EP2C50F672C7 - Cyclone II FPGA, 50K LE, 672-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP2C50F672C7 β Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $283.98 | $283.98 |
| 10 | $255.58 | $2,555.80 |
| 100 | $227.18 | $22,718.00 |
| 500 | $198.79 | $99,395.00 |
| 1,000 | $184.59 | $184,590.00 |
EP2C50F672C7 Overview
What is a Cyclone II FPGA? It is a SRAM-based programmable logic device from the second-generation Altera Cyclone family, positioned between low-density CPLDs and high-performance FPGAs in the programmable-logic taxonomy (FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> integrated circuit). Cyclone II introduced 18x18 hardware multipliers, embedded M4K memory blocks, and PLL-based clock management, making it suitable for cost-sensitive DSP, video, and embedded control applications that do not require the serial transceivers of higher-end Stratix devices. Within the Cyclone II family, density scales from EP2C5 (~5K LE) through EP2C70 (~70K LE), with EP2C50 occupying the upper-middle density tier.
Key features of the EP2C50F672C7 include 450 user I/O pins (the maximum available on Cyclone II), 4 phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock synthesis, 86 embedded 18x18 multipliers (150 18x18 multipliers total per device family datasheet) for DSP operations, and 250 M4K memory blocks. The device supports configuration via passive serial (PS), active serial (AS), and JTAG modes using an external configuration device such as the EPCS4 or EPCS16 serial flash.
Typical applications for the EP2C50F672C7 span industrial motor control, video processing and display controllers, telecommunications line cards, and embedded computing platforms where a balance of logic density, I/O count, and cost is required. The 672-FBGA FineLine BGA package provides high signal density suitable for multi-channel data acquisition systems.
When designing with this device, note that the EP2C50F672C7 is a commercial-grade (C suffix) part in the -7 speed grade; for industrial temperature range (-40C to +100C junction), the EP2C50F672I7 variant should be selected. Configuration requires an external serial configuration device or JTAG download cable, and the Quartus II design software (version 13.0 or earlier for full Cyclone II support) is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C50F672C7 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 EP2C50F672C7 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Process Technology, Configuration Modes, Mounting Type.
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EP2C50F672C6
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View Datasheet βEP2C50F672C6N
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View Datasheet βEP2C50F672I8N
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View Datasheet βEP2C50F672I8
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View Datasheet βEP2C35F672C7
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View Datasheet βEP2C35F672C8
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View Datasheet βEP2C70F672C7
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View Datasheet βEP2C70F672C6
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View Datasheet βEP2C50F672C7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 50,528 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 594,432 bits |
| Embedded Memory Blocks | 250 M4K blocks (4 Kbit each) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 86 (150 per device family datasheet figure) |
| User I/O Pins | 450 |
| Phase-Locked Loops (PLL) | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 16 |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS with low-k dielectric |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.0 V / 3.3 V (per bank) |
| Package | 672-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA-672) |
| Speed Grade | -7 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C junction) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial (PS), Active Serial (AS), JTAG |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Lead-Free / RoHS compliant per Heisener listing |
EP2C50F672C7 672-ball fineline bga (fbga-672) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C50F672C7 (672-ball fineline bga (fbga-672) 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 EP2C50F672C7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C50F672C7 is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control and Drive Systems, Video Processing and Display Controllers, Telecommunications Line Cards and Protocol Bridging, Embedded Computing Platforms and Custom Peripherals, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Medical Imaging and Diagnostic Equipment, Aerospace and Avionics Legacy Interfaces.
Industrial Motor Control and Drive Systems
The EP2C50F672C7's 50,528 logic elements and 86 embedded 18x18 multipliers are well-matched to field-oriented control (FOC) algorithms for three-phase AC induction and permanent-magnet servo drives, where PWM generation, Park/Clarke transforms, and current-loop math run in parallel. The 672-FBGA package exposes 450 user I/O pins, allowing direct connection to multi-axis encoder feedback (QEP), Hall sensors, gate-driver enable lines, and isolated SPI ports for power-module telemetry - without external logic expanders. With four on-chip PLLs, the FPGA can derive precise PWM carrier frequencies (typically 8-20 kHz for motor PWM) from a single 50 MHz crystal, while the 594 Kbit of M4K RAM provides deterministic look-up-table storage for sine waves, space-vector modulators, and dead-time compensation tables. Designers pair this part with the IR2110 or UCC21520 gate drivers and TI C2000 DSPs for the supervisory loop.
