EP2C50U484C8 - Cyclone II FPGA, 50K LE, 484-FBGA | Intel | Altera
MPN: EP2C50U484C8 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $101.01 | $101.01 |
| 10 | $96.2 | $962.00 |
| 100 | $91.62 | $9,162.00 |
| 500 | $87.1 | $43,550.00 |
| 1,000 | $82.55 | $82,550.00 |
| 3,000 | $72.89 | $218,670.00 |
EP2C50U484C8 Overview
What is an FPGA? An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device whose digital logic function is defined by the customer after manufacture, rather than at the foundry. FPGAs sit in the broader taxonomy of programmable logic devices (PLD) and offer higher density than their CPLD cousins. Cyclone II FPGAs in particular deliver a balanced cost-per-LE, embedded memory blocks, embedded multipliers, and general-purpose I/O in a single chip, making them workhorses for ASIC prototyping, video/display bridging, motor control, and low-cost DSP.
Key features of the EP2C50U484C8 include 50,528 logic elements distributed across 3,158 logic array blocks (LABs), 594,432 RAM bits arranged in M4K memory blocks, 86 embedded 18 × 18 multipliers for DSP operations, four phase-locked loops (PLLs), and 294 single-ended (or 132 differential) user I/O pins supporting LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and PCI I/O standards. The device supports configuration via JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Active Parallel (AP), and Passive Serial (PS) modes, and ships in a lead-free 484-ball UBGA package measuring 19 × 19 mm with a 1.0 mm ball pitch.
Architecturally, the Cyclone II device uses a four-input look-up table (LUT) as its basic logic element, supplemented by dedicated multiplier blocks that operate independently of the LUT fabric to deliver DSP throughput up to 250 MHz. Four PLLs provide clock synthesis, multiplication, division, and phase shifting for up to 16 clock domains per device. The 90 nm process node keeps core power consumption low relative to earlier-generation FPGAs.
Typical applications for the EP2C50U484C8 include industrial machine vision and video processing, motor and motion control, low-cost digital signal processing, ASIC prototyping, protocol bridging (PCI/PCI-X/PCIe soft cores), and educational/hobby platforms where Quartus II design flows are well-supported by community tooling.
Design consideration: the 484-ball UBGA package requires careful PCB layout with microvia or via-in-pad technology on standard 4-layer boards; plan your stack-up and via design up front, since the part cannot be hand-reworked. Use Quartus II 13.0sp1 or Web Edition as your synthesis and place-and-route environment.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in package alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone — a real advantage over the bare Cyclone II datasheet or a single distributor listing.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C50U484C8 — 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 EP2C50U484C8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Configuration Modes.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C50U484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$133.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C50U484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C50U484C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$198.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C50U484C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$115.42 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$64.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C35U484C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C50F484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$68.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C50U484C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements | 50,528 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 3,158 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 594,432 |
| M4K RAM Blocks | 250 (4 Kbit each) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 86 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| User I/O Pins | 294 (132 differential pairs max) |
| Process Node | 90 nm CMOS |
| Package | 484-ball FineLine BGA (UBGA-484), 19 x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Speed Grade | C8 (-8 speed bin) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) |
| Core Voltage | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Active Parallel (AP), Passive Serial (PS) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Lead-free (UBGA package), RoHS compliant |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP2C50U484C8 484-ball fineline bga (ubga-484), 19 x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C50U484C8 (484-ball fineline bga (ubga-484), 19 x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch 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 EP2C50U484C8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C50U484C8 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Machine Vision and Video Bridging, Motor Control and Motion Drive Systems, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Low-Cost Digital Signal Processing, Protocol Bridging and Interface Conversion, Educational and Hobby Development Boards.
Industrial Machine Vision and Video Bridging
The EP2C50U484C8 is well suited for industrial machine vision controllers and video format bridging. Its 50,528 logic elements plus 86 embedded 18 × 18 multipliers deliver up to 86 GMACS of DSP throughput, enough to perform real-time Bayer demosaicing, color space conversion, and edge detection on a DVI/HDMI input stream. The 294 user I/O pins allow direct connection to Camera Link, LVDS, and parallel CMOS image sensors, while 594 Kbit of embedded M4K RAM buffers line-scan video frames without external SRAM. Designers typically place the EP2C50U484C8 between the image sensor and an LCD/TFT controller, using the four on-chip PLLs to synthesize independent pixel clocks for the sensor (74.25 MHz) and the display (65 MHz). Compared with a discrete DSP, the FPGA provides deterministic latency and one-chip BOM simplification.
