EP3C80F484C6N - Cyclone III FPGA 81K LE 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3C80F484C6N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $461.73 | $461.73 |
| 10 | $438.62 | $4,386.20 |
| 100 | $415.55 | $41,555.00 |
| 250 | $392.47 | $98,117.50 |
| 500 | $369.38 | $184,690.00 |
EP3C80F484C6N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a class of programmable logic device that allows hardware designers to implement custom digital circuits through configuration of an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory, DSP blocks, and programmable I/O. Cyclone III devices sit within the broader taxonomy of programmable logic -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits -> semiconductors, and are typically used as flexible alternatives to ASICs for medium-volume, high-functional-density designs.
Key features include four phase-locked loops (PLLs) for clock management, 4 Mbits of embedded SRAM, 244 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP workloads, and support for external memory interfaces such as DDR, DDR2, SDRAM, and QDRII SRAM. The 484-FBGA package measures 23x23 mm with a 1.0 mm ball pitch and exposes up to 295 general-purpose I/O across eight I/O banks.
Cyclone III architecture combines an efficient routing fabric with hard IP for memory controllers and PLLs, enabling designers to balance logic, memory, and DSP resources without paying for features that will not be used. Compared with Cyclone II, the Cyclone III family roughly doubles logic density at substantially lower static power, making it well suited for power-conscious industrial, video, and communications equipment.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and machine vision, video processing and display controllers, wireline communications line cards, software-defined radio baseband, and PCIe endpoint or embedded processor glue logic. The combination of low cost per logic element and rich DSP/memory resources also makes Cyclone III popular for prototyping ASIC and SoC designs.
When designing with this device, pay attention to the 1.2V core and multiple bank I/O supply rails (1.5V, 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V). Decouple each rail close to the balls and follow the Quartus II pin-out file for bank assignments to avoid signal-integrity issues on LVDS or DDR memory interfaces.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives within the Cyclone III family, and practical design notes not collated on a single manufacturer page.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C80F484C6N — 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 EP3C80F484C6N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Total Memory Bits.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C80F484C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$208.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F484C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$306.54 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F484C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$102.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$58.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$52.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C40F484C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$264 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F484C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone III |
| Family | Cyclone III FPGA (Low Power) |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 81,264 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 2,810,880 (4 Mbits) |
| Maximum User I/O | 295 |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA), 23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (SMT) |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Number of Global Clock Networks | 20 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 244 |
| Process Technology | 65 nm TSMC low-power CMOS |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.2V / 1.5V / 1.8V / 2.5V / 3.3V (per-bank) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (Commercial, 'C' speed grade) |
| Speed Grade | 6 (medium speed bin) |
| Configuration Scheme | Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS), JTAG, Fast Passive Parallel (FPP) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (Pb-free) |
EP3C80F484C6N 484-ball fbga (fineline bga), 23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3C80F484C6N (484-ball fbga (fineline bga), 23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch 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 EP3C80F484C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3C80F484C6N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control and Drive, Video Processing and Display Controllers, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, Machine Vision and Image Processing, Wireline Communications Line Cards, PCIe Endpoint and Embedded Processor Glue Logic.
Industrial Motor Control and Drive
The EP3C80F484C6N is widely used in industrial motor-control boards where its 81,264 LEs host position/speed control loops, encoder decoding, and PWM generation, while the 244 embedded 18x18 multipliers accelerate Park/Clarke transforms and field-oriented control (FOC) math. The 295 user I/O accommodate multiple encoder inputs, Hall sensors, and high-current gate-driver PWM outputs without external logic. Industrial designs benefit from the 65nm low-power process, which reduces thermal load inside sealed IP65 enclosures and extends product life. Designers pair the device with external ADCs (e.g., AD7266) for current sensing and use the four PLLs to generate the deterministic switching frequencies required by IGBT gate drivers.
Recommended
Video Processing and Display Controllers
The Cyclone III EP3C80F484C6N hosts real-time video pipelines (deinterlacing, scaling, color-space conversion) on its mid-density 81K-LE fabric, with the 4 Mbits of embedded M9K memory acting as line buffers for 1080p streams. The 295 user I/O support multiple parallel video buses (RGB, BT.656, LVDS) plus HDMI/DVI serializer control interfaces. Designers use the 244 18x18 multipliers for 2D FIR filtering and chroma upsampling without consuming logic cells. The commercial 0-85C temperature range suits indoor digital signage and professional A/V equipment, while the 65nm process keeps power low enough for fanless enclosures.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
In software-defined radio baseband cards, the EP3C80F484C6N implements digital down/up-conversion, channelization filters, and MAC-layer processing on its 81,264 logic elements. The 244 embedded 18x18 multipliers deliver the throughput needed for FIR and correlator kernels running at 100+ MHz, while 4 Mbits of M9K memory hold coefficient tables and circular sample buffers. The four PLLs derive clean baseband clocks from external TCXO/VC-OCXO references, and the LVDS-capable I/O banks interface cleanly to high-speed ADCs and DACs (e.g., AD9230, AD9779). SDR designers value the deterministic latency and parallel processing density for low-latency demodulation.
