EP2A70F1508C6 - APEX II FPGA, 70K LE, 1508-BGA | Altera
MPN: EP2A70F1508C6 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $255 | $2,550.00 |
| 100 | $220 | $22,000.00 |
| 500 | $195 | $97,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $175 | $175,000.00 |
EP2A70F1508C6 Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that allows the designer to configure logic blocks, interconnect, and I/O behavior after PCB assembly. FPGAs sit hierarchically under programmable logic -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits -> semiconductors, and are commonly used to implement custom datapaths, glue logic, and parallel processing that would otherwise require an ASIC or a bank of discrete logic ICs.
Key features of the EP2A70F1508C6 include 1,846 logic array blocks / configurable logic blocks (LABs/CLBs), 1,669,248 bits of total embedded SRAM distributed across ESBs, multi-standard I/O support, and in-system programmability via a JTAG interface or passive serial configuration. The APEX II family supports LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards, enabling direct interface to DDR memory and high-speed parallel ADCs/DACs without external level translation.
Architecturally, the APEX II device combines a MegaLAB structure - groups of LABs sharing local interconnect - with a FastTrack Interconnect that provides predictable, compiler-driven routing across the die. This architecture makes the EP2A70F1508C6 suitable for high-fanout datapaths such as multi-channel DSP pipelines, protocol bridge ICs, and bus-conversion glue logic, where deterministic timing closure matters as much as raw gate count.
Typical applications include telecommunications line cards, multi-channel baseband processing, high-speed serial protocol bridging, and ASIC prototyping. The 426 user I/O count makes the device attractive for memory-intensive designs where the designer must connect to multiple parallel DDR SDRAM banks or wide data-converter buses concurrently.
When designing with the EP2A70F1508C6, pay attention to the package's thermal performance and the high pin density of the 1508-BGA - PCB stack-up, BGA fanout routing, and decoupling strategy all become critical. Use Altera's Quartus II design software (legacy version) for place-and-route and static timing analysis.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, pin-compatible alternatives in the APEX II family, and practical PCB design notes not consolidated in a single place in the original datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A70F1508C6 — 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 EP2A70F1508C6 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Mounting Type, Core Voltage.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A70F1508C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$645 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1495 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508I7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F1508
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$185 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C6 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 18,460 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 1846 |
| Total RAM Bits | 1,669,248 |
| Maximum User I/O | 426 |
| Package | 1508-ball FineLine BGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Device Type | Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) |
| Programmable Logic Type | SRAM-based, in-system reconfigurable |
| Configuration Interface | JTAG / Passive Serial |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, SSTL, HSTL |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial (C suffix, 0C to +85C) |
| Speed Grade | 6 |
| Embedded Memory Type | Embedded System Blocks (ESBs) |
EP2A70F1508C6 1508-ball fineline bga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A70F1508C6 (1508-ball fineline bga 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 EP2A70F1508C6.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A70F1508C6 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Card, Multi-Channel DSP Pipeline, ASIC Prototyping Platform, High-Speed Parallel Bus Bridge, Industrial Control Logic Concentrator, Legacy Avionics Display Controller.
Telecommunications Line Card
The EP2A70F1508C6's 18,460 logic elements and 1,669,248 bits of embedded SRAM make it well suited for telecom line cards implementing multi-channel framers, HDLC controllers, and protocol-aware traffic shaping. With 426 user I/O available in the 1508-ball BGA, the device can directly interface to multiple POS-PHY or UTOPIA-level parallel buses to companion framers and network processors without external bus multiplexing. The embedded system blocks (ESBs) provide single- and dual-port RAM for cell/packet buffering at line rate, while the LVDS/LVTTL I/O standards simplify connection to serializer/deserializer (SERDES) devices. Engineers benefit from the APEX II family's deterministic FastTrack interconnect, which delivers predictable timing closure for high-fanout datapaths where downstream timing margin is critical.
Recommended
Multi-Channel DSP Pipeline
The EP2A70F1508C6's high logic density combined with 1.6 Mbit of distributed ESB memory makes it a strong fit for multi-channel DSP pipelines used in baseband processing, software-defined radio (SDR), and multi-channel audio/video processing. The 18,460 LEs can implement dozens of parallel FIR/IIR filters, FFT butterflies, or correlators running concurrently at sample rates up to ~150 MHz in the C6 speed grade. The ESB dual-port RAM allows sample buffering and coefficient storage within the same device, eliminating external memory latency. Altera's APEX II MegaLAB structure groups LABs into efficient clusters for arithmetic-heavy designs, achieving high DSP throughput per MHz. Designers typically use the device alongside a host DSP or ARM processor for control-plane interaction, with the EP2A70F1508C6 handling the data plane.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
With 18,460 logic elements and 426 user I/O, the EP2A70F1508C6 is a classic ASIC prototyping vehicle for designs targeting densities in the 30K-60K ASIC-gate range (after synthesis overhead). Engineers map RTL from the target ASIC into the FPGA using synthesis tools, then validate system behavior, software bring-up, and interface timing on the FPGA before committing to mask costs. The 1508-ball BGA package exposes enough I/O to break out wide external memory buses (DDR, QDR) and multiple ASIC peripheral interfaces simultaneously, which is essential for full-chip prototyping. APEX II devices were widely used for this purpose in the early 2000s; today, only secondary-market inventory supports ongoing prototype builds, making the EP2A70F1508C6 most relevant for legacy product maintenance.
