EP4CE55F29I7N - 55K LE Cyclone IV E FPGA, 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CE55F29I7N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200.09 | $200.09 |
| 10 | $188.5 | $1,885.00 |
| 100 | $172.4 | $17,240.00 |
| 250 | $162.1 | $40,525.00 |
| 500 | $154.8 | $77,400.00 |
EP4CE55F29I7N Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, embedded memory, and dedicated hard IP such as PLLs, transceivers, and multipliers. FPGAs sit in the programmable-logic tier of the digital design hierarchy, between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven microcontrollers, and are used for digital signal processing, hardware acceleration, custom I/O bridging, and ASIC prototyping across industrial, communications, automotive, and consumer markets. The Cyclone IV E family is optimized for low total system cost and high functional density.
Key features of the EP4CE55F29I7N include support for LVDS, LVPECL, SSTL, and HSTL I/O standards with true LVDS at up to 875 Mbps, embedded multipliers (18 x 18) for DSP, and Nios II soft processor compatibility. The 'I7' speed-grade device operates across the industrial -40 C to +100 C junction temperature range and is supplied in a Pb-free, RoHS-compliant 29 mm x 29 mm 780-ball FBGA tray package.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and factory automation, video surveillance and image processing, automotive driver-assistance platforms, telecom line cards, and low-cost ASIC prototyping. When designing with this device, plan decoupling around the multiple VCCINT/VCCIO rails, respect the 780-ball BGA fan-out for PCB fabrication, and use Intel's Quartus Prime design suite for synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CE55F29I7N 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 EP4CE55F29I7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Configuration Modes, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CE55F29I7
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$139.95 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE55F29C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE55F29C8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE55F29C8LN
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$78.9 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE55F29C9LN
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$23.85 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE115F29I7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE55F29I7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone IV E |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 55,856 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 2,396,160 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 3491 |
| Maximum User I/O | 374 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.2 V to 3.3 V (bank-dependent) |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 20 |
| Dedicated Clock Pins | 11 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 154 |
| Package | 780-ball FBGA (F29), 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Speed Grade | I7 (industrial) |
| Operating Junction Temperature | -40 C to +100 C |
| Process Technology | 60 nm low-k |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Supply Type | Tray |
EP4CE55F29I7N 780-ball fbga (f29), 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CE55F29I7N (780-ball fbga (f29), 29 mm x 29 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 EP4CE55F29I7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CE55F29I7N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control and Factory Automation, Video Surveillance and Image Processing, Automotive Driver-Assistance and Infotainment, Telecom Line Cards and Protocol Bridging, ASIC and SoC Prototyping, Low-Cost DSP and Signal Conditioning.
Industrial Motor Control and Factory Automation
The EP4CE55F29I7N is well matched to industrial multi-axis motor control and PLC platforms because it integrates 55,856 logic elements and 154 18x18 hardware multipliers, which together absorb encoder-decoding logic, PID loops, and SVPWM generation for several axes in parallel. Its 374 user I/Os accept quadrature, SSI, and BiSS feedback streams while driving gate-driver interfaces to IGBT or SiC inverters, reducing the external logic IC count. The -40 C to +100 C industrial junction range and 1.2 V low-power core suit 24 V cabinet environments where heat dissipation must stay passive. Quartus Prime and Qsys accelerate integration of EtherCAT, PROFINET, or EtherNet/IP soft IP, allowing one FPGA to serve as both motion controller and industrial protocol bridge.
Recommended
Video Surveillance and Image Processing
Mid-range video analytics designs benefit from the EP4CE55F29I7N's 2,396,160 bits of embedded RAM, which double-buffer HD frames and hold Sobel, Canny, and motion-detection line arrays without external SRAM. The 154 18x18 multipliers accelerate convolution kernels, optical-flow estimators, and H.264 assist functions at full 1080p60 throughput. LVDS receivers at up to 875 Mbps connect directly to CMOS image sensors and HDMI deserializers, while 20 global clocks and 4 PLLs generate the pixel, line, and frame domains. The 780-ball FBGA accommodates the wide parallel video bus, and industrial temperature grading enables outdoor IP-camera and traffic-monitoring deployments.
Recommended
Automotive Driver-Assistance and Infotainment
Inside ADAS sensor-fusion ECUs and infotainment head units, the EP4CE55F29I7N's industrial -40 C to +100 C junction range tolerates the under-dash thermal envelope. Its 55,856 logic elements aggregate multiple camera LVDS streams, perform lane-detection and object-recognition preprocessing, and route audio/video to the head-unit SoC. The 4 PLLs and 11 dedicated clock pins derive independent pixel clocks from automotive Ethernet or serializer-deserializer references. Embedded M9K memory buffers surround-view frames while 154 multipliers execute FFTs for radar preprocessing, making the part a flexible host for tier-one supplier platforms.
