EP2C35U484I8 - Cyclone II FPGA, 33K LEs, 484-FBGA | Altera/Intel
MPN: EP2C35U484I8 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85 | $85.00 |
| 10 | $78 | $780.00 |
| 100 | $68.5 | $6,850.00 |
| 500 | $62 | $31,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $55 | $55,000.00 |
EP2C35U484I8 Overview
An FPGA is a reprogrammable integrated circuit whose logic function is defined by user-loaded configuration bitstream rather than fixed mask geometry, allowing rapid prototyping, in-field upgrades, and hardware parallelism unmatched by microcontrollers or DSPs. Cyclone II sits in Altera's low-cost FPGA hierarchy: FPGA → programmable logic → programmable logic device (PLD) → semiconductor, optimized for high-volume cost-sensitive applications such as digital video, communications infrastructure, and industrial control. Cyclone II FPGAs established the cost-optimized FPGA category alongside Xilinx Spartan-3.
Key features include 66 (4 per M4K block / RAM block) embedded 18x18 multipliers supporting DSP operations at up to ~250 MHz, support for LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards, hot-socketing capability for live insertion, and a -40C to +100C industrial junction temperature range. The industrial speed grade I8 selects the slowest industrial speed bin, while the U484 package designation identifies a wire-bond FineLine BGA. Configuration can be loaded via passive serial (PS), active serial (AS), or JTAG modes using EPCS serial configuration devices.
Typical applications include low-cost video processing pipelines, telecom line-card glue logic, industrial motor-control co-processors, and PCI Express endpoint bridges (using soft IP). The high pin count and large logic capacity suit designs aggregating multiple interfaces such as USB 2.0, Ethernet MAC, DDR/DDR2 memory controllers, and Nios II soft-core embedded processors.
When designing, ensure the PCB supports JTAG header (TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI/nCONFIG/nSTATUS) for configuration download, allocate decoupling capacitance per Quartus II power analysis, and verify I/O bank voltage compatibility when mixing LVDS and 3.3V LVCMOS signals. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, parameter context, and Cyclone II alternatives not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C35U484I8 — 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 EP2C35U484I8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Total RAM Bits.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C35U484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$64.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$67.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$108.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$115.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$106.22 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484I8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 33216 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 483840 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 35 |
| Logic Array Blocks / LABs | 2076 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum User I/O | 322 |
| Package | 484-FBGA (U484, 19x19 mm FineLine BGA) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm low-power CMOS |
| Operating Junction Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | I8 (industrial, 8th speed bin) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Active Serial, JTAG |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 1.2 V |
| Supply Voltage (I/O Banks) | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP2C35U484I8 484-fbga (u484, 19x19 mm fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C35U484I8 (484-fbga (u484, 19x19 mm 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 EP2C35U484I8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C35U484I8 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, Video Processing and Image Aggregation, PCI Express Endpoint Bridge, Embedded Nios II Soft-Processor System, Test & Measurement Instrumentation Front-End.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP2C35U484I8 is well-suited to industrial motor-control applications because its 322 user I/O pins aggregate encoder feedback (QEP), Hall sensors, PWM control lines, and fieldbus interfaces (RS-485, CAN) without external muxing. The 33,216 logic elements comfortably implement space-vector PWM, PID controllers, and field-oriented control (FOC) state machines. Industrial -40C to 100C junction range and 4 PLLs simplify generation of multi-axis PWM at 10-20 kHz switching. Pair with the EPCS64 configuration device for failsafe boot.
Recommended
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
In telecom line cards, the EP2C35U484I8 bridges backplane SERDES to local TDM buses, performs HDLC framing, and arbitrates channelized traffic. The 322 user I/O pins and LVDS support cleanly fan out to multiple SFP cages, while 35 hardware 18x18 multipliers accelerate Reed-Solomon / CRC engines at line rate. The 4 PLLs generate independent clock domains for T1/E1, 1 GbE, and backplane. Hot-socketing allows live service insertion in redundant chassis designs.
Recommended
Video Processing and Image Aggregation
The EP2C35U484I8 fits multi-camera video aggregation systems by ingesting parallel ITU-R BT.656 or LVDS camera data and outputting HDMI or composite streams. 483,840 embedded RAM bits cache multiple video frames at QVGA to VGA resolution, eliminating an external frame buffer. Hardware multipliers handle motion-estimation and scaling algorithms. Industrial temperature ensures operation in outdoor digital-signage and machine-vision enclosures.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Bridge
Pairing the EP2C35U484I8 with a PIPE-compliant external PHY (e.g., TI XIO1100), designers implement a single-lane Gen1 PCIe endpoint using Altera's PCIe soft IP. The 33K LEs comfortably host the PCIe transaction layer, MSI/MSI-X interrupt logic, and application payload. 484-FBGA accommodates the high lane count and SerDes reference-clock routing. Cyclone II supports 2.5 GT/s only; Gen2+ requires Cyclone IV GX or newer.
