EP20K400EFI672-2N - APEX-20K FPGA 16640 LEs 488 I/O FBGA-672 | Altera / Intel
MPN: EP20K400EFI672-2N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $140 | $14,000.00 |
| 500 | $120 | $60,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $105 | $105,000.00 |
EP20K400EFI672-2N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a type of integrated circuit whose digital logic function is defined after manufacture, allowing designers to program arbitrary combinational and sequential logic using hardware description languages (HDL) such as Verilog or VHDL. FPGAs occupy a position in the digital design hierarchy between fixed-function ASICs (which are cheaper in volume but cannot be modified) and microcontrollers (which run software but offer lower throughput). The APEX-20K family specifically introduced MultiCore™ architecture combining lookup tables (LUTs), embedded memory, and dedicated carry/ cascade chains for arithmetic-intensive designs.
Key features of the EP20K400EFI672-2N include the integrated 212,992-bit embedded SRAM distributed across the logic array, four phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock management, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and LVDS via configurable I/O banks. The device supports in-system programmability via IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) and Altera's passive serial/active serial configuration schemes. The industrial-grade operating range of -40 °C to +100 °C junction temperature makes it suitable for harsh-environment embedded systems.
Architecturally, the EPEX-20K family combines fine-grained logic elements with embedded memory blocks, allowing true dual-port RAM implementations and FIFOs without consuming logic resources. The device supports multi-voltage I/O operation, allowing 3.3 V, 2.5 V, and 1.8 V interfaces simultaneously across separate I/O banks with level-shifting handled internally. This makes the EP20K400 particularly well-suited for bridging legacy 5 V-tolerant peripherals with modern low-voltage processors on the same board.
Typical applications include high-speed data-path bridging, telecommunications line-card glue logic, DSP co-processing front-ends, ATM/SONET framer interfaces, and PCI-to-PCI bridge implementations. The 488 user I/Os make it useful for parallel bus aggregation in legacy industrial control systems and as a pre-processing stage for image or video pipelines.
When designing with the EP20K400EFI672-2N, engineers must provide a stable 1.8 V core supply with adequate decoupling and respect the in-rush current profile during configuration. The FCBGA-672 package requires careful PCB stack-up design to route signals out of the dense 1.0 mm pitch ball grid without compromising signal integrity.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, lifecycle status, drop-in alternatives drawn from the Altera APEX-20K family, and practical design notes not aggregated on any single manufacturer or distributor page.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K400EFI672-2N — 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 EP20K400EFI672-2N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Process Technology, Family, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K400EFC672-2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$92.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-2X
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$118.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-3N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-1N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-1XN
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$215 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFI672-2N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX-20K® |
| Family | APEX-20K E |
| Manufacturer | Altera (now Intel Programmable Solutions Group) |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 16,640 |
| Number of LABs / CLBs | 1,664 |
| Total RAM Bits | 212,992 |
| Number of Gates (equivalent) | 1,052,000 |
| Number of I/O | 488 |
| Voltage - Supply (Core VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +100 °C (TJ) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package / Case | 672-BBGA, FCBGA |
| Supplier Device Package | 672-FBGA (27 x 27 mm) |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 3 |
| Process Technology | CMOS |
| Configuration Method | Passive Serial / Active Serial / JTAG |
EP20K400EFI672-2N 672-fbga (27 x 27 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K400EFI672-2N (672-fbga (27 x 27 mm) 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 EP20K400EFI672-2N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K400EFI672-2N is suitable for 7 applications: Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, DSP Co-Processing Front-End, PCI Bus Bridge and Aggregation, Industrial Motor Control Backplane, Legacy Avionics Display Processing, ATM/SONET Framer Interface, Image Acquisition and Pre-Processing.
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP20K400EFI672-2N's 16,640 logic elements and 488 I/Os make it well-suited for telecom line-card glue logic aggregating multiple serial backplane lanes. Its 212,992 bits of embedded dual-port RAM buffer cell payloads without consuming LUTs, while the four PLLs provide per-port clock synthesis for TDM/SONET/SDH framing. Industrial -40C to +100C rating supports outdoor cabinet deployment. The APEX-20K MultiCore architecture handles parallel bus conversion between legacy 5 V peripherals and modern 1.8 V processors in central-office equipment, with JTAG-based in-system reconfiguration enabling field firmware updates.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Front-End
The 1,664 LABs and embedded carry chains in the EP20K400EFI672-2N enable it to offload FFT, FIR, and CRC computation from a host DSP or GPP, freeing the host CPU for higher-level protocol work. The 488 user I/Os permit wide parallel data paths to multiple ADC/DAC channels simultaneously, while the 212,992 bits of dual-port RAM hold coefficient tables and overlap buffers. Operating from 1.8 V core, the device dissipates roughly 1.5 to 3 W depending on utilization, manageable with a moderate copper pour. JTAG debug allows logic-analyzer-free verification during algorithm development.
