EP3CLS150F780C8N - Cyclone III LS FPGA 150K LE FBGA-780 | Intel
MPN: EP3CLS150F780C8N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $268 | $2,680.00 |
| 100 | $246.5 | $24,650.00 |
| 500 | $225 | $112,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $205 | $205,000.00 |
EP3CLS150F780C8N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory, multipliers, and programmable I/O cells that the designer wires up after manufacture using a hardware description language. FPGAs sit alongside microcontrollers, DSPs, and ASICs in the programmable logic hierarchy and are typically chosen when time-to-market, in-field reconfigurability, or parallel hardware acceleration matters more than per-unit silicon cost. The Cyclone III LS family specifically targets applications that require both high logic density and low static power.
Key features of this part include 150,848 logic elements (LEs), approximately 6.14 Mbits of M9K embedded SRAM, dedicated 18-bit x 18-bit hardware multipliers for DSP, four general-purpose PLLs per device for clock synthesis, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR, DDR2, and QDRII SRAM. The device also integrates a hard Memory Controller, SERDES-free LVDS pairs up to 875 Mbps, and PCI Express hard IP on selected package variants.
The Cyclone III LS architecture combines a 65 nm low-power process with on-chip voltage regulation and an internal 1.0 V core, reducing dynamic power by roughly 30% versus the original Cyclone III series. Configuration is loaded via JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Active Parallel (AP), or Passive Serial (PS) modes from EPCS or EPCQ flash devices, supporting fast field updates and remote reconfiguration over Ethernet or USB bridges.
Typical applications include industrial machine vision and motor control, low-cost video processing, software-defined radio front-ends, PCIe endpoint cards, and prototyping for ASIC designs. Designers frequently pair this device with external DDR2 SDRAM, HDMI transmitters, Ethernet PHYs, and high-speed ADCs to build complete embedded systems on a single board.
When designing with this FPGA, plan thermal dissipation early: at full utilization the device can consume 2-4 W. Use at least a 4-layer PCB with a continuous ground plane and 1 oz copper to spread heat, and follow Altera's decoupling guidelines of one 100 nF plus one 10 uF capacitor per VCCCT/VCCH/GND cluster.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family Cyclone III drop-in alternatives, and practical Quartus II design notes not found in the bare datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3CLS150F780C8N — 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 EP3CLS150F780C8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Embedded Memory Bits, Configuration Modes, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3CLS150F780C8
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$195.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS150F780C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$88.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100F780C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$105.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS150F780I7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$128 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C120F780C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP3C55F780C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$58.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS150F780C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III LS |
| Logic Elements | 150,848 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,137,856 |
| Total User I/O | 413 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 402 MHz |
| Process Technology | 65 nm |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA |
| Number of Pins | 780 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Global Clocks | 20 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 396 |
| Operating Temperature Range | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Configuration Modes | AS, AP, PS, JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP3CLS150F780C8N 780-ball fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3CLS150F780C8N (780-ball fbga 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 EP3CLS150F780C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3CLS150F780C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control and Drives, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, Industrial Machine Vision Systems, PCI Express Endpoint Card Prototyping, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Video Processing and Display Controllers.
Industrial Motor Control and Drives
The EP3CLS150F780C8N drives multi-axis industrial motor controllers including FOC, BLDC, and stepper drives. Its 396 18x18 hardware multipliers execute the Park/Clarke transforms and PI loops in parallel, while 413 user I/Os provide plenty of PWM channels, encoder QEP inputs, and GPIO for endstop and brake control. Four PLLs derive the PWM switching frequency, communication clocks, and ADC sampling from a single crystal, simplifying the BOM. The 65 nm Cyclone III LS process keeps junction temperature below 100C at 70% utilization on a 4-layer PCB with thermal vias, suitable for sealed industrial cabinets. Compared with a microcontroller, this FPGA offers deterministic latency for current loops and sub-microsecond response to overcurrent trips, which is critical for protecting IGBT power stages from shoot-through.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
In software-defined radio (SDR) baseband processing, the EP3CLS150F780C8N's 396 hardware multipliers and 6.14 Mbits of M9K memory implement digital down-conversion (DDC), FIR filtering, and FFT cores at sample rates well above 100 MSPS. The 4 PLLs and 20 global clocks derive multiple ADC and DAC sample clocks with deterministic phase alignment, while 875 Mbps LVDS pairs feed high-speed ADCs without external clock buffers. The low-power 65 nm LS architecture reduces total board power by 30% compared to the original Cyclone III, important for portable SDR manpacks and battery-powered test gear. Combined with an external DDR2 SDRAM, the FPGA buffers wideband captures for spectrum analysis or signal intelligence applications.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision Systems
The EP3CLS150F780C8N handles Bayer demosaicing, color matrix conversion, and Sobel edge detection for multi-camera industrial vision lines. Its 413 user I/Os accept parallel Camera Link or LVDS image-sensor inputs at 875 Mbps, and the embedded M9K memory buffers line-scan frames without external SRAM. The 402 MHz maximum internal frequency lets designers implement real-time defect detection at 60 frames per second on 2-Mpixel sensors, well within typical food-packaging and PCB-AOI inspection cycle times. Industrial temperature operation and on-chip PLLs simplify integration into IP67 sealed cameras for factory floor deployment. Compared with a discrete DSP, the FPGA offers deterministic per-pixel latency and easier integration of custom machine-learning inference accelerators.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Card Prototyping
For PCIe Gen1 x1 and x4 endpoint prototyping on FPGA development boards, the EP3CLS150F780C8N integrates the hard PCIe IP block with 2.5 Gbps SerDes, eliminating the need for external PHY chips. The device's 150K logic elements and 6.14 Mbits of memory implement bus-master DMA engines, MSI-X interrupt controllers, and user application logic in a single chip. The 780-FBGA package offers enough user I/Os to bring out multiple PCIe lanes, JTAG, USB, and GPIO headers on a standard card form factor. Quartus II's Platform Designer generates a turnkey PCIe reference design, accelerating prototype bring-up from months to weeks. Industrial and commercial temperature variants enable the same board design to serve both server-room and edge applications.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
ASIC design teams use multiple EP3CLS150F780C8N FPGAs in a logic-bridging array to prototype million-gate ASICs before tape-out, partitioning the ASIC netlist across 2-4 devices with time-domain multiplexing. The 780-FBGA package offers high I/O density for chip-to-chip bridging lanes, while the 6.14 Mbits of embedded memory models SRAM blocks at speed without cycle-accurate external memory. Quartus II's incremental compile flow lets engineers iterate on individual blocks while preserving timing closure on the rest of the design, dramatically shortening regression cycles. The commercial 0C to +85C range is sufficient for lab and benchtop emulation racks with active cooling. Compared with ASIC re-spins, this FPGA-based prototyping can save 100K-1M USD per design cycle.
