EP3C16U256C8N - Cyclone III FPGA, 15K LE, 256-UBGA | Altera / Intel
MPN: EP3C16U256C8N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85.32 | $85.32 |
| 10 | $76.5 | $765.00 |
| 100 | $65.1 | $6,510.00 |
| 500 | $55.2 | $27,600.00 |
| 1,000 | $48.4 | $48,400.00 |
EP3C16U256C8N Overview
A Cyclone III FPGA is a SRAM-based programmable logic device that belongs to the family of low-cost, low-power FPGAs targeting high-volume, power-sensitive designs. It sits in the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLD), positioned between CPLDs and high-performance FPGAs such as Cyclone V / Stratix. Its low static and dynamic power consumption makes it attractive for portable, industrial, and consumer applications that previously used ASICs or ASSPs.
Key features of the EP3C16U256C8N include up to 168 single-ended user I/O pins (multi-voltage I/O standards including LVDS, SSTL, LVCMOS, and LVTTL), 56 embedded 18 x 18 multipliers for DSP, four PLLs per device, and 56 M9K memory blocks. The 1.2 V core (VCCINT) with separate VCCIO bank supplies allows mixed-voltage interfacing without external level shifters. Configuration is supported via JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS), and Fast Passive Parallel (FPP) modes.
Typical applications span industrial motor control, video processing pipelines, automotive infotainment prototypes, communication bridges, and consumer display controllers. The Cyclone III architecture is also a popular education platform due to its low cost and Quartus II / Quartus Prime tool support.
When designing with this device, pay close attention to the BGA fan-out: the 256-ball U256 package requires microvia or via-in-pad PCB technology. Decoupling must include 0.1 Β΅F caps per VCC pin and bulk caps on each supply rail. Use the Altera / Intel Quartus Prime software (free Lite edition) for synthesis, place-and-route, and configuration file generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-brand alternatives, and practical PCB design notes that go beyond what is printed in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C16U256C8N 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 EP3C16U256C8N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C16U256I7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C16U256C6N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C16U256A7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C10U256C8N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C16F484I7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$36.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C16U256C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements | 15,408 |
| Total Memory Bits | 516,096 bits |
| Embedded Multipliers (18 x 18) | 56 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum User I/O | 168 |
| Package | 256-ball Ultra FineLine BGA (Ux256, 17 mm x 17 mm) |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 65 nm low-power |
| Speed Grade | 8 (C8, commercial) |
| Operating Junction Temperature | -40 Β°C to +85 Β°C |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, AS, PS, FPP |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA, requires microvia PCB) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (Pb-free) |
EP3C16U256C8N 256-ball ultra fineline bga (ux256, 17 mm x 17 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3C16U256C8N (256-ball ultra fineline bga (ux256, 17 mm x 17 mm) 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 EP3C16U256C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3C16U256C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing / Image Pipeline, Communication Bridge / Protocol Converter, Consumer Display Controller / LED Wall Driver, Nios II Embedded Processor System, Automotive Infotainment Prototype.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C16U256C8N fits industrial motor control because its 56 embedded 18 x 18 multipliers handle the Park/Clark transforms and space-vector PWM modulations required for Field-Oriented Control of three-phase AC induction and PMSM motors. The 168 user I/Os allow direct interfacing with three-phase gate drivers, encoder / Hall sensors, and CAN or RS-485 communication links without external logic. The Cyclone III architecture's deterministic latency and four on-chip PLLs provide clean generation of high-resolution PWM carriers above 100 kHz. Estimated: a typical FOC loop on this device consumes 4,000-7,000 LE and runs at 50-100 MHz system clock, leaving headroom for additional safety and diagnostics logic.
Recommended
Video Processing / Image Pipeline
The EP3C16U256C8N supports entry-level video processing pipelines such as image scaling, color-space conversion (RGB to YCbCr), and on-screen display (OSD) overlay. Its 516 Kbits of embedded M9K memory provides line buffers for 720p video at 60 fps when external DDR memory is not available, and the 56 multipliers accelerate FIR filters and motion-adaptive deinterlacing algorithms. The eight I/O banks support LVDS inputs from CMOS image sensors and HDMI/DVI bridging. This makes the device a popular choice for industrial machine-vision cameras, digital signage, and medical imaging front-ends where low power and deterministic latency matter more than absolute throughput.
Recommended
Communication Bridge / Protocol Converter
The EP3C16U256C8N works as a multi-protocol bridge between UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet MII/RMII, and PCIe Gen1 endpoints. Its 168 user I/Os comfortably host multiple parallel buses, and the four PLLs generate the independent clocks required for asynchronous rate conversion. Estimated: a typical UART-to-Ethernet bridge fits in 2,500-3,500 LE with soft Tri-Speed MAC and NicheStack TCP/IP stack. The Cyclone III's industrial temperature range and low static power make it suitable for unattended networking equipment, factory gateways, and legacy protocol replacement modules.
Recommended
Consumer Display Controller / LED Wall Driver
For consumer display and LED-wall controllers, the EP3C16U256C8N drives multiple LVDS or TTL display panels and performs gamma correction, dithering, and refresh-rate conversion in real time. The 56 multipliers and 516 Kbits of M9K memory enable per-pixel color space math without external memory for small panels. The 17 mm x 17 mm Ux256 BGA footprint suits slim enclosures for digital signage, point-of-sale terminals, and kiosk displays. Estimated power consumption at 50% utilization is below 0.5 W, easing thermal design in fanless enclosures.