Recommended
Machine Vision and Image Processing
Machine vision systems use the EP3C80F484C6N to host Sobel/Canny edge detection, morphological filtering, and pattern-matching pipelines in real time. The 81K-LE fabric supports moderate-resolution (VGA to 2MP) image streams at 30-60 fps, while the 4 Mbits of embedded memory buffer entire frames for blob analysis and template matching. LVDS inputs pair with industrial Camera Link or MIPI-CSI bridge chips, and the 295 user I/O connect to gigabit Ethernet PHYs for transmission of processed results. Designers appreciate the deterministic timing closure that Quartus II provides for parallel image-processing datapaths.
Recommended
Wireline Communications Line Cards
Telecom line cards use the EP3C80F484C6N for TDM/SONET framer logic, packet classification, and traffic management. The 244 18x18 multipliers accelerate Reed-Solomon or convolutional codecs, while the 4 Mbits of block RAM implement FIFO queues for cell/packet buffering. The 295 user I/O accommodate parallel LVDS connections to PHYs, SERDES Framer interfaces (e.g., PMC-Sierra PM5342), and backplane SERDES. Four PLLs synthesize the multiple reference clocks required by mixed-rate telecom interfaces (E1/T1, STM-1, GbE).
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint and Embedded Processor Glue Logic
The EP3C80F484C6N is a popular PCIe endpoint controller in embedded systems, using its hard IP (in the Cyclone III Hard IP for PCIe block) to provide x1/x4 PCIe Gen1 endpoint functionality. The 81K LEs host custom register interfaces, DMA engines, and protocol-translation state machines that bridge PCIe to local buses, peripherals, or external processors. The 295 user I/O easily accommodate x4 PCIe lanes plus local bus, I2C, SPI, and UART. Designers favor Cyclone III for low-cost PCIe applications in industrial PCs, test instrumentation, and data-acquisition cards.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C80F484C6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C80F484C8N | EP3C80F484C7N | EP3C80F484C6 | EP3C55F484C8N | EP3C55F484C7N | EP3C40F484C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-FBGA (23x23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) | 484-FBGA (same) |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Logic Elements | 81,264 | 81,264 | 81,264 | 81,264 | 55,856 (-31%) | 55,856 (-31%) | 39,600 (-51%) |
| Embedded Memory | 2,810,880 bits (4 Mbits) | 2,810,880 bits | 2,810,880 bits | 2,810,880 bits | 2,396,160 bits (-15%) | 2,396,160 bits (-15%) | 1,161,216 bits (-59%) |
| User I/O | 295 | 295 | 295 | 295 | 315 | 315 | 331 |
| Speed Grade | 6 (medium) | 8 (fast) | 7 (faster) | 6 (same) | 8 (fast) | 7 (faster) | 7 (faster) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 244 | 244 | 244 | 244 | 156 | 156 | 126 |
| Number of PLLs | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Key Differentiators
- Mid-density sweet spot in Cyclone III family (vs EP3C55F484C6N)
- Lower cost than Cyclone IV E at similar densities (vs EP4CE80F484C8N)
- Hard PCIe Gen1 IP block (vs EP3C25F324C8N)
Design Notes
The EP3C80F484C6N requires four separate supply rails: VCCINT (1.2V core), VCCIO[1..8] (per-bank I/O at 1.2/1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3V), VCCA (analog PLL 2.5V), and VCCD_PLL (digital PLL 1.2V). Decouple each VCCINT pin with a 0.1 uF X7R plus a 10 uF bulk capacitor placed within 100 mils of the ball. All VCC and GND balls must be connected; floating power balls cause supply droop and unreliable configuration. A power-sequencing requirement of VCCINT before VCCIO is recommended to avoid I/O latch-up at power-up.
The 484-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch. Use at least 4-layer PCB with continuous GND and PWR planes under the BGA, microvia-in-pad or dog-bone fanouts, and 8-mil traces/spaces (4-mil preferred) to escape the inner rows. Matched-length routing is required for LVDS pairs and DDR memory interfaces (tolerance within +/-25 ps for DDR, +/-10 ps for LVDS). The FBGA land pattern must follow the Altera-recommended solder-mask-defined or non-solder-mask-defined pads as specified in the Cyclone III Board Design Guidelines.
Avoid configuring MSEL[3:0] for the wrong mode: AS (active serial) requires EPCS configuration flash, PS (passive serial) requires an external host, and JTAG-only mode leaves the device blank after power-up. Always check that nCONFIG, nSTATUS, and CONF_DONE are properly pulled up to VCCIO with a 10 kohm resistor, and add a 1 kohm series resistor on the TCK line to limit JTAG inrush current. For multi-device JTAG chains, respect the 6-device chain limit of the Quartus II programmer.
Each Cyclone III I/O bank has a VREF pin when using voltage-referenced standards (SSTL, HSTL). Place the VREF decoupling capacitors close to the bank and route VREF as a wide trace or dedicated plane. For DDR/DDR2/QDRII memory interfaces, use the dedicated DQS phase-shift circuitry in the top/bottom I/O banks and follow Altera's external memory interface pin-out guidelines to simplify PCB routing and meet setup/hold timing.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Intel/Altera product page. AEC-Q100 not applicable (industrial/commercial FPGA, not automotive qualified). Halogen-free per JEDEC JS709B. Conflict-mineral reporting per Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act.
