EPF6024AQC240-3S - 24K Gates FLEX 6000 FPGA | Altera | QFP-240
MPN: EPF6024AQC240-3S ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.5 | $28.50 |
| 10 | $25.2 | $252.00 |
| 100 | $22 | $2,200.00 |
| 500 | $19.4 | $9,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $17.1 | $17,100.00 |
EPF6024AQC240-3S Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor device in the programmable logic family that sits below application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in the silicon hierarchy: FPGA -> PLD (Programmable Logic Device) -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> semiconductor. FPGAs contain an array of configurable logic blocks (LABs in Altera terminology), programmable interconnects, and I/O cells, all controlled by SRAM configuration memory. Unlike CPLDs which use non-volatile EEPROM, FPGAs must be reconfigured at every power-up from an external ROM, allowing unlimited in-system design iterations.
Key specifications include a maximum internal frequency of 172 MHz, 196 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), 199 usable I/O pins, and a typical gate count of 24,000 (with up to 28,000 maximum). The device uses 4-input look-up tables (LUTs) per logic element and supports in-system programmability via the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG boundary-scan interface. The OptiFLEX architecture minimizes die size while preserving routing density, making the FLEX 6000 family the most cost-optimized FPGA line in the Altera catalog at the time of release.
The EPF6024AQC240-3S uses an SRAM-based configuration cell, which means the design must be loaded from an external EPC configuration PROM or microcontroller at every power-on. This architecture provides unlimited reprogram cycles, ideal for design prototyping, field upgrades, and low-to-mid volume production. The -3S speed grade denotes the commercial 0 °C to 85 °C operating range with a faster timing bin than the -2 or -1 grades.
Typical applications include telecommunications line cards, industrial control glue logic, video processing front-ends, legacy PCI bridge designs, and ASIC prototyping for low-complexity state machines. Designers select FLEX 6000 devices when the design needs SRAM-based reconfigurability, more logic capacity than a CPLD can provide, and a 3.3 V supply rail compatible with older ASICs and microprocessors.
Design consideration: ensure the configuration PROM (such as EPC1 or EPC2) is correctly sized for the EPF6024AQC240-3S bitstream and that the JTAG chain order does not conflict with any boundary-scan devices on the board. The PQFP-240 footprint requires fine-pitch PCB routing (0.5 mm pitch) and careful thermal management — the plastic package does not have an exposed pad, so most heat must be removed through the lead frame and copper pours.
This page synthesizes datasheet specifications, current distributor pricing, drop-in same-brand alternatives, and design considerations not found in the standalone manufacturer datasheet, providing a single reference for engineers evaluating the EPF6024AQC240-3S for new designs or legacy board maintenance.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF6024AQC240-3S — 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 EPF6024AQC240-3S (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Configuration Method, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF6024AQC240-3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$69.3 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$19.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-2S
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$22.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$26.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$23.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-1N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$54 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$18.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF6024AQC240-3S Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | FLEX 6000 |
| Device Type | Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) |
| Typical Gates | 24,000 |
| Maximum Gates | 28,000 |
| Logic Cells / Elements | 1,960 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 196 |
| User I/O Pins | 199 |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 172 MHz |
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 V |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm CMOS, SRAM-based OptiFLEX |
| Configuration Method | SRAM, serial or parallel, JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) |
| Package | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch, gull-wing |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -3S |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Non-compliant (legacy PQFP, contains lead) |
| Architecture | OptiFLEX, 4-input LUT-based logic elements |
EPF6024AQC240-3S 240-pin pqfp (bfqfp), 0.5 mm pitch, gull-wing Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPF6024AQC240-3S (240-pin pqfp (bfqfp), 0.5 mm pitch, gull-wing 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 EPF6024AQC240-3S.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPF6024AQC240-3S is suitable for 6 applications: Legacy Telecommunications Line Card Glue Logic, ASIC Prototyping and Rapid Design Iteration, Industrial Control and Factory Automation Controllers, PCI Bridge and Legacy Bus Interface Logic, Video Processing Front-End and Display Controllers, Test Equipment and Instrumentation Backend Logic.