Recommended
PCI Bus Bridge and Aggregation
The EP20K400EFI672-2N was widely deployed as a PCI-to-PCI bridge and as a multi-bus aggregator combining PCI, PMC, and legacy ISA/PCI-X devices onto a single backplane. Its 488 I/Os are sufficient for two 32-bit/66 MHz PCI interfaces plus sideband control signals, and the embedded RAM serves as a posted-write buffer between segments. The 1.8 V core with 3.3 V PCI-compliant I/O banks allows direct bus attachment without external transceivers. Industrial temperature grade supports factory-floor controllers and outdoor telecom equipment where commercial parts fail.
Recommended
Industrial Motor Control Backplane
Industrial servo and stepper drive backplanes use the EP20K400EFI672-2N for PWM generation, quadrature encoder decoding, and safety-logic interlocks. The device's industrial -40C to +100C operating range tolerates drive-cabinet ambient temperatures up to 70C with margin. The 488 I/Os aggregate multiple encoder inputs, Hall-sensor feedback, and SPI/I2C peripherals, while embedded dual-port RAM buffers trajectory tables shared between the FPGA and the host MCU. JTAG-based reconfiguration enables field firmware updates for different motor profiles without removing boards.
Recommended
Legacy Avionics Display Processing
The EP20K400EFI672-2N served as the video timing controller and overlay compositor in legacy military and commercial avionics Multi-Function Displays (MFDs). Its 488 I/Os drive ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, and discrete avionics buses simultaneously, while embedded RAM double-buffers framebuffer contents for flicker-free overlay. The industrial temperature grade and CMOS process technology provide the radiation-tolerance margin required at commercial-avionics altitudes. The FCBGA-672 27x27 mm package fits within the constrained board area of 6.4-inch cockpit displays.
Recommended
ATM/SONET Framer Interface
The 16,640 logic elements and 488 I/Os of the EP20K400EFI672-2N were commonly deployed as an ATM/SONET framer interface between line-interface units and a switch fabric ASIC. The device maps 16 to 64 serial STS-1/STM-1 streams into a UTOPIA/SPI-3 parallel bus using its embedded RAM as cell-buffer memory. Its four PLLs synthesize independent per-port clocks at 8 kHz frame rate, and the industrial temperature rating supports outdoor DSLAM/OLT cabinets. Configuration via passive-serial EPC devices keeps BOM cost low for carrier-grade deployments.
Recommended
Image Acquisition and Pre-Processing
Machine-vision and medical-imaging front-end boards used the EP20K400EFI672-2N as a Camera Link or LVDS image aggregator that performs real-time preprocessing such as Bayer demosaicing, gamma correction, and histogram equalization before DMA into host memory. The 488 I/Os accommodate four Camera Link channels plus auxiliary control, and the 212,992-bit embedded RAM holds 8 to 16 line buffers at typical 2K resolutions. The industrial temperature grade supports factory-floor machine-vision cameras and clinical-cart imaging systems with strict reliability requirements.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K400EFI672-2N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K400EFC672-2N | EP20K400EFC672-2 | EP20K400EFC672-2X | EP20K400EFC672-3N | EP20K400EFC672-1N | EP20K400EFC672-1XN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) | 672-FBGA (27x27) |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 |
| Total RAM Bits | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 |
| User I/O Count | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2X (extended) | -3 (slower) | -1 (faster) | -1X (extended, faster) |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade over commercial-only APEX-20K variants (vs EP20K400EFC672-2N)
- Balanced -2 speed grade for moderate-Fmax general-purpose designs (vs EP20K400EFC672-3N)
- 512 KB equivalent embedded dual-port RAM in logic fabric (vs EP20K200FC484-3)
Design Notes
The EP20K400EFI672-2N requires a 1.71 V to 1.89 V core supply (VCCINT) capable of delivering up to approximately 2.5 A during full logic utilization at 100 MHz, plus separate VCCIO rails per I/O bank. Estimated: total core current scales roughly linearly with switching activity, so a switching-frequency-aware power budget is essential. Use at least 22 µF of bulk ceramic capacitance plus 0.1 µF high-frequency bypass per VCCINT pin, with the same density on each VCCIO bank. PLL analog supplies (VCCA_PLL) must be derived from a filtered ferrite-bead-isolated 1.8 V rail.
The 672-ball FCBGA at 27 x 27 mm uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch, requiring a multilayer PCB (8 or more layers recommended) with laser-drilled microvias to fan out the inner-row balls. Maintain continuous ground and power planes adjacent to the BGA, and use 50 Ω controlled-impedance routing for all LVDS and clock traces. Decoupling capacitors must be placed on the BGA-side of the package within 100 mils of each supply ball to minimize inductive loop area.
Do not assume EP20K400EFI672-2N is interchangeable with newer Altera/Intel devices on the same footprint — the APEX-20K configuration scheme, I/O bank voltages, and JTAG ID differ from Cyclone III/IV/V, Stratix, and Arria families. Attempting to program an APEX-20K bitstream into a Cyclone device will fail and may lock out JTAG access. Always verify configuration PROM contents and target device ID before production programming. The MSL-3 rating requires JEDEC J-STD-033 floor-life management for any board-level rework.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not present in the verified web search results for EP20K400EFI672-2N. APEX-20K family predates the most recent RoHS recasts; original parts were often SnPb-finished. Contact Rochester Electronics for current compliance documentation on bonded inventory.
