EPF10K100BFC256-1 - FLEX-10K 100K-Gate FPGA | Intel/Altera | 256-BGA
MPN: EPF10K100BFC256-1 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $145 | $14,500.00 |
| 500 | $125 | $62,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $105 | $105,000.00 |
EPF10K100BFC256-1 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that belongs to the broader integrated circuit hierarchy: FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> semiconductor. FPGAs differ from CPLDs in that they offer higher logic density and on-chip distributed RAM, while consuming more static power. The FLEX-10K family was Altera's first generation to embed array blocks (EABs) used as synchronous SRAM, allowing designers to instantiate small FIFOs, ROMs, and dual-port memories without external devices.
Key features include 100,000 typical system gates, 6,144 total RAM bits, 576 logic elements, embedded JTAG (IEEE Std 1149.1) boundary-scan support, and 4.75V-5.25V single-supply operation. The device is in-system programmable via the Altera ByteBlaster or BitBlaster configuration port, and supports configuration from EPROM, EEPROM, or embedded processor. Altera documentation recommends that new FLEX-10K100B designs migrate to the EPF10K100E family, which is pin-compatible with this part and offers enhanced features at lower cost.
The FLEX-10K architecture uses a sea-of-LABs (Logic Array Blocks) fabric interleaved with EAB (Embedded Array Block) memory. Each LAB contains 8 logic elements, and each EAB provides 2,048 bits of dual-port RAM. The interconnect uses continuous FastTrack channels that span the entire die, providing predictable timing. The -1 speed grade means the part is factory-binned for the highest toggle rate and shortest propagation delay within the FLEX-10K family, suitable for high-throughput state machines, glue logic, and bus-interface bridges in telecom and industrial systems.
Typical applications include telecom bus interfaces (UTOPIA, POS-PHY), industrial control glue logic, legacy PCI bridges, and DSP co-processing front-ends. The 256-BGA package provides 244 user I/O pins, supporting high pin-count parallel interfaces. Engineers should consult the FLEX 10K datasheet for detailed timing specifications and Quartus/MAX+PLUS II configuration support.
When designing with this device, ensure the 5V supply rail is well-decoupled with 0.1 µF ceramic capacitors within 5 mm of each supply ball. Although the JTAG chain adds up to 31,250 gates, designers should leave timing margin for boundary-scan shift operations. For new designs, Altera recommends migrating to EPF10K100EFC256 which is pin-compatible with this part.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF10K100BFC256-1 — 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 EPF10K100BFC256-1 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Process Technology, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Package, Series.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF10K100EFC256-1
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF10K100EFC256-2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$165 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100EFC256-3
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$23.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100BFC256-1 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | FLEX-10K® |
| Family | FLEX-10K (100K gates) |
| Total RAM Bits | 6144 |
| Number of Logic Elements | 576 |
| Number of Gates | 100,000 typical system gates |
| Number of I/O | 244 (approx.) |
| Supply Voltage | 4.75 V to 5.25 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +70°C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -1 (fastest) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package | 256-FBGA (17 mm x 17 mm) |
| Supplier Device Package | 256-FBGA |
| Form of Terminal | Ball |
| Number of Terminals | 256 |
| JTAG Support | IEEE Std 1149.1 boundary-scan |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm SRAM-based CMOS |
| Configuration Mode | In-system programmable (ByteBlaster/BitBlaster) |
EPF10K100BFC256-1 256-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPF10K100BFC256-1 (256-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 EPF10K100BFC256-1.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPF10K100BFC256-1 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Bus Interfaces (UTOPIA / POS-PHY), Industrial Control Glue Logic, Legacy PCI Bridge / Co-Processor, DSP Co-Processing Front-End, Test & Measurement Instrumentation Backplane, Aerospace & Defense Avionics Bus (Legacy).
Telecom Bus Interfaces (UTOPIA / POS-PHY)
The EPF10K100BFC256-1 is well-suited for telecom bus-interface bridging where 100K gates of logic capacity and 244 user I/O pins can implement UTOPIA, POS-PHY, or ATM layer functions. The FLEX-10K family's 6,144 bits of distributed EAB RAM allow small FIFO buffers and lookup tables to be instantiated directly in the FPGA fabric, eliminating external SRAM. The 5V I/O bank is TTL-compatible with legacy telecom ASICs and framers common in late-1990s/early-2000s systems. The -1 speed grade provides the shortest propagation delay in the FLEX-10K family, which is critical for matching ATM cell-timing budgets. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, the device is in-system programmable via ByteBlaster, enabling field firmware updates for deployed line cards.
Recommended
Industrial Control Glue Logic
In industrial PLC and motor-drive controllers, the EPF10K100BFC256-1 provides flexible glue logic to bridge parallel ADC/DAC interfaces to microprocessors or DSPs. Its 576 logic elements and 6,144 RAM bits are sufficient to implement state machines, encoder/decoder blocks, and small protocol converters (e.g., SPI-to-parallel, I2C-to-memory-mapped). The 5V-tolerant I/O matches legacy 5V industrial buses (e.g., ISA, VME, PC/104), and the 256-FBGA package fits within standard 4-layer control boards. The embedded JTAG chain (IEEE Std 1149.1) enables board-level boundary-scan testing during manufacturing, critical for high-reliability industrial systems. The Altera FLEX-10K datasheet confirms that the part supports industrial temperature grades via -1 speed bin selection.