Recommended
Video Processing and Display Controllers
With 50,528 LE and 594 Kbit of embedded memory, the EP2C50F672C7 supports mid-resolution video processing pipelines such as dual-channel DVI/HDMI input buffering, color-space conversion, deinterlacing, and on-screen-display (OSD) composition. The 672-FBGA's 450 user I/O pins easily accommodate parallel RGB/TTL LCD interfaces, 24-bit camera input ports, and DDR SDRAM data buses (16- or 32-bit) for frame buffering, with the FPGA's 4 PLLs generating pixel clocks in the 25-148.5 MHz range for 480p to 1080p video. The 86 hardware multipliers accelerate DCT/IDCT operations for MJPEG or MPEG-2 decode at CIF/D1 resolutions. XAIPART commonly pairs the EP2C50F672C7 with the ADV7180 video decoder, the ADV7123 video DAC, and an ISSI IS42S16160B 16-Mbit SDRAM frame buffer.
Recommended
Telecommunications Line Cards and Protocol Bridging
The EP2C50F672C7 is well-suited for telecom line cards that bridge legacy TDM (T1/E1) interfaces to packet networks, where it implements HDLC controllers, framer/deframer logic, and UART/SPI aggregation. The 450 user I/O pins comfortably support 8-16 T1/E1 framers plus a single Gigabit Ethernet MAC interface to an external PHY such as the Marvell 88E1111, while the 86 hardware 18x18 multipliers accelerate Reed-Solomon and V.90 convolutional coding for line-card echo cancellation. The 4 PLLs generate the 1.544 MHz T1 and 2.048 MHz E1 bit clocks from a single 19.44 MHz Stratum-3 reference with sub-ppm jitter, and the 594 Kbit of M4K RAM stores per-channel state machines. Industrial designers reference the Altera AN-415 application note for HDLC and the Cyclone II development kit reference designs.
Recommended
Embedded Computing Platforms and Custom Peripherals
The EP2C50F672C7 functions as a flexible I/O companion to an embedded processor such as the NXP i.MX6, TI Sitara AM335x, or Microchip SAM9, offloading custom peripheral logic (I2S audio routing, capacitive touch scanning, custom high-speed ADC interfaces) from the CPU. With 450 user I/O and 86 hardware multipliers, the FPGA can host an AXI-to-custom-bridge glue logic plus 4-8 channels of 18-bit sigma-delta modulation for audio or precision sensing, with the 594 Kbit M4K RAM storing FIR/IIR filter coefficients and look-up tables. The 672-FBGA accepts a 32-bit parallel host bus from the processor plus 16 GPIO for interrupt and DMA handshaking. Reference designs are available from the Altera Embedded Peripherals IP (ALTERA_AHB_LITE, ALTERA_AVALON) bundled with Quartus II.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP2C50F672C7 fits mid-range test-and-measurement instruments such as 4-channel 200 MSPS digital oscilloscopes, multi-channel logic analyzers, or LCR-meter front-ends, where the FPGA performs real-time ADC data acquisition, trigger logic, decimation, and USB/Ethernet streaming to a host PC. The 86 hardware 18x18 multipliers implement 16-tap FIR decimation filters in parallel for sigma-delta ADC oversampling, while the 594 Kbit of M4K RAM serves as a circular acquisition buffer for pre-trigger capture. With 450 user I/O, the FPGA can ingest two 14-bit ADC channels at 200 MSPS (e.g., Linear Technology LTC2248 or Analog Devices AD9248) and drive an LVDS-based LCD, plus provide 4-wire SPI control for the analog front-end. The 4 PLLs derive all sample clocks from a single TCXO reference.
Recommended
Medical Imaging and Diagnostic Equipment
The EP2C50F672C7 is used in ultrasound beamformer front-ends, patient-monitoring multi-lead ECG acquisition boards, and portable spirometer signal-conditioning modules where deterministic latency, low noise, and moderate logic density are required. The 86 hardware multipliers support 32-channel beam-delay-and-sum computations at 40 MHz pulse repetition, and the 594 Kbit M4K RAM stores beam coefficients and per-channel gain correction tables. The 672-FBGA's 450 user I/O accepts 32-64 LVDS pairs from the analog front-end (e.g., TI AFE5808 for ultrasound), plus a parallel bus to an LCD display and Ethernet to a host processor. Note: the EP2C50F672C7 is commercial-temperature (0C to +85C junction); for medical-grade extended-temperature operation, the EP2C50F672I7 industrial variant should be qualified.
