EP4CGX150DF27C8N - Cyclone IV GX FPGA, 149760 Cells, 672-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CGX150DF27C8N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $485 | $485.00 |
| 10 | $432.5 | $4,325.00 |
| 100 | $380 | $38,000.00 |
| 500 | $340 | $170,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $305 | $305,000.00 |
EP4CGX150DF27C8N Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device whose logic architecture can be reconfigured after manufacturing through a hardware description language (HDL) bitstream. FPGAs sit in the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLD) within digital ICs, competing with ASICs for low-to-mid volume production and with microcontrollers for parallel signal-processing workloads. The Cyclone IV GX family specifically targets applications requiring high-speed serial I/O (transceivers) without the cost of full Stratix-class FPGAs.
Key features include 9,360 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), embedded multipliers for DSP operations, hardware PLLs for clock management, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, and SSTL. The device operates from a 1.2 V core supply and supports commercial junction temperature (0 C to +85 C). The 3.125 Gbps transceivers enable protocols such as PCIe Gen1, Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RapidIO, and CPRI without external PHY devices, making it well-suited for wireline communications and industrial connectivity.
The Cyclone IV GX family targets engineers designing cost-sensitive, low-power serial connectivity solutions. Compared to the Cyclone III LS family, the GX variants add hardened PCIe and gigabit transceivers while keeping static power below the 1.5 W typical figure cited for the family. The architecture pairs the transceiver blocks with general-purpose logic, multipliers, and M9K memory blocks to allow true system-on-chip integration.
Typical applications include industrial machine vision and camera-link interfaces, motor control and factory automation, low-cost wireline bridges, PCI Express endpoint cards, and protocol bridging between legacy busses and high-speed serial links. The 672-FBGA package exposes 393 user I/Os for parallel peripheral expansion alongside the high-speed serial channels.
When designing with this device, ensure proper decoupling of each transceiver power domain, follow Intel's Pin Connection Guidelines for unused transceiver pins (tie to AC-ground or leave properly biased), and validate timing closure with the latest Quartus II / Quartus Prime software. The 672-FBGA requires a multi-layer PCB with microvia or via-in-pad technology; this is a design consideration rather than an afterthought.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family drop-in alternatives (C7/I7 speed grades), and practical PCB layout notes that are not present in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CGX150DF27C8N — 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 EP4CGX150DF27C8N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Transceivers, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CGX150DF27C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$258.16 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$390 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Cyclone IV GX |
| Series | EP4CGX150 |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 149,760 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 9,360 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,635,520 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 393 |
| Transceivers | 8 high-speed serial channels |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 3.125 Gbps |
| Core Process Technology | 60 nm |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 1.2 V |
| Operating Junction Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | C8 (-8, slowest in commercial temp range) |
| Package | 672-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA), 27 x 27 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead Free / RoHS | Lead free, RoHS compliant |
EP4CGX150DF27C8N 672-ball fineline bga (fbga), 27 x 27 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CGX150DF27C8N (672-ball fineline bga (fbga), 27 x 27 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 EP4CGX150DF27C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CGX150DF27C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Machine Vision and Camera Link, PCI Express Endpoint Cards, Motor Control and Factory Automation, Protocol Bridging and Industrial Networking, Wireline Communications and Telecom Equipment, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Industrial Machine Vision and Camera Link
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits industrial machine vision because 149,760 logic elements deliver real-time image-pipeline parallelism (Bayer demosaicing, filtering, edge detection) that microcontrollers cannot match, while the 8 transceivers up to 3.125 Gbps ingest uncompressed Camera Link Full data streams without external PHYs. The 393 user I/Os drive parallel LVDS cameras, GPIO triggers, and lighting controllers from the same device. Place the FPGA between the image sensor and a host PC over PCIe or Gigabit Ethernet; power stays below 1.5 W typical static for fan-less panel-mount designs.
Recommended
PCI Express Endpoint Cards
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits PCI Express endpoint designs because it integrates a hardened PCIe Gen1 IP core connected to 8 transceivers up to 3.125 Gbps, removing the need for an external PCIe PHY. 149,760 logic elements implement the application layer (DMA engines, protocol bridges, custom accelerators) while 393 user I/Os expose downstream peripherals. Compared with a discrete PCIe PHY plus CPLD, this single-chip approach saves BOM cost and PCB area; pair it with a Mini PCIe or M.2 connector for low-profile add-in cards.
Recommended
Motor Control and Factory Automation
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits motor control because its 393 user I/Os accept quadrature encoder feedback, Hall sensors, and multi-axis PWM signals in parallel, while embedded multipliers execute field-oriented control (FOC) and space-vector modulation in hardware. The 8 transceivers carry EtherCAT, PROFIBUS, or SERCOS III industrial protocols up to 3.125 Gbps with deterministic latency. Industrial-grade 3.3 V and 5 V LVTTL/LVCMOS tolerance eliminates level shifters in mixed-voltage cabinets; pair with external gate drivers via the abundant user I/Os.