Recommended
Telecom Line Cards and Protocol Bridging
Telecom line cards use the EP4CE55F29I7N to bridge legacy TDM buses, SPI, I2C, and UART peripherals to modern SERDES-based backplanes without an external ASIC. The 374 user I/Os aggregate slow control channels, while 154 multipliers accelerate Reed-Solomon, CRC, and encryption engines for backhaul traffic. Hot-socketing support allows cards to be inserted into a live system without disrupting the backplane, and the low-power 1.2 V core reduces per-slot thermal load in densely populated chassis. Quartus Prime IP cores shorten E1/T1, HDLC, and 1588 PTP development cycles.
Recommended
ASIC and SoC Prototyping
ASIC verification teams prototype mid-complexity SoCs on the EP4CE55F29I7N, using its 55,856 logic elements and 2.4 Mbit of RAM to map CPUs, peripherals, and interconnect fabrics before tape-out. Multiple FPGAs can be chained via LVDS point-to-point links to emulate larger die, while Quartus Prime's TimeQuest timing analyzer verifies critical paths at the I7 speed grade. The 780-ball FBGA exposes the I/O count needed for DDR2/DDR3 soft memory controllers and high-pin-count ASIC bus emulation, cutting bring-up time versus simulation-only flows.
Recommended
Low-Cost DSP and Signal Conditioning
DSP front-ends for instrumentation, sonar, and SDR leverage the EP4CE55F29I7N's 154 dedicated 18x18 multipliers and 2.4 Mbit block RAM to implement FIR, FFT, and digital down-converter pipelines. Its 4 PLLs derive multiple sampling clocks from a single reference oscillator, while 11 dedicated clock inputs synchronize to external ADCs and DACs. The 1.2 V core keeps power dissipation low enough for fanless enclosures, and the 780-ball FBGA offers ample I/O for parallel ADC data capture at 100+ MSPS. The result is a flexible, mid-density DSP platform that scales from ultrasound beamforming to software-defined radio baseband processing.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CE55F29I7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CE55F29I7 | EP4CE55F29C7N | EP4CE55F29C8N | EP4CE55F29C8LN | EP4CE115F29I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-FBGA (F29) | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same | 780-FBGA (F29) - same |
| Logic Elements | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 55,856 | 114,480 |
| Embedded RAM (bits) | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 2,396,160 | 3,888,000 |
| Speed Grade | I7 (industrial) | I7 | C7 (commercial) | C8 | C8 | I7 |
| Temperature Range | -40 C to +100 C | -40 C to +100 C | 0 C to +85 C | 0 C to +85 C | 0 C to +85 C | -40 C to +100 C |
| Maximum User I/O | 374 | 374 | 374 | 374 | 374 | 528 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 154 | 154 | 154 | 154 | 154 | 266 |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial-grade temperature range vs commercial variants (vs EP4CE55F29C7N)
- I7 speed grade for highest Fmax in the family (vs EP4CE55F29C8N)
- Double the logic and RAM when migrating to EP4CE115 (vs EP4CE115F29I7N)
Design Notes
The EP4CE55F29I7N requires multiple power rails: VCCINT 1.2 V for the core, VCCIO 1.2 V to 3.3 V per I/O bank, VCCA 2.5 V for PLLs, and VCCPD 3.3 V for configuration I/O. Decouple each rail with 0.1 uF + 10 uF ceramic capacitors placed within 5 mm of each supply pin, and use a 4-layer PCB with a continuous ground plane. Estimated core current is 800 mA to 1.2 A under typical workloads, so a switching regulator rated to 3 A is recommended for VCCINT.
At junction temperatures above 85 C, derate I/O toggle rates and disable unused PLLs to limit self-heating. The 780-ball FBGA relies on PCB copper for heat spreading; design at least 8 thermal vias under the center ball grid connected to inner ground planes. Estimated: with no airflow and 1.2 W internal dissipation on a 100 x 100 mm 4-layer board, junction-to-ambient theta is approximately 15 C/W, yielding ~18 C rise above ambient.
The 1.0 mm pitch 780-ball FBGA demands ENIG or ENEPIG surface finish, 0.4 mm laser-drilled microvias, and controlled-impedance routing for LVDS pairs (100 ohm differential). Use 0.2 mm trace/space for escape routing, and follow Intel's Cyclone IV F29 footprint reference. Place the JTAG header, configuration flash, and clock source within 25 mm of the FPGA to avoid signal-integrity issues.
Do not power the FPGA without a valid configuration image; a blank device will drive all I/Os as inputs, potentially causing bus contention on shared lines. Use a dedicated configuration EPCS or EPCQ flash, and tie nCONFIG to VCCIO via a 10 kohm pull-up and nSTATUS to VCCIO via a 10 kohm pull-up as recommended by Intel. Ensure MSEL pins match the selected configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG) at board reset.
Compliance Information
RoHS and Pb-free per Cyclone IV E product page and DigiKey listing. AEC-Q100 qualification status is not published by Intel for this industrial-grade FPGA; for AEC-Q100 needs consult Intel automotive-grade product lines.
