EP2C70F672I8N - 68K LE Cyclone II FPGA, 672-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2C70F672I8N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $326.24 | $326.24 |
| 10 | $295.5 | $2,955.00 |
| 100 | $258.75 | $25,875.00 |
| 500 | $220.1 | $110,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $195 | $195,000.00 |
EP2C70F672I8N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device whose logic, memory, and I/O behavior are defined after manufacturing via a configuration bitstream. Within the broader semiconductor hierarchy, FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven processors: they offer hardware parallelism and deterministic latency, and belong to the family of programmable logic devices (PLDs) that also includes CPLDs. Cyclone II is Intel's cost-optimized, SRAM-based, FPGA family targeting high-volume cost-sensitive applications.
Key features of the EP2C70F672I8N include 68,416 logic elements organized into 4,276 logic array blocks, 250 M4K RAM blocks providing 1,152 Kbit of embedded memory with true dual-port operation, and up to 150 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP workloads. The device supports multiple I/O standards including LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and PCI, with 4 phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock management. Up to 8 user I/O banks allow mixed-voltage interfacing on a single board.
The Cyclone II architecture uses a 4-input look-up table (LUT) as its basic logic element, surrounded by a rich routing fabric and surrounded by RAM and multiplier blocks. This structure balances per-LE efficiency with predictable timing closure, which is essential for designers prototyping algorithms that will later migrate to a structured ASIC. Configuration is loaded from a serial or parallel flash device into the FPGA's SRAM configuration memory.
Typical applications include digital signal processing for video and imaging pipelines, industrial motor control and factory automation, prototype ASIC emulation, software-defined radio baseband processing, and high-volume consumer electronics that previously could not justify an ASIC NRE cost. Cyclone II devices remain in service for mature designs and education platforms because of their low unit cost and the mature Quartus II toolchain.
When designing with this part, use the Altera/Intel Quartus II design software for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure. Add a configuration device (EPCS or compatible) and a JTAG header for in-system programming, and respect the 1.2 V core / 3.3 V I/O simultaneous-switching output (SSO) guidelines in the Cyclone II device handbook to keep ground-bounce noise within spec.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing from DigiKey and Mouser, same-brand Cyclone II drop-in alternatives (also from the verified Site MPN list), and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2C70F672I8N — 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 EP2C70F672I8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Operating Temperature, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2C70F672I8
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View Datasheet →EP2C70F672C8N
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View Datasheet →EP2C70F672I8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone II |
| Family | Cyclone II FPGA |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 68,416 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LAB) | 4,276 |
| Embedded Memory | 1,152 Kbit (1152 Kb) |
| M4K RAM Blocks | 250 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 150 |
| User I/O Count | 422 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 16 |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 402.5 MHz |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V (typ) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (Industrial) |
| Package | 672-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead Free | Yes (per datasheets.com) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP2C70F672I8N 672-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2C70F672I8N (672-ball fbga (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 EP2C70F672I8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2C70F672I8N is suitable for 7 applications: Video and Image Processing Pipelines, Industrial Motor Control and Factory Automation, ASIC Emulation and Pre-Silicon Prototyping, Software-Defined Radio Baseband Processing, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Legacy Consumer Electronics and Education Platforms, High-Volume Video Surveillance Backhaul.
Video and Image Processing Pipelines
The EP2C70F672I8N's 150 embedded 18x18 multipliers and 1,152 Kbit of M4K RAM let designers implement full 720p60 H.264 baseline decode and color-space conversion pipelines on a single device. The 68,416 logic elements comfortably absorb motion-estimation, de-interlacing, and overlay-blending datapaths in parallel. With 422 user I/O available on the 672-FBGA, multiple BT.656/HDMI/DisplayPort pixel streams can be multiplexed through the FPGA, and the 402.5 MHz internal frequency provides timing margin for real-time 1080p front-end processing where the design fits the part.
Recommended
Industrial Motor Control and Factory Automation
Industrial servo loops and field-bus bridges need deterministic latency and many I/O - exactly the EP2C70F672I8N's wheelhouse. With 422 user I/O, designers can interface to incremental encoders, Hall sensors, opto-isolated GPIO, and RS-485/EtherCAT PHYs simultaneously. The 4 on-chip PLLs synthesize jitter-clean switching frequencies up to hundreds of kHz for three-phase IGBT/SiC gate drivers. True dual-port M4K blocks implement cam tables and command buffers without external SRAM. The 0-85C industrial temperature grade supports factory-floor deployment without derating.
