EP20K400GI655-3V - APEX 20K 400K-Gate FPGA, 16K LE, 655-Pin PGA | Altera (Intel)
MPN: EP20K400GI655-3V ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $248.5 | $2,485.00 |
| 100 | $199 | $19,900.00 |
| 500 | $168 | $84,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $142.5 | $142,500.00 |
EP20K400GI655-3V Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that contains an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) connected via programmable interconnect and surrounded by programmable I/O cells. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, an FPGA sits under programmable logic -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits. APEX 20K devices were among the first to embed dedicated MultiCore architecture that combines look-up tables (LUTs), product-term logic and embedded system blocks (ESBs) for memory, enabling true system-on-a-chip (SoC) integration on a single programmable fabric.
Key features of the EP20K400GI655-3V include 496 user I/O pins (496 inputs / 496 outputs), six dedicated inputs, embedded system blocks (ESBs) for distributed RAM/ROM, support for LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and GTL+ I/O standards, and in-system programmability via the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface. The device provides multi-voltage I/O support allowing 2.5 V or 3.3 V interfacing with mixed-voltage buses. Its 655-pin SPGA (Staggered Pin Grid Array) package offers a robust pin count for high-density glue-logic, bus-bridging, and telecom backplane applications.
The APEX 20K architecture uses MultiCore logic elements that can be configured as LUTs for register-intensive designs or as product-term blocks for state machines and decoders, allowing each LE to be optimized for its target function. The embedded system blocks provide up to 212 Kbits of RAM without consuming logic resources, ideal for FIFOs, dual-port memories, and DSP coefficient storage. Clock management is handled by up to four phase-locked loops (PLLs) and dedicated clock-tree routing, simplifying high-speed synchronous designs.
Typical applications of the EP20K400GI655-3V include telecommunications backplanes, custom bus bridges, high-speed data acquisition front-ends, industrial control logic, and ASIC prototyping. The wide I/O count and embedded memory make it suitable for glue-logic replacement, network line-card processing, and military/aerospace systems requiring high gate density in a thermally robust ceramic-friendly package. Designers commonly pair it with SRAM, Flash, and high-speed ADCs/DACs.
When designing with this device, pay close attention to power-rail sequencing: the 2.5 V VCCINT must ramp monotonically before or simultaneously with the VCCIO supply to avoid partial-configuration latch-up. Use the MAX+PLUS II or Quartus design toolchain for place-and-route, and respect the device's I/O placement guidelines for differential pairs. Decoupling requires 0.1 µF and 10 µF capacitors placed within 5 mm of every power pin.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative listings from the Site MPN catalog, and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet, giving engineers a single decision-ready reference.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K400GI655-3V — 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 EP20K400GI655-3V (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Family, Propagation Delay, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K400GC655-3V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$160 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GC655-2V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GC655-1V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$555 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GI655-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$55 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GI655-2V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$199.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GI655-1V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$155 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400GI655-3V Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX 20K |
| Device Family | EP20K400 |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 |
| Typical Gate Count | 400,000 gates |
| Maximum User I/O | 496 |
| Dedicated Inputs | 6 |
| Technology | CMOS (0.18 µm process) |
| Maximum Internal Clock Frequency | 714.2 MHz |
| Supply Voltage VCCINT | 2.5 V |
| I/O Supply Voltage VCCIO | 2.5 V or 3.3 V |
| Package | 655-pin SPGA (Staggered PGA), 47 x 47 mm |
| Mounting Type | Through-Hole (Pin Grid Array) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 1 |
| Qualification | Not Qualified |
| Configuration Interface | IEEE 1149.1 JTAG + serial / parallel passive |
EP20K400GI655-3V 655-pin spga (staggered pga), 47 x 47 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K400GI655-3V (655-pin spga (staggered pga), 47 x 47 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 EP20K400GI655-3V.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K400GI655-3V is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Interface, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Industrial Control Logic and Machine Bus Bridging, High-Speed Data Acquisition Front-End, Military / Aerospace Embedded Computing, Legacy Network Equipment Sustainment.
Telecommunications Backplane Interface
The EP20K400GI655-3V is well suited to telecom backplane line-card designs where 400,000-gate density and 496 user I/O pins aggregate multiple bus interfaces in one programmable fabric. With up to 714.2 MHz internal clock, the FPGA can serialize/de-serialize wide parallel buses, implement HDLC framing, and run custom protocol glue between TDM, POS-PHY, and UTOPIA backplanes. The 2.5 V core and 3.3 V-tolerant I/O let it interface legacy 3.3 V PHYs directly while keeping internal logic low power. For high-speed designs, place series-termination resistors within 25 mm of the FPGA output and use the device's PLL to align clocks to the backplane frame strobe.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
Engineers use the EP20K400GI655-3V as a high-density ASIC prototype vehicle because it offers 16,640 logic elements and substantial embedded RAM, enough to map mid-complexity ASICs (50K-150K gates) onto a single FPGA for pre-silicon validation. Its MultiCore architecture supports both LUT-based datapath synthesis and product-term state-machine implementation, mirroring the typical ASIC RTL coding styles. The 655-pin SPGA package exposes nearly all pins as user I/O, allowing full visibility of internal signals for logic-analyzer-based debug. When prototyping, target Quartus II with incremental compilation and use SignalTap logic analyzer (or external HP/Agilent logic analyzers on soft pins) for trace capture.
