EP3C25Q240I8N - Cyclone III FPGA, 25K LEs, 240-Pin PQFP | Intel (Altera)
MPN: EP3C25Q240I8N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $34.2 | $342.00 |
| 100 | $28.95 | $2,895.00 |
| 500 | $24.1 | $12,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $21.5 | $21,500.00 |
EP3C25Q240I8N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device (PLD) that combines configurable logic blocks, programmable interconnect, and dedicated hardware blocks such as multipliers and block RAM into a single semiconductor IC. Within the broader taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside microcontrollers and ASICs as flexible compute substrates: an FPGA is more power-efficient than a CPU at fixed parallel workloads, and faster to deploy than an ASIC at low-to-medium volumes. Cyclone III devices specifically target cost-sensitive applications such as industrial control, video bridging, and consumer electronics where designers need hardware-level parallelism without ASIC NRE cost.
Key features of the EP3C25Q240I8N include 594 Kbits of embedded RAM distributed across M9K blocks, 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP operations, up to 148 maximum user I/O pins, and support for common configuration schemes including JTAG, Active Serial, and Passive Serial. The 240-pin PQFP body is surface-mountable but retains through-hole-style lead footprints, simplifying prototyping on 2-layer boards and hand-rework for low-volume builds. The Cyclone III architecture also embeds PLLs for clock management and supports LVDS, LVTTL, SSTL, and other I/O standards directly from the core without external transceivers.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video processing and image aggregation, low-cost software defined radio front-ends, factory automation backplanes, and bridge logic between legacy microcontrollers and modern high-speed buses. The combination of 24K logic elements with on-chip DSP multipliers is enough to implement H.264 encoding engines, multi-channel UART bridges, or a soft RISC-V core alongside customer-specific glue logic. Industrial -40C to +100C rating and the easy-to-solder PQFP package make this device attractive for long-life industrial designs.
When designing with the EP3C25Q240I8N, allocate at least four PCB layers for proper power-plane decoupling of the 1.2V VCCINT rail, and use a JTAG header for in-system programming. Pair the device with an Altera/Intel EPCS serial configuration flash such as EPCS16 or EPCS64, and always include a dual-footprint option for migration to the larger Cyclone III variants if design requirements grow. This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and design notes not found on the bare datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C25Q240I8N — 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 EP3C25Q240I8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Package, Series.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C25Q240C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$160.4667 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C25Q240C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$79.42 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C25Q240I8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III |
| Series | EP3C25 |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 24,624 |
| Total Registers | 66,432 |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 1,539 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 594,432 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 66 |
| Maximum User I/O | 148 |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V nominal |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Package | 240-Pin PQFP (FQFP), gull-wing |
| Terminal Form | Gull Wing |
| Package Code | FQFP |
| Number of Terminals | 240 |
| Nominal Supply Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Process Node | 65 nm TSMC low-power |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, Active Serial, Passive Serial |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP3C25Q240I8N fqfp Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3C25Q240I8N (fqfp 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 EP3C25Q240I8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3C25Q240I8N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Bridging and Image Aggregation, Software Defined Radio Front-End, Factory Automation Backplane Bridge, Legacy-to-Modern Bus Bridge, Educational and Development Platform, Medical Imaging Pre-Processing.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C25Q240I8N is a strong fit for industrial motor control drives where deterministic, parallel computation is required for field-oriented control (FOC) loops. With 24,624 logic elements, 66 dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers, and 148 user I/Os, the device can implement 3-phase PWM generation, encoder quadrature decoding, and SVPWM modulation simultaneously. The industrial -40C to +100C rating and PQFP-240 package with gull-wing leads simplify thermal management on long-life factory-floor drives, while the 1.2V VCCINT keeps switching losses low enough to share a heatsink with the IGBT module. Quartus Prime reference designs ship with verified FOC IP cores that compile directly onto this device.
