EP4CE6F17A7N - Cyclone IV E FPGA, 6K LEs, 256-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CE6F17A7N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $42.71 | $42.71 |
| 10 | $38.4 | $384.00 |
| 100 | $32.15 | $3,215.00 |
| 500 | $27.9 | $13,950.00 |
| 1,000 | $24.5 | $24,500.00 |
EP4CE6F17A7N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a class of programmable logic device that integrates thousands to millions of configurable logic blocks, embedded memory blocks, DSP slices, and programmable I/O cells on a single silicon die. Within the broader semiconductor hierarchy, FPGAs sit between ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) and general-purpose microcontrollers: unlike fixed-function ASICs, FPGAs can be reconfigured post-manufacture to implement arbitrary digital logic, while providing higher performance and parallelism than software-driven MCUs. The Cyclone IV E family is Intel's mainstream low-cost, low-power FPGA line, used widely in industrial control, communications, video processing, and consumer electronics where high logic density and DSP capability are required.
Key features of the EP4CE6F17A7N include 179 maximum user I/O pins, 15 total embedded multipliers (18x18), two general-purpose PLLs, and support for external memory interfaces such as DDR/DDR2 SDRAM and QDRII SRAM. The device supports hot-socketing, 3.3 V LVCMOS and LVTTL I/O standards, and configurable I/O banks. Configuration can be loaded via JTAG, Active Serial (AS), or Passive Serial (PS) modes using industry-standard EPCS or EPCQ configuration devices.
The Cyclone IV E architecture uses an SRAM-based configuration cell paired with a 4-input LUT fabric, enabling efficient mapping of state machines, datapaths, and arithmetic pipelines. The 18x18 hardware multipliers accelerate DSP functions such as FIR filters, FFT butterflies, and motor-control loops, while dedicated global clock networks support up to 20 clock domains. The device consumes approximately 1.0 W of dynamic power under typical workloads, making it attractive for thermally constrained embedded systems.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, factory automation controllers, video surveillance encoders, low-end wireless baseband processing, and educational/development platforms. The 256-ball FBGA package requires a multi-layer PCB with microvia or via-in-pad technology, but provides a compact 17 x 17 mm footprint suitable for space-constrained designs.
When designing with this FPGA, engineers should allocate at least one complete PCB layer to dedicated ground and follow Intel's recommended decoupling scheme: a 100 uF bulk capacitor plus 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF high-frequency ceramics per power rail. Unused I/O pins must be configured as tri-stated inputs with weak pull-ups to avoid floating inputs that can cause spurious current draw or hot-socketing failures.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical PCB layout guidance not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CE6F17A7N 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 EP4CE6F17A7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Configuration Modes, Speed Grade, Process Technology, PLLs.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CE6F17C8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$13.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE6F17C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3.6 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE6F17I7N
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$15.1 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE10F17A7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE6F17A8N
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE6F17A7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone IV E |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 6,272 |
| Total RAM Bits | 276,480 bits |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 392 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 179 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 15 |
| PLLs | 2 (general-purpose) |
| Package | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17 x 17 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Process Technology | 60 nm, low-power |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | 7 (fastest commercial for Cyclone IV E) |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V (VCCINT) |
| I/O Voltage Support | 1.2 V to 3.3 V LVCMOS/LVTTL |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free) |
EP4CE6F17A7N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | IO_A1 β User I/O pin (Bank 1) |
| Pin A16 | IO_A16 β User I/O pin (Bank 1) |
| Pin B1 | IO_B1 β User I/O pin (Bank 1) |
| Pin E8 | GND β Ground (dedicated pin) |
| Pin K8 | VCCINT β Core voltage (1.2 V) |
| Pin L1 | MSEL0 β Configuration mode select 0 |
| Pin L2 | MSEL1 β Configuration mode select 1 |
| Pin L3 | MSEL2 β Configuration mode select 2 |
| Pin T1 | nCE β Chip enable (active low) |
| Pin T2 | nCONFIG β Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin T3 | CONF_DONE β Configuration done (active high) |
| Pin N8 | TCK β JTAG clock |
| Pin N9 | TDI β JTAG data in |
| Pin N10 | TDO β JTAG data out |
| Pin N11 | TMS β JTAG mode select |
Typical Applications
EP4CE6F17A7N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Factory Automation Controllers, Video Surveillance Encoders, Wireless Baseband Processing, Medical Monitoring Devices, Educational Development Platforms.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP4CE6F17A7N is well-suited for industrial motor control (BLDC, PMSM, stepper, AC induction) where multiple PWM channels, encoder interfaces, and closed-loop control loops must execute deterministically in parallel. Its 15 embedded 18x18 multipliers accelerate Field-Oriented Control (FOC) and Park/Clarke transforms at switching frequencies up to 50 kHz, while 179 user I/O accommodate Hall sensors, QEI decoders, and gate-driver enable signals. The FBGA-256 package integrates all peripherals onto a single 17 x 17 mm footprint, reducing board area. Real-time deterministic latency is guaranteed by the dedicated hardware PLLs (2x) which can phase-lock the control loop to PWM carrier edges.
