EP3C80F780C6 - Cyclone III FPGA 81K LE 780-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP3C80F780C6 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $507.42 | $507.42 |
| 10 | $458.3 | $4,583.00 |
| 100 | $405.85 | $40,585.00 |
| 500 | $360.1 | $180,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $320.95 | $320,950.00 |
EP3C80F780C6 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and dedicated hardware such as multipliers, memory blocks, and phase-locked loops. In the wider taxonomy, FPGAs sit between general-purpose microcontrollers and fully custom ASICs, offering hardware-level parallelism with software-reconfigurable logic. The Cyclone III series specifically targets cost-sensitive, power-conscious designs that previously required ASICs, with static power consumption reduced by up to 75% compared to earlier 90 nm Cyclone II devices.
Key features include 81264 logic elements (LE), 2810880 embedded RAM bits distributed across M9K memory blocks, 244 18x18 embedded multipliers for DSP functions, four general-purpose PLLs per device, and 429 user I/O pins supporting multiple I/O standards including LVDS, LVCMOS, SSTL, and LVTTL. The 780-FBGA package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch for board compatibility with mainstream PCB manufacturing, and supports hot-socketing for live insertion into backplanes.
The device is built on TSMC's 65 nm low-power CMOS process, delivering an optimal balance of performance-per-watt. Designers configure the FPGA using Quartus II design software with hardware description languages such as Verilog HDL or VHDL. Configuration data is loaded from external flash, an embedded EPCS device, or via JTAG, and can be reloaded in milliseconds for remote field updates.
Typical applications include industrial machine vision, video surveillance and broadcast equipment, automotive infotainment, wireline communications, and portable medical devices where low static power and high DSP throughput are required. The Cyclone III architecture enables custom parallel processing pipelines that would be impractical in a sequential processor.
When designing with this device, plan power distribution carefully: core current can exceed 2 A at full logic utilization, requiring multiple low-impedance decoupling capacitors near the 1.2 V supply pins. Thermal management is also important - the 780-FBGA has a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance of approximately 14 C/W with proper PCB thermal vias, but high-utilization designs may require airflow.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, pin-compatible Cyclone III alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the Altera datasheet, helping engineers select, source, and integrate the EP3C80F780C6 with confidence.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3C80F780C6 — 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 EP3C80F780C6 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Process Technology, Package, Speed Grade, Embedded Memory Bits, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C80F780C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$220 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F780C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$260 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F780I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$514.03 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C55F780C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$209.22 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C120F780C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$162 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CE80F780C8N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP3C80F780C6 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements | 81,264 |
| Embedded Memory | 2,810,880 bits |
| User I/O | 429 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 244 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 500 MHz |
| Process Technology | 65 nm low-power CMOS (TSMC) |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Package | 780-pin FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Speed Grade | C6 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Configuration Method | Serial/Parallel, JTAG, EPCS |
| RoHS Status | Non-Compliant (contains lead) |
EP3C80F780C6 780-pin fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3C80F780C6 (780-pin 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 EP3C80F780C6.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3C80F780C6 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Machine Vision, Video Surveillance and Broadcast Equipment, Automotive Infotainment Systems, Wireline Communications Infrastructure, Portable Medical Devices, Industrial Motor Control and PLC.
Industrial Machine Vision
The EP3C80F780C6 is well suited for industrial machine vision systems where real-time image processing requires parallel hardware pipelines. Its 81,264 logic elements and 244 18x18 multipliers deliver up to 122 GMACs of DSP throughput, sufficient for Sobel edge detection, color space conversion, and pattern matching on VGA to 1080p video streams. The 429 user I/O pins accommodate multi-camera parallel interfaces (Camera Link, MIPI CSI-2 bridge, or LVDS), while 2.81 Mbit of embedded M9K memory provides line buffers and lookup tables without external SRAM. Designers can implement rolling-shutter correction, defect detection, and barcode reading entirely in FPGA fabric, eliminating the need for an external processor.
Recommended
Video Surveillance and Broadcast Equipment
Video surveillance encoders and broadcast video processors benefit from the EP3C80F780C6's parallel processing capability and rich I/O. The FPGA's hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding, motion JPEG, and overlay compositing can process multiple D1 or 720p streams simultaneously. With four PLLs, designers can derive independent clocks for video ADC/DAC chips, DDR2 memory controllers, and Ethernet PHYs, while the 780-FBGA package provides enough I/O for SDI, HDMI bridges, and gigabit Ethernet MACs. The 65 nm low-power process reduces thermal load in fanless surveillance NVR enclosures.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Systems
Automotive infotainment head units and rear-seat entertainment systems use the EP3C80F780C6 for media decoding, display rendering, and CAN/LIN bridging. The 429 user I/O pins support multiple LVDS display panels, GPS modules, Bluetooth/WiFi co-processors, and automotive Ethernet PHYs. Hardware-accelerated video scaling and alpha blending offload the main application processor, while the FPGA's deterministic latency ensures glitch-free display output. For automotive designs, the EP3C80F780I7N industrial variant (same 780-FBGA, AEC-Q100 consideration) is recommended instead of the C6 commercial version.
