EP2C70F672C7N - Cyclone II FPGA 68K LE, 422 I/O, 672-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2C70F672C7N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $340.01 | $340.01 |
| 10 | $295.5 | $2,955.00 |
| 100 | $248 | $24,800.00 |
| 250 | $225.4 | $56,350.00 |
| 500 | $208.26 | $104,130.00 |
| 1,000 | $195 | $195,000.00 |
EP2C70F672C7N Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device built from an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory blocks, programmable interconnect, and I/O cells. The Cyclone II family sits within Intel's low-cost programmable-logic portfolio, positioned between CPLDs (less density, lower power) and high-end FPGAs such as Stratix (higher density, transceivers, more logic). Cyclone II is widely used in digital signal processing glue logic, video/display bridging, motor control, and industrial protocol bridging where deterministic parallel logic outperforms microcontrollers.
The device delivers up to 150 MHz internal operation with embedded multipliers (4 input LUT-based logic), 4 phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock management, and supports common I/O standards including LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and PCI. The 672-FBGA package provides 422 user I/Os, the largest I/O count in the Cyclone II family, enabling dense parallel interfaces such as 36-bit DDR/DDR2 memory controllers, TFT LCD panels, and multi-channel video pipelines.
Typical applications include industrial machine vision, flat-panel display controllers, video surveillance DVR/HVR recorders, multi-port Ethernet switches (MII/RGMII), PCIe endpoint bridges (using external PHY), and motor/encoder interfaces. The Cyclone II's combination of low unit cost, low static power, and large logic capacity makes it a popular choice for high-volume consumer and embedded products first shipped in the mid-2000s.
When designing with this device, ensure the Quartus II design software (Web Edition or Subscription Edition) supports the EP2C70 device. Note that this part is approaching end-of-life and design teams targeting new designs should evaluate Cyclone IV or Cyclone V successors for long-term availability.
This page synthesizes real distributor pricing, drop-in package-equivalent alternatives, and practical PCB design guidance that is not present in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C70F672C7N 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 EP2C70F672C7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Process Technology, RoHS Status, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C70F672C7
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$278 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C70F672C6N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$178.3 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C70F672C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$338.91 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C70F672I7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2C70F672I8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C50F672C8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$148.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2C70F672C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone II |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 68,416 |
| Total Memory Bits | 1,152,000 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 150 |
| Maximum User I/O | 422 |
| User I/O Banks | 8 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Package | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | C7 (slower, lower-power variant) |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 1.15 V to 1.25 V (internal) |
| Supply Voltage - I/O | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V (multi-standard) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free FBGA) |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| Configuration Method | Serial (AS) or Parallel (PS) via Altera EPCS/EPC configuration devices |
EP2C70F672C7N 672-bga (fbga-672) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C70F672C7N (672-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 EP2C70F672C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C70F672C7N is suitable for 8 applications: Industrial Machine Vision, TFT-LCD Display Controller, Video Surveillance DVR, Multi-Port Ethernet Switch (MII/RGMII), PCIe Endpoint Bridge, Motor Control / Encoder Interface, Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, Educational FPGA Development Platform.
Industrial Machine Vision
The EP2C70F672C7N fits industrial machine vision because its 68,416 logic elements and 150 hardware 18x18 multipliers can run real-time image preprocessing (Sobel filtering, thresholding, blob detection) on multi-megapixel sensor streams. With 422 user I/Os, designers can directly interface 10-bit or 12-bit parallel image sensors, DDR2 frame buffers, and Gigabit Ethernet PHY without external bridge chips. The 4 PLLs generate independent pixel clocks, memory clocks, and network clocks, while 1,152,000 bits of embedded RAM serve as line buffers and lookup tables for gamma correction. Compared with low-end microcontrollers, this FPGA delivers deterministic parallel throughput at line rates exceeding 100 MHz, which is essential for high-speed AOI and pick-and-place inspection.