Recommended
Industrial Control Logic and Machine Bus Bridging
The EP20K400GI655-3V integrates diverse industrial protocols such as Profibus, Modbus, EtherCAT, and CAN into a single programmable fabric, replacing stacks of glue-logic ICs and reducing board area. Its 496 I/O can directly drive dozens of 16-bit and 32-bit parallel buses to motor drivers, sensor arrays, and HMI displays. The industrial -40 °C to +85 °C temperature grade lets the device operate in factory-floor enclosures without derating. Designers often pair the FPGA with industrial-grade SRAM for command buffers and use the embedded system blocks (ESBs) as dual-port FIFOs for inter-controller messaging.
Recommended
High-Speed Data Acquisition Front-End
For data-acquisition boards, the EP20K400GI655-3V captures parallel data streams from high-speed ADCs and routes them through embedded RAM FIFOs before DMA into a host processor. The 714.2 MHz internal clock supports 16-bit-wide DDR capture at 200 MHz+ sample rates, while 496 I/O permit direct connection to multiple ADCs without external muxing. The ESB-based dual-port RAM blocks implement lossy or zero-copy DMA pipelines efficiently. Bypass each power pin with a 0.1 µF X7R plus 10 µF tantalum capacitor placed within 5 mm to control switching noise that would otherwise couple into ADC clock edges.
Recommended
Military / Aerospace Embedded Computing
The EP20K400GI655-3V in the 655-pin SPGA package has a long history in military and aerospace embedded systems where its ceramic-friendly PGA mechanical format withstands high-G vibration and thermal cycling. Designers use the device for radar-signal preprocessing, secure-comm front-ends, and MIL-STD-1553 bridges where 16K LE provide ample margin for protocol stacks plus error-correction codecs. The APEX 20K family offers known good die (KGD) and extended-temperature screening options through Altera's military program. Power-rail sequencing must respect the 2.5 V VCCINT-before-VCCIO ramp order to prevent partial-configuration latch-up during cold-boot in low-temperature environments.
Recommended
Legacy Network Equipment Sustainment
Service providers and OEMs sustaining legacy SONET/SDH, ATM, or Frame Relay equipment rely on the EP20K400GI655-3V as a long-life replacement for aging APEX 20K-based line cards. The part's 400,000-gate capacity and 496-I/O complement fully match original line-card functionality, while the SPGA footprint is mechanically identical to the original Altera-recommended land pattern. Sustainment engineering teams validate EP20K400GC655-3V or EP20K400GI655-2V as drop-in equivalents with slightly relaxed speed grades, which is usually acceptable since line-card throughput rarely exceeds 155 MHz. Use this strategy to extend field-deployment life without requalifying the entire subsystem.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K400GI655-3V — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K400GC655-3V | EP20K400GC655-2V | EP20K400GI655-3 | EP20K400GI655-2V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 655-pin SPGA (47 x 47 mm) | 655-pin SPGA (47 x 47 mm) - same | 655-pin SPGA (47 x 47 mm) - same | 655-pin SPGA (47 x 47 mm) - same | 655-pin SPGA (47 x 47 mm) - same |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 |
| Typical Gate Count | 400,000 gates | 400,000 gates | 400,000 gates | 400,000 gates | 400,000 gates |
| User I/O | 496 | 496 | 496 | 496 | 496 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (fastest) | -3 | -2 | -3 | -2 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40 to +85 °C) | Commercial (0 to +85 °C) | Commercial (0 to +85 °C) | Industrial (-40 to +85 °C) | Industrial (-40 to +85 °C) |
| VCCINT / VCCIO | 2.5 V / 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V / 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V / 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V / 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V / 2.5 V or 3.3 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest speed grade within the EP20K400 655-pin SPGA family (vs EP20K400GI655-2V)
- Industrial-temperature operating range (vs EP20K400GC655-3V)
- 400,000-gate capacity with embedded system blocks for memory (vs EP20K200FI484-2V)
Design Notes
Power-rail sequencing is critical for the EP20K400GI655-3V. The 2.5 V VCCINT must reach stable regulation before or simultaneously with VCCIO; otherwise partial-configuration latch-up or inrush overshoot can damage I/O cells. Use a TL7705 or equivalent supply supervisor to enforce monotonic ramp. Place a 0.1 µF X7R ceramic plus 10 µF tantalum within 5 mm of every power pin, and add 33 µF bulk tantalum per voltage rail near the SPGA socket. Decoupling-current demand during configuration peaks near 1 A on VCCINT, so verify your regulator's transient response with a 0.5 A step load.
The 655-pin SPGA requires a PGA socket or plated-through-hole footprint on a 1.6 mm or thicker PCB. Use a 0.46 mm drill with 0.76 mm pad diameter for plated-through holes; solder-mask-defined pads improve yield on high-density breakouts. Maintain a continuous ground plane beneath the device and route high-speed clock traces over an unbroken reference plane to control impedance. For LVDS pairs (if used through external translators), match trace lengths to within 0.13 mm. Refer to Altera AN-114 (APEX 20K hardware design guide) for socket vendor recommendations and mechanical land-pattern drawing.
Common pitfalls with the EP20K400GI655-3V include: (1) configuring with an unsupported JTAG TCK frequency above 33 MHz, which corrupts programming files; (2) ignoring the MSL-1 rating and exposing the part to humid environments (it is moisture-safe but still benefits from dry-pack storage); (3) selecting the wrong speed grade and failing to meet fMAX on critical paths - always use Quartus timing analysis to verify; (4) connecting 5 V signals directly to VCCIO=3.3 V pins, which violates the absolute-maximum rating. Use level translators (e.g., SN74LVC8T245) when bridging legacy 5 V buses to this 3.3 V-tolerant I/O bank.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, and halogen-free status not confirmed in the verified distributor data. APEX 20K family predates widespread RoHS enforcement; many original parts are non-compliant. Industrial-temperature variants may carry additional screening certifications (e.g., MIL-STD-883) when sourced from military distributors.
