EPF10K50SQC240-1 - 50K Gates, 189 I/O FLEX-10KS FPGA | Intel
MPN: EPF10K50SQC240-1 ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $212.46 | $212.46 |
| 10 | $198.5 | $1,985.00 |
| 100 | $175.2 | $17,520.00 |
| 500 | $156.8 | $78,400.00 |
| 1,000 | $142.5 | $142,500.00 |
EPF10K50SQC240-1 Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device built around a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), programmable interconnect, and I/O cells that an engineer can re-program in the field to implement arbitrary digital logic. FPGAs occupy the hardware-reconfigurable tier of the broader programmable logic family hierarchy: PLD → CPLD → FPGA → System-on-Chip FPGA. The FLEX 10KS family specifically introduced embedded array blocks (EABs) for on-chip memory and DSP functions, marking Intel/Altera's transition from pure glue logic into System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC) integration.
Key differentiating features of the EPF10K50SQC240-1 include the 240-pin PQFP footprint with exposed gull-wing leads for socketed or surface-mount assembly, a 2.5 V core supply tolerance of ±5% (2.375 V to 2.625 V), in-system programmability through the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface, and 5V-tolerant I/O on selected banks enabling glueless interfacing to legacy 5V logic. The 'SQC' suffix denotes the standard commercial temperature grade (0 °C to +70 °C) and the '240-1' suffix encodes the speed grade and 240-pin PQFP package.
Architecturally the EPF10K50SQC240-1 uses a 0.22 μm CMOS SRAM process with four-input look-up tables feeding 360 LABs, twelve EABs providing a total of 40,960 bits of dual-port RAM, and a FastTrack continuous-routing interconnect. This combination gives designers predictable timing for state machines, datapath glue, bus interfaces, and small embedded FIFOs without requiring an external configuration PROM when using a microprocessor or JTAG loader.
Typical applications include telecommunications line-card glue logic, industrial control backplanes, PCI bridge interfaces, mid-density ASIC prototyping, and legacy long-life-cycle systems where the FLEX 10KS family has been qualified. When designing with this device, allow generous ground and VCCIO plane coverage on the PCB to keep the simultaneous-switching-noise (SSN) within the I/O bank's 5 V tolerance, and ensure JTAG chain integrity by buffering TMS/TCK near the connector.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF10K50SQC240-1 — 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 EPF10K50SQC240-1 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Process Technology, Series, Package.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF10K50SQC240-1N
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$67.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K50EQC240-1
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View Datasheet →EPF10K50EQC240-1N
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$132.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K50EQI240-2N
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View Datasheet →EPF10K50RI240-4N
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View Datasheet →EPF10K130EQC240-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K50SQC240-1 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | FLEX-10KS |
| Family | FLEX 10K |
| Logic Cells / Elements | 2880 |
| Gates | 50,000 (typical) |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 360 |
| Number of Logic Elements / Cells | 2880 |
| Total RAM Bits | 40,960 |
| Number of I/O | 189 |
| Voltage - Supply | 2.375 V to 2.625 V (2.5 V nominal) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial grade) |
| Internal Frequency | 250 MHz (max) |
| Propagation Delay | 0.6 ns (typ) |
| Process Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS SRAM |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package / Case | 240-BFQFP (Power QFP, gull-wing) |
| Supplier Device Package | 240-PQFP (32 × 32 mm) |
| Programmability | In-system via JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) |
| RoHS Status | Non-compliant (legacy PQFP, SnPb finish per part suffix 'C') |
EPF10K50SQC240-1 240-pqfp (32 × 32 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPF10K50SQC240-1 (240-pqfp (32 × 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 EPF10K50SQC240-1.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPF10K50SQC240-1 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic, Industrial Control Backplane Interface, PCI Bridge and Bus Interface ASIC Prototyping, Mid-Density ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Legacy Long-Life-Cycle Avionics and Test Equipment, Embedded Instrumentation and Data Acquisition.
Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic
The EPF10K50SQC240-1 with 50K gates and 189 user I/Os fits mid-density line-card glue logic where it bridges parallel backplanes, custom serial protocols, and TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) buses. Its 250 MHz internal frequency and 0.6 ns propagation delay handle datapath and framing functions at telecom line rates, while the 40,960 bits of embedded RAM via twelve EABs support small FIFOs, look-up tables, and protocol-state buffers. The 240-pin PQFP package provides gull-wing leads for socketed field-replacement in long-life telecom infrastructure.
Recommended
Industrial Control Backplane Interface
In industrial backplanes, the EPF10K50SQC240-1 implements custom bus bridges between legacy ISA/PCI, VME, and proprietary parallel buses, while the 5V-tolerant I/O banks allow direct connection to legacy 5 V logic without external level shifters. Its 189 user I/Os comfortably address the address/data/control signals of a 16-bit or 32-bit parallel backplane, and the 360 LABs support address decoding, wait-state generation, and interrupt-controller glue. The commercial 0-70°C grade and PQFP package suit cabinet-mounted industrial equipment with socketed maintenance.
Recommended
PCI Bridge and Bus Interface ASIC Prototyping
The EPF10K50SQC240-1 is widely used as an ASIC prototype for PCI bus bridges because the 240-pin PQFP package breaks out enough I/O to map the 32-bit PCI bus plus side-band signals. Its 250 MHz operation and 0.6 ns LUT delay allow real-time verification of PCI timing budgets before committing to a gate-array ASIC. The 40,960-bit embedded SRAM provides target-side FIFOs for transactions in flight, and JTAG-based in-system programming accelerates iterative RTL bring-up and regression testing.