Recommended
High-Speed Parallel Bus Bridge
The 426 user I/O of the EP2A70F1508C6 make it ideal for bridging between disparate parallel bus standards such as PCI, HPI, UTOPIA, or proprietary DSP host ports. The device's I/O flexibility supports LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL in the same package, allowing direct connection to 3.3 V, 2.5 V, and 1.8 V peripherals without external level translators. Embedded System Blocks provide FIFO depth for rate-matching between asynchronous clock domains, while the APEX II MegaLAB structure supports fast pipelined bus arbitration and address decoding. Designers typically instantiate a custom bus-bridge IP core in the EP2A70F1508C6, then use the device alongside a host CPU and the bridge target peripheral. The C6 speed grade offers sufficient headroom for ~133 MHz bus operation.
Recommended
Industrial Control Logic Concentrator
For industrial controllers requiring hundreds of digital I/O and deterministic response times, the EP2A70F1508C6's 426 user I/O can aggregate fieldbus traffic from multiple Profibus, CAN, or RS-485 segments into a single control processor interface. The 18,460 LE fabric comfortably holds protocol stacks for two or more industrial buses plus custom application logic, while the 1.6 Mbit of ESB RAM provides buffering for message queues and diagnostic logs. The APEX II family's -40C to +100C industrial variant (EP2A70F1508I7) makes the platform acceptable for factory-floor temperature ranges. Industrial users typically pair the EP2A70F1508C6 with an external watchdog timer and supervisor IC to meet functional-safety expectations.
Recommended
Legacy Avionics Display Controller
Avionics systems designed in the early 2000s often adopted the EP2A70F1508C6 for display and HUD controllers, where 426 I/O drive multiple LCD panels, keypads, and ARINC-429 interfaces simultaneously. The APEX II device's -40C to +100C industrial temperature grade (EP2A70F1508I7) satisfies cockpit thermal requirements, while the high ESB density supports multi-layer overlay buffers for HUD compositing. Existing fielded platforms still rely on the EP2A70F1508C6 for spare-part replacement, though new designs must migrate to radiation-tolerant FPGAs such as Microsemi RTG4 or Xilinx Kintex UltraScale for next-generation platforms. Engineers maintaining legacy avionics hardware should pin-compatible stock EP2A70F1508I7 units for long-term support.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A70F1508C6 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A70F1508C7 | EP2A70F1508C8 | EP2A70F1508I7 | EP2A40F1508 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 1508-ball FineLine BGA | 1508-ball FineLine BGA - same | 1508-ball FineLine BGA - same | 1508-ball FineLine BGA - same | 1508-ball FineLine BGA - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Logic Elements | 18,460 | 18,460 | 18,460 | 18,460 | ~16,640 (APEX 20KE, ~10% lower) |
| Total RAM Bits | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | ~327,680 (APEX 20KE, ~80% lower) |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 1846 | 1846 | 1846 | 1846 | ~1664 (APEX 20KE) |
| User I/O | 426 | 426 | 426 | 426 | ~360 |
| Speed Grade | C6 | C7 (faster, +15% Fmax) | C8 (faster, +30% Fmax) | C7 (faster) | Varies (-1/-2/-3) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density APEX II device with 18,460 LE in 1508-BGA (vs EP2A40F1508)
- Commercial speed grade C6 for cost-sensitive applications (vs EP2A70F1508C7)
- 426 user I/O - maximum in the APEX II 1508-BGA (vs EP2A70B724C9)
Design Notes
Estimated: the 1508-ball FineLine BGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch with a body roughly 33x33 mm. PCB layout must use a 6-layer or 8-layer stack-up with microvias or via-in-pad to fan out the BGA. Place a continuous ground plane on layer 2 directly under the BGA for return-path integrity, and stitch vias around the BGA perimeter every 2-3 mm. Decoupling: 0402-size 0.1 uF X7R ceramic caps placed as close as possible to every power pin pair, with bulk 10-47 uF tantalum or polymer capacitors at each power-rail entry. Do not share vias between decoupling capacitors and signal fan-outs - keep power vias short and direct.
Estimated: at typical APEX II utilization (50% LEs at 100 MHz toggle, full I/O switching), the EP2A70F1508C6 dissipates roughly 3-5 W. With a theta_JA of approximately 8-12 C/W for the 1508-BGA on a 4-layer JEDEC test board, junction temperature rise is 24-60 C above ambient. For sealed enclosures without airflow, drop one speed grade or reduce toggle activity; for industrial applications choose the EP2A70F1508I7 variant rated to +100C. Always measure junction temperature in the final mechanical environment rather than relying on datasheet thermal resistance, since real PCB copper area and airflow significantly shift theta_JA.
Do not assume the EP2A70F1508C6 supports modern configuration methods - it requires legacy Altera passive-serial, passive-parallel, or JTAG configuration with an EPC configuration device such as EPC2 or EPC16. Newer Quartus Prime releases dropped APEX II support, so the legacy Quartus II 9.1sp2 toolchain must be preserved on a build server. When sourcing EP2A70F1508C6 from the secondary market, request factory-traceable CoC documentation - counterfeit APEX II devices have appeared in the supply chain, particularly via unauthorized brokers. Always run a small design (e.g., LED blinker) through the configuration chain to verify device authenticity before board-level bring-up.
Compliance Information
Compliance status for the EP2A70F1508C6 was not present in the verified web data; all compliance fields are marked unknown pending datasheet confirmation. The APEX II family predates widespread AEC-Q100 automotive qualification and is not AEC-Q100 listed.
