EP20K200FI484-2V - APEX-20K FPGA 200K Gates 484-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP20K200FI484-2V ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $252 | $2,520.00 |
| 100 | $218 | $21,800.00 |
| 500 | $195 | $97,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $175 | $175,000.00 |
EP20K200FI484-2V Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that uses an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable routing, and programmable I/O cells to implement arbitrary digital logic. Within the programmable logic hierarchy, FPGAs sit above simple PLDs (PALs, GALs) and CPLDs because they integrate RAM, DSP, and even processor cores alongside the LUT fabric. The APEX-20K family was Altera's first System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC) family and was designed to absorb glue logic, memory, and high-speed interface functions onto a single silicon die.
Key features of the EP20K200FI484-2V include 8320 logic elements, 106,496 bits of embedded memory distributed across multiple Embedded System Blocks, 4 phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock management, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and HSTL. The -2V speed grade places it in the mid-band of the APEX-20K speed/grade matrix, balancing timing margin against cost. Operating temperature is specified as 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial-industrial), with the 'I' designator indicating the industrial temperature range.
Architecturally, the APEX-20K family pioneered the MultiCore™ approach that fuses a fine-grained LUT fabric (Logic Array Blocks, or LABs) with coarse-grained Embedded System Blocks (ESBs) that implement dual-port RAM, ROM, or CAM in fixed sizes. The 484-ball FBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch to keep the die-area-to-board-area ratio high, which is critical for high-I/O-count designs. I/O banks are powered independently, allowing mixed-voltage interfacing on a single device.
Typical applications for the EP20K200FI484-2V include telecommunications line cards, industrial automation controllers, PCI/CompactPCI bridge logic, high-speed serial protocol bridges, and ASIC prototyping. Its combination of large gate count, embedded memory, and flexible I/O made it a popular choice in late-1990s and early-2000s telecom infrastructure. The part is now an established legacy product; new designs should consider Cyclone IV/V or MAX series successors for cost and tool support.
When designing with the EP20K200FI484-2V, ensure the Quartus II (or legacy MAX+PLUS II) toolchain is available because newer Quartus releases no longer support APEX-20K. Power sequencing of the 2.5 V core and any auxiliary I/O supplies must follow the datasheet sequence to avoid latch-up. The 484-ball FBGA requires X-ray inspection and BGA rework capability during prototyping.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200FI484-2V — 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 EP20K200FI484-2V (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Family, Operating Temperature, Package, Speed Grade, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200FI484-1XV
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K200FC484-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EFC484-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$54.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EFI484-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$215 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FI484-2
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K200FI484-2V Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX-20K |
| Logic Elements | 8320 |
| System Gates | 200,000 |
| Embedded Memory (RAM bits) | 106,496 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 382 |
| Process Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage | 2.5 V |
| Propagation Delay | 2.5 ns |
| Internal Operating Frequency | 200 MHz |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FI) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | -2V |
| RoHS Status | unknown |
EP20K200FI484-2V 484-ball fbga (fi) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K200FI484-2V (484-ball fbga (fi) 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 EP20K200FI484-2V.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K200FI484-2V is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line Card Interface Logic, PCI / CompactPCI Bridge Logic, Industrial Automation Controller, ASIC Prototyping Platform, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge, Legacy System Sustainment.
Telecom Line Card Interface Logic
The EP20K200FI484-2V's 382 user I/Os and 8320 logic elements make it well suited for telecom line-card glue logic that aggregates TDM buses, framer interfaces, and serial backplane signalling. Its 106 kbit of embedded RAM distributed across embedded system blocks (ESBs) provides the dual-port FIFOs and lookup tables required for channelisation and protocol mapping. The 200 MHz internal frequency supports T1/E1 aggregation, H.110 CT-bus clocking, and SONET OC-3 side-channel logic. Using MultiCore™ LUTs and ESBs, designers replace multiple discrete CPLDs and SRAMs with one BGA device, shrinking board area and BOM cost. The industrial 0-85 °C range covers central-office thermal environments; verify timing closure because the -2V speed grade must margin for fan-out and backplane load.
Recommended
PCI / CompactPCI Bridge Logic
With 382 I/Os, the EP20K200FI484-2V can host a 64-bit/66 MHz PCI or CompactPCI bus bridge between a host CPU and downstream peripherals. The device's 4 PLLs generate the multiple PCI clock domains (33 MHz, 66 MHz) and the backplane clock from a single reference, eliminating external PLL chips. Embedded System Blocks implement the target/master retry buffers and posted-write FIFOs that PCI arbitration requires, while the 8320 LEs absorb all parity generation, address decoding, and IDSEL logic. Industrial temperature rating covers CompactPCI chassis that run convection-cooled; the FBGA's high I/O density keeps the bridge in a single BGA, leaving board space for downstream slots.