Legacy Telecommunications Line Card Glue Logic
The EPF6024AQC240-3S fits legacy telecom line-card glue-logic applications because it provides 24,000 gates of SRAM-based reconfigurable logic with 199 user I/O pins, which is enough to integrate bus arbiters, framers, and time-slot crossbar logic that previously required multiple 74-series TTL parts. Designers select the FLEX 6000 family for telecom because the OptiFLEX architecture minimizes die area and the -3S speed grade delivers the timing margin needed for 8 MHz to 77 MHz backplane buses. In a typical T1/E1 line-interface card the EPF6024AQC240-3S is configured from an EPC2 serial PROM on power-up and operates from the standard 3.3 V backplane rail, replacing dozens of discrete glue-logic ICs and reducing both board area and BOM cost.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Rapid Design Iteration
The EPF6024AQC240-3S is widely used as an ASIC prototype vehicle because the SRAM-based configuration can be rewritten thousands of times via JTAG or serial PROM, allowing design teams to validate 20K-gate ASICs before committing to mask ROM. The 196 LABs and 199 I/Os comfortably host state machines, FIFOs, and modest datapaths typical of glue-logic ASICs. With a -3S internal fMAX of 172 MHz, real-world synchronous designs typically run at 60–100 MHz after routing — adequate for emulating 90% of legacy ASIC workloads. The PQFP-240 footprint also enables easy manual rework on prototype boards, which is critical in lab environments where engineers frequently swap parts for design-of-experiments testing.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Factory Automation Controllers
The EPF6024AQC240-3S suits industrial control PLC and motion-controller applications because its 199 user I/O pins can directly interface to 5 V and 3.3 V logic-level sensors, opto-isolators, and stepper-motor driver ICs without external bus transceivers. The -3S commercial temperature range is acceptable for enclosed control cabinets, while the industrial -3N drop-in alternative extends operation to -40 °C for outdoor installations. Designers leverage the FLEX 6000 SRAM configuration to support field firmware updates via JTAG, allowing the same controller hardware to be repurposed across multiple machine SKUs and reducing the total number of unique PCBs that must be stocked.
Recommended
PCI Bridge and Legacy Bus Interface Logic
The EPF6024AQC240-3S is a classic fit for PCI bridge logic because the 33 MHz PCI specification requires fMAX above 33 MHz with predictable bus-turnaround timing — easily met by the -3S speed grade and the FLEX 6000 4-input LUT architecture. With 199 I/Os the device can drive full 32-bit PCI plus side-band signals (REQ#, GNT#, FRAME#, IRDY#, TRDY#) without external buffers, and the 196 LABs are sufficient to implement target-state machines, configuration-space registers, and interrupt handlers in a single chip. The 3.3 V PCI signaling environment is the native supply of the FLEX 6000, eliminating level-translation overhead and simplifying board layout.
Recommended
Video Processing Front-End and Display Controllers
The EPF6024AQC240-3S handles legacy video front-end applications such as NTSC/PAL decoders, VGA timing generators, and LCD controller interfaces because the 199 I/O count easily accommodates 24-bit digital video buses plus sync, blanking, and clock signals. The 1,960 logic cells are sufficient to implement line buffers, color-space converters, and on-screen-display (OSD) character generators that would otherwise require a dedicated ASIC. Designers value the SRAM reconfigurability of the FLEX 6000 family because video standards change frequently and field upgrades via JTAG can add new OSD fonts or display modes without a hardware recall.
