EP3CLS150F484C7 - Cyclone III 150K LE FPGA | 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3CLS150F484C7 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1232.84 | $1,232.84 |
| 10 | $1150 | $11,500.00 |
| 100 | $980 | $98,000.00 |
| 500 | $820 | $410,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $720 | $720,000.00 |
EP3CLS150F484C7 Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device that lets designers implement arbitrary digital logic through configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and embedded resources such as block RAM, DSP blocks, and PLL/clock managers. FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven microcontrollers in the design hierarchy: an FPGA delivers ASIC-class parallelism and throughput while remaining fully re-programmable, making it ideal for prototyping, low-volume production, and applications where standards or algorithms evolve after deployment.
Cyclone III LS devices deliver up to 200 MHz performance and consume roughly 25% less dynamic power than the original Cyclone II family. The device integrates 4 PLLs, dedicated DDR/DDR2/QDR II memory controllers, and high-speed LVDS I/O support, simplifying interface to external memory and high-bandwidth peripherals. Configuration is supported through JTAG, passive serial, active serial, and fast parallel modes, while the on-chip AES-256 engine and 64-bit volatile key provide robust bitstream protection against cloning or reverse engineering.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, video surveillance and image processing pipelines, software-defined radio front ends, portable medical instrumentation, and secure communications equipment. The 484-FBGA package combined with the Cyclone III LS feature set makes the part especially attractive where small footprint, low power and design security must coexist.
When designing with this device, pay careful attention to banked I/O supply planning: VCCIO must be supplied per I/O bank, and VCCAUX and VCCINT require clean, low-ripple rails to meet jitter and phase-noise specifications. Use Intel's Quartus II (or its supported successors) for synthesis, place-and-route and timing closure to avoid incomplete bitstream generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing from DigiKey, Mouser and Octopart, pin-compatible Cyclone III alternatives, and practical design notes that extend beyond the manufacturer datasheet to support component selection, sourcing and PCB bring-up.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3CLS150F484C7 — 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 EP3CLS150F484C7 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Logic Elements (LE), Operating Temperature, Embedded Memory Bits.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3CLS100F484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$62.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C120F484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$185 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$52.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100U484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$520 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$215 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C55F484C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C40F484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$264 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS150F484C7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III LS |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 149,760 |
| Total Memory Bits | 6,138,560 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 396 |
| User I/O Count | 210 |
| Configuration Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 150,848 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 210 |
| Package | 484-FBGA (FineLine BGA), 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Process Technology | 60 nm TSMC low-power CMOS |
| Supply Voltage Core (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| Supply Voltage Auxiliary (VCCAUX) | 2.5 V |
| Operating Temperature (Commercial) | 0C to +85C |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| AES Bitstream Encryption | AES-256 with 64-bit volatile key |
EP3CLS150F484C7 484-fbga (fineline bga), 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3CLS150F484C7 (484-fbga (fineline bga), 23 x 23 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 EP3CLS150F484C7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3CLS150F484C7 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Surveillance and Image Processing, Software-Defined Radio Front End, Portable Medical Instrumentation, Secure Communications Equipment, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3CLS150F484C7 is well suited to multi-axis industrial drives because its 149,760 logic elements and 396 dedicated 18x18 multipliers can host field-oriented control (FOC), space-vector PWM and resolver decoding in parallel. Hardware AES-256 bitstream encryption protects proprietary control IP cloned into competitors' firmware. The 484-FBGA with 210 user I/Os comfortably routes multi-channel encoder feedback and three-phase gate-driver enable signals, while four PLLs derive the switching frequency from a single crystal. Compared with a microcontroller plus DSP approach, the EP3CLS150 collapses the architecture into one chip, lowering BOM and improving deterministic loop times below one PWM period.
Recommended
Video Surveillance and Image Processing
In multi-channel HD surveillance pipelines the EP3CLS150F484C7 handles simultaneous video decode, motion detection, and H.264/AVC preprocessing without external DSP. Its 6,138,560 bits of embedded memory buffer multi-frame statistics and the 396 multipliers accelerate 2D DCT/IDCT and Sobel kernels at pixel rate. The 210 I/Os support parallel CMOS sensor input plus an external DDR2 frame buffer, with on-chip controllers eliminating glue logic. The LS-family AES engine protects proprietary analytics IP from bitstream cloning, which is essential when OEMs ship NVR appliances into security-sensitive customer sites.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front End
The EP3CLS150F484C7 is a strong fit for software-defined radio (SDR) baseband and digital up/down-conversion stages. Its 396 18x18 multipliers implement multi-tap FIR filters and digital down-conversion chains at baseband, while 4 PLLs generate the diverse sample clocks required for ADC interface logic. LVDS I/O support enables direct connection to high-speed ADCs/DACs commonly used in SDR front ends. The Cyclone III LS AES bitstream encryption secures proprietary waveform IP - critical for defense and commercial radio vendors shipping field-deployable radios where bitstream capture is a real threat.