Recommended
Protocol Bridging and Industrial Networking
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits industrial protocol bridging because 8 transceivers up to 3.125 Gbps terminate high-speed serial links (Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RapidIO, CPRI) while 149,760 LEs implement conversion to legacy busses (PCI, VME, parallel data). 393 user I/Os connect to existing backplane interfaces without additional buffering. Estimated: a full bridge between two 3.125 Gbps links and a 32-bit parallel bus fits in approximately 25,000 LEs, leaving substantial headroom for error handling, statistics, and diagnostics.
Recommended
Wireline Communications and Telecom Equipment
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits wireline telecom because its 3.125 Gbps transceivers support CPRI for 4G LTE base-station interconnect and OBSAI backhaul, while 149,760 LEs handle PHY-layer processing, framer/deframer logic, and timing recovery. 6,635,520 bits of embedded memory buffer packets and protocol overhead between the serial link and the host backplane. The commercial 0 to +85 C junction range covers indoor central-office environments; for outdoor use, migrate to the I7 industrial variant instead.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP4CGX150DF27C8N fits bench-top T&M instruments because 8 transceivers aggregate multiple high-speed serial interfaces (USB 3.0, SATA, PCIe, GbE) into a single FPGA for protocol capture and analysis. 393 user I/Os accept front-panel trigger signals, ADCs, and parallel data buses directly without external pin-multiplexing. The 9,360 LABs enable logic analyzer deep trace memory and pattern generation; pair with high-speed ADCs and DACs at the analog front-end for arbitrary waveform generators and digital oscilloscope digitizer blocks.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CGX150DF27C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CGX150DF27C7N | EP4CGX150DF27C8 | EP4CGX150DF27C7 | EP4CGX150DF27C6N | EP4CGX150DF27I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 672-ball FBGA (F27) | 672-ball FBGA (F27) - same | 672-ball FBGA (F27) - same | 672-ball FBGA (F27) - same | 672-ball FBGA (F27) - same | 672-ball FBGA (F27) - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 |
| Speed Grade | C8 (commercial, slowest) | C7 (faster) | C8 (same, leaded) | C7 (faster, leaded) | C6 (fastest) | I7 (industrial temperature) |
| Temperature Range | 0 C to +85 C (commercial) | 0 C to +85 C | 0 C to +85 C | 0 C to +85 C | 0 C to +85 C | -40 C to +100 C (industrial) |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 | 6,635,520 |
| Transceivers | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps | 8 channels, up to 3.125 Gbps |
| Max User I/O | 393 | 393 | 393 | 393 | 393 | 393 |
Key Differentiators
- Slowest commercial speed grade - lowest cost in family (vs EP4CGX150DF27C6N)
- Drop-in speed upgrade path within same package (vs EP4CGX150DF27C7N)
- Industrial-temperature migration path available (vs EP4CGX150DF27I7N)
Design Notes
The 672-ball FBGA with 1.0 mm pitch requires a PCB stackup with microvia or via-in-pad technology for reliable assembly. Use a 6-layer or 8-layer stackup with 0.5 oz copper on outer layers and 1 oz on inner power/ground planes. Following Intel's Cyclone IV GX pin connection guidelines, every unused transceiver pin must be tied to AC-ground or left at proper bias per the handbook; do not float transceiver balls. Use manufacturer-recommended PCB land pattern tolerances for FBGA ball capture.
The Cyclone IV GX requires multiple separate power rails: VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCAUX and VCCAUX_GXB (2.5 V), VCCIO (1.2 V-3.3 V per bank), VCC_GXB and VCCH_GXB (1.2 V and 2.5 V for transceivers). Each transceiver channel requires its own filtered supply with ferrite beads and decoupling; place 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF ceramic capacitors within 100 mils of each GXB supply pin. Estimated: a fully populated 8-transceiver design at typical toggle rates draws approximately 1.5 W static plus 0.5-1.0 W dynamic from VCC_GXB.
Route high-speed transceiver differential pairs (GXB_RX and GXB_TX) with 100 ohm differential impedance and length matching within the tolerances listed in the transceiver chapter of the device handbook. Skew matching of less than 150 mils per channel pair is required at 3.125 Gbps. Keep GXB pairs on the top layer or adjacent stripline layer with a continuous reference ground plane beneath; never cross a transceiver pair over a power plane split. The 393 user I/O LVDS pairs should follow the same impedance and length-matching rules.
Configure Quartus Prime I/O assignments to use calibrated on-chip termination (OCT) where possible to reduce external resistor count and improve signal integrity. For SSTL and LVDS I/O standards used with DDR memory interfaces, enable dynamic OCT and follow Intel's board design guidelines for DDR2/DDR3 termination. Place I/O banks so that high-speed serial I/O (LVDS) and single-ended I/O are not mixed in the same VCCIO bank; each bank requires a single VCCIO voltage for the I/O standard used.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel/Altera product page; lead-free FBGA balls. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this part targets commercial/industrial, not automotive. Migrate to I7N for industrial temperature range.