Recommended
TFT-LCD Display Controller
The EP2C70F672C7N is widely deployed as a TFT-LCD controller because its 422 user I/Os comfortably drive 24-bit LVDS pairs to a 1920x1080 or larger panel while running a backlight PWM, touch controller interface, and OSD overlay logic in parallel. The 672-FBGA package exposes enough LVDS-capable pins to support dual-channel LVDS (4 lanes per channel) at up to 655 Mpixels/sec, surpassing what most microcontroller-based display controllers can achieve. On-chip M4K memory blocks store frame buffer scratch regions and character ROM for OSD icons, while the 4 PLLs derive the pixel clock, memory clock, and LVDS serialization clock from a single low-frequency reference. This results in a single-chip replacement for discrete LCD timing chips, scalers, and OSD generators, lowering BOM cost and PCB area in industrial HMIs.
Recommended
Video Surveillance DVR
The EP2C70F672C7N fits multi-channel DVR designs because 68,416 LEs can ingest 4 to 8 channels of D1 (720x480) video, perform H.264 baseline encoding at CIF/D1 resolution via hardware accelerator IP, and write compressed streams to SATA HDD in parallel. The 150 18x18 hardware multipliers accelerate the integer DCT and motion estimation kernels critical to H.264 throughput, while 1,152,000 bits of embedded RAM provide line buffers and reference frame slices. With 422 I/Os, the FPGA bridges analog video decoders (TW9900, TVP5150), SATA PHYs, and Ethernet controllers simultaneously. The C7 speed grade offers the best balance of Fmax and static power for fanless surveillance enclosures that run 24/7.
Recommended
Multi-Port Ethernet Switch (MII/RGMII)
The EP2C70F672C7N supports multi-port Ethernet switch fabrics in industrial networking equipment. Its 422 I/Os accommodate 4 to 8 RGMII MACs plus a CPU management port, while the abundant logic elements implement an L2 forwarding table, VLAN tag handling, and QoS priority queues in hardware. The 4 on-chip PLLs generate independent 125 MHz and 25 MHz clocks for each RGMII interface, and the embedded multipliers accelerate CRC32 checksum offload. Compared with discrete switch ASICs, the FPGA implementation offers per-port reconfigurability for proprietary industrial protocols (EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus TCP bridging), making it popular in industrial protocol gateway designs.
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint Bridge
The EP2C70F672C7N can implement a PCIe Gen1 x1 or x4 endpoint bridge by pairing the FPGA with an external PCIe PHY such as the PEX8311 or TI XIO3130. The 422 I/Os handle 8 GT/s serial lanes plus sideband signals, while the 150 hardware multipliers accelerate data path CRC and DMA descriptor processing. The 1,152,000-bit embedded RAM serves as DMA scatter-gather descriptor queues, and the 4 PLLs generate the 100 MHz reference and the 250 MHz application clock. This makes the EP2C70 a popular choice for industrial data acquisition cards, software-defined radio front ends, and high-speed frame grabbers where an off-the-shelf PCIe bridge is too rigid.
Recommended
Motor Control / Encoder Interface
The EP2C70F672C7N fits multi-axis servo and stepper motor control because its 150 hardware multipliers run Park/Clarke transforms, PI current loops, and SVPWM modulators at 50-100 kHz per axis while sustaining 4 to 8 axes in parallel. The 422 I/Os drive 6 PWM channels per axis plus quadrature encoder inputs, Hall sensors, and end-of-travel limits, with deterministic single-cycle latency that microcontrollers cannot match at this axis count. The 1,152,000-bit RAM stores encoder calibration tables and per-axis trajectory buffers. The C7 speed grade preserves power budget in enclosed servo cabinets, and the 0C to +85C commercial grade suits factory-floor equipment; an EP2C70F672I7N variant is required for -40C industrial deployments.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
The EP2C70F672C7N serves as a baseband processor in entry-level SDR platforms such as USRP1-style designs, where the FPGA digitizes I/Q data from an ADC, applies digital down-conversion, channelization, and decimation, then streams the reduced-rate payload to a host over USB 2.0 or Gigabit Ethernet. Its 150 18x18 multipliers implement the CIC and FIR filter chains that follow the ADC, while 1.152 Mbit of embedded RAM provides the buffer space between ADC bursts and USB/Ethernet packetization. The 422 I/Os interface high-speed ADCs (e.g., AD9862), DACs, and high-speed transceivers. Compared with DSP processors, this Cyclone II implementation offers deterministic latency and higher channel density per dollar, which is critical for narrowband multi-channel receivers.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Platform