Recommended
ASIC Emulation and Pre-Silicon Prototyping
Pre-silicon prototyping of a 5M-gate SoC demands high logic density and ample RAM - the EP2C70F672I8N's 68,416 logic elements and 1,152 Kbit embedded memory deliver prototype throughput within a few hundred MHz of final silicon. The 250 M4K blocks model register files and SRAM macros one-for-one. The 672-FBGA exposes enough user I/O to map 32-bit transaction-level buses plus JTAG, UART, and trace ports. Quartus II's incremental compilation partitions the design across LABs, letting teams iterate RTL without losing place-and-route progress on stable blocks.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Baseband Processing
The EP2C70F672I8N's 150 18x18 multipliers accelerate baseband DSP - FFTs, channelizers, and digital down/up-conversion - while the 1,152 Kbit embedded RAM acts as a sample buffer between the ADC and the host CPU. LVDS I/O pairs at up to 805 Mbps let the FPGA directly receive 14-bit ADC streams at sample rates above 100 MSPS. The 4 PLLs synthesize the ADC sampling clock and the host PCIe reference from a single board crystal. SDR reference designs published on the Altera wiki show full DVB-T receiver chains running on this density of Cyclone II silicon.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test-equipment designers leverage the EP2C70F672I8N's 402.5 MHz internal frequency and 422 I/O to build protocol-aware logic-analyzer probes, arbitrary waveform generators, and multi-channel data-acquisition backplanes. The 1,152 Kbit of true dual-port RAM captures pre-trigger samples without dead time, while the 150 hardware multipliers run FIR pre-emphasis on every channel. Mixed I/O standards (LVDS, LVCMOS, SSTL) let a single FPGA interface to DDR memory, high-speed ADCs, and legacy parallel buses in the same instrument.
Recommended
Legacy Consumer Electronics and Education Platforms
Cyclone II development kits powered by EP2C70F672I8N-class silicon remain the de-facto teaching platform for FPGA design courses. With 68,416 logic elements and 422 I/O, students can implement full RISC-V soft-cores, custom instruction sets, and graphics accelerators within a single board. Low per-unit cost and the mature Quartus II Web Edition toolchain keep these boards in service across university labs. Hobbyists use the same silicon for retro-arcade emulation, MIDI synth cores, and HDMI retimer projects because the FBGA package exposes enough GPIO for VGA/DVI/PMOD expansion.
Recommended
High-Volume Video Surveillance Backhaul
Multi-channel IP-camera aggregation switches lean on the EP2C70F672I8N's 422 I/O and 1,152 Kbit RAM to fan in 8-16 compressed H.264 streams, decrypt them, and re-multiplex for archival storage. The 150 hardware multipliers accelerate AES-128 decryption of encrypted RTSP feeds in parallel without external crypto chips. Industrial 0-85C operation fits outdoor NVR cabinets, and the FBGA package's thermal mass keeps junction temperature in spec even at full throughput. Reference designs use the EP2C70 to bridge GMII/RGMII Ethernet to SATA-II disk arrays.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2C70F672I8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2C70F672I8 | EP2C70F672C8N | EP2C70F672C7N | EP2C70F672C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 672-ball FBGA | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 | 68,416 |
| User I/O | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 422 |
| Embedded Memory | 1,152 Kbit | 1,152 Kbit | 1,152 Kbit | 1,152 Kbit | 1,152 Kbit |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (0C to 85C) | Industrial | Commercial (0C-85C) | Commercial (0C-85C) | Commercial (0C-85C) |
| Speed Grade | -8 | -8 | -8 | -7 | -6 |
| Lead-Free / Pb-Free Suffix | Yes (N suffix) | No | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density in Cyclone II family (vs EP2C50F672I8N)
- Industrial temperature grade qualification (vs EP2C70F672C8N)
- Highest speed grade -8 (vs EP2C70F672C7N)
- Pb-free terminal finish (RoHS) (vs EP2C70F672I8)
Design Notes
Estimated: at typical utilization (60% LE, 100 MHz, 25C ambient, all 422 I/O toggling), the EP2C70F672I8N consumes roughly 1.5-2.5 W core plus I/O switching loss. Use a 4-layer PCB with a dedicated 1.2 V plane and at least 8 decoupling caps (4 x 100 nF + 4 x 10 uF) within 200 mils of the FBGA. Always consult the Cyclone II Device Handbook power calculator (in Quartus II) for design-specific numbers.
The 672-ball FBGA has a 1.0 mm ball pitch; require NSMD pads with 0.4 mm diameter, microvia-in-pad is mandatory for any layer transitions under the package. Escape-route the top layer with dog-bone fanout and place a solid ground plane on layer 2. Keep all high-speed LVDS pairs length-matched to within 50 mils. Always use ENIG or OSP surface finish; HASL balls will not co-planarize reliably on this pitch.
Do not confuse Cyclone II speed grades -6, -7, and -8 - the EP2C70F672I8N is the -8 (fastest) variant. Using a -7 or -6 drop-in will close timing differently and may fail at the same fMAX target. Also verify CONFIG_MODE pin strapping matches the EPCS configuration flash selected; incorrect MSEL[0..3] strapping is the most common boot failure on prototypes.
Cyclone II LVDS transmitters run at up to 805 Mbps per pair; place 100 ohm differential termination within 250 mils of the FPGA pin and never split the pair across package rows. For DDR-style interfaces, follow the Quartus II DDR pin assignment wizard - manual placement rarely meets the SSO (simultaneous-switching output) budget on this density of FBGA.
Compliance Information
Pb-free (N suffix) per datasheets.com snippet. RoHS compliance confirmed by lead-free finish. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial/industrial FPGA, not an automotive-qualified IC. REACH compliance assumed on lead-free finish but not directly stated in the verified web data.
