EPF10K100BQC240-1 - 100K FLEX-10K FPGA, 240-PQFP | Intel / Altera
MPN: EPF10K100BQC240-1 ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $148 | $14,800.00 |
| 500 | $132 | $66,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $119 | $119,000.00 |
EPF10K100BQC240-1 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a digital integrated circuit containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and configurable I/O cells that the user defines after manufacture via a hardware description language (HDL) such as VHDL or Verilog. FPGAs occupy the middle ground between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven microcontrollers, combining hardware-level parallelism with software-level design iteration. The FLEX-10K family belongs to the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) and was among the first commercially successful architectures to embed true dual-port RAM blocks (EABs), enabling high-throughput on-chip data buffering without external memory.
Key features of the EPF10K100BQC240-1 include 6,144 LEs, 12 EABs supplying 24,576 RAM bits, 189 user I/O pins, multi-volt I/O support for 3.3 V / 5 V interfacing, in-system programmability via the ByteBlaster or BitBlaster cable, and 4 input look-up tables per LE. The -1 speed grade corresponds to approximately 11 ns combinatorial tPD, making this device suitable for 60-80 MHz system-level clock rates when pipelined. The 240-PQFP (BQC) package supports surface-mount manufacturing with JEDEC MSL-3 moisture sensitivity.
Architecturally, the EPF10K100B implements a fine-grained logic element structure (each LE contains a 4-input LUT, a programmable register, and dedicated carry/ cascade logic) connected by a hierarchical FastTrack interconnect. The 12 EABs can be configured individually as 256 × 8, 512 × 4, 1024 × 2, or 2048 × 1 RAM blocks, and adjacent EAB pairs can be combined into wider configurations, ideal for FIFO, ROM, and dual-port buffer functions.
Typical applications include legacy industrial control, telecommunications glue logic, PCI bus interfaces, prototyping for ASIC designs, and digital signal processing front-ends. Its 5 V tolerant I/O and SRAM-based reprogrammability made it a long-time favorite for industrial backplanes and military/aerospace systems where field updates were required.
When designing with this device, observe 5 V power rail decoupling with 0.1 µF + 10 µF capacitors near each VCC/ GND pair, route all JTAG configuration traces with 50 Ω characteristic impedance, and confirm ByteBlasterMV driver compatibility since classic ByteBlaster cables do not support 5 V FLEX-10K. The part is now in a mature / last-time-buy lifecycle phase, so design teams should verify long-term supply before committing to new production runs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing (Rochester Electronics, Octopart listings), pin-compatible drop-in alternatives from the same FLEX-10K BQC-240 family, and practical design notes not found in the original datasheet summary.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF10K100BQC240-1 — 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 EPF10K100BQC240-1 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Process Technology, Series, Family, Package / Case, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF10K100BQC240-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$115 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100BQC240-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$16.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100ARC240-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100ARC240-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100ARI240-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$61.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K100BQC240-1 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | FLEX-10K |
| Family | FLEX-10K (EPF10K100B) |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 6,144 |
| Typical Gates | 100,000 |
| Embedded Array Blocks (EABs) | 12 |
| Total RAM Bits | 24,576 (12 × 2,048 bits per EAB) |
| Maximum User I/O | 189 |
| Supply Voltage (VCCINT / VCCIO) | 4.75 V to 5.25 V |
| Speed Grade | -1 |
| Combinatorial tPD (typical) | 11 ns |
| Package | 240-pin BFQFP / PQFP (BQC suffix) |
| Package Dimensions | 32 mm × 32 mm |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm SRAM CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Configuration Method | ByteBlasterMV / BitBlaster / JTAG |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
EPF10K100BQC240-1 32 mm × 32 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPF10K100BQC240-1 (32 mm × 32 mm 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 EPF10K100BQC240-1.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPF10K100BQC240-1 is suitable for 6 applications: Legacy Industrial PLC Backplane Glue Logic, Telecommunications Channel Bank Interface, ASIC Prototyping and HDL Verification, Military and Aerospace Avionics Retrofit, Medical Imaging Front-End (Legacy Ultrasound / CT), Test and Measurement Instrumentation Backplane.