Recommended
Nios II Embedded Processor System
The EP3C16U256C8N comfortably hosts a 32-bit Nios II/f soft processor core with MMU, instruction cache, data cache, and tightly-coupled memory for bare-metal or uClinux designs. With approximately 7,000 LE used for the processor and peripherals, designers retain ~8,000 LE for custom accelerators. The four PLLs clock the CPU, SDRAM controller, and Ethernet MAC independently. Typical uses include industrial HMI controllers, data loggers, and education platforms where the low cost of the EP3C16 and the free Quartus Prime Lite toolchain make it an ideal teaching vehicle for computer-architecture and embedded-systems courses.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Prototype
The EP3C16U256C8N supports automotive infotainment prototypes that need CAN, LIN, MOST, and LVDS display interfaces. The Cyclone III family offers an automotive temperature variant (EP3C16U256A7N) qualified to -40 Β°C to +125 Β°C, allowing engineers to prototype in the C8 commercial grade and move to A7N for production. The 168 I/Os bridge multiple display panels, touch controllers, and audio codecs. Estimated: a typical head-unit prototype consumes 6,000-9,000 LE and operates below 1 W on the 1.2 V core rail, fitting the power budget of a typical instrument-cluster or rear-seat-entertainment module.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C16U256C8N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C16U256I7N | EP3C16U256C6N | EP3C16U256A7N | EP3C10U256C8N | EP3C16F484I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 256-ball Ux256 BGA | 256-ball Ux256 BGA (same) | 256-ball Ux256 BGA (same) | 256-ball Ux256 BGA (same) | 256-ball Ux256 BGA (same) | 484-ball F484 BGA (different) |
| Logic Elements | 15,408 | 15,408 | 15,408 | 15,408 | 10,320 | 15,408 |
| Total Memory Bits | 516,096 | 516,096 | 516,096 | 516,096 | 423,936 | 516,096 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 46 | 56 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 328 |
| Speed Grade | C8 (8) | I7 (7, industrial temp) | C6 (6, faster) | A7 (7, automotive temp) | C8 (same) | I7 (7, industrial temp) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 Β°C to +85 Β°C (commercial) | -40 Β°C to +100 Β°C (industrial) | -40 Β°C to +85 Β°C (commercial) | -40 Β°C to +125 Β°C (automotive) | -40 Β°C to +85 Β°C (commercial) | -40 Β°C to +100 Β°C (industrial) |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-cost Cyclone III member with full industrial temperature option (vs EP3C16F484I7N (F484 BGA variant))
- Commercial speed grade with clear upgrade path to industrial / automotive (vs EP3C25F256C8N (larger Cyclone III))
- Drop-in cost-down to EP3C10 in same package (vs EP3C10U256C8N)
Design Notes
The 256-ball Ux256 BGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch with 17 mm x 17 mm body. Fabricate the PCB with at minimum 4 layers and microvia (laser-drilled) stack-up to route signals out of the inner rows. Apply via-in-pad with filled-and-plated-over finish to improve BGA solder joint reliability. Per Intel's Cyclone III Hardware Design Guidelines, route all VCCINT and VCCA pins with at least one decoupling 0.1 Β΅F 0402 cap within 100 mils of each ball, plus bulk 10 Β΅F on each rail.
Estimated: Cyclone III static current at 25 Β°C is around 50 mA on VCCINT (1.2 V) plus bank-dependent VCCIO current. A switching-frequency-aware power budget should reserve 250-400 mA on VCCINT and 100-200 mA per VCCIO bank. Use a dedicated LDO per supply rail β sharing a switching regulator between VCCINT and VCCIO will inject noise into the PLL analog rail and degrade jitter. Tie all MSEL[3:0] configuration mode pins to the correct AS/PS/FPP mode before power-up; floating MSEL pins may cause configuration failure.
Do not confuse the Ux256 (Ultra FineLine BGA, 17x17 mm) with the F256 (FineLine BGA, 17x17 mm) β although both are 256-ball and similar size, the ball map is NOT pin-compatible. Cyclone III devices also require a configuration file at every power-up; an empty or corrupted EPCS flash will leave all I/Os tri-stated. Use the Quartus Convert Programming File tool to generate .pof (for AS mode) or .jic (for JTAG indirect EPCS programming). Finally, the Cyclone III JTAG ID is 0x020F30DD; ensure the Quartus Programmer is set to the correct device family before attempting to scan the chain.
Estimated: with the Ux256 package and a 4-layer 1 oz copper PCB, theta-JA is approximately 23 Β°C/W without airflow. At 1 W total dissipation, junction rise is 23 Β°C above ambient β well within the 85 Β°C commercial limit. However, applications running near 100% utilization with all four PLLs active and high toggle-rate I/O may dissipate up to 1.5 W. In enclosed industrial cabinets with no airflow, derate the design by at least 20% or add a small heatsink bonded to the package top with thermal epoxy.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Cyclone III product page; use EP3C16U256A7N for automotive temperature range (AEC-Q100 not formally listed for this exact speed grade).
