EP2C5T144C6N - Cyclone II FPGA 4.6K LEs 144-LQFP | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP2C5T144C6N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $7.95 | $7.95 |
| 10 | $7.16 | $71.60 |
| 100 | $6.37 | $637.00 |
| 500 | $5.71 | $2,855.00 |
| 1,000 | $5.1 | $5,100.00 |
EP2C5T144C6N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit whose digital logic functionality is defined after manufacturing by the customer, via a configuration bitstream. FPGAs sit in the broader taxonomy: programmable logic device (PLD) -> FPGA -> SRAM-based FPGA -> Cyclone II family. They differ from ASICs by offering rapid prototyping, field re-programmability, and lower NRE cost, while trading off per-unit cost and absolute performance against fixed-function ASICs. Cyclone II is positioned in the low-density, low-power tier below the Cyclone III/IV/V families.
Key features include up to 89 user I/O pins across 4 I/O banks, embedded 18x18 multipliers (13 total) for DSP-style arithmetic, dual-purpose configuration pins, and JTAG boundary-scan (IEEE 1149.1) for in-system programming and boundary test. The device supports multiple configuration modes including AS, PS, JTAG, and FPP, enabling flexible boot from EPCS serial flash or microprocessor hosts. The 144-pin LQFP package is plastic and surface-mount with 0.5mm pitch, suited to standard SMT assembly lines without requiring BGA-grade inspection.
Cyclone II FPGAs use a logic element (LE) granularity built around 4-input look-up tables (LUT4), each with an associated carry chain and register. The M4K embedded RAM blocks (13 blocks of 4,608 bits each) deliver true dual-port operation up to 250 MHz and can be configured as RAM, ROM, or FIFO buffers. Phase-locked loops (PLLs) provide clock multiplication, division, and phase shifting across the 2-4 PLLs available per device.
Typical applications include industrial motor control front-ends, low-density protocol bridges (UART/SPI/I2C to Ethernet), LED display controllers, video processing front-ends, educational development boards, and low-cost DSP pipelines. The Cyclone II is well-suited to designs where pin count and logic density demand exceed microcontrollers but ASIC NRE cannot be amortized.
When designing, plan for JTAG access (TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI pulled appropriately), 2.5V/3.3V bank voltage compatibility, decoupling per power pin, and configuration storage via EPCS1/EPCS4 serial flash. The LQFP-144 package benefits from generous copper pours and routed differential pairs for LVDS signals where jitter budget matters.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives in the same LQFP-144 footprint, and practical design notes not found on any single distributor listing.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C5T144C6N — 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 EP2C5T144C6N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C5T144C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C5T144C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$12.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C5T144C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$19.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2C5T144I7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2C5AT144A7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15.28 / Unit
View Datasheet →XC3S50A-4TQG144I
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2C5T144C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone II |
| Family Name | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 4608 |
| Total Memory Bits | 119808 bits |
| User I/O Count | 89 |
| Number of I/O Banks | 4 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 13 |
| PLLs | 2 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | 6 |
| Package | LQFP-144 (T144) 20x20 mm, 0.5 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
| Process Technology | TSMC 90 nm low-k |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP2C5T144C6N Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 2 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 3 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin 4 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 5 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 6 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 7 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 8 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 9 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 10 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 11 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 12 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 13 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 14 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 15 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 16 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 17 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 18 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 19 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 20 | I/O — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin 21 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2V) |
| Pin 22 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 23 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 24 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 25 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin 26 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 27 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 28 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 29 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 30 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 31 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 32 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 33 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 34 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 35 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 36 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 37 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 38 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 39 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 40 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 41 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 42 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 43 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin 44 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 45 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 46 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 47 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 48 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 49 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 50 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 51 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 52 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 53 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 54 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 55 | I/O — User I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin 56 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 57 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2V) |