Legacy Industrial PLC Backplane Glue Logic
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 fits legacy industrial PLC backplane glue-logic designs because its 6,144 LEs, 12 EABs (24,576 RAM bits), and 5 V tolerant I/O banks allow direct interface to 5 V backplane transceivers without level shifters. The 240-PQFP (BQC) footprint matches the through-hole-friendly pad pattern of installed boards, enabling drop-in field replacement on existing PLC modules. Designers use the EABs as dual-port FIFOs to bridge proprietary fieldbus segments to the host CPU, and the SRAM-based configuration permits on-site firmware updates via ByteBlasterMV. Trade-off: at VIN-equivalent 5 V and 189 active I/Os toggling at 33 MHz, the device dissipates approximately 1.5 W, requiring thermal vias under the exposed die paddle.
Recommended
Telecommunications Channel Bank Interface
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 suits telecom channel-bank and T1/E1 line-interface applications because its 12 EABs provide the small-block RAM density needed for elastic stores, bit-stuffing buffers, and HDLC framer look-up tables in a single device. The 189 user I/Os accommodate parallel data, clock, and framing-signal routing without external mux logic. The -1 speed grade supports the 1.544 / 2.048 MHz line rates plus overhead for multiplexing without timing closure issues. The 5 V I/O also drives legacy TTL bus interfaces found on installed central-office equipment. Trade-off: the part is last-time-buy, so procurement teams should secure lifetime buy for production deployable telecom systems.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and HDL Verification
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 is widely used as an ASIC prototyping vehicle because its 6,144 LEs map cleanly onto register-transfer-level (RTL) designs written for synthesis in VHDL or Verilog. Quartus II 13.0sp1 (last supported Altera toolchain) provides mature synthesis, place-and-route, and timing analysis for FLEX-10K designs, letting teams validate ASIC RTL before committing to mask costs. The EABs serve as ROM-based lookup tables for microcode or filter coefficients, and the 240-PQFP BQC package exposes enough I/O for multi-bus prototyping (PCI, ISA, HPI). Trade-off: ASIC prototypes using a single EPF10K100BQC240-1 will partition RTL across multiple FPGAs only when the design exceeds ~100K gates.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Avionics Retrofit
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 (commercial grade, 0 to +70 °C) is commonly designed into military / aerospace retrofit programs where the EABs provide deterministic block-RAM for sensor data buffers and the 5 V tolerant I/Os mate directly to legacy 5 V cockpit displays and MIL-STD-1553 transceivers. Defense integrators value the SRAM-based in-system reprogrammability for field updates of mission software via JTAG. For extended-temperature missions, the same silicon is offered as EPF10K100ARI240-3 (-40 to +85 °C, 240-RQFP) — a pin-compatible drop-in upgrade. Trade-off: the commercial-grade EPF10K100BQC240-1 lacks full MIL-PRF-38535 screening, so mission-critical applications should specify the industrial-temp ARI variant.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Front-End (Legacy Ultrasound / CT)
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 supports legacy medical-imaging front-ends (ultrasound beamformers, CT detector pre-processors) because its parallel EAB-based memory implements high-speed beamforming delay lines and FIR filter banks in deterministic hardware. The 189 user I/Os accept the parallel LVDS / TTL data streams from analog front-end ADCs without external mux logic. SRAM reconfigurability permits FDA-style field firmware updates between clinical deployments. The 5 V tolerant I/Os ease integration with installed -5 V analog rails common in legacy imaging chains. Trade-off: new medical designs should move to modern low-power Cyclone or Lattice ECP5 families to meet IEC 60601-1-2 EMC targets.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation Backplane
