EP3C55F484C8N - Cyclone III FPGA, 55K LE, 484-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP3C55F484C8N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $86.4 | $86.40 |
| 10 | $81.12 | $811.20 |
| 100 | $72 | $7,200.00 |
| 500 | $64.8 | $32,400.00 |
| 1,000 | $58.5 | $58,500.00 |
EP3C55F484C8N Overview
A Cyclone III FPGA is a SRAM-configurable logic device positioned in the low-cost FPGA tier, below the Stratix and Arria families. Cyclone III belongs to the broader FPGA hierarchy: programmable logic -> FPGA -> SRAM-based FPGA -> low-power FPGA. The family targets cost-sensitive applications such as industrial control, video processing, and communications infrastructure where Stratix-class performance is unnecessary but a true programmable fabric is still required.
Key features include 55856 logic elements, 2396160 embedded memory bits distributed across M9K blocks, 4 PLLs for clock management, and 343 multiplier blocks (18x18) enabling DSP functions without external multipliers. Per the Alldatasheet entry the package is described as 23 x 23 mm FBGA-484 with 2.60 mm height and 1 mm pitch, lead-free, and the device is RoHS compliant. The Cyclone III family uses a 65 nm TSMC process that delivers significantly lower static and dynamic power than the prior Cyclone II generation while preserving pin compatibility in many footprints.
Typical applications span industrial motor and machine control, video surveillance and image processing, software-defined radio front-ends, low-cost ASIC prototyping, automotive infotainment ECUs, and consumer display controllers. The 327 I/O and rich DSP blocks also make the part a frequent choice for educational FPGA development kits and university digital logic labs.
When designing with the EP3C55F484C8N, place all VCCINT and VCCA decoupling capacitors within a few millimetres of the balls, use at least 4 signal layers to escape the dense 1.0 mm pitch BGA, and respect the Quartus II / Quartus Prime JTAG configuration sequence including nCONFIG, nSTATUS, and CONF_DONE handshakes. Power sequencing must bring VCCINT up before VCCA per the Cyclone III Device Handbook.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C55F484C8N — 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 EP3C55F484C8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C55F484C7N
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View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C6N
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View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C8
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View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C7
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View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C6
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View Datasheet →EP3C40F484C8N
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View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 55,856 |
| User I/O Pins | 327 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 2,396,160 |
| Memory Blocks (M9K) | 260 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 260 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 472 MHz |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| Package | 484-BGA (FBGA), 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Package Height | 2.60 mm |
| Operating Temperature (Commercial) | 0 C to +85 C |
| Process Node | 65 nm TSMC low-power |
| Configuration | SRAM-based, JTAG / AS / PS modes |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes - lead-free, RoHS compliant |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP3C55F484C8N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O bank (signal integrity depends on bank assignment) |
| Pin A2 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin B1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin B2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin C1 | VCCINT — Core supply 1.2 V |
| Pin D1 | VCCA — PLL analog supply 2.5 V |
| Pin E1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin F1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin G1 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active-low) |
| Pin H1 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active-low) |
| Pin J1 | CONF_DONE — Configuration complete (active-high) |
| Pin K1 | TCK — JTAG clock |
| Pin L1 | TMS — JTAG mode select |
| Pin M1 | TDI — JTAG data in |
| Pin N1 | TDO — JTAG data out |
| Pin P1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin R1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin T1 | VCCIO — I/O bank supply 1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V (bank-dependent) |
| Pin U1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin V1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin W1 | GND — Ground |
| Pin Y1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin AA1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin AB1 | VCCINT — Core supply 1.2 V |
| Pin AC1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin AD1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin AE1 | GND — Ground |
Typical Applications
EP3C55F484C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Surveillance and Image Processing, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, ASIC Prototyping, Automotive Infotainment ECU, Educational FPGA Development Boards.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C55F484C8N fits industrial motor control because it offers 260 embedded 18x18 multipliers, 4 PLLs, and 327 user I/O - enough parallel math blocks to vector-FOC or space-vector-PWM a 3-phase inverter in a single device. The 472 MHz internal clock closes timing on the SVPWM carrier period at 20 kHz with margin. Its 484-FBGA package exposes sufficient pins for parallel ADC sampling (12-16 channels) plus incremental encoder inputs, while the 65 nm low-power Cyclone III process keeps inverter-stage logic dissipation manageable in a sealed cabinet.
