EP2C15AF484I8N - 14,448 LEs Cyclone II FPGA 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2C15AF484I8N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $56.1 | $56.10 |
| 10 | $52.4 | $524.00 |
| 100 | $47.85 | $4,785.00 |
| 500 | $42.3 | $21,150.00 |
| 1,000 | $38.75 | $38,750.00 |
EP2C15AF484I8N Overview
An FPGA is a reprogrammable semiconductor whose logic fabric is configured after manufacture via a bitstream loaded into SRAM configuration cells. Cyclone II devices target cost-sensitive applications that still require programmable logic, DSP blocks, and external memory interfaces. In the broader taxonomy, FPGAs are programmable logic devices (PLDs) belonging to the larger category of digital logic ICs and ultimately semiconductors. Cyclone II succeeded the original Cyclone family with a 90 nm process, embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP, and on-chip PLLs for clock management.
The EP2C15A variant provides 14,448 logic elements (LEs), 52 M9K embedded RAM blocks totaling 239,616 bits, 4 PLLs, and 315 maximum user I/Os. The device supports LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards and offers up to four DLLs/PLLs for clock synthesis and skew management. Configuration is via passive serial, fast passive parallel, JTAG, or Altera-enhanced configuration devices, and the part is offered in commercial (0 to 85 C) and industrial (-40 to 100 C) temperature grades.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video processing bridges, software-defined radio front-ends, low-cost ASIC prototyping, and communications line cards. The 484-FBGA package offers ample I/O for memory-heavy designs and high-speed parallel interfaces such as DDR/DDR2 SDRAM controllers. Designers commonly pair the EP2C15 with external DDR SDRAM, flash for configuration storage, and an EPCS serial configuration device.
When designing with EP2C15AF484I8N, observe the FPGA power-on sequencing and use proper decoupling (100 nF + bulk) on every VCCIO/VCCINT rail. The 484-FBGA requires careful PCB stack-up and microvia technology for reliable assembly. JTAG access for programming and debug is essential, and an external configuration device is required because Cyclone II SRAM is volatile.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C15AF484I8N β 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 EP2C15AF484I8N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Process Technology, Mounting Type, Speed Grade, RoHS Status.
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EP2C15AF484C6N
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$19.85 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C15AF484I8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 14,448 |
| Total Memory Bits | 239,616 |
| Embedded RAM Blocks | 52 M9K blocks |
| Maximum User I/O | 315 |
| Package | 484-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Number of DLLs | 4 (via PLLs) |
| Embedded Multipliers | Yes (18x18) |
| Supply Voltage VCCINT | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Operating Temperature (Industrial) | -40 C to +100 C |
| Configuration Method | Serial, Parallel, JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP2C15AF484I8N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin B1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin C1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin D1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin E1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin F1 | VCCIO β I/O supply voltage |
| Pin G1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin H1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin J1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin K1 | GND β Ground |
| Pin L1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin M1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin N1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin P1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin R1 | VCCINT β Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Pin T1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin U1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin V1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin W1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin Y1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin AA1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
| Pin AB1 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O ball |
Typical Applications
EP2C15AF484I8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing Bridges, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Communications Line Card Interface, Low-Cost DSP Co-Processor.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP2C15AF484I8N is well-suited to industrial motor-control applications including AC induction, BLDC, and stepper motor drives. Its 14,448 logic elements and 26 embedded 18x18 hardware multipliers provide ample DSP throughput for field-oriented control (FOC) and space-vector PWM (SVPWM) algorithms running at tens of kHz switching frequencies. The 315 user I/Os accept multiple encoder inputs (QEP, Hall sensors), PWM outputs to gate drivers, and communication interfaces such as RS-485, CAN, or EtherCAT. The industrial -40 C to +100 C temperature grade ensures reliable operation in sealed drive enclosures. Typical designs use the PLLs to synthesize high-resolution PWM clocks and the M9K memory blocks to buffer ADC samples and current-loop coefficients.
Recommended
Video Processing Bridges
The EP2C15A serves as a flexible video-format bridge between cameras, displays, and image sensors in machine-vision and broadcast systems. Its 315 user I/Os accept parallel RGB/YCbCr data buses, BT.656/601 streams, or LVDS/HiSPi sensor interfaces, while internal logic performs scaling, de-interlacing, color-space conversion, and overlay composition. The 239,616 bits of embedded RAM serve as line buffers for deinterlacing and scaling operations, and the 18x18 multipliers handle real-time color-matrix transforms and chroma resampling. Designers typically instantiate DDR/DDR2 controllers via the FPGA's dedicated DQS pins to provide frame buffer memory, with the EP2C15AF484I8N's industrial temperature grade supporting outdoor surveillance deployments.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
Software-defined radio (SDR) platforms leverage the EP2C15AF484I8N's parallel DSP capability for baseband processing, digital up/down conversion, and channelization. The 26 hardware multipliers accelerate FIR filtering and FFT operations essential to OFDM modulation/demodulation. The four PLLs synthesize the ADC/DAC sample clocks and the local oscillator for digital mixing, while the 315 user I/Os interface with high-speed ADCs (such as 12-/14-bit pipelined converters) and DACs over LVDS pairs. Designers can implement complete physical-layer stacks for protocols such as Wi-Fi, DVB-T, LTE, or proprietary narrowband links. The industrial temperature grade is advantageous for outdoor small-cell and military-radio applications.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The Cyclone II EP2C15A is widely used for ASIC prototyping and pre-silicon validation of medium-complexity ASIC/SoC designs. With 14,448 logic elements, designers can partition RTL into FPGA-friendly equivalents, instantiate memory models, and validate firmware months before the real ASIC silicon is available. The 484-FBGA package offers 315 user I/Os for ASIC breakout signals, JTAG visibility, and trace ports. Pair the EP2C15AF484I8N with an EPCS configuration device and external SRAM/DRAM to emulate a target SoC's peripheral behavior, then bring up the ASIC's firmware on the FPGA platform for hardware/software co-verification. The industrial temperature grade suits benchtop and chassis prototyping environments.