Recommended
Factory Automation Controllers
For PLC-like factory automation, the EP4CE6F17A7N provides 6,272 logic elements sufficient to implement EtherCAT, PROFINET, or Modbus TCP slave stacks alongside ladder-logic emulation and digital I/O scanning. Its 276 Kbit embedded RAM buffers protocol frames without external memory, while the 60 nm low-power process keeps idle consumption around 0.5 W - acceptable in DIN-rail mounted enclosures. The industrial -40C to +85C temperature range ensures operation in unheated cabinets. Two PLLs synthesize the 100 MHz PHY reference clocks and the 48 MHz USB clock from a single 50 MHz crystal.
Recommended
Video Surveillance Encoders
The EP4CE6F17A7N supports D1 (720x576) and 720p H.264 video encoding pipelines at 30 fps using its hardware multipliers for integer DCT, quantization, and motion estimation blocks. The 179 user I/O pins accept parallel BT.656/YCbCr video input from CMOS sensors or decoders, while the 276 Kbit RAM acts as a frame buffer. Compared to DSP-based encoders, the FPGA provides deterministic latency and parallel processing of macroblocks, reducing frame-to-frame jitter. FBGA-256 is required for routing the 16-bit video bus plus the DDR2 SDRAM controller for external frame storage.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Processing
For low-end wireless baseband (ZigBee, LoRa, sub-GHz proprietary), the EP4CE6F17A7N implements the entire physical layer including channel coding, whitening, preamble insertion, and CRC verification on its 6K logic elements. The 15 multipliers enable 32-tap correlator banks for synchronization and channelization. Two PLLs synthesize the symbol clock and the carrier frequency from a 26 MHz reference. Industrial temperature range and lead-free FBGA-256 package suit outdoor 5G small-cell and IoT gateway deployments where operating conditions are harsh.
Recommended
Medical Monitoring Devices
The EP4CE6F17A7N is appropriate for portable medical monitoring (pulse oximeter, ECG, blood pressure monitor) requiring low power, deterministic DSP, and parallel sensor processing. Its embedded multipliers implement heart-rate extraction FFTs, FIR bandpass filters for ECG denoising, and SpO2 calculation algorithms at low CPU overhead. The 60 nm low-power process supports 3.3 V single-rail operation from a Li-ion battery, with deep-sleep idle modes under 50 mW. Industrial temperature range supports the -40C storage spec required by IEC 60601-1 medical safety standards. The lead-free FBGA-256 is suitable for long-term product lifecycles in regulated medical markets.