Recommended
Embedded Nios II Soft-Processor System
The EP2C35U484I8 commonly hosts Altera's Nios II/f fast soft-core processor for system-control tasks, fitting CPU, on-chip Tightly-Coupled Memory (TCM), peripherals, and custom accelerators within the 33K LE budget. 483,840 embedded RAM bits act as zero-wait-state program/data memory. The 4 PLLs supply independent clocks for the CPU, Ethernet MAC, and UART domains. Industrial temperature enables deployment in harsh-environment controllers.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation Front-End
The EP2C35U484I8 works as a parallel data acquisition / pattern-generator front-end in benchtop instrumentation: 322 user I/O pins drive LCD displays, push-buttons, and high-speed parallel LVDS/CMOS ADC/DAC pairs, while hardware multipliers accelerate FFT and DSP post-processing. Industrial temperature guarantees stable operation in unheated lab environments. M4K RAM blocks double as trace buffers for logic-analyzer functions in JTAG-driven production ATE.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C35U484I8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C35U484C8N | EP2C35U484C8 | EP2C35U484C7N | EP2C35U484C7 | EP2C35U484C6N | EP2C35U484C6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-FBGA (U484) | 484-FBGA (U484) - same | 484-FBGA (U484) - same | 484-FBGA (U484) - same | 484-FBGA (U484) - same | 484-FBGA (U484) - same | 484-FBGA (U484) - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 33216 | 33216 (identical) | 33216 (identical) | 33216 (identical) | 33216 (identical) | 33216 (identical) | 33216 (identical) |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 483840 | 483840 (identical) | 483840 (identical) | 483840 (identical) | 483840 (identical) | 483840 (identical) | 483840 (identical) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | I8 (industrial, slowest industrial) | C8 (commercial, similar to I8) | C8 (commercial, similar to I8) | C7 (commercial, faster than C8 by ~15%) | C7 (commercial, faster than C8 by ~15%) | C6 (commercial, fastest, ~25% faster than C8) | C6 (commercial, fastest, ~25% faster than C8) |
| Lead-Free (N suffix) | No (non-N variant) | Yes (Pb-free / RoHS) | No (non-N) | Yes (Pb-free / RoHS) | No (non-N) | Yes (Pb-free / RoHS) | No (non-N) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 35 | 35 (identical) | 35 (identical) | 35 (identical) | 35 (identical) | 35 (identical) | 35 (identical) |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial -40C to 100C operating range (vs EP2C35U484C8N)
- Same die, identical LE / RAM / multiplier resources (vs EP2C35U484C7N)
- Legacy design continuity without PCB respin (vs Cyclone IV E / Cyclone V families)
Design Notes
Route the EP2C35U484I8 on a 4-layer PCB minimum with a dedicated ground plane under the U484 BGA. Provide 4 to 6 decoupling capacitors (100 nF, 10 nF, 4.7 uF) per VCCINT and VCCA pin, placed within 3 mm of the balls. Differential pairs for LVDS / DDR2 must be length-matched to within 150 ps; use series termination on TCLK and DQS lines per the Cyclone II handbook Chapter 8.
Cyclone II core VCCINT runs at 1.2 V while VCCIO supports 1.5 / 1.8 / 2.5 / 3.3 V per bank; use a TPS74401 or equivalent low-dropout regulator with at least 500 mA rating on VCCINT. Enable power-on-reset ordering so VCCINT rises before VCCA, and add a 4.7 kohm pull-up on nCONFIG plus a 10 kohm pull-up on nSTATUS to guarantee clean initialization per Altera's configuration user guide.
Do not exceed the maximum I/O count or mix incompatible voltage standards in one I/O bank - all I/O banks must share a common VREF and VCCIO. When migrating from EP2C35U484I8 to the lead-free C8N / C7N / C6N drop-ins, update your Altera Quartus II project to version 13.0sp1 or earlier, regenerate the bitstream, and re-validate timing closure - faster speed bins may require re-tuning of PLL phase shifts for DDR interfaces.
Compliance Information
EP2C35U484I8 (non-N suffix) is the original industrial variant; Altera/Intel do not list a clear RoHS compliance statement at the time of verification. The N-suffix commercial variants (C8N, C7N, C6N) are lead-free and RoHS compliant. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is an FPGA, not a discrete automotive-grade IC. Recommend confirming RoHS with supplier before placing EU-bound orders.