Recommended
Aerospace and Avionics Legacy Interfaces
The EP2C50F672C7 is found in retrofit and line-replaceable avionics modules that implement ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, or ARINC 664 bus bridges, where the FPGA's 50K LE and 450 I/O allow multi-channel protocol termination plus custom health-monitoring logic on a single chip. The 4 PLLs synthesize all required bus bit-rates (12.5 kbps, 100 kbps for ARINC 429; 1 Mbps for 1553B) from a single 50 MHz reference, and the 86 hardware multipliers support ARINC 664 end-system CRC and scheduling calculations. The 594 Kbit M4K RAM stores per-channel loopback buffers for built-in-test (BIT). For avionics environments requiring -40C to +100C operation, the EP2C50F672I7 industrial variant is preferred over the EP2C50F672C7 commercial variant. Standard companion parts include the Holt HI-8585 ARINC 429 transceiver and the Data Device Corporation BU-61585 MIL-STD-1553 terminal.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C50F672C7 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C50F672C6 | EP2C50F672C6N | EP2C35F672C7 | EP2C70F672C7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 672-FBGA | 672-FBGA - same | 672-FBGA - same | 672-FBGA - same | 672-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Logic Elements | 50,528 LE | 50,528 LE - same | 50,528 LE - same | 33,216 LE (-34%) | 68,416 LE (+35%) |
| Speed Grade | -7 | -6 (faster) | -6 (faster) | -7 (same) | -7 (same) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| User I/O Pins | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 |
| Embedded Memory | 594,432 bits | 594,432 bits - same | 594,432 bits - same | 483,840 bits (-19%) | 1,152,000 bits (+94%) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 86 | 86 - same | 86 - same | 35 (-59%) | 150 (+74%) |
| PLLs | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-I/O Cyclone II variant with 50,528 LE (vs EP2C35F672C7)
- Balanced cost-density position vs EP2C70 (vs EP2C70F672C7)
- Identical package pinout vs EP2C50F672C6 / C6N (vs EP2C50F672C6)
- Commercial-grade vs EP2C50F672I7 industrial (vs EP2C50F672I7)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 50% logic utilization, 4 PLLs active, 4 input clocks, and 100 MHz fmax, the EP2C50F672C7 draws roughly 0.5-0.8 A from the 1.2 V VCCINT rail (about 0.6-1.0 W core power). Each VCCIO bank can source up to ~200 mA of I/O switching current at 3.3 V. The board must use a low-dropout regulator with sub-30 mV load-step response (e.g., TI TPS74401 or Linear LT3023) for VCCINT, and bulk decoupling must be at least 4x 47 uF ceramic plus 1x 220 uF polymer tantalum per the Cyclone II power-supply application note.
The 672-FBGA has a 1.0 mm ball pitch and 27 mm body - escape routing requires microvia (laser-drilled or stacked-via) stack-up, ideally a 6- or 8-layer board with high-density-interconnect (HDI) processes. Use via-in-pad only on inner signal layers to avoid solder-joint reliability issues, and route all 4 PLL VCCA pins with dedicated short traces to a star-ground ferrite-bead + decoupling pair. Matched-length pairs for DDR SDRAM should be tuned within +/-25 ps in the Quartus II TimeQuest timing analyzer.
Do not attempt to program the EP2C50F672C7 with Quartus Prime 14.0 or later - Cyclone II device support was removed from the default install; use Quartus II 13.0sp1 or earlier, or load the legacy device support installer. Do not confuse the EP2C50F672C7 (commercial) with the EP2C50F672I7 (industrial -40C to +100C) - the latter has different thermal characteristics and is required for outdoor or ruggedized systems. Active serial configuration mode requires MSEL[2:0] pins set to AS fast (010) or AS standard (000); JTAG-only boards must set MSEL to JTAG (101).
Place the EPCS16 or EPCS64 configuration flash within 25 mm of the FPGA's DATA0/DCLK/ASDO/nCSO/nCONFIG/nSTATUS pins to keep AS-mode boot times deterministic. Decouple every VCCINT pin with a 0.1 uF X7R 0402 or 0201 ceramic cap within 2 mm of the BGA ball, and add a 4.7 uF bulk cap per VCCIO bank. Keep all JTAG chain signals (TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI) clear of switching I/O and clock traces to avoid programming failures - 4-layer board with continuous ground plane below the FPGA is recommended.
Estimated: at worst-case utilization (~80% LE, all 4 PLLs active, ~150 mW from 450 I/O switching at 100 MHz), the EP2C50F672C7 junction temperature can approach 60-70C in still air at 25C ambient - well within the 85C commercial limit. A small heatsink or thermal pad becomes necessary if the design drives all 450 I/O at maximum toggle rate, or if the unit operates in an enclosed chassis with poor airflow. Forced-air cooling is required for industrial variants above 70C ambient.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free compliance per Heisener product listing and Altera material declaration. Commercial temperature grade only - select EP2C50F672I7 for industrial temperature range. Halogen-free status not stated in available data.