Recommended
Motor Control and Motion Drive Systems
The EP2C50U484C8 serves as a digital motion controller in multi-axis servo drives, stepper drives, and industrial robot joint modules. Its 50K LE fabric implements up to four PID/SVPWM control loops in parallel with sub-microsecond loop period, while the 86 embedded 18 × 18 multipliers handle field-oriented-control (FOC) Park/Clarke transforms at high PWM switching frequency. Four on-chip PLLs deliver independent clocks for the PWM carrier (typically 16 kHz), encoder sampling (10 MHz), and EtherCAT/POWERLINK communication PHY. The 294 user I/O pins connect directly to incremental encoder inputs, Hall sensors, and gate-driver signals, eliminating the need for external logic. Commercial 0-85 °C operation matches the temperature profile of sealed industrial motor enclosures.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP2C50U484C8 is widely used as an ASIC prototyping vehicle in universities, IP vendors, and ASIC emulation labs. Its 50K logic elements, 86 multipliers, and 594 Kbit RAM can host functional blocks such as a complete UART + SPI + I2C subsystem, an SDRAM controller, a 32-bit CPU soft-core (NIOS II/e or NIOS II/f), and a custom peripheral set — all on one device. The JTAG, AS, and AP configuration modes support rapid iteration via the Quartus II programmer, and the UBGA-484 package exposes every user I/O for breadboard-style signal probing. For multi-FPGA ASIC prototyping stacks, multiple EP2C50U484C8 parts can be cascaded to emulate millions of ASIC gates.
Recommended
Low-Cost Digital Signal Processing
The EP2C50U484C8 is a strong fit for low-cost DSP functions such as FIR filtering, FFT/IFFT, audio mixing, and software-defined-radio baseband processing. Its 86 embedded 18×18 multipliers deliver up to ~250 MHz multiply-accumulate throughput, and combined with 594 Kbit of M4K memory blocks the device can implement a 1024-point FFT on a single chip. The 90 nm Cyclone II process keeps dynamic power low relative to earlier-generation FPGAs. Typical deployments include audio crossover DSP, hearing-aid processors, software-defined radio front-ends, and motor-bearing vibration analyzers where the FPGA replaces a dedicated DSP chip at lower BOM cost.
Recommended
Protocol Bridging and Interface Conversion
The EP2C50U484C8 is frequently used as a protocol bridge chip — converting between PCIe, PCI, USB 2.0, I2C, SPI, UART, and parallel interfaces in industrial backplanes and legacy upgrade kits. The 294 user I/O pins and 50K logic elements easily implement a multi-port bridge with on-chip FIFOs (built from M4K blocks) and DMA engines. The UBGA-484 footprint exposes enough I/O for simultaneous PCIe x1 + USB 2.0 ULPI + 16-bit local bus, and four PLLs produce independent clocks for each protocol domain. Cyclone II has been a long-time favorite for PCIe Gen1 soft-IP, and many IP vendors continue to ship verified PCIe/PCI cores for the family.