| Pin 58 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 59 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 60 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 61 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 62 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 63 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 64 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 65 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 66 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 67 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 68 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 69 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Pin 70 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 71 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 72 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 73 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 74 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 75 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 76 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 77 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 78 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 79 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 80 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 81 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 82 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 83 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 84 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 85 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 86 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Pin 87 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 88 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 89 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 90 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 91 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 92 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 93 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 94 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 95 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 96 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 97 | I/O — User I/O (bank 3) |
| Pin 98 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2V) |
| Pin 99 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 100 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 101 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 102 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 103 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 104 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 105 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 106 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 107 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Pin 108 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 109 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 110 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 111 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 112 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 113 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 114 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 115 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 116 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 117 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 118 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 119 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 120 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 121 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 122 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 123 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 124 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 125 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Pin 126 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 127 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 128 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 129 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 130 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 131 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 132 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2V) |
| Pin 133 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 134 | I/O — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin 135 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 136 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin 137 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin 138 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Pin 139 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Pin 140 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin 141 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin 142 | CONF_DONE — Configuration done |
| Pin 143 | DCLK — Configuration clock |
| Pin 144 | MSEL0 — Configuration mode select 0 |
Typical Applications
EP2C5T144C6N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control FPGA, Legacy Protocol Bridge (UART/SPI to Ethernet), LED Video Wall Controller, Educational FPGA Development Platform, Video Processing Front-End (CVBS / HDMI Capture), Low-Cost DSP Pipeline (FIR / FFT), Automotive Infotainment Auxiliary Logic.
Industrial Motor Control FPGA
The EP2C5T144C6N fits industrial motor control front-ends because its 89 user I/O across 4 banks support direct interfacing to multi-axis encoder inputs (QEP, Hall sensors), PWM outputs, and isolation-barrier GPIO. The 13 embedded 18x18 multipliers and 4,608 logic elements handle real-time field-oriented control (FOC) loops with adequate headroom for sinusoidal commutation and current-loop PI controllers. With 2 PLLs available, multiple PWM carrier frequencies can be synthesized cleanly from a single crystal reference.
Recommended
Legacy Protocol Bridge (UART/SPI to Ethernet)
In low-volume industrial gateways, the EP2C5T144C6N bridges UART/SPI/I2C peripherals to Ethernet MAC interfaces (MII/RMII) using soft IP cores. Its 119,808 bits of embedded RAM provide FIFO buffering for packet reassembly, while 89 I/O pins accommodate multiple serial ports plus an external PHY connection. The Cyclone II architecture supports soft-core processors (NIOS II) at clock rates sufficient for Modbus, Profibus, or MQTT translation.
Recommended
LED Video Wall Controller
The EP2C5T144C6N drives entry-level LED video walls by combining HUB75-style parallel LED outputs with simple refresh-rate timing logic. Its 4 I/O banks can supply independent 3.3V and 2.5V signaling for mixed logic levels between LED driver ICs and host controllers. Embedded M4K RAM blocks serve as scan-line buffers, and the 89 I/O count maps to moderate-resolution panels (typically up to 256x64 pixels) at 60Hz refresh.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Platform
Cyclone II EP2C5T144C6N has long been a teaching workhorse in university digital logic labs because of its 144-pin LQFP hand-solderable footprint, balanced logic density (4,608 LEs), and free Quartus II Web Edition support. Students learn HDL synthesis, timing analysis, and peripheral interfacing on a chip that is forgiving but representative of real FPGA design flow. The T144 package is breadboard-adapter friendly with break-out PCBs.
Recommended
Video Processing Front-End (CVBS / HDMI Capture)
The EP2C5T144C6N handles composite video (CVBS) decoding, color-space conversion, and scaling for low-cost video recorders. Its 4,608 LEs can host ITU-R BT.601 processing pipelines, and LVDS pairs in the LQFP-144 package support HDMI/DVI receiver interface ICs (e.g., TFP401). M4K RAM blocks implement line buffers for deinterlacing and frame-rate conversion at standard-definition resolutions.