Recommended
Video Bridging and Image Aggregation
The EP3C25Q240I8N is well suited to video bridging applications where composite, HDMI, or LVDS streams must be aggregated, scaled, and forwarded to a host processor. Its 594 Kbit block RAM is enough to buffer two 720p video lines simultaneously, while the 66 hardware multipliers accelerate resampling kernels and chroma conversion. The 240-pin PQFP package exposes up to 148 user I/Os, supporting parallel RGB, BT.656, and OpenLDI LVDS interfaces simultaneously. Designers can drop in Altera VIP cores and run them on this device without modification, and the industrial temperature grade makes it attractive for security camera and broadcast monitor applications.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio Front-End
The EP3C25Q240I8N fits low-to-mid-tier software defined radio front-ends where FPGA-based DDC/DUC processing offloads the host DSP. Its 66 hardware 18x18 multipliers provide ample FIR tap capacity for channel filtering and decimation, while the 1.2V core supply keeps power dissipation manageable in portable SDR equipment. The industrial temperature range allows deployment in outdoor tactical and maritime SDR enclosures, and the PQFP-240 package is straightforward to hand-prototype during the RF bring-up phase. Reference designs for half-band filters and NCO synthesizers compile efficiently onto this device, leaving headroom for protocol-specific glue logic.
Recommended
Factory Automation Backplane Bridge
The EP3C25Q240I8N is ideal for factory automation backplanes that bridge legacy fieldbus protocols (Profibus, Modbus, CAN) to modern Industrial Ethernet. Its 24,624 logic elements can host multiple soft-cores (NIOS II or RISC-V) alongside protocol stacks, while 148 user I/Os expose enough buses to terminate several fieldbus segments in parallel. The PQFP-240 package is easy to hand-solder during backplane prototyping and to rework in the field. Industrial -40C to +100C operation ensures reliable deployment in unconditioned control cabinets, and the 1.2V core keeps heat dissipation low enough for sealed enclosures.
Recommended
Legacy-to-Modern Bus Bridge
The EP3C25Q240I8N serves as a flexible bridge between legacy parallel buses (ISA, PCI, VME) and modern high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe Gen1, USB 3.0, GbE). Its logic capacity is sufficient to implement soft bridge cores with FIFOs and protocol translators, while the 148 user I/Os allow multiple legacy bus attachments. Designers can reuse existing Quartus IP for PCIe Gen1 endpoint and GbE MAC, both of which compile onto this device with timing closure at -40C to +100C. The PQFP-240 footprint suits legacy backplane cards that cannot transition to BGA without redesign.
Recommended
Educational and Development Platform
The EP3C25Q240I8N is widely adopted in university and hobbyist development boards because the PQFP-240 package is friendly to breadboard adapters and hand-soldering rework. With 24,624 logic elements and 66 multipliers, the device has enough headroom to host soft RISC-V cores, run NIOS II, and implement student project IP alongside instructor-supplied peripherals. The mature Quartus II 13.0sp1 toolchain remains freely available, and reference designs from the Cyclone III handbook compile without licence costs. Industrial temperature grade lets the same hardware survive accidental lab temperature excursions, and the device is widely stocked at major distributors.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Pre-Processing
The EP3C25Q240I8N is suitable for medical imaging pre-processing modules such as ultrasound beamforming, endoscope video aggregation, and patient monitor DSP front-ends. Its 66 hardware multipliers accelerate FIR and Hilbert transform kernels commonly used in beamforming pipelines, while 594 Kbit block RAM buffers line-scan data between the analog front-end and the host processor. The -40C to +100C industrial temperature range supports deployment in operating-room equipment racks and mobile ambulance monitors, and the PQFP-240 package simplifies ISO 13485 design control verification by avoiding the supply-chain complexity of fine-pitch BGAs in regulated medical devices.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C25Q240I8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C25Q240C8N | EP3C25Q240C8 | EP3C25F324I7N | EP3C25F256I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 240-Pin PQFP (Q240) | 240-Pin PQFP (Q240) - same | 240-Pin PQFP (Q240) - same | 324-Pin FBGA (F324) - different, requires PCB redesign | 256-Pin FBGA (F256) - different, requires PCB redesign |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same |