Recommended
Legacy PCI Bridge / Co-Processor
The EPF10K100BFC256-1 can be deployed as a 32-bit/33 MHz PCI bridge or co-processor front-end in legacy PC and embedded systems. The 244 available user I/O pins provide ample headroom for the 32-bit PCI bus plus side-band control signals, while the 100K-gate logic capacity fits custom target devices, DMA engines, or protocol stacks. The FLEX-10K EABs can implement 2 Kbit dual-port FIFOs for command queuing between the host bus and a local processor. Designers should note that PCI timing closure requires careful FastTrack interconnect planning, achievable on the -1 speed grade. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, this application is now considered legacy and new PCI Express designs should use Cyclone or Arria families instead.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Front-End
The EPF10K100BFC256-1 is useful as a DSP co-processor front-end that performs sample-rate conversion, digital filtering, or pre-processing before handing data to a fixed-point DSP. The FLEX-10K's 6,144 bits of EAB RAM can hold 1024 6-bit or 512 12-bit FIR coefficients, while the LABs implement parallel multiply-accumulate trees for filter arithmetic. The 5V I/O matches legacy DSP data buses from Texas Instruments (TMS320C5x) and Analog Devices (ADSP-21xx) families. The -1 speed grade supports up to 80 MHz FastTrack interconnect, which is sufficient for video-rate preprocessing in industrial imaging. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, designers should budget roughly 25% of the logic for interconnect, leaving ~432 LEs for arithmetic.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation Backplane
The EPF10K100BFC256-1 can serve as a backplane controller in rack-mounted test and measurement equipment, where it routes digital patterns between multiple instrument cards via a VXI or PXI-like parallel bus. Its 244 I/O pins allow direct connection to TTL-level instrument buses without external transceivers, while the 100K gates implement custom handshake protocols and timing generators. The embedded JTAG boundary-scan chain simplifies board-level interconnect testing during instrument calibration. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, the part's commercial 0°C to +70°C operating range is suitable for controlled laboratory environments. The -1 speed grade supports deterministic timing suitable for synchronized multi-channel acquisition.
Recommended
Aerospace & Defense Avionics Bus (Legacy)
In legacy aerospace and defense systems, the EPF10K100BFC256-1 implements MIL-STD-1553 or ARINC 429 interface bridges where 5V TTL compatibility and deterministic latency are required. The 100K-gate logic capacity fits Manchester encoder/decoder state machines, error-detection logic, and bus-monitoring functions. The 256-FBGA package with 17 mm x 17 mm body fits within standard 6U VME card outlines common in avionics. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, designers targeting aerospace applications should verify lot traceability and consider radiation-tolerant equivalents (e.g., Microsemi/Actel). The -1 speed grade ensures consistent propagation delay for time-critical bus arbitration.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF10K100BFC256-1 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF10K100EFC256-1 | EPF10K100EFC256-2 | EPF10K100EFC256-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Series / Family | FLEX-10K (B-series) | FLEX-10K (E-series) | FLEX-10K (E-series) | FLEX-10K (E-series) |
| Typical System Gates | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Logic Elements | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 |
| Supply Voltage | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V (multiVolt 3.3V/2.5V I/O supported) | 4.75 V to 5.25 V (multiVolt 3.3V/2.5V I/O supported) | 4.75 V to 5.25 V (multiVolt 3.3V/2.5V I/O supported) |
| Speed Grade | -1 (fastest) | -1 (fastest) | -2 (slower, ~85% of -1 speed) | -3 (slowest, ~70% of -1 speed) |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm SRAM CMOS | 0.35 µm SRAM CMOS | 0.35 µm SRAM CMOS | 0.35 µm SRAM CMOS |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Mature / Last-time-buy | Mature / Last-time-buy | Mature / Last-time-buy |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible migration path to active-production EPF10K100E family (vs EPF10K100EFC256-1)
- Fastest speed grade (-1) in the FLEX-10K family (vs EPF10K100EFC256-2)
- On-chip EAB distributed RAM (6,144 bits) eliminates external SRAM (vs EPF10K100EFC256-1)
Design Notes
The EPF10K100BFC256-1 draws substantial static current at 5V, typically 50-100 mA in idle state and up to 500 mA at full toggle activity. Decouple each VCC and VCCIO ball pair with a 0.1 µF X7R ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the BGA, and add bulk 10 µF tantalum or polymer capacitors at the board-level supply input. According to the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, designers must ramp the 5V rail monotonically; voltage droop below 4.75V during power-up can trigger spurious configuration attempts. For new designs, the EPF10K100EFC256-1 consumes roughly 30% less static current and is the recommended migration target.
The 256-FBGA package uses 1.0 mm ball pitch on a 17 mm x 17 mm body. PCB layout requires at least 4 routing layers with microvia or laser-drilled vias to fan out the inner ball array. Ground and power planes must be continuous under the BGA to provide a low-impedance return path for the FastTrack interconnect. Per the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, signal integrity analysis using IBIS models is recommended for high-speed buses (e.g., 33 MHz PCI). Pin-compatible migration to EPF10K100EFC256-1 requires no PCB changes.
Do not confuse the EPF10K100B (this part, B-series) with the EPF10K100E (E-series successor); both share the same 256-FBGA pinout, but the B-series is on a 0.42 µm process with higher power consumption. Per the Altera FLEX-10K datasheet, the B-series does not support multiVolt I/O - all I/O banks are tied to 5V, so 3.3V peripherals require external level shifters. Configuration files (.sof/.pof) are NOT bitstream-compatible between B and E families; designers must recompile with the correct device library in MAX+PLUS II or Quartus.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not explicitly stated in the verified data. This is a legacy Altera BGA part from the late 1990s; many lots were originally SnPb-finished and may have been re-qualified to lead-free finishes by Rochester Electronics under their legacy lifecycle program. Compliance should be confirmed directly with the distributor for each lot before use in RoHS-restricted regions.
