EP20K200CF484C7 - APEX 20KC FPGA 200K Gates 484-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP20K200CF484C7 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $130.5 | $1,305.00 |
| 100 | $112 | $11,200.00 |
| 500 | $95.5 | $47,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $82 | $82,000.00 |
EP20K200CF484C7 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that lets designers implement arbitrary digital logic - combinational paths, registered state machines, FIFOs, DSP pipelines, and embedded memory blocks - in silicon without the cost of a custom ASIC mask set. APEX 20KC sits in the multi-level hierarchy of programmable logic: FPGA is the broadest category; APEX 20KC is a specific family within the FPGA class; SRAM-based LUT architecture is the underlying technology. APEX 20KC was designed for high-throughput DSP, communications, and bus-interface applications that previously required multiple discrete CPLDs or gate arrays.
Key features include embedded dual-port RAM blocks totalling 106,496 bits, LVDS I/O support for high-speed chip-to-chip signalling, and up to 376 user I/O pins in the 484-BGA package. The 1.8 V core with 0.15 µm CMOS process enables low static power relative to older 2.5 V APEX 20K parts while maintaining LVDS drive capability for parallel backplane links.
The APEX 20KC architecture combines logic array blocks (LABs), MegaLAB structures, FastTrack interconnect rows/columns, and embedded system blocks (ESBs) configured as dual-port RAM, ROM, or product-term logic. This heterogeneous fabric supports up to 200K gates of random logic alongside dedicated memory, allowing designers to consolidate glue logic, FIFOs, and DSP datapaths on a single die.
Typical applications include telecommunications line cards, PCI/PCI-X bus bridges, custom DSP accelerators, network protocol engines, and industrial control backplanes. The 484-BGA footprint and large gate count suit designs where board real-estate is constrained but logic capacity is essential.
When designing with EP20K200CF484C7, ensure the Quartus II (or legacy MAX+PLUS II) configuration bitstream is generated for the C7 speed grade; mismatched timing files will produce hold violations. Decouple VCCINT and VCCIO planes independently with 0.1 µF and 10 µF ceramics placed within 5 mm of the balls.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200CF484C7 — 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 EP20K200CF484C7 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Package, Process Technology, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200CF484C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$410.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200CF484I7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$89.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC484-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC484-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$75.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200CF484C7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX 20KC |
| Family | APEX 20KC |
| Number of Logic Elements (LEs) | 8,320 |
| Number of Gates | 200,000 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 |
| Number of I/O | 376 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 1.71 V to 1.89 V |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm CMOS, Copper interconnect |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 375.94 MHz |
| LVDS Support | Yes |
| Package / Case | 484-BBGA (FineLine BGA, 23×23 mm) |
| Supplier Device Package | 484-FBGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | C7 (commercial, mid-performance) |
| Configuration Memory | SRAM-based (volatile, requires configuration device) |
EP20K200CF484C7 484-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K200CF484C7 (484-fbga 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 EP20K200CF484C7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K200CF484C7 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Card, PCI / PCI-X Bus Bridge, Custom DSP Accelerator, Network Protocol Engine, Industrial Control Backplane, Legacy System Sustainment.
Telecommunications Line Card
The EP20K200CF484C7's 200K system gates, 8,320 LEs, and 106,496 bits of embedded dual-port RAM make it well suited for telecom line-card glue logic and protocol termination. Its LVDS-capable I/O banks support backplane serialization up to several hundred Mbps per channel, matching common telecom serial-link standards of the early-2000s era. Placed alongside a network processor, the FPGA absorbs cell/packet framing, clock-domain crossing FIFOs, and SERDES-deserialized data alignment tasks. Designers can leverage the APEX 20KC MegaLAB structure to co-locate wide datapaths and embedded RAM for line-rate processing without external SRAM.
Recommended
PCI / PCI-X Bus Bridge
The EP20K200CF484C7 delivers the logic capacity and I/O count required to implement a 32-bit/33 MHz or 64-bit/66 MHz PCI/PCI-X bridge between a host CPU and a custom peripheral bus. Its 376 user I/Os in the 484-FBGA package can directly interface to PCI signals, address/data buses, and interrupt/control lines without external bus drivers. The embedded dual-port RAM blocks (106,496 bits total) provide on-chip FIFO buffering for posted-write and read-ahead transactions. Quartus II IP cores for PCI bridge are available, simplifying integration into embedded computing platforms.
Recommended
Custom DSP Accelerator
The EP20K200CF484C7 with 8,320 LEs and embedded RAM is suitable for fixed-point DSP acceleration such as FIR/IIR filtering, FFT butterflies, or CRC engines. The 1.8 V APEX 20KC core offers low static power while LVDS I/O enables high-throughput streaming between the FPGA and external ADC/DAC converters. Designers can map multiply-accumulate operations onto the APEX 20KC's logic array, with the embedded system blocks acting as coefficient tables or delay-line memory. For higher DSP density, Altera's Stratix family is recommended; APEX 20KC remains viable for legacy or cost-sensitive designs.