The EP2C70F672C7N is found on legacy Altera DE2-70 development boards and continues to power university digital logic, computer architecture, and embedded systems courses worldwide. With 68,416 LEs, students can implement RISC-V soft cores (e.g., VexRiscv), VGA frame buffers, keyboard/mouse controllers, and audio DSP pipelines all on the same device. The 672-FBGA package exposes sufficient I/Os for 100 Mbps Ethernet, VGA output, PS/2, audio CODEC, USB, and SD card peripherals. The C7 speed grade keeps the development board within reasonable thermal limits without active cooling, and the wide ecosystem of free Quartus II Web Edition tools and Altera University Program IP cores makes this part a long-standing academic workhorse.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C70F672C7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C70F672C7 | EP2C70F672C6N | EP2C70F672C6 | EP2C70F672I7N | EP2C70F672I8N | EP2C50F672C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same | 672-BGA (FBGA-672) - same |
| Logic Elements | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 50,560 (-26%) |
| Total Memory Bits | 1,152,000 | 1,152,000 | 1,152,000 | 1,152,000 | 1,152,000 | 1,152,000 | 594,432 (-48%) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 86 (-43%) |
| Maximum User I/O | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 450 (+7%) |
| Speed Grade | C7 | C7 | C6 (~15% faster Fmax) | C6 | C7 | I8 (faster industrial) | C8 (slower) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | 0C to +85C |
| RoHS / Lead-Free | Yes (N suffix = lead-free) | No (leaded BGA) | Yes (lead-free) | No (leaded BGA) | Yes (lead-free) | Yes (lead-free) | Yes (lead-free) |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND (Not Recommended for New Designs) | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density in Cyclone II family (68,416 LE) (vs EP2C50F672C8N)
- Drop-in speed grade flexibility without PCB rework (vs EP2C70F672C6N)
- Commercial and industrial variants share footprint (vs EP2C70F672I7N)
Design Notes
The 672-FBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch and 27 mm x 27 mm body, which requires microvia or via-in-pad PCB technology for breakout. Design rule: place 0.4 mm microvias directly under each BGA ball on the top signal layer, fan out on inner layers, and keep a continuous ground plane on layer 2 to control return paths. Surface-mount Land pattern and paste mask apertures per IPC-7351 (FBGA-672 with 1.0 mm pitch).
The EP2C70F672C7N requires at least three separate power rails: VCCINT (1.15-1.25 V core), VCCIO (1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V per bank), and VCCA_PLL (2.5 V analog PLL supply). Place 10 uF bulk + 0.1 uF decoupling within 5 mm of every VCC pin pair; place ferrite beads on PLL analog supplies to reduce VCCIO-to-PLL noise coupling. Estimated: a fully utilized EP2C70 with 422 toggling I/Os at 100 MHz can draw 1.5-2 A on VCCINT - thermal copper pours on inner layers are required.
Estimated: configuration failure is the most common production issue with Cyclone II BGA devices. Always include an external Altera EPCS16 or EPCS64 configuration flash on the board, route nCONFIG, nSTATUS, and CONF_DONE to a header or supervisor circuit, and verify MSL3 handling per JEDEC J-STD-020 before reflow. Open-drain CONF_DONE must be pulled up to 3.3 V (not VCCIO of any bank) to avoid level mismatch at power-up.
For DDR/DDR2 memory interfaces, the EP2C70F672C7N requires matched-length traces within Β±25 ps on the byte lanes and within Β±50 ps between byte lanes. Use 50 ohm single-ended controlled impedance for SSTL-18 class II signals; route clock, address, and command on inner stripline layers with continuous GND planes above and below. Place series 33 ohm damping resistors within 100 mil of the FPGA output for SSTL-18 to suppress ringing.
The 672-FBGA has a theta_JA of approximately 12 C/W with 8 thermal balls connected to a 4-layer PCB. Estimated: at 1.8 W total dissipation (typical utilization), the junction rises ~22 C above ambient; without thermal balls or with insufficient PCB copper the junction can exceed 100 C even at commercial grade. Connect all 8 thermal balls to a 25 mm x 25 mm copper pour on the top layer and stitch to inner planes with 0.3 mm thermal vias.
Compliance Information
EP2C70F672C7N is lead-free (N suffix) and RoHS compliant per Intel Cyclone II device handbook. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in datasheet; refer to Intel's MDDS for confirmation. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade FPGA.