Recommended
Wireline Communications Infrastructure
Wireline telecom and datacom equipment use the EP3C80F780C6 for protocol bridging, packet classification, and SERDES aggregation. The FPGA's 244 multipliers support forward error correction (FEC) and Reed-Solomon decoding on 1G/10G Ethernet links, while 2.81 Mbit of embedded memory buffers packet headers and route tables. Multiple PLLs generate the precise clock frequencies required for OTN, SDH/SONET, and CPRI interfaces. The 780-FBGA package supports multiple SFP+ cages and QSFP breakout via its 429 I/O, making it a cost-effective alternative to higher-end Stratix devices in cost-sensitive line cards.
Recommended
Portable Medical Devices
Portable medical instruments such as patient monitors, ultrasound systems, and pulse oximeters benefit from the EP3C80F780C6's low static power and DSP performance. The 65 nm low-power process reduces battery drain, while 244 18x18 multipliers accelerate FFT-based spectral analysis for Doppler ultrasound and ECG feature extraction. Designers implement custom analog front-end interfaces, isolated SPI/I2C buses for sensor readouts, and TFT display controllers entirely within the FPGA fabric. The 780-FBGA's 1.0 mm pitch is compatible with standard medical-grade PCB manufacturing processes.
Recommended
Industrial Motor Control and PLC
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and multi-axis motor drives use the EP3C80F780C6 for high-speed deterministic control loops. Hardware-implemented PID controllers, SVPWM generators, and quadrature encoder counters run in parallel without software jitter, achieving sub-microsecond loop times. The 429 user I/O pins accommodate multiple encoder inputs, PWM outputs, isolated digital I/O, and EtherCAT/EtherNet/IP MACs. Field updates via JTAG or remote configuration over Ethernet allow post-deployment firmware revisions without production line changes.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3C80F780C6 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C80F780C8 | EP3C80F780C7N | EP3C80F780I7N | EP3C55F780C6 | EP3C120F780C7N | EP4CE80F780C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 780-FBGA | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Family | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone IV E |
| Logic Elements | 81,264 | 81,264 (same) | 81,264 (same) | 81,264 (same) | 55,856 (-31%) | 119,088 (+47%) | 81,264 (same) |
| Speed Grade | C6 (slowest) | C8 (fastest) | C7 | I7 (industrial) | C6 | C7 | C8 (Cyclone IV) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C |
| RoHS Status | Non-Compliant | Non-Compliant | Compliant (lead-free) | Compliant (lead-free) | Non-Compliant | Compliant (lead-free) | Compliant (lead-free) |
| Embedded Memory | 2,810,880 bits | 2,810,880 bits (same) | 2,810,880 bits (same) | 2,810,880 bits (same) | 2,396,160 bits (-15%) | 3,888,000 bits (+38%) | 2,810,880 bits (same) |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 244 | 244 (same) | 244 (same) | 244 (same) | 156 (-36%) | 288 (+18%) | 200 (-18%) |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-cost 81K-LE Cyclone III variant (vs EP3C80F780C8)
- Highest logic density in 780-FBGA form factor (vs EP3C55F780C6)
- Direct pin-compatible migration to Cyclone IV E (vs EP4CE80F780C8N)
Design Notes
The EP3C80F780C6 requires three supply rails: VCCINT (1.2 V core) drawing up to 2 A at full logic utilization, VCCIO (per bank, 1.2-3.3 V), and VCCA_PLL (1.2 V analog) for the four PLLs. Per the Cyclone III handbook, place at least 12 decoupling capacitors (100 nF, 10 nF, 1 uF mix) within 5 mm of the BGA package. Use a dedicated LDO for VCCA_PLL to minimize jitter; sharing VCCINT and VCCA_PLL increases PLL phase noise by 5-10 ps RMS. Estimated: at 80% LE utilization and 250 MHz, core current consumption is approximately 1.5 A.
The 780-FBGA package has a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (theta_JA) of approximately 14 C/W with optimized PCB thermal vias (9x9 array of 0.3 mm vias under the package). Without thermal vias, theta_JA can exceed 25 C/W, limiting usable logic utilization. Estimated: at 1.5 A core current and 1.2 V, total power dissipation is about 1.8 W, producing a 25C junction temperature rise over ambient with proper thermal via design. High-utilization designs in enclosed enclosures may require airflow or a heat spreader.
The 780-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch requiring 4-layer PCB minimum with 0.5 oz copper for signal layers and 1 oz copper for power/ground planes. Use microvia or via-in-pad technology for inner-row balls to escape all 429 I/O signals. Per Altera reference designs, route all eight I/O banks to distinct PCB edges to simplify signal integrity and reduce crosstalk. Add a continuous ground plane beneath the package with no signal traces for at least 5 mm clearance to minimize power plane impedance.
Do not apply power to VCCIO before VCCINT is stable - the FPGA can be damaged if I/O voltages exceed core voltage by more than 2.5 V during ramp. Use a power sequencer or supervisor IC to enforce monotonic ramp. Configuration pins MSEL[0..3] must be tied to specific levels to select AS, PS, or JTAG mode; floating these pins causes configuration failure. Per Cyclone III errata, ensure CONF_DONE has a 10 kohm pull-up to VCCIO for reliable configuration completion detection.
Compliance Information
EP3C80F780C6 contains lead per Digchip datasheet (RoHS Non-Compliant). For RoHS-compliant equivalent in the same package, choose EP3C80F780C7N or EP3C80F780I7N. AEC-Q100 qualification not available for this commercial-grade device.
