgetting that MSEL0/MSEL1 pins must be tied to specific logic states (GND/VCCIO) to select AS vs JTAG vs PS configuration mode - check the Cyclone Device Handbook chapter on configuration. (2) Using 'C' (commercial) parts in industrial temperature deployments - the I-suffix industrial grade is mandatory for outdoor or factory environments. (3) Trying to use Intel Quartus Prime 15.1 or later - Cyclone I is supported only up to Quartus II 13.0sp1; retain the older toolchain for legacy maintenance.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel/Altera product page. Industrial temperature grade is NOT equivalent to AEC-Q100 automotive qualification; this part is not recommended for automotive safety-critical applications.