Recommended
Industrial Automation Controller
Factory-floor PLCs and motion controllers rely on the EP20K200FI484-2V for deterministic logic that drives encoder counters, PWM generators, and fieldbus interfaces. The 8320 LEs are enough for multi-axis servo state machines, while the ESB-based dual-port RAM holds trajectory tables and PID state variables that the CPU reads and writes every cycle. The 484-ball FBGA industrial-temperature package withstands cabinet ambient up to 85 °C, and the device's 2.5 V core is compatible with 3.3 V I/O banks for legacy industrial bus transceivers. Designers use the APEX-20K MultiCore™ to consolidate what was previously three or four 44-pin PLDs into one BGA, raising MTBF and reducing panel-cost.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EP20K200FI484-2V is a popular ASIC prototyping vehicle because its 200K gates and 106 kbit of on-chip RAM let designers map mid-complexity ASICs into a single FPGA for system validation before tape-out. Quartus II supports gate-level and RTL flows for APEX-20K, including SDF back-annotation for timing-accurate prototyping. The 200 MHz internal frequency and 2.5 ns propagation delay provide realistic timing margin for ASIC blocks clocked at 50-100 MHz. The 382 I/Os break out cleanly to a daughter-card header for ASIC-package-style probing, and the FBGA package is rework-friendly on standard BGA prototyping sockets.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge
Bridging RapidIO, LVDS, or proprietary serial links is a common use of the EP20K200FI484-2V because its 8320 LEs handle 8b/10b encoding, CRC, and link-layer state machines, while ESBs implement elastic buffers for clock-domain crossing. The 4 PLLs generate independent transmit and receive bit clocks with programmable phase shift, eliminating external clock-buffer ICs. The 382 user I/Os support multiple parallel LVDS channels (16-24 pairs), sufficient for low-port-count serial switches and protocol converters. Industrial temperature rating and 2.5 V core make the part suitable for ruggedised serial backplanes in defence and rail applications.
Recommended
Legacy System Sustainment
Many defence, medical, and industrial systems still in service use the EP20K200FI484-2V as a long-life glue-logic part, and sustainment engineers need a stable source of replacements. Because the part is NRND, design houses maintain a qualified-vendor list of authorised distributors (DigiKey, Mouser, Arrow) plus approved brokers (Micro-Semiconductor, Heisener) for spot buys. Pin-compatible upgrades within the APEX-20K family (EP20K200FI484-1XV, EP20K400FI484-2) give supply-chain resilience when the original part goes EOL. Engineers should qualify a second source before the last-time-buy window closes.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200FI484-2V — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200FI484-1XV | EP20K200FC484-3 | EP20K200EFC484-2X | EP20K200EFI484-2X | EP20K400FI484-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FI) | 484-ball FBGA (FI) - same | 484-ball FBGA (FC) - same footprint | 484-ball FBGA (FC) - same footprint | 484-ball FBGA (FI) - same | 484-ball FBGA (FI) - same |
| System Gates | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 400,000 |
| Logic Elements | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 16,640 |
| Embedded RAM (bits) | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 212,992 |
| Speed Grade | -2V | -1XV (slower) | -3 (faster) | -2X (enhanced die) | -2X (enhanced die) | -2 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to 70 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 70 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (industrial) |
| Process Node | 0.22 µm | 0.22 µm | 0.22 µm | 0.18 µm (E die) | 0.18 µm (E die) | 0.22 µm |
| Maximum User I/Os | 382 | 382 | 382 | 382 | 382 | 382 |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature rating in 484-ball FBGA (vs EP20K200FC484-3)
- Mid-band -2V speed grade balance of timing margin and cost (vs EP20K200FI484-1XV)
- Pin-compatible upgrade path to 400K gates (vs EP20K400FI484-2)
Design Notes
The 484-ball FBGA package has a typical θJA around 12-15 °C/W with proper 4-layer PCB thermal via array under the die. At 2.5 V core, a fully-utilised EP20K200FI484-2V can dissipate 1.5-2.5 W; verify junction temperature stays below 125 °C. Place thermal vias in a 1.2 mm grid pattern directly under the package centre and stitch the top/bottom ground planes with 0.3 mm vias for adequate heat spreading. Industrial (0-85 °C) ambient rating assumes at least 100 LFM airflow; in enclosed chassis add a heat spreader or conduction-cooled cold plate.
Design the 484-ball FBGA land pattern with 1.0 mm pitch using non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) pads for better joint fatigue life. Use 0.5 mm drill micro-vias in a stacked configuration for inner-layer escape; ensure via-in-pad is plated and filled to avoid solder wicking during reflow. Match the BGA ball-to-pad alignment within 0.05 mm to prevent solder bridging, and follow the APEX-20K pinout guide for VCCINT/VCCIO ball placement to simplify the power-plane layer stack-up. Use the manufacturer's recommended reflow profile (peak 235 °C, 60 sec above 217 °C) to avoid cold joints on large BGAs.
Estimated: The APEX-20K family is no longer supported in Quartus Prime versions newer than 13.0; use Quartus II 13.0 SP1 or MAX+PLUS II for legacy compile. Do not attempt to migrate the design to Cyclone IV/V without re-targeting all IP cores because the ESB-based dual-port RAM blocks have different primitive names. Verify all LVTTL/LVCMOS I/O assignments match the device's I/O bank VCCIO supply; mixing 3.3 V and 2.5 V standards in the same bank will cause logic errors. When substituting a higher gate-count EP20K400, re-run timing analysis because internal routing delays differ even though the package is identical.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH status not stated in verified web data; this part is from the legacy APEX-20K family and may be lead-bearing in early revisions. Confirm compliance via Intel product records before using in RoHS-required designs.