Recommended
Video Processing and Display Controllers
The EP3CLS150F780C8N implements video format conversion, scaling, alpha blending, and on-screen display overlay for multi-screen digital signage and medical imaging displays. Its 150K logic elements run scaling engines at 1080p60 with 2-3 input layers, and the M9K memory tiles provide line buffers sized for 1920-pixel-wide video paths without external SDRAM. The device's 413 user I/Os support HDMI input, DisplayPort, and LVDS panel interfaces simultaneously, useful for kiosks that accept multiple video sources. Four PLLs generate the exact pixel clocks required for each display standard, eliminating timing jitter visible as flicker or tearing. The low-power LS process also reduces display-controller board thermals, enabling fanless all-in-one designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3CLS150F780C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3CLS150F780C8 | EP3CLS150F780C7N | EP3CLS100F780C8N | EP3CLS150F780I7N | EP3C120F780C8N | EP3C55F780C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA | 780-ball FBGA - same | 780-ball FBGA - same | 780-ball FBGA - same | 780-ball FBGA - same | 780-ball FBGA - same | 780-ball FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 150,848 | 150,848 | 150,848 | 100,848 | 150,848 | 119,088 | 55,856 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,137,856 | 6,137,856 | 6,137,856 | 4,065,408 | 6,137,856 | 3,981,312 | 2,396,160 |
| Speed Grade | 8 (commercial, fast) | 8 | 7 (slower, lower cost) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +100C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C |
| Family | Cyclone III LS (low-power) | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III (standard, non-LS) | Cyclone III (standard, non-LS) |
| Process Technology | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Total User I/O | 413 | 413 | 413 | 429 | 413 | 429 | 377 |
Key Differentiators
- High logic density at low static power in same package (vs EP3C120F780C8N)
- Industrial temperature drop-in upgrade (vs EP3CLS150F780I7N)
- True pin-compatible cost-down path (vs EP3C55F780C8N)
- Same family as the C8 drop-in Pb-free alternative (vs EP3CLS150F780C8)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 100% logic utilization and 300 MHz operation the EP3CLS150F780C8N can dissipate 2.5-4.0 W from its 1.2 V VCCINT and 2.5 V/3.3 V VCCIO rails. Use a 4-layer PCB with one continuous ground plane and at least 1 oz copper on VCCINT. Place one 100 nF plus one 10 uF decoupling capacitor pair on every VCCINT/GND cluster no more than 5 mm from the ball. Add at least 16 thermal vias under the central ground balls to spread heat to the bottom layer.
The 780-ball FBGA ball pitch is 1.0 mm with 0.6 mm diameter solder balls. Per Altera's Cyclone III hardware design guidelines, use an 8-layer stack-up with two dedicated ground planes and two dedicated power planes, escape the signal balls with 0.13 mm (5 mil) traces and via-in-pad to maintain signal integrity. Microvia or HDI fabrication is recommended for board assembly to avoid solder bridging under the part.
Do not exceed 25 mV ripple on VCCINT (1.2 V) or 50 mV ripple on VCCIO; both rails feed internal phase-locked loops and high-speed SERDES. Use a ferrite bead or pi-filter between the regulator and the FPGA supply pin to isolate switching noise from any nearby DC-DC converter. Altera's reference design board uses a 4.7 uH inductor and 22 uF ceramic output cap for each rail. Neglecting this can cause intermittent PLL unlock and rare CRC errors in user logic.
Place the EPCS or EPCQ configuration flash no more than 50 mm from the FPGA's DCLK and DATA0/ASDO balls. Series-terminate the DCLK line with 33 ohm if the trace exceeds 25 mm to avoid double-clocking during Active Serial configuration. Tie MSEL0-2 to VCCIO or GND via 1 kohm resistors to set configuration mode and never leave them floating at power-up.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant Pb-free NiPdAu ball finish per Altera product page. AEC-Q100 not applicable since this is a commercial-grade FPGA; choose the EP3CLS150F780I7N variant for industrial temperature environments but AEC-Q100 is not formally qualified on this family.