Recommended
Educational Development Platforms
The EP4CE6F17A7N is widely deployed on university and training development boards (Terasic DE0-Nano and similar kits) for teaching digital design, HDL coding, and embedded systems. Its 6K logic elements are sufficient for student projects including custom CPUs, image processing, and protocol implementations. The FBGA-256 package and Quartus Prime toolchain are industry-standard, ensuring students graduate with skills directly applicable to commercial FPGA design. 276 Kbit RAM supports simple RISC-V cores like PicoRV32 without external memory. Free Quartus Prime Lite software provides full compilation, simulation, and programming support for educational use.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CE6F17A7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CE6F17C8N | EP4CE6F17C7N | EP4CE6F17I7N | EP4CE10F17A7N | EP4CE6F17A8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm - same | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm - same | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm - same | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm - same | FBGA-256 (256-LBGA), 17x17 mm - same |
| Logic Elements | 6,272 | 6,272 (same) | 6,272 (same) | 6,272 (same) | 10,320 (+64%) | 6,272 (same) |
| Embedded RAM | 276,480 bits | 276,480 bits (same) | 276,480 bits (same) | 276,480 bits (same) | 423,936 bits (+53%) | 276,480 bits (same) |
| Max User I/O | 179 | 179 (same) | 179 (same) | 179 (same) | 179 (same) | 179 (same) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 15 | 15 (same) | 15 (same) | 15 (same) | 23 (+53%) | 15 (same) |
| Speed Grade | -7 (fastest) | -8 (slower) | -7 (same) | -8 (slower) | -7 (same) | -8 (slower) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (industrial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (extended) | -40C to +85C (same) | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
| Approx Unit Price (qty 1, USD) | $42.71 | ~$32.50 | ~$38.20 | ~$45.10 | ~$58.00 | ~$36.90 |
Key Differentiators
- Highest speed grade in Cyclone IV E family for F17 package (vs EP4CE6F17C8N)
- Industrial temperature range with lead-free finish (vs EP4CE6F17C8N)
- Footprint compatibility with EP4CE10F17A7N for design growth (vs EP4CE10F17A7N)
Design Notes
The FBGA-256 package with 1.0 mm ball pitch requires a multilayer PCB (at least 4 layers, 6 recommended) with microvia technology on the top signal layer to fan out the BGA escape. According to Intel's Cyclone IV E hardware guidelines, maintain a continuous reference plane (GND or power) directly beneath the BGA pads. Use via-in-pad or microvia construction to achieve reliable BGA solder joints; standard through-vias are too large for 1.0 mm pitch escape.
Estimated: VCCINT (1.2 V core) requires decoupling with 100 uF bulk + 10 uF + 0.1 uF + 0.01 uF ceramic capacitors per Intel's Cyclone IV E hardware reference design. VCCIO must be sourced from a low-noise LDO regulator; switching converters are not acceptable for analog-sensitive applications. Each of the 8 I/O banks may use a separate VCCIO rail to support mixed-voltage I/O standards (1.2 V, 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V LVCMOS/LVTTL). Power sequencing between VCCINT and VCCIO must follow Intel's recommended sequence to avoid latch-up.
Per Intel's hardware layout guidelines, place all decoupling capacitors on the same PCB layer as the BGA using short, wide traces to minimize loop inductance. Connect MSEL0/MSEL1/MSEL2 pins directly to VCCINT or GND through 4.7 kohm resistors (not direct shorts) to allow configuration mode selection without board re-spin. Route JTAG signals (TCK/TMS/TDI/TDO) with a ground guard trace on each side; keep trace lengths under 50 mm to avoid signal integrity issues. The clock input pins (CLK[0..3]) should be routed with controlled 50-ohm impedance and isolated from switching signals.
Three common pitfalls for Cyclone IV E designs: (1) Forgetting to connect nCE to GND - a floating nCE pin prevents configuration from starting; (2) Using the wrong MSEL settings for the configuration mode - the EP4CE6F17A7N requires MSEL[2:0]=010 for Active Serial with EPCS/EPCQ; (3) Not configuring unused I/O pins as tri-stated inputs with weak pull-ups - floating I/O can cause 100 mA+ of parasitic current draw and hot-socketing failures. Always run the Quartus Prime Pin Planner to verify unused pin assignments before board fab.
Estimated: At typical utilization (60% LEs, 50% toggling at 100 MHz), the EP4CE6F17A7N consumes approximately 1.0 W of dynamic power. With theta_JA of approximately 18 C/W (4-layer PCB, still air), junction temperature rise is 18C above ambient - well within the -40C to +85C industrial range. For designs approaching 100% utilization with high toggle rates, add thermal vias under the exposed pad (if present) or a copper flood to keep junction temperature below 100C. The FBGA-256 package has a thermal slug that must be soldered to a thermal pad for optimal heat dissipation.
Compliance Information
Lead-free RoHS-compliant FBGA-256 package per Intel product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a commercial/industrial FPGA not intended for automotive safety-critical applications. Conflict-mineral compliant per Intel's policy.
