EP2C35F484C7N - Cyclone II FPGA, 33K LEs, 484-FBGA | Intel (Altera)
MPN: EP2C35F484C7N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $139.32 | $139.32 |
| 10 | $128.5 | $1,285.00 |
| 100 | $115 | $11,500.00 |
| 500 | $98.4 | $49,200.00 |
| 1,000 | $85.2 | $85,200.00 |
EP2C35F484C7N Overview
What is a Cyclone II FPGA? The Cyclone II family is Intel's (originally Altera's) second-generation low-cost SRAM-based FPGA series, positioned below the Stratix high-performance line. As an FPGA, the EP2C35F484C7N belongs to the broader category hierarchy of programmable logic device (PLD) -> FPGA -> SRAM-based FPGA -> low-cost FPGA. It targets cost-sensitive, volume-production designs where ASIC NRE is not justified, providing parallel logic, embedded memory blocks (M4K), and DSP blocks (multipliers) on a single reconfigurable fabric.
Key features include up to 35,000 LEs, 35 embedded 18x18 multipliers (DSP blocks) suitable for low-density signal processing, four phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock synthesis and skew management, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR, DDR2, and QDRII SRAM through dedicated DQS pins. The device consumes approximately 200 mW of static power and supports hot-socketing and configuration via JTAG, AS, PS, or PPA modes.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video processing pipelines, low-density wireless baseband logic, consumer electronics glue logic, and PCI/PCI Express endpoint bridges. The 484-FBGA package provides ample I/O count for memory-bus fan-out and parallel sensor aggregation.
Design tip: Use Intel's Quartus II (or the open-source Yosys + nextpnr flow for cost-limited builds) for synthesis, placement, and timing closure. Place decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCC/VCCIO/VCC_PLL power pin and provide a continuous ground plane beneath the BGA to suppress SSO noise.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in Altera Cyclone II alternatives, and practical Quartus II design notes not collected in a single location on the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C35F484C7N 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 EP2C35F484C7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C35F484C7
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$54.25 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C35F484C6N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$118.2 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C35F484C8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$65 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C35F484I7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$26.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C35F484I8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$56.01 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C20F484C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$42.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C35F484C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 33,216 |
| Total Memory Bits | 483,840 bits |
| Embedded Memory (M4K blocks) | 105 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 35 |
| User I/O Pins | 322 |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS, SRAM-based |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Bank Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V (per bank) |
| PLL Count | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 16 |
| Maximum User Frequency | 402 MHz (internal logic) |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS), PPA |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial, 'C7' suffix) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP2C35F484C7N 484-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C35F484C7N (484-ball fbga (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 EP2C35F484C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C35F484C7N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control FPGA, Video Processing Pipeline, PCI Express Endpoint Bridge, Wireless Baseband Signal Processing, Consumer Electronics Glue Logic, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Industrial Motor Control FPGA
The EP2C35F484C7N fits industrial motor control because its 33,216 LEs and 35 embedded 18x18 multipliers deliver enough parallel processing bandwidth for field-oriented control (FOC) loops on 3-phase PMSM and induction motors. The 322 user I/Os accommodate multiple PWM channels for inverter gate drivers, quadrature encoder inputs, and resolver excitation hardware. Its commercial 0C to +85C temperature rating covers factory-floor enclosures with adequate airflow, while the four on-chip PLLs synthesize the precise switching frequencies (4-32 kHz) needed for trapezoidal and sinusoidal commutation. Compared with a microcontroller, the parallel logic fabric closes current/torque loops in under 1 microsecond without CPU overhead.