Recommended
Portable Medical Instrumentation
In portable medical instruments such as patient monitors and handheld ultrasound, the EP3CLS150F484C7's low-power Cyclone III architecture and abundant logic deliver DSP-grade signal processing with extended battery life. The 149,760 LE implement multi-channel ECG/EEG filtering, FFT-based heart-rate variability analysis, and touchscreen GUI backbones on a single device. The Cyclone III LS family's true random number generator (TRNG) supports cryptographic needs for HIPAA-compliant data handling. The 484-FBGA package, while dense, fits in handheld form factors where PCB area is measured in square centimeters.
Recommended
Secure Communications Equipment
The EP3CLS150F484C7 is designed for secure-communications gateways, encryption accelerators and IPsec/SSL termination appliances. The Cyclone III LS AES-256 engine accelerates bulk symmetric encryption and is paired with the on-chip TRNG for key generation, dramatically offloading an external CPU. 6.1 Mbit of block RAM stores routing tables and crypto context without external memory pressure, while 210 I/Os support multi-GbE MAC connectivity. Compared with discrete crypto coprocessors, integrating these features into the FPGA eliminates a separate bus and reduces attack surface.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP3CLS150F484C7 is a strong fit for bench-top oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and protocol testers. Its 149,760 LE allow deep acquisition memory, complex trigger logic and on-the-fly protocol decoding without external ASICs. The 396 dedicated 18x18 multipliers accelerate FFT-based spectrum analysis, and the four PLLs derive precise sample clocks for 1-5 GSPS ADC interfaces. Designers benefit from the Cyclone III LS AES engine to protect proprietary trigger / decode IP shipped in firmware updates, which is increasingly important as instruments move to software-defined architectures.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3CLS150F484C7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3CLS100F484C7 | EP3C120F484C7N | EP3C55F484C7 | EP3CLS100U484C7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-FBGA (23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same | 484-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 | 98,016 (-35%) | 119,088 (-20%) | 55,856 (-63%) | 98,016 (-35%) |
| Total Memory Bits | 6,138,560 | 4,884,480 | 3,981,312 | 2,396,160 | 4,884,480 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 396 | 276 (-30%) | 288 (-27%) | 156 (-61%) | 276 (-30%) |
| User I/Os | 210 | 210 (same) | 210 (same) | 210 (same) | 210 (same) |
| PLLs | 4 | 4 (same) | 4 (same) | 4 (same) | 4 (same) |
| AES-256 Bitstream Encryption | Yes (Cyclone III LS) | Yes (LS) | No (standard Cyclone III) | No (standard Cyclone III) | Yes (LS) |
Key Differentiators
- AES-256 hardware bitstream encryption and TRNG (vs EP3C120F484C7N)
- Highest LE count in the 484-FBGA Cyclone III LS family (vs EP3CLS100F484C7)
- Largest embedded memory in the 484-FBGA Cyclone III LS family (vs EP3CLS100F484C7)
Design Notes
Estimated: VCCINT of 1.2 V draws up to approximately 500 mA on a 149,760 LE EP3CLS150 at full toggle rate. Use a low-ripple buck regulator with sub-30 mV pk-pk noise and place 100 uF + 10 uF + 0.1 uF decoupling within 5 mm of each VCCINT pin pair. VCCAUX must be 2.5 V and stable before VCCINT to prevent I/O latch-up; sequence the regulators accordingly.
The 484-FBGA exposes a thermal pad that must be soldered to a continuous ground plane for heat dissipation. Estimated: junction-to-ambient theta_JA is around 15-20 C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC board with the center pad stitched with 0.3 mm thermal vias. Avoid placing hot components directly above the FPGA thermal pad - it should sit on unbroken copper for optimal conduction.
FBGA 1.0 mm pitch demands 0.5 mm solder mask-defined or non-solder-mask-defined pads with micro-via-in-pad capability for escape. Use 0.2 mm (8 mil) trace width with 0.2 mm spacing for inner rows and length-match the LVDS/DDR pairs to within 25 ps. The Cyclone III Device Handbook pin-out file must be loaded into your CAD library before symbol generation to avoid bank-VCCIO errors.
Never apply 1.2 V VCCINT before 2.5 V VCCAUX has reached its minimum threshold - the device can enter a latch-up state that damages I/O cells. Also, when migrating from a standard Cyclone III (e.g. EP3C120) to the LS sub-family, remember that the LS adds a 64-bit volatile AES key that must be re-loaded on every power-up; do not rely on a permanent key store.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance per Intel Cyclone III product family declaration; AEC-Q100 is not applicable to commercial/industrial-grade FPGAs - automotive programs should reference the AEC-Q100-qualified MAX or Cyclone V device families instead.