Recommended
Communications Line Card Interface
Telecom line cards and access-network equipment use the EP2C15AF484I8N to bridge TDM buses, Ethernet MACs, and serializer/deserializer (SerDes) interfaces. The four PLLs generate the multiple clock domains required for system-side timing and SerDes reference clocks, while M9K memory blocks implement packet buffers and lookup tables. The 315 user I/Os are sufficient to interface with multiple SFP/SFP+ cages via LVDS, GMII/RGMII Ethernet MACs, and SPI/I2C management buses. Industrial temperature grade operation suits central-office and outdoor-cabinet deployments. The Cyclone II 90 nm process provides proven reliability in 24/7 carrier-grade environments.
Recommended
Low-Cost DSP Co-Processor
The EP2C15A acts as a companion DSP co-processor to a microcontroller or DSP processor, offloading compute-intensive kernels such as FFT, FIR filtering, image convolution, or motor-control math. The 26 embedded 18x18 multipliers provide ~1 GMACs of throughput, sufficient for audio-bandwidth DSP and modest image-processing workloads. The parallel SRAM-like architecture allows wide data-path implementations that exceed scalar DSP processor throughput. Designers connect the EP2C15AF484I8N to a host processor via parallel EMIF, SPI, or UART, exchange data and coefficients, and trigger co-processor kernels via interrupts. Industrial temperature grade and the 484-FBGA's robust board-level reliability suit long-lifecycle industrial automation platforms.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C15AF484I8N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C15AF484C6N | EP2C15AF256I8N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-FBGA | 484-FBGA - same | 256-FBGA - smaller |
| Brand | Intel | Intel - same | Intel - same |
| Logic Elements | 14,448 | 14,448 | 14,448 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 |
| Max User I/O | 315 | 315 | ~152 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial -40 to +100 C | Commercial 0 to +85 C | Industrial -40 to +100 C |
| Number of PLLs | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Embedded Multipliers | 26 x 18x18 | 26 x 18x18 | 26 x 18x18 |
Key Differentiators
- Highest I/O count variant in the EP2C15 family at 484 balls (vs EP2C15AF256I8N)
- Industrial temperature grade for harsh environments (vs EP2C15AF484C6N)
- Cyclone II architecture optimized for cost-sensitive DSP (vs Cyclone IV E EP4CE15)
Design Notes
The EP2C15AF484I8N requires multiple separate power rails: VCCINT (1.15-1.25 V core), VCCIO (1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V I/O banks, four banks), VCC_PLL (analog PLL supply, typically 1.2 V), and VCCAUX (2.5 V auxiliary). Each rail must be decoupled with 100 nF ceramic capacitors placed as close as possible to the package balls, plus bulk capacitance of at least 10 uF per rail. Use a power-on reset controller to ensure proper sequencing; VCCINT must reach 90% of nominal before VCCIO rises.
The 484-FBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch and requires 4-6 layer PCB stack-up with microvias (laser-drilled) for fan-out. Use 0.5 oz copper outer layers and 1 oz inner planes; signal layers should reference continuous GND planes to control impedance (50 ohm single-ended, 100 ohm differential). Place decoupling capacitors on the opposite side of the BGA directly beneath the balls using via-in-pad if your assembly house supports it, otherwise use short traces to nearest via.
Do not leave JTAG pins (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) floating - pull TMS high and TDI high through 10 kohm resistors to keep the device out of unintended JTAG states. Configuration is volatile: power cycling loses the design unless an EPCS serial configuration device or parallel flash is present. MSL3 moisture sensitivity requires pre-assembly baking or dry-pack handling to prevent popcorn cracking during reflow.
Cyclone II 90 nm FPGAs at industrial temperature grade dissipate significant power under high utilization. Estimate power using the Intel PowerPlay Early Power Estimator (EPE) spreadsheet before committing to a PCB thermal design. The 484-FBGA has moderate thermal performance (theta_JA ~15-20 C/W with proper PCB stack-up); add thermal vias under the package center if designs exceed 2-3 W to prevent thermal throttling in enclosed industrial enclosures.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel/Altera product page. NRND lifecycle status - not recommended for new designs. Industrial temperature grade -40 to +100 C.
