EP4CE115F29C8N - Cyclone IV E FPGA 114K LE 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CE115F29C8N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65.03 | $65.03 |
| 10 | $58.5 | $585.00 |
| 100 | $49.2 | $4,920.00 |
| 500 | $42.8 | $21,400.00 |
| 1,000 | $38.9 | $38,900.00 |
EP4CE115F29C8N Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device whose logic fabric, interconnect, and I/O are configured by the user after manufacture. FPGAs sit within the broader taxonomy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) along with CPLDs, and they are used as flexible alternatives to ASICs and microcontrollers for high-throughput parallel processing, custom interfaces, and hardware-accelerated algorithms. The Cyclone IV E series specifically targets cost- and power-sensitive applications by combining a logic-rich fabric with up to 4 PLLs and 15 transceiver-free, general-purpose I/O standards.
Key features of the EP4CE115F29C8N include 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers (266 GMACs of DSP performance), 4 general-purpose PLLs, configurable on-chip memory with 9-bit parity support, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR/DDR2/QDRII SRAM. The device exposes up to 528 user I/O pins distributed across 8 I/O banks, supporting LVDS, SSTL, HSTL, LVPECL, PCI/PCI-X, and LVCMOS/LVTTL standards. Configuration is handled through JTAG, passive/active serial, or fast passive/active parallel modes, and the device includes built-in CRC for configuration error detection.
The EP4CE115F29C8N uses a 60 nm SRAM-based LUT architecture with 4-input LUTs as its basic logic element, and its 780-ball FineLine BGA package provides robust electrical performance for high-speed signalling while remaining surface-mountable. Compared to the smaller EP4CE30 and EP4CE55 devices, the EP4CE115 nearly quadruples the logic capacity while sharing the same Quartus II / Quartus Prime toolchain, IP library, and reference designs - simplifying design migration across the family.
Typical applications for the EP4CE115F29C8N include industrial motor control, video bridging and image processing, software-defined radio front ends, PCIe endpoint bridges, factory automation controllers, and low-cost ASIC prototyping. Its combination of high logic density, embedded multipliers, and external memory support makes it well suited for DSP pipelines and parallel sensor aggregation.
When designing with this FPGA, pay close attention to bank voltage grouping - all I/O in a bank must share a VCCIO level, and reference voltage pins (VREF) are required when using referenced I/O standards such as SSTL or HSTL. Provide proper decoupling (0.1 Β΅F + bulk) on each VCCINT, VCCA, and VCCIO rail, and follow Intel's recommended PCB layout guidelines for BGA break-out to preserve signal integrity on DDR2 and LVDS interfaces.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in family alternatives, and practical design guidance not found in the standalone datasheet - engineered to accelerate both part selection and board bring-up.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CE115F29C8N β 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 EP4CE115F29C8N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Process Technology, Configuration Modes, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CE115F29C8LN
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29I7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29A7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29C7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29C9N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29I8N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE115F29C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone IV E |
| Logic Elements | 114,480 |
| Total Memory Bits | 3,981,312 (3888 Kb) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 66 |
| General-Purpose PLLs | 4 |
| User I/O Pins | 528 |
| I/O Banks | 8 |
| Process Node | 60 nm |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0 Β°C to 85 Β°C (Commercial) |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Configuration Method | JTAG, Passive/Active Serial, Fast Passive/Active Parallel |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Radiation Hardened | No |
| Speed Grade | C8 |
| Tray Quantity | 36 units |
EP4CE115F29C8N 780-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CE115F29C8N (780-ball 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 EP4CE115F29C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CE115F29C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Bridging and Image Processing, Software-Defined Radio Front End, PCIe Endpoint Bridge, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Factory Automation Controller.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP4CE115F29C8N is well suited to multi-axis industrial servo and stepper motor controllers where deterministic, parallel DSP execution is required. Its 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers deliver up to 266 GMACs of DSP throughput, enough to run field-oriented control (FOC), space-vector PWM, and encoder interpolation at 50-100 kHz loop rates across multiple axes from a single device. The 4 general-purpose PLLs generate the high-resolution timer clocks required for sinusoidal PWM, while the 528 user I/Os absorb the encoder, Hall-sensor, gate-driver, and protection signals without external muxing. Compared to a microcontroller, the FPGA's parallel fabric executes all axis loops concurrently without scheduler jitter, improving torque ripple at low speeds.
Recommended
Video Bridging and Image Processing
With 114,480 logic elements and 3.9 Mbits of embedded memory, the EP4CE115F29C8N can bridge between HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort input and output, performing pixel-clock domain crossing, chroma conversion, and frame buffering in real time. The embedded RAM blocks can hold line buffers for scaling and deinterlacing without external SDRAM, reducing BOM cost on cost-sensitive video products. The 8 I/O banks allow LVCMOS33 for HDMI level shifting and LVDS for high-speed panel interfaces simultaneously. Quartus Prime IP cores for video and image processing accelerate development, and the parallel fabric beats software-DSP approaches on throughput per watt for HD video pipelines.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front End
The EP4CE115F29C8N's 66 hardware multipliers and high I/O count make it a useful front-end for software-defined radio baseband processing, IQ demodulation, channelization, and protocol framing in narrowband to mid-bandwidth systems. The 4 PLLs generate independent sample clocks for ADC and DAC sides, and the LVDS I/O pairs handle high-speed digital IF data paths cleanly. While not a replacement for high-end transceivers in wideband applications, the FPGA handles baseband DSP, AGC, digital filtering, and MAC-layer functions at HD/FullHD data rates with predictable latency - critical for synchronizing multiple radio chains in a single chassis.