Recommended
Video Processing Pipeline
For mid-resolution video processing, the EP2C35F484C7N's 105 M4K RAM blocks (483,840 bits total) and 35 hardware multipliers handle line buffers, color-space conversion, and scaling filters on D1 to 720p streams. Its 322 I/O pins support parallel ITU-R BT.656, LVDS display interfaces, and DDR2 frame-buffer memory up to 167 MHz via ALTMEMPHY IP. Compared with a DSP processor, the FPGA's parallel fabric processes all pixels per clock cycle, eliminating software bottlenecks. Designers typically pair this device with a Micron MT48LC16M16A2 SDRAM for cost-effective frame storage and an ADV7180 video decoder for analog input.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Bridge
The EP2C35F484C7N implements a single-lane PCI Express Gen1 endpoint bridge using the ALTGX transceiver-less soft IP core, achieving 250 MB/s throughput in x1 Gen1 mode. Its 33,216 LEs accommodate the PIPE and transaction layer logic, while the 322 I/Os fan out to downstream local bus interfaces (32-bit, 66 MHz). Compared with an ASSP bridge chip, the FPGA version is reconfigurable across PCIe Gen1/Gen2 signaling and supports custom DMA engines. This makes the device attractive for legacy industrial cards that need PCIe on a 90 nm low-cost fabric.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Signal Processing
In low-density wireless baseband applications (ZigBee, sub-GHz proprietary, narrowband LTE), the EP2C35F484C7N's 35 hardware 18x18 multipliers accelerate FFT, channelization, and CRC operations. Its four PLLs synthesize the precise sample rates needed for AD9361-class transceivers, and the 483,840 bits of embedded RAM buffer symbol payloads between DSP stages. Compared with a microcontroller + DSP dual-chip solution, the unified FPGA fabric reduces latency to under 100 ns per symbol and BOM cost by ~30%. The 484-FBGA package provides adequate thermal dissipation for baseband-only operation.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Glue Logic
In cost-sensitive consumer devices such as set-top boxes, mid-tier printers, and home appliances, the EP2C35F484C7N replaces dozens of discrete logic ICs with a single reconfigurable device. Its 322 user I/Os handle I2C, SPI, UART bridging, LCD controller duties, and keypad scanning in parallel. The 90 nm low-cost process yields under $90 per unit at qty-1000, undercutting multi-chip ASIC solutions. Designers use Quartus II's Qsys tool to integrate soft IP cores (Nios II processor, DDR2 controller, SD card interface) and update features via configuration bitstream without PCB rework.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Bench-top test equipment (logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, simple oscilloscopes) leverages the EP2C35F484C7N's 322 I/Os to capture and timestamp multiple parallel channels simultaneously. The four PLLs synthesize the deep-capture sample clocks (up to 200 MHz on LVDS pairs), while the 483,840 bits of embedded RAM store pre-trigger sample buffers. Compared with discrete shift-register solutions, the FPGA's parallel fabric timestamps up to 64 channels with under 5 ns skew, simplifying PCB layout and reducing BOM by ~40%. Designers typically pair this device with high-density DDR2 for post-trigger sample storage.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C35F484C7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C35F484C7 | EP2C35F484C6N | EP2C35F484C8N | EP2C35F484I7N | EP2C20F484C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-FBGA | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) |
| Logic Elements | 33,216 LEs | 33,216 LEs | 33,216 LEs | 33,216 LEs | 33,216 LEs | 18,752 LEs (-44%) |
| Embedded Memory | 483,840 bits | 483,840 bits | 483,840 bits | 483,840 bits | 483,840 bits | 239,616 bits (-50%) |
| Hardware Multipliers | 35 (18x18) | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 26 (-26%) |
| User I/O Pins | 322 | 322 | 322 | 322 | 322 | 315 (-2%) |
| Speed Grade | C7 (standard) | C7 (standard) | C6 (slower) | C8 (faster) | I7 (industrial temp + C7 speed) | C7 (standard) |
| Temperature Range | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C |
Key Differentiators
- Best price-performance for 33K LE logic density (vs EP2C20F484C7N)
- Drop-in pin compatibility with full Cyclone II 484-FBGA family (vs EP4CE35F484C8N (Cyclone IV migration))
- Industrial temperature option via I-suffix variant (vs EP2C35F484I8N)
Design Notes
The EP2C35F484C7N requires three separate power rails: VCCINT (1.2 V core, up to ~500 mA depending on utilization), VCCIO (per-bank I/O voltage, 1.5 V to 3.3 V, up to ~1 A total under heavy SSO load), and VCC_PLL (1.2 V analog supply for each of the 4 PLLs, ~50 mA each). Per Cyclone II Device Handbook, decouple each rail with 0.1 uF ceramic capacitors within 5 mm of every supply pin and bulk 10-47 uF tantalum or polymer caps at each regulator output. A shared ground plane with no splits is required under the BGA to suppress SSO noise.
At typical configuration (~70% utilization, 100 MHz operation), the EP2C35F484C7N dissipates approximately 1-2 W. The 484-FBGA package has a theta_JA around 12 C/W with adequate airflow. For enclosed industrial enclosures with no airflow, derate by 50% or add a small heatsink bonded to the top of the BGA via thermal pad. Use the Quartus II PowerPlay Power Analyzer to estimate worst-case dissipation before committing to PCB thermal design.
The 484-FBGA uses 1.0 mm ball pitch with a 22x22 array including depopulated corner balls. PCB design requires at minimum 4-layer stack-up with microvia-in-pad if using BGA fanout under the package. Inner layers should be a continuous ground plane plus a split VCCINT/VCCIO power plane routed orthogonally to the BGA fanout. Microstrip trace impedance must be controlled to 50 ohms +/-10% for LVDS and DDR signaling. Keep JTAG, configuration, and clock pins routed away from switching I/O to avoid coupling.
Common design pitfalls include (1) forgetting the MSEL pin configuration - it must be tied high or low to select AS/PS/JTAG mode at power-up; (2) omitting the nCONFIG pull-up, which prevents configuration; (3) leaving JTAG TCK floating instead of pulling low through 1 kohm; (4) failing to instantiate all 4 PLL power pins even when only 2 PLLs are used (the others still require VCC_PLL); (5) mis-assigning DQS pins for DDR interfaces - only specific pins support DQS signaling.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Intel product page. The 'N' suffix denotes lead-free terminal finish. Halogen-free molding compound confirmed. AEC-Q100 not applicable - FPGAs are typically not AEC-Q100 qualified at this density; automotive designs use specialized families.