The EPF10K100BQC240-1 is used in legacy test-and-measurement instruments (oscilloscope digitizer cards, logic-analyzer acquisition FPGA boards) because its 6,144 LEs implement deep trigger state machines and the 12 EABs serve as deep-sample memory between the ADC and the host DMA engine. The -1 speed grade easily meets 100 MHz state-machine clock rates, and the 240-PQFP package exposes enough I/Os to bridge to external SRAM banks for circular-sample buffering. The 5 V supply aligns with the legacy backplane power rails of installed PXI / VXI instrumentation. Trade-off: the part is mature, so test-equipment OEMs should design a migration path to modern Cyclone IV / V FPGAs for new product generations.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF10K100BQC240-1 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF10K100BQC240-2 | EPF10K100BQC240-3 | EPF10K100ARC240-1 | EPF10K100ARC240-2 | EPF10K100ARI240-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera |
| Package | 240-PQFP (BQC) | 240-PQFP (BQC) - same | 240-PQFP (BQC) - same | 240-RQFP (ARC) - same pinout family | 240-RQFP (ARC) - same pinout family | 240-RQFP (ARI) - same pinout family |
| Logic Elements | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 | 6,144 |
| Embedded RAM Bits | 24,576 | 24,576 | 24,576 | 24,576 | 24,576 | 24,576 |
| Supply Voltage | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V | 4.75 V to 5.25 V |
| Speed Grade (tPD) | -1 (~11 ns) | -2 (~9 ns) | -3 (~7 ns) | -1 (~11 ns) | -2 (~9 ns) | -3 (~7 ns) |
| User I/O | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +70 °C | 0 °C to +70 °C | 0 °C to +70 °C | 0 °C to +70 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) |
Key Differentiators
- 240-PQFP (BQC) through-hole-friendly footprint (vs EPF10K100BFC256-1)
- Industrial-temp grade variant in same 240-pin footprint (vs EPF10K100ARI240-3)
- Higher performance available in same package (vs EPF10K100BQC240-3)
Design Notes
Place a 0.1 µF X7R ceramic decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of every VCC / GND pair on the EPF10K100BQC240-1, plus one bulk 47 µF tantalum or aluminum polymer capacitor per VCC rail. The FLEX-10K family draws in-rush current spikes up to 1.2 A during configuration; insufficient bulk capacitance causes VCC droops that corrupt configuration and trigger nSTATUS low. Use a 4-layer PCB with dedicated power and ground planes, and stitch the VCC / GND planes with 0.3 mm vias on a 5 mm grid around the 240-PQFP footprint.
The 240-PQFP (BQC) package has 0.5 mm pitch gull-wing leads; follow IPC-7351 land pattern with a pad width of 0.30 mm and a pad length of 1.50 mm. Route signals on inner layers to escape the dense perimeter, and keep all configuration traces (DCLK, nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, MSEL0/MSEL1) short and parallel-routed to avoid skew. Solder paste deposition via 0.15 mm stencil apertures prevents solder bridges between the 0.5 mm pitch leads; reflow peak temperature must not exceed 245 °C per JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL-3 floor life of 168 hours.
Do not use a classic ByteBlaster parallel-port cable to configure the EPF10K100BQC240-1 - the FLEX-10K family requires the ByteBlasterMV (multi-voltage) cable because the classic ByteBlaster drives VCC to 5 V via pull-ups that conflict with multi-volt I/O standards. Configure MSEL0/MSEL1 pins correctly: (0,0) = AS, (0,1) = PS, (1,0) = JTAG, (1,1) reserved. Tying CONF_DONE low at power-up with the wrong MSEL setting latches the device into an unrecoverable state. Always hold nCONFIG low for at least 2 µs after VCC reaches 4.75 V to ensure a clean configuration sequence.
Estimated: at 5.0 V, with 189 I/Os toggling at 33 MHz and a typical 15 pF load, the EPF10K100BQC240-1 dissipates approximately 1.5 W. The 240-PQFP (BQC) package has a θJA of roughly 28 °C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board, producing a 42 °C junction-temperature rise over ambient. For sealed enclosures at +70 °C ambient, the junction can approach the silicon limit; provide thermal vias under the die-paddle landing pads and consider a small clip-on heatsink if all 189 I/Os run continuously at full toggle rate.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not present in verified web sources; the part is mature / last-time-buy and detailed RoHS / REACH documentation is not consistently published. The ARI240-3 industrial variant is the closest qualified option for harsh-environment deployments.
