EP1K50QI208-2 - ACEX 1K 50K Gates FPGA, 208-PQFP | Altera
MPN: EP1K50QI208-2 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.5 | $28.50 |
| 10 | $25.2 | $252.00 |
| 100 | $21.8 | $2,180.00 |
| 500 | $19.5 | $9,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $17.2 | $17,200.00 |
EP1K50QI208-2 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that allows engineers to implement custom digital circuits using a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and embedded memory. FPGAs sit in the broader semiconductor hierarchy alongside ASICs, microcontrollers, and CPLDs, and are preferred over ASICs when time-to-market, low NRE cost, or post-production design flexibility matters. Within the Altera/Intel portfolio, the ACEX 1K series is positioned as a low-cost, low-power FPGA family using a 2.5 V core process.
Key features of the EP1K50QI208-2 include 147 user I/O pins, 360 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), built-in Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs), in-system programmability via SRAM configuration cells, and MultiVolt I/O supporting 2.5 V / 3.3 V / 5.0 V mixed-voltage interfacing. The 208-pin PQFP surface-mount package offers easy prototyping and rework on conventional PCB assembly lines, while the embedded dual-port SRAM enables on-chip FIFOs and small buffers without external memory.
The architecture is built on a CMOS SRAM-based lookup-table fabric combined with dedicated routing, four input LUTs per LE, and fast carry chains for arithmetic operations. The -2 speed grade corresponds to roughly 166.67 MHz internal performance, which is sufficient for glue logic, custom bus interfaces, and many industrial control loops. The device supports JTAG-based boundary-scan testing and the Altera ByteBlaster or USB-Blaster programming cables.
Typical applications for the EP1K50QI208-2 include DSL modem channel aggregation, low-cost Ethernet switches and routers, PCI bus bridges, custom peripheral controllers, industrial automation glue logic, glue logic between microcontrollers and DSPs, and legacy communication infrastructure. The wide voltage range and 147 I/Os make it suitable for legacy 5 V system interfacing where modern FPGAs may no longer offer 5 V-tolerant I/O.
When designing with this part, note that the ACEX 1K family uses SRAM configuration cells, meaning the FPGA loses its configuration on power-down and must be reconfigured at every boot from a serial configuration PROM such as an EPC2 or EPCS device. Designers must therefore budget for a configuration device on the board and ensure the JTAG chain is correctly ordered for in-system reprogramming during board bring-up.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, SameFrame pin-compatible alternatives, and practical design guidance not found in the original ACEX 1K datasheet - giving engineers a single reference for sourcing and migration decisions.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1K50QI208-2 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EP1K50QI208-2 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Configuration Method, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1K50QI208-2N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$8.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1K50QC208-2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$20.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1K100QI208-2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$23.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1K100QI208-02
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$13.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1K30QI208-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP1K50QI208-2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | ACEX 1K |
| Manufacturer | Altera (Intel) |
| Typical Gate Count | 50,000 gates |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 2,880 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 360 |
| Embedded SRAM | 40,960 bits |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 147 |
| Speed Grade | -2 |
| Core Voltage | 2.5 V |
| I/O Voltage Support | 2.5 V / 3.3 V / 5.0 V (MultiVolt) |
| Package Type | 208-pin PQFP (Power Quad Flat Pack) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Process Technology | CMOS, SRAM-based configuration |
| Configuration Method | JTAG / serial configuration PROM (EPC2/EPCS) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
EP1K50QI208-2 208-pin pqfp (power quad flat pack) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1K50QI208-2 (208-pin pqfp (power quad flat pack) 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 EP1K50QI208-2.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1K50QI208-2 is suitable for 6 applications: DSL Modem and CPE Aggregation, Low-Cost Ethernet Switch and Router, PCI Bus Bridge and Glue Logic, Industrial Automation and Control Glue, Custom Peripheral Controller and Legacy Replacement, Test and Measurement Equipment Front-End.
DSL Modem and CPE Aggregation
The EP1K50QI208-2 is well-suited to DSL modem and customer-premises equipment aggregation where its 2,880 LEs and 40,960 bits of embedded SRAM can implement channel aggregation logic, ATM cell mapping, and UART/HDLC glue logic. Its 147 user I/O pins exposed through the 208-pin PQFP offer ample parallel connectivity to line-driver codecs and PHY transceivers. The industrial temperature range (-40C to +85C) and 5 V-tolerant MultiVolt I/O allow direct interfacing with legacy telecom line interfaces. Engineers value the FPGA's 166 MHz internal performance for processing multiple DSL channels concurrently without external microcontrollers, reducing BOM cost and power.
Recommended
Low-Cost Ethernet Switch and Router
In low-cost Ethernet switches and SOHO routers, the EP1K50QI208-2 implements MAC-layer bridging, VLAN tagging, QoS prioritization, and SPI/I2C management interfaces between the switch ASIC and PHY transceivers. Its 50K-gate capacity comfortably handles 4-8 port switch glue logic with 802.1Q VLAN tables in on-chip dual-port RAM. The MultiVolt I/O bridges cleanly between 3.3 V Ethernet PHYs and 2.5 V switch ASICs, eliminating level shifters. The 208-pin PQFP package supports high pin-count MAC-to-PHY connections plus status LEDs, JTAG, and configuration PROMs - all in one compact SMD device.