| Logic Elements | 24,624 | 24,624 (same die) | 24,624 (same die) | 24,624 (same die) | 24,624 (same die) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V - same | 1.2 V - same | 1.2 V - same | 1.2 V - same |
| Maximum User I/O | 148 | 148 (same) | 148 (same) | 215 (BGA upgrade) | 162 (BGA upgrade) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 66 | 66 (same die) | 66 (same die) | 66 (same die) | 66 (same die) |
| Embedded Block RAM (Kbits) | 594 | 594 (same die) | 594 (same die) | 594 (same die) | 594 (same die) |
| Configuration Flash Pair | EPCS16 / EPCS64 | EPCS16 / EPCS64 - same | EPCS16 / EPCS64 - same | EPCS16 / EPCS64 - same | EPCS16 / EPCS64 - same |
| Unit Price (qty 1, USD, as of 2026-09-09) | 38.50 | 36.20 | 36.20 | 42.10 | 40.50 |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade in PQFP-240 package (vs EP3C25Q240C8N)
- Higher I/O count with FBGA-324 upgrade path (vs EP3C25F324I7N)
- Friendly to hand-prototyping and field rework (vs EP3C25F256I7N)
- Mature toolchain with free Quartus II 13.0sp1 support (vs Lattice ECP25 (LFE2M25SE))
Design Notes
The EP3C25Q240I8N core supply VCCINT is 1.2 V nominal with a tolerance of +/-5%. Use a low-dropout regulator such as TI TPS74401 or Linear LT3071 to deliver at least 500 mA peak current during configuration. Estimated: at 100% LE utilization with 148 active I/Os toggling at 100 MHz, core current can reach 400 mA; add 100 mA of design margin for in-rush during configuration. Place 10 uF + 0.1 uF + 1 nF decoupling caps within 5 mm of every VCCINT pin, and use a 4-layer PCB stack-up with a solid ground plane under the device to keep switching noise below 50 mV pk-pk.
Although the Cyclone III family is fabricated on a low-power 65 nm process, fully-utilized EP3C25Q240I8N designs can still dissipate 1.5 to 2 W. The PQFP-240 package has limited thermal dissipation (theta_JA approximately 28 C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board). For designs that operate continuously above 70% utilization at +85C ambient, attach a small clip-on heatsink or extend the copper pour on the top layer. Avoid placing the device directly above a heat-generating component such as a switching regulator or power inductor.
Route the JTAG header (10-pin dual-row 2.54 mm pitch) within 150 mm of the FPGA TDI/TMS/TCK/TDO pins to avoid signal-integrity issues with the USB-Blaster download cable. Use a 10 kohm pull-up on TCK and TMS, and a 10 kohm pull-down on TDI per Altera JTAG configuration guidelines. Provide a dual-footprint for the configuration flash (EPCS16 SOIC-16 plus EPCS64 SOIC-16) so that larger bitstreams can be accommodated without board redesign.
Common pitfalls when designing with EP3C25Q240I8N include: (1) forgetting that nCONFIG must be held low during power-up for at least 100 us to ensure a clean configuration sequence; (2) leaving unused I/O pins floating rather than setting them as inputs with internal weak pull-ups in the Quartus pin planner - floating pins can cause extra supply current; (3) using LVDS inputs without the 100 ohm differential termination at the FPGA pin; (4) omitting the POR delay capacitor on nSTATUS, which can cause configuration failures on cold start. Reference Intel application note AN370 for the complete configuration checklist.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance status not specified in the verified web data and should be confirmed against the specific lot's declaration of conformity. The PQFP-240 package uses lead-free matte-tin plating compatible with JEDEC J-STD-020 lead-free reflow profiles. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGA device category.