Recommended
Low-Cost DSP Pipeline (FIR / FFT)
Cyclone II FPGAs implement moderate-density DSP functions via their 13 embedded 18x18 multipliers and 4-input LUTs. The EP2C5T144C6N can host FIR filters (up to 13 taps parallel at full speed), FFT butterflies, or audio-bandwidth DDC chains for software-defined radio front-ends. Its 2 PLLs support sample-rate clock synthesis alongside logic-clock domains.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Auxiliary Logic
The AEC-Q100 qualified EP2C5AT144A7N variant in the same T144 footprint supports automotive infotainment subsystems where it manages CAN/LIN routing, button-debouncing logic, and LCD segment timing. Automotive-grade qualification is the key parameter here, justifying use of the EP2C5AT144A7N over the commercial EP2C5T144C6N despite both sharing the same LQFP-144 pinout.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C5T144C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C5T144C6 | EP2C5T144C7N | EP2C5T144C8N | EP2C5T144I7N | EP2C5AT144A7N | XC3S50A-4TQG144I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Xilinx |
| Package | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (T144) | LQFP-144 (TQG144) |
| Family | Cyclone II | Cyclone II | Cyclone II | Cyclone II | Cyclone II | Cyclone II (automotive) | Spartan-3A |
| Logic Elements | 4608 | 4608 | 4608 | 4608 | 4608 | 4608 | 1584 (50K gates) |
| Speed Grade | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | A7 (automotive) | -4 |
| Temperature Range | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) | -40C to +125C (automotive) | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Lead-Free (Pb-Free) | Yes (N suffix) | No (Pb-bearing) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Standard timing class in the Cyclone II family (vs EP2C5T144C8N)
- Commercial temperature range (vs EP2C5T144I7N)
- 144-pin LQFP hand-solderable footprint (vs XC3S50A-4TQG144I)
Design Notes
The EP2C5T144C6N requires a 1.15V to 1.25V VCCINT core supply and per-bank VCCIO supplies at 1.5V, 1.8V, 2.5V, or 3.3V. Estimated: at typical 25C ambient and 50% toggle rate, the EP2C5 core draws approximately 70-150 mA from VCCINT depending on utilization; place 0.1uF ceramic decoupling caps adjacent to every VCCINT pin and bulk 100uF tantalum on the supply plane. Power-on sequencing requires VCCINT to ramp before or simultaneously with VCCIO; failure to do so can cause I/O latch-up per the Cyclone II Device Handbook.
The LQFP-144 package has a 0.5mm pitch; per Altera layout guidelines, route all signals on inner layers and place via-in-pad for ground stitching beneath the package. For LVDS pairs used in clock or video I/O, maintain 100 ohm differential impedance with length matching of +/- 10 mils. Estimated: copper pour area of at least 1 square inch on the top layer is recommended to dissipate the 0.5-2W typical dissipation of an EP2C5 design without dedicated thermal relief.
Do not leave MSEL pins floating - they configure the boot mode (AS, PS, JTAG) and incorrect setting prevents bitstream loading. Pull-ups on nCONFIG and pull-downs on nSTATUS as documented in the Cyclone II handbook are mandatory. Configuration bitstream storage should use EPCS1 or EPCS4 serial flash; legacy EPC2 parallel flash is no longer recommended. The T144 package does not include an exposed thermal pad - thermal management relies on copper pour area and ambient airflow.
Decouple each VCCIO bank with at least one 0.1uF ceramic capacitor per pin pair and one bulk 10uF tantalum per bank. JTAG signals (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) must be routed with 50 ohm controlled impedance if traces exceed 25 mm; route TMS and TDI with pull-ups to VCCIO of the bank they belong to. Configuration clock DCLK must be clean - any glitches on DCLK during AS mode will cause configuration failure and require power cycling.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant per N-suffix ordering convention. Halogen-free per Intel/Altera product declaration. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - choose EP2C5AT144A7N for automotive.