Recommended
Educational and Hobby Development Boards
The EP2C50U484C8 powers several well-known FPGA development boards and educational kits (e.g. Altera DE2-115-class boards), where its 50K logic elements provide comfortable headroom for course labs and student projects. Quartus II Web Edition (free) supports the full Cyclone II family with no license fee, and a deep ecosystem of reference designs, university IP cores, and student tutorials exists for the device. The 294 user I/O pins drive on-board peripherals such as 7-segment displays, VGA DACs, audio CODECs, and SRAM/SDRAM memory — making it ideal for teaching digital logic, computer architecture, and embedded systems.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C50U484C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C50U484C7N | EP2C50U484C7 | EP2C50U484C6N | EP2C50U484C6 | EP2C35U484C8N | EP2C35U484C8 | EP2C50F484C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | UBGA-484 (484-ball, 1.0 mm pitch, 19x19 mm) | UBGA-484 - same | UBGA-484 - same | UBGA-484 - same | UBGA-484 - same | UBGA-484 - same | UBGA-484 - same | FBGA-484 - same ball count, finer 0.8 mm pitch (verify PCB) |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same |
| Family | Cyclone II | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same | Cyclone II - same |
| Speed Grade | C8 (-8) | C7 (-7, ~15% faster) | C7 (-7, ~15% faster) | C6 (-6, ~30% faster) | C6 (-6, ~30% faster) | C8 (-8) | C8 (-8) | C8 (-8) |
| Logic Elements | 50,528 | 50,528 - same | 50,528 - same | 50,528 - same | 50,528 - same | 33,216 (-34%) | 33,216 (-34%) | 50,528 - same |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 86 | 86 - same | 86 - same | 86 - same | 86 - same | 70 (-19%) | 70 (-19%) | 86 - same |
| Embedded Memory | 594,432 bits | 594,432 bits - same | 594,432 bits - same | 594,432 bits - same | 594,432 bits - same | 483,840 bits (-19%) | 483,840 bits (-19%) | 594,432 bits - same |
| User I/O Pins | 294 | 294 - same | 294 - same | 294 - same | 294 - same | 294 - same | 294 - same | 294 - same |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same | 0 °C to +85 °C - same |
| Lead-Free | Yes (UBGA package is lead-free) | Yes | No (leaded balls) | Yes | No (leaded balls) | Yes | No (leaded balls) | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Slightly slower Fmax than the C7N sibling, but typically in stock at lower cost (vs EP2C50U484C7N)
- Higher logic and DSP density than the EP2C35 in the same UBGA-484 footprint (vs EP2C35U484C8N)
- Same 50K logic capacity as the EP2C50F484C8N in a slightly different BGA pitch (vs EP2C50F484C8N)
Design Notes
The 484-ball UBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch and a 19 × 19 mm body. Plan your PCB stack-up up-front: 4-layer FR-4 designs require microvia or via-in-pad technology to fan out the inner balls. A non-via-in-pad 4-layer board may be unable to break out the central ball array. If via-in-pad is not available, target a 6-layer or 8-layer stack-up with 4 mil laser-drilled microvias. The part cannot be hand-reworked; design for manufacturability with proper fiducials, panelization, and a stencil aperture that matches the 0.6 mm recommended pad diameter. Estimated: assuming 1 oz copper, expect 4-layer microvia fab cost to add $0.40-$0.80 per square inch versus a standard 8-layer through-hole build.
The Cyclone II EP2C50 core runs at 1.15-1.25 V and the I/O banks at 1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V. Design your power tree with a linear regulator (e.g. LT3080) or a switching regulator (e.g. TPS54331) for the 1.2 V core rail, and dedicate an LDO per I/O bank that uses a non-default voltage. Decoupling: place 0.1 µF X7R ceramic caps within 100 mil of every VCCINT/VCCIO pin pair, plus 10 µF bulk caps on each supply rail. Programmable Power Technology (Cyclone II feature) lets you assign LABs and M4K blocks to fast or slow slew, and configuring unused blocks to low-power modes can cut quiescent draw by up to 60% on lightly loaded designs.
Use dedicated PLL power filtering: each of the four PLLs requires an isolated analog VCC (VCC_PLL) with its own ferrite bead and 0.1 µF + 10 µF decoupling, plus a quiet ground return. Route clock signals on the inner signal layer with 50 Ω controlled impedance and keep them away from I/O switching edges. Differential pairs (LVDS, SSTL) should be length-matched within 20 mil for data and within 50 mil for clock-data skew; the Quartus II Fitter reports skew margins. Estimated: LVDS pairs length-matched to within 20 mil typically require 2-4 turns on a 0.5 mm-pitch BGA breakout.
Configuration mode pins MSEL[2:0] must be tied high or low per the Cyclone II handbook — leaving them floating causes the device to enter an undefined configuration state. The nCONFIG pin must see a clean 0→1 edge on power-up; use a 10 kΩ pull-up to VCCIO bank 1 plus a 0.1 µF cap to filter noise. The JTAG chain order matters when multiple devices share TCK/TDO; configure each device's JTAG IDCODE properly in the Quartus II programmer or risk programming the wrong device. Estimated: typical JTAG chain debugging takes 1-2 hours per mistake in multi-FPGA boards.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Altera/Intel product page. The UBGA package is lead-free (lead-free ball finish). Cyclone II family is not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive designs the Cyclone IV or Cyclone 10 automotive-grade families should be considered. Halogen-free per Intel Material Declaration. Conflict-minerals compliant per Intel supplier disclosure.