Recommended
Video Surveillance and Image Processing
For video surveillance pipelines the EP3C55F484C8N's 2,396,160 embedded memory bits (260 M9K blocks) buffer full-HD frames line-by-line at 148.5 MHz pixel clock, and the 260 18x18 multipliers implement 2D convolution, Sobel edge detection, and motion-vector estimation in real time at 30 fps. With 327 I/O the part can accept parallel BT.1120 / digital video from a CMOS sensor plus a DDR2 SDRAM controller for frame storage. The 1.2 V core and Cyclone III low-power architecture keep thermal rise inside a sealed PoE camera housing without a heatsink.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
The EP3C55F484C8N suits SDR front-end DSP because its 260 18x18 multipliers and 4 PLLs deliver enough GFLOPS to implement a 4-channel DDC (digital down-converter) chain plus channelization at baseband sample rates up to 122.88 MHz. The 472 MHz fabric clock and dedicated PLL re-save clock network lock to a low-jitter external VCXO for ADC sampling. With 327 I/O the FPGA interfaces to parallel LVDS ADCs / DACs, while the 484-FBGA 1.0 mm pitch enables a small 4-layer PCB suitable for an embedded SDR module.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
ASIC prototyping with the EP3C55F484C8N leverages its 55,856 logic elements, 260 M9K RAM blocks, and 260 multipliers to emulate medium-complexity ASICs up to ~1.5 M gates. The 327 user I/O can be partitioned across multiple FPGA logic analyzers and BIST controllers, and the SRAM-based fabric supports unlimited design iterations via JTAG. Designers partition the ASIC across 1-3 FPGAs using Quartus II and verify at speed, accelerating time-to-silicon compared with simulation alone.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment ECU
The EP3C55F484C8N powers automotive infotainment ECUs by bridging LVDS / OpenLDI display panels, MOST or CAN networks, and audio CODECs over its 327 user I/O. The 260 multipliers handle audio DSP (EQ, crossover, time alignment), while 2.4 Mbit embedded memory supports display frame-buffer double-buffering. The commercial-grade 0 to +85 C temperature range fits cabin-mounted head units; for harsher under-hood designs use the EP3C55F484I7N industrial variant instead. Quartus Prime flow integrates CAN IP cores and MOST network stacks.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Boards
The EP3C55F484C8N is a popular FPGA on university and hobbyist development boards because it provides 55,856 logic elements - enough to run RISC-V soft cores, custom 32-bit CPUs, and complete VHDL/Verilog coursework projects - at a price point affordable for educational kits. The 327 I/O drives onboard LEDs, switches, character LCDs, VGA / HDMI interfaces, and GPIO headers. The 484-FBGA package is manageable on a 4-layer educational PCB, and Quartus II Web Edition supports the entire Cyclone III family free of charge.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C55F484C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C55F484C7N | EP3C55F484C6N | EP3C55F484C8 | EP3C55F484C7 | EP3C55F484C6 | EP3C40F484C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Package | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same | 484-BGA (FBGA, 23x23 mm) - same |
| Logic Elements | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 39,600 (-29%) |
| Speed Grade | 8 (fastest) | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| User I/O | 327 | 327 | 327 | 327 | 327 | 327 | 331 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 1,161,216 (-52%) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 126 (-52%) |
| Pb-Free Suffix | N (Pb-free) | N (Pb-free) | N (Pb-free) | non-N (older) | non-N (older) | non-N (older) | N (Pb-free) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) | Commercial (0 to +85 C) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest Fmax bin on the 484-FBGA Cyclone III family (vs EP3C55F484C7N)
- RoHS-compliant Pb-free ball finish for global sale (vs EP3C55F484C8 (non-N suffix))
- Mid-density 55K LE sweet spot for balanced designs (vs EP3C40F484C8N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 1.2 V VCCINT, the EP3C55F484C8N core current can reach approximately 0.8 to 1.2 A depending on toggle rate. Place 100 nF + 10 uF decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCCINT ball, and at least one 100 uF bulk tantalum near the regulator. Bring VCCINT up before VCCA per the Cyclone III Device Handbook to avoid latch-up; sequence VCCA (~2.5 V) within 100 ms of VCCINT. The 327 I/O on VCCIO banks can draw an additional 1 to 2 A when heavily loaded, so size the VCCIO regulator for the specific bank count actually used.
The 484-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch which is escapeable on a 4-layer PCB with via-in-pad or microvia process. Use 0.5 mm via capture pad with 0.2 mm drill and a 4 mil trace width to break out the inner rows. Maintain at least 2 mm of continuous reference plane under the package for power integrity, and avoid routing signals across split power planes between VCCINT and VCCA. Per JEDEC J-STD-020 the FBGA is MSL3 - bake at 125 C for 24 hours before assembly if the sealed bag has been open longer than the floor-life limit.
Do not confuse speed grade 8 with package code 484; the '8' here is the Fmax bin, not a ball count. Be aware that EP3C55F484C8N is a commercial-temperature device - for industrial applications you must select the I7N variant. The non-N suffix parts (C8, C7, C6) are older Pb-ball revisions and may not be RoHS compliant for sale into the EU. Finally, Quartus Prime support for Cyclone III ended at version 20.1; older Quartus II 13.0sp1 is still required for many legacy IP cores and must be retained alongside the newer toolchain.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant lead-free FBGA per Alldatasheet entry 'LEAD FREE, FBGA-484'. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade FPGA; for AEC-Q100 automotive use select the I7N industrial variant plus a separate qualification review.