Recommended
Mid-Density ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
Engineers building mid-complexity ASICs (50K-100K gates) use the EPF10K50SQC240-1 as a logic-equivalent prototype because the FLEX 10KS LUT and EAB structure maps cleanly from Verilog/VHDL RTL. The 240-pin PQFP package on a 0.5 mm pitch supports the typical 200-300 signal prototype footprint, while the 250 MHz operation validates cycle-accurate timing budgets before tape-out. JTAG-based reconfigurability allows multi-pass RTL iterations within hours rather than the weeks needed for mask revisions.
Recommended
Legacy Long-Life-Cycle Avionics and Test Equipment
Military and avionics programs with 20-30 year support cycles still specify the EPF10K50SQC240-1 because of its mature Altera/Intel tooling, documented long-term availability, and 189 user I/O in a field-replaceable PQFP package. The SRAM-based LUT fabric allows in-the-field reconfiguration to fix logic bugs without re-spinning the PCB, and the 0.22 µm CMOS process has well-characterized radiation and reliability data. The 240-pin PQFP socketable assembly simplifies depot-level repair in legacy test fixtures and ground-support equipment.
Recommended
Embedded Instrumentation and Data Acquisition
The EPF10K50SQC240-1 serves as the digital glue in rack-mounted data-acquisition and instrumentation products, where it handles timing generation, trigger sequencing, channel multiplexing, and high-speed parallel-to-serial conversion. The 360 LABs implement state-machine sequencers for complex scan patterns, while the twelve EABs provide circular buffers for transient capture up to 40,960 samples. The 240-pin PQFP package on a 32 × 32 mm body supports the high pin count required for 16+ channel parallel ADC interfaces without resorting to BGA packaging.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF10K50SQC240-1 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF10K50SQC240-1N | EPF10K50EQC240-1 | EPF10K50EQC240-1N | EPF10K50EQI240-2N | EPF10K50RI240-4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-PQFP (BFQFP) - same |
| Family / Series | FLEX-10KS | FLEX-10KS | FLEX-10KE | FLEX-10KE | FLEX-10KE | FLEX-10KA |
| Gates | 50K typical | 50K typical | 50K typical | 50K typical | 50K typical | 50K typical |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 2880 | 2880 | 2880 | 2880 | 2880 | 2880 |
| Embedded RAM | 40,960 bits (12 × 2,048-bit EAB) | 40,960 bits | 24 Kbit dual-port RAM (upgrade) | 24 Kbit dual-port RAM | 24 Kbit dual-port RAM | 40,960 bits (FLEX 10KA EAB) |
| 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 | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | No (SnPb finish) | Yes (RoHS compliant) | No (SnPb) | Yes (RoHS compliant) | Yes (RoHS compliant) | Yes (RoHS compliant) |
Key Differentiators
- Industry-standard 240-pin PQFP gull-wing footprint for socketed field replacement (vs EPF10K50EQC240-1)
- Mature Altera/Intel tooling chain (MAX+PLUS II and Quartus II legacy support) (vs EPF10K50EQC240-1)
- Field-proven long-life availability for legacy long-cycle programs (vs EPF10K50EQC240-1N)
Design Notes
The 240-pin PQFP package requires generous ground and VCCIO plane coverage directly beneath the device to control simultaneous-switching noise (SSN) and to keep I/O-bank voltage transients within the 5 V tolerance window. Use at least four dedicated 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling capacitors placed within 5 mm of each VCCIO corner, and a 10 µF tantalum bulk capacitor on each supply rail. Route high-speed clocks on inner layers with continuous reference planes to avoid crosstalk into adjacent user I/O banks.
For the JTAG chain (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO), add 10 kΩ pull-up resistors on TCK, TMS, and TDI to keep the chain in a known state during power-up and to prevent spurious configuration requests. Buffer TMS and TCK near the JTAG connector if the cable length exceeds 100 mm, and avoid routing JTAG signals adjacent to fast-edge user I/O. The dedicated nCONFIG and nSTATUS pins should each have a 10 kΩ pull-up to VCCIO and a 0.1 µF bypass cap to ground.
Do not apply power to the device until all VCCINT and VCCIO rails have settled, because an in-rush of partially-ramped supplies can lock the configuration SRAM into an undefined state and require a full power-cycle to recover. Always sequence VCCINT first, then VCCIO, and finally enable the JTAG/configuration controller. Also ensure the FLEX 10KS is configured before driving user I/O from an external source, or contention will damage the I/O cells.
The 240-pin PQFP has a 32 × 32 mm body with 0.5 mm pitch gull-wing leads; the recommended PCB land pattern is documented in Altera Application Note 73 (PQFP Package Design). Use a copper-defined pad with solder mask defined between pads to reduce solder-bridge risk during reflow. For socketed assemblies, use a Yamaichi or 3M PQFP240 socket with proper hold-down hardware to prevent lead fatigue during thermal cycling.
Compliance Information
EPF10K50SQC240-1 (no 'N' suffix) uses SnPb finish and is RoHS non-compliant. The lead-free equivalent is the EPF10K50SQC240-1N. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a logic device, not an automotive analog component.
