EP2A70F1508C8 - APEX II FPGA 67.2K LE, 1146K RAM | Altera
MPN: EP2A70F1508C8 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2060.75 | $2,060.75 |
| 10 | $1900.5 | $19,005.00 |
| 100 | $1750 | $175,000.00 |
| 500 | $1620 | $810,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1495 | $1,495,000.00 |
EP2A70F1508C8 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital circuits through a configurable array of logic elements, embedded memory blocks, and high-speed I/O. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, FPGAs sit above fixed-function ASICs in design flexibility but below microcontrollers in software-driven reconfigurability. The APEX II family further extends this hierarchy by combining fine-grained look-up tables with embedded memory, making it suitable for datapath-heavy designs such as telecommunications, video processing, and protocol bridging.
Key features include a core voltage of 1.425 V to 1.575 V (1.5 V nominal), a commercial operating temperature range of 0 °C to 85 °C, and up to 1 Gbps per differential I/O pair. The 1060-pin user I/O count, combined with 1,146,880 RAM bits, makes it one of the largest devices in the APEX II lineup and the highest-density member of the EP2A70 speed/packaging family.
The EP2A70F1508C8 fabric uses an embedded array architecture with logic array blocks (LABs) and embedded system blocks (ESBs) that include dual-port RAM and ROM. The 0.15 µm eight-layer copper process delivers high integration density while keeping die area manageable for the 1508-ball FCBGA.
Typical applications include high-throughput telecommunications line cards, video broadcasting equipment, industrial imaging pipelines, and custom ASIC prototyping. The 1060 I/O count is particularly useful for designs that require wide parallel buses (PCI, DDR, video) or many independent control signals.
When designing with this device, plan power sequencing for the 1.5 V core and 3.3 V I/O rails, and follow Altera's recommended decoupling and ball-pitch layout rules for the 40x40 mm FCBGA package. Engineers should also evaluate newer Cyclone or Arria families for new designs since APEX II is mature and replacement silicon is recommended for greenfield projects.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A70F1508C8 — 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 EP2A70F1508C8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Series, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A70F1508C7
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View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 67,200 |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 1,146,880 |
| User I/O Count | 1060 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 1060 |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm all-layer copper, up to 8 metal layers |
| Core Voltage | 1.425 V to 1.575 V (1.5 V nominal) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Package | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40 x 40 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| High-Speed Interface Support | 1 Gbps True-LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, HyperTransport |
| Memory Type | Embedded dual-port RAM / ROM via ESBs |
| Architecture | Embedded array with LABs + ESBs |
| Series | APEX II (EP2A70) |
EP2A70F1508C8 1508-bbga, fcbga (40 x 40 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A70F1508C8 (1508-bbga, fcbga (40 x 40 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 EP2A70F1508C8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A70F1508C8 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Cards, Video Broadcasting and Imaging, Custom ASIC Prototyping, High-Speed Serial Backplane Aggregation, Industrial Control and Automation, Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment.
Telecommunications Line Cards
The EP2A70F1508C8's 67,200 logic elements, 1,146,880 RAM bits, and 1060 user I/O pins make it well-suited for high-density telecommunications line cards that aggregate multiple protocols and serial links. With 1 Gbps True-LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, and HyperTransport interface support, the device can directly connect to SFP/SFP+ transceivers and backplane SERDES without external glue logic. The 1508-ball FCBGA exposes enough parallel I/O for wide POS-PHY or SPI bus aggregation, while embedded ESBs implement packet buffers and lookup tables inline, reducing external memory accesses and lowering system latency.
Recommended
Video Broadcasting and Imaging
The EP2A70F1508C8 is a strong fit for SDI/HD-SDI video routers, broadcast format converters, and industrial imaging pipelines that require massive parallel pixel buses plus embedded line/frame buffers. Its 1,146,880 embedded RAM bits absorb at least several lines of 10-bit HD-SDI pixel data without external SDRAM, eliminating one memory chip and the associated PCB routing. The 1060 I/O pins accommodate 24-bit RGB plus sync, control, and tally signals for multi-channel routers. Operating at 0.85 ns typical register-to-register delays at speed grade 8, the device sustains HD-SDI pixel rates at 148.5 MHz with margin for conversion pipeline stages.
Recommended
Custom ASIC Prototyping
Engineers prototyping ASICs that target 0.18 µm or 0.15 µm processes frequently map RTL into the EP2A70F1508C8 because it is built on the same 0.15 µm eight-layer copper process node. The 67,200 logic elements plus ESBs provide high resource headroom for partitioning large ASICs across multiple FPGAs, and the 1060 I/O enable full visibility to internal ASIC pins during bring-up. Real-world design patterns include PCI Express endpoint pre-silicon validation, MPEG-4 codec emulation, and multi-million-gate network processor prototypes. Industrial and test equipment vendors also use this device for ASIC bring-up benches.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Backplane Aggregation
With native support for 1 Gbps True-LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, and HyperTransport signaling, the EP2A70F1508C8 can aggregate multiple high-speed serial lanes directly into parallel processing logic for protocol bridging and switching fabrics. The 1060 user I/O let designers reserve dedicated pins for each SERDES lane, clock forwarding, and sideband signals without multiplexer bottlenecks. The 1.5 V core and 0.15 µm process deliver low internal jitter, supporting multi-gigabit throughput with deterministic latency across the embedded array, which is critical for switch-fabric backplanes in storage and telecom chassis.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Automation
The 1060 user I/O of the EP2A70F1508C8 is a strong fit for industrial PLC and motion controllers that must read hundreds of digital inputs and drive dozens of PWM, encoder, or stepper outputs concurrently. The 67,200 logic elements absorb complex ladder-logic-to-state-machine translation and high-speed PID loops in a single device. For harsh environments, the industrial-grade EP2A70B724 variants share the same silicon, but the EP2A70F1508C8 remains appropriate for cabinet-protected or test-rack industrial designs where commercial 0 °C to 85 °C is acceptable.