Recommended
PCI Bus Bridge and Glue Logic
The EP1K50QI208-2 serves as a PCI bus bridge and glue-logic hub in industrial PCs and test equipment where it implements custom PCI target devices, bus arbiters, and FIFO interfaces between 33 MHz PCI and legacy 8/16-bit peripheral buses. The 147 user I/Os and 50K-gate capacity handle 32-bit multiplexed PCI address/data plus chip-select and interrupt steering for up to eight downstream peripherals. Its 2.5 V core with 3.3 V PCI-compliant I/O meets PCI 2.2 electrical specifications, while the JTAG-supported ACEX 1K simplifies in-system PCI compliance testing. Many legacy add-in cards still ship with EP1K50-series FPGAs for exactly this use case.
Recommended
Industrial Automation and Control Glue
In industrial automation controllers, PLCs, and motor drives, the EP1K50QI208-2 implements custom encoder decoding, PWM generation, EtherCAT / Modbus framing, and inter-IC glue between microcontrollers and DSPs. The industrial temperature rating (-40C to +85C) handles factory-floor thermal stress, while the 5 V-tolerant I/O directly interfaces with 24 V-isolated industrial sensor front-ends after simple resistive dividers. The 360 LABs support wide state machines for safety interlocks, and the embedded dual-port RAM enables ping-pong buffers between ADC/DAC blocks and host processors without external SRAM.
Recommended
Custom Peripheral Controller and Legacy Replacement
The EP1K50QI208-2 is frequently used as a form-fit-function replacement for obsolete discrete ASICs and gate-array logic in legacy peripheral controllers (scanners, point-of-sale terminals, medical instruments, telecom line cards). Its SRAM-based configurability allows post-production firmware bug fixes without silicon re-spin, and the JTAG interface supports both production programming and field diagnostics. The 50K-gate density and 360 LABs are sufficient to replace 30-year-old gate-array ASICs while running modern VHDL/Verilog code originally written for those parts. Engineers preserve the original PCB while upgrading the digital logic implementation.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Equipment Front-End
In oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers, the EP1K50QI208-2 implements custom trigger engines, pattern generators, and protocol-decode state machines with deterministic latency from its synchronous logic fabric. The 166 MHz internal Fmax (speed grade -2) supports real-time processing of high-speed serial protocols like SPI, I2C, UART, and CAN in parallel. Its 147 user I/Os accept direct connections from front-end analog comparators and timing-generator ASICs, while the 40,960 bits of embedded SRAM act as capture buffers between trigger events and host-side read-out. The 208-pin PQFP supports easy rework in low-volume T&M equipment.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1K50QI208-2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1K50QI208-2N | EP1K50QC208-2 | EP1K100QI208-2 | EP1K100QI208-02 | EP1K30QI208-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 208-PQFP | 208-PQFP | 208-PQFP | 208-PQFP | 208-PQFP | 208-PQFP |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Typical Gates | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 30,000 |
| Logic Elements | 2,880 | 2,880 | 2,880 | 4,992 | 4,992 | 1,920 |
| Embedded SRAM | 40,960 bits | 40,960 bits | 40,960 bits | 49,152 bits | 49,152 bits | 24,576 bits |
| User I/O Pins | 147 | 147 | 147 | 147 | 147 | 147 |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (industrial) | -40C to +85C (industrial) | 0C to +70C (commercial) | -40C to +85C (industrial) | -40C to +85C (industrial) | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
| Core Voltage | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade in 208-PQFP (vs EP1K50QC208-2)
- Higher logic capacity in same 208-PQFP package (vs EP1K30QI208-2)
- Cost-optimized density tier vs flagship ACEX 1K (vs EP1K100QI208-2)
Design Notes
The ACEX 1K family uses SRAM-based configuration cells, meaning the EP1K50QI208-2 loses its configuration on power-down. Every board must include a configuration device such as an EPC2, EPCS1, or EPCS4 serial PROM on the dedicated configuration pins (DCLK, DATA0, nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE) or the FPGA will fail to boot. JTAG chain ordering must place the EP1K50QI208-2 before any other JTAG devices on the board to ensure correct in-system reprogramming.
The 208-pin PQFP requires a multi-layer PCB with continuous power and ground planes under the device. Place 0.1 uF decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCCINT and VCCIO pin pair. Each VCCIO bank can be powered independently (2.5 V / 3.3 V / 5.0 V), so route VCCIO traces with sufficient trace width for the per-bank current draw. The PQFP lead pitch is 0.5 mm - ensure your PCB house can reliably manufacture 0.5 mm pitch SMD footprints.
Do not confuse the EP1K50QI208-2 ('I' industrial temperature, 208-PQFP, -2 speed) with the EP1K50QC208-2 ('C' commercial temperature). The temperature grade is not a marketing suffix - it affects the silicon process corner, operating margin, and datasheet-specified timing. Mixing up an industrial-grade part for a commercial spec or vice versa will cause out-of-spec behavior at temperature extremes. Always cross-check the operating-temperature row in your BOM against the actual application environment.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance not explicitly stated in the verified datasheet excerpt. The 208-PQFP package typically uses lead-free matte-tin terminations but a manufacturer declaration letter should be requested for new designs requiring formal RoHS certification.