Recommended
Network Protocol Engine
The EP20K200CF484C7 fits network protocol engine designs such as custom Ethernet frame processors, HDLC/PPP controllers, or proprietary industrial-bus protocol stacks. With 200K gates and LVDS I/O support, the device can serialize/deserialize at line rates typical of 100BASE-TX Ethernet or industrial backplane protocols. The 484-FBGA package exposes 376 user I/Os - enough to drive parallel bus interfaces to PHY chips and host processors simultaneously. Designers use the embedded RAM for packet buffers and descriptor tables, offloading memory pressure from the host CPU.
Recommended
Industrial Control Backplane
The EP20K200CF484C7's combination of 200K gates, 376 I/Os, and LVDS support makes it a strong fit for industrial backplane controllers interfacing to PLCs, motor drives, and sensor arrays. Its industrial-temperature variant (EP20K200CF484I7) extends the operating range to -40 °C to +100 °C for harsh-environment deployments. Designers can implement custom real-time control loops, encoder interfaces, and inter-card arbitration in the FPGA while leaving deterministic motion control to dedicated motor-driver ICs. The SRAM-based configuration requires an external EPC-series configuration device for system bring-up.
Recommended
Legacy System Sustainment
Many defense, aerospace, and industrial systems designed in the early 2000s use the EP20K200CF484C7 as the central logic device; sustaining those systems requires continued access to the obsolete part. Rochester Electronics and other authorized aftermarket distributors provide traceable, factory-tested EP20K200CF484C7 stock for sustainment programs. The 1.8 V APEX 20KC architecture also allows simple migration to higher-density APEX 20KC variants (such as EP20K1000CF672) on the same Quartus II tool flow when capacity upgrade is needed. Bitstream compatibility is NOT guaranteed across speed grades or part variants - recompilation is mandatory.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200CF484C7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200CF484C8 | EP20K200CF484I7 | EP20K200BC484-2X | EP20K200BC484-1X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm) | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm) - same | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm) - same | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm) - same | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm) - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Family | APEX 20KC (1.8V) | APEX 20KC | APEX 20KC | APEX 20K (2.5V) | APEX 20K (2.5V) |
| Core Voltage | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 2.375 V to 2.625 V | 2.375 V to 2.625 V |
| Speed Grade | C7 | C8 (faster) | I7 | B-2X | B-1X |
| Logic Elements | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (commercial) | 0°C to +85°C | -40°C to +100°C (industrial) | 0°C to +85°C | 0°C to +85°C |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- 1.8 V APEX 20KC core with LVDS I/O (vs EP20K200BC484-2X (APEX 20K 2.5 V))
- 200K gates with 106,496 bits embedded RAM (vs EP20K100CF324C7 (100K APEX 20KC))
- C7 commercial speed grade availability (vs EP20K200CF484C8 (C8 speed grade))
Design Notes
Estimated: the APEX 20KC core draws approximately 0.5-2 W static at 1.8 V depending on configuration and clock rates. VCCINT must be regulated to 1.71 V - 1.89 V; the LVDS I/O banks require a separate VCCIO rail. Use a low-dropout regulator such as the LT3021 with 1% accuracy, and place 0.1 µF and 10 µF ceramic decoupling within 5 mm of every BGA ball row. For high-toggle designs, add bulk tantalum capacitors at the board edge to absorb simultaneous-switching current spikes.
The 484-FBGA package uses 1.0 mm ball pitch on a 23 × 23 mm substrate. PCB design requires 4-6 layer stack-up with microvia or via-in-pad technology to fan out the inner balls. Plane splits between VCCINT and VCCIO must avoid crossing the device; the BGA break-out should use dog-bone fan-out for the outer rows and via-in-pad for the inner rows. Ground-reference stitching vias around the BGA perimeter reduce EMI and improve signal integrity for LVDS links.
The SRAM-based APEX 20KC requires a configuration device (EPC2, EPC4, or EPC8) or a microprocessor-based load on every power-up; omitting the configuration stage results in unconfigured I/O driving mid-level voltages and possible bus contention. Also note that bitstreams generated for the C7 speed grade are not interchangeable with C8 or I7 timing files - always re-run Quartus II timing analysis after speed-grade substitution. Finally, the APEX 20KC is supported only by legacy Quartus II software (versions 4.x-9.x); modern Quartus Prime does not recognize the part.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free, and halogen-free status not stated in the verified web data; the APEX 20KC family pre-dates widespread RoHS compliance. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a programmable logic device, not an automotive-grade IC by qualification.