Recommended
Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment
Test and measurement instruments such as protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, and ATE fixtures historically used APEX II FPGAs for parallel capture and stimulus generation, and many of these instruments remain in field service today. The EP2A70F1508C8's combination of 67,200 logic elements and 1060 I/O supports 64+ channel logic analyzers and multi-bus protocol exercisers in a single device. Sustainment of these legacy systems requires continued access to APEX II silicon such as the EP2A70F1508C8 or its speed-grade variants; EOL redesigns typically target Cyclone IV/V equivalents with PCB rework.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A70F1508C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A70F1508C7 | EP2A70F1508C6 | EP2A70F1508C7N | EP2A70F1508C7ES | EP2A70F1508C9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) - same | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) - same | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) - same | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) - same | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (40x40 mm) - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera - same | Altera - same | Altera - same | Altera - same | Altera - same |
| Speed Grade | 8 | 7 (slower) | 6 (slowest) | 7 lead-free | 7 engineering sample | 9 (faster) |
| Logic Elements | 67,200 | 67,200 (identical die) | 67,200 (identical die) | 67,200 (identical die) | 67,200 (identical die) | 67,200 (identical die) |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 |
| User I/O Count | 1060 | 1060 | 1060 | 1060 | 1060 | 1060 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) | 1.5 V (1.425 V - 1.575 V) |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper | 0.15 µm 8-layer copper |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete (broker inventory) | Obsolete (broker inventory) | Obsolete (broker inventory) | Obsolete (broker inventory) | Obsolete (engineering sample, very limited stock) | Obsolete (broker inventory) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density APEX II FPGA in the 1508-ball FCBGA package family (vs EP2A40F1508)
- Same 1508-ball FCBGA footprint as all APEX II EP2A70 speed-grade variants (vs EP2A70F1508C7)
- Largest embedded RAM density in APEX II family (vs EP2A40F1508)
- Native 1 Gbps high-speed serial signaling on-chip (vs EP2A25F1020C8ES)
Design Notes
The EP2A70F1508C8 requires a clean 1.5 V core supply within the 1.425 V to 1.575 V window plus separately decoupled I/O rails for 3.3 V, 2.5 V, or 1.8 V standards. Place 0.1 µF and 10 µF ceramic decoupling within 5 mm of every VCC/VCCINT ball group, and follow Altera's APEX II power-up sequence (core before I/O) to avoid configuration failure or in-rush latch-up. Estimated: peak VCCINT current can exceed 3 A during full-utilization operation - size the regulator for at least 1.3x margin and verify with the Quartus PowerPlay early estimator.
The 1508-ball FCBGA at 40 x 40 mm uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch typical for high-density APEX II. Use a multilayer PCB (8+ layers recommended) with dedicated power and ground planes, and follow Altera's escape routing for via-in-pad or dogbone fan-out. Estimated: routing the 1060 user I/O plus power/ground out of the BGA typically requires high-density interconnect (HDI) microvia stackups; design rule checks should verify differential pair length matching (within 150 mils for LVDS) before tape-out.
Differential pair lengths for 1 Gbps True-LVDS, LVPECL, and PCML interfaces must be length-matched to within 150 mils intra-pair and 500 mils inter-pair to maintain signal integrity at the target bit error rate. Place series termination resistors within 300 mils of the FPGA output ball, and keep reference planes continuous under all SERDES traces. Estimated: characteristic impedance target is 100 Ω differential ±10%; verify with 3D field solver rather than relying on the 1-D stackup calculator for BGA escapes.
Do not assume the APEX II EP2A70 silicon is actively supported - Quartus II toolchains post-version 13.0 dropped device support, so legacy Quartus II 9.x or 10.x with the APEX II device library is required for bitstream generation. Plan for tool obsolescence when sustaining products that include this device. Also avoid specifying the EP2A70F1508C8 for new designs - source the obsolete part only when matching a known-good BOM for legacy manufacturing.
Estimated: At 1060 simultaneously-switching outputs, SSO (simultaneous switching output) noise on the 1.5 V core can degrade timing margin significantly. Stagger drive strengths in Quartus assignments, enable slew-rate limiting on non-critical I/O, and use spread-spectrum clocking where allowed by downstream logic to reduce peak di/dt on the core supply.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not specified in retrieved web data for the EP2A70F1508C8. APEX II EP2A70 family pre-dates mandatory RoHS reporting; engineering sample variants (ES suffix) and commercial (C suffix) variants have different lead-finish options - confirm with broker documentation before placing into RoHS-restricted assemblies.