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint Bridge
The EP4CE115F29C8N implements a single-lane PCIe Gen1 endpoint with custom DMA engines, exposing user logic to a host CPU over PCIe at 2.5 GT/s. Its 528 I/Os provide abundant LVDS pairs to attach external devices, and the on-chip memory blocks buffer DMA descriptors and payload headers. Quartus Prime provides the PCIe hard IP core with integrated PHY and transaction layer, so designers focus on the application-layer DMA engine rather than the protocol stack. The result is a low-cost PCIe add-in card or embedded bridge for data acquisition, software radio, or storage acceleration.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
ASIC design teams use the EP4CE115F29C8N as a pre-silicon validation platform because it offers enough logic density, multipliers, and memory to map moderately complex ASIC blocks - such as image signal processors, audio DSPs, and protocol controllers - into multiple EP4CE115 devices via bridging. Quartus Prime's incremental compilation and chip-level partitioning tools partition a large ASIC design across multiple FPGAs, with the 780-ball FBGA providing enough I/O for multi-FPGA debug bridges. Running at 50-100 MHz, the FPGA prototype validates the ASIC RTL at near-real-time speeds, enabling firmware bring-up months before silicon availability.
Recommended
Factory Automation Controller
In PLC and PAC-style factory controllers, the EP4CE115F29C8N runs deterministic ladder-logic, motion, and high-speed counter logic in parallel - replacing a stack of microcontrollers with a single programmable fabric. The 528 user I/Os interface directly to 24V industrial field wiring through optocouplers, supporting both sinking and sourcing inputs on separate banks. The embedded multipliers accelerate filtering of analog sensor data, while the on-chip memory holds I/O image tables for fast scan times. Compared to a soft PLC running on a CPU, the FPGA approach achieves sub-microsecond deterministic scan times required for high-speed packaging lines and semiconductor handlers.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CE115F29C8N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CE115F29C8LN | EP4CE115F29I7N | EP4CE115F29C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-FBGA (F29) | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same |
| Logic Elements | 114,480 | 114,480 | 114,480 | 114,480 |
| Memory Bits | 3,981,312 (3888 Kb) | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 | 3,981,312 |
| Embedded Multipliers | 66 (18x18) | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| User I/Os | 528 | 528 | 528 | 528 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Industrial -40 to 100 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C |
| Speed Grade | C8 | C8 | I7 | C7 (faster) |
| Core Voltage | 1.15-1.25 V | 1.15-1.25 V | 1.15-1.25 V | 1.15-1.25 V |
Key Differentiators
- Maximum logic density in Cyclone IV E family at lowest cost-per-LE (vs EP4CE55F29C8N)
- Industrial temperature grade option with identical pinout (vs EP4CE115F29I7N)
- Faster speed grade option for timing-margin-critical designs (vs EP4CE115F29C7N)
- 528 user I/Os in a single BGA - eliminates external muxing (vs EP4CE30F29C8N (315 I/Os))
Design Notes
The EP4CE115F29C8N requires four independent power rails: VCCINT (1.15-1.25 V, core logic), VCCA (2.5 V, PLL analog), VCCIO (per-bank, 1.2-3.3 V), and VCCPD (2.5-3.3 V, configuration I/O). Estimated: at full utilization (90% LEs, 66 multipliers at 200 MHz) core current approaches 1.5-2 A, so use a 4 A-rated buck regulator on VCCINT with bulk + 0.1 Β΅F MLCCs adjacent to every VCC pin pair. Per-bank VCCIO must be set to match the I/O standard - mixing SSTL and LVCMOS on one bank is not allowed.
The 780-ball FBGA requires a 4-6 layer PCB with continuous ground planes on layers 2 and N-1. Escape routing uses 0.2-0.25 mm trace/space with microvia-in-pad recommended for inner-row balls. Estimated: for DDR2 x16 interface at 200 MHz, route all DQ/DQS lines length-matched within Β±25 ps and keep impedance at 50 ohms single-ended, 100 ohms differential for LVDS pairs. Quartus Prime Fitter reports I/O placement that drives the breakout - run fitter early to lock pin assignments before PCB layout freeze.
Common pitfalls include (1) forgetting MSEL pin strapping for configuration mode selection - if MSEL pins float, the device will not enter the intended mode; (2) omitting the POR delay capacitor on nCONFIG/nSTATUS lines, which causes unreliable configuration under noisy power-up; (3) failing to assign clock buffers (altclkctrl) before synthesis, leading to unrouted clock nets; (4) assigning SSTL/HSTL I/O standards without connecting the corresponding VREF pins - Quartus will error out at fitter stage. Verify all I/O bank reference voltages before tape-out.
Estimated: at typical industrial usage (~70% LEs, 50% multipliers, 100 MHz core) the EP4CE115F29C8N dissipates approximately 3-4 W. The 780-ball FBGA has ΞΈJA of roughly 12-15 Β°C/W with proper PCB thermal via array (4 vias per ball pad connecting to internal ground plane). For enclosed designs with limited airflow, provide a thermal via pattern of at least 9 vias per thermal ball and copper flooding on top/bottom layers.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Altera product page. The "N" suffix in the part number indicates lead-free (Pb-free) termination. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the provided data - refer to Intel Cyclone IV E Material Declaration. AEC-Q100 not applicable as this is an FPGA, not an automotive-grade ASIC.