Recommended
Test Equipment and Instrumentation Backend Logic
The EPF6024AQC240-3S is well-suited to ATE and instrumentation back-end logic because its 199 user I/Os can interface to multi-channel ADC/DAC front-ends, relays, and front-panel switches, while 196 LABs implement timing generators, scan controllers, and result-formatter state machines. The -3S speed grade is fast enough for 100 MHz LXI/PCIe timing patterns, and the PQFP-240 package allows visible inspection and probe access during prototype bring-up. The SRAM reconfigurability also makes the FLEX 6000 attractive for ATE vendors who must frequently update test patterns across product generations without redesigning the controller board.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF6024AQC240-3S — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF6024AQC240-3N | EPF6024AQC240-3 | EPF6024AQC240-2S | EPF6024AQC240-2N | EPF6024AQC240-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (now Intel) | Altera (now Intel) | Altera (now Intel) | Altera (now Intel) | Altera (now Intel) | Altera (now Intel) |
| Package | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch - same | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch - same | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch - same | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch - same | PQFP-240 (BFQFP), 0.5 mm pitch - same |
| Typical Gates | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 |
| Logic Cells / Elements | 1,960 | 1,960 | 1,960 | 1,960 | 1,960 | 1,960 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 196 | 196 | 196 | 196 | 196 | 196 |
| User I/O Pins | 199 | 199 | 199 | 199 | 199 | 199 |
| Speed Grade | -3S (fastest commercial) | -3N (fastest industrial) | -3 (fastest commercial, no S/N suffix) | -2S (mid commercial, ~15-20% slower fMAX) | -2N (mid industrial) | -1 (slowest commercial) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | -40 °C to 85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | -40 °C to 85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V |
| Parametric Match % | 100 (reference) | 100 | 100 | 90 | 90 | 70 |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest commercial speed grade in the FLEX 6000 family (vs EPF6024AQC240-2S)
- Commercial temperature range for indoor installations (vs EPF6024AQC240-3N)
- Standard 240-pin PQFP footprint across all speed/temp variants (vs EPF6024AFC256-2)
Design Notes
The EPF6024AQC240-3S core operates from a 3.3 V supply with multiple VCCINT and VCCIO pin pairs that must each be decoupled with a 0.1 µF ceramic capacitor placed within 2–3 mm of the package lead. Per the Altera FLEX 6000 datasheet, total quiescent current for a fully utilized EPF6024AQC240 design typically ranges from 50 mA (idle, unconfigured) to 250 mA (active at 100 MHz), so the 3.3 V regulator must supply at least 500 mA of headroom. Add bulk tantalum or polymer capacitors of 47 µF to 100 µF near the PQFP to handle inrush during configuration loading from the EPC PROM.
Estimated: at VCCINT = 3.3 V and typical dynamic current of 150 mA, power dissipation is about 0.5 W; with the PQFP-240 theta_JA of roughly 35 °C/W (still air, no copper pour), junction temperature rise is ~17 °C above ambient — well within the 85 °C commercial limit. However, mounting the PQFP-240 on a board with only minimum copper and no airflow can push theta_JA above 50 °C/W, so designers should add at least 1 square inch of 2 oz copper pour on the top layer beneath the package and consider 100 LFM airflow for thermally enclosed chassis.
The PQFP-240 footprint has a 0.5 mm lead pitch and a body size of approximately 32 × 32 mm, requiring fine-pitch PCB routing and IPC-A-610 Class 2 (or Class 3 for medical/aerospace) assembly. Use a 4-layer stack-up with continuous GND and PWR planes directly under the device to provide low-impedance return paths for the 199 high-speed I/Os. Keep all configuration traces (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, MSEL0/MSEL1) shorter than 50 mm to avoid false triggering during power-up, and route the JTAG chain (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) away from switching I/O banks.
Do not assume the EPF6024AQC240-3S is bitstream-compatible with newer Altera/Intel FPGA families — Quartus support for FLEX 6000 ended with the Quartus II 13.0 service pack, and modern Quartus Prime does not synthesize FLEX 6000 designs. Legacy designs must be kept in MAX+PLUS II or Quartus II 9.x to regenerate the bitstream, and the EPC configuration PROM must be re-flashed with the new SOF/POF. Also, do not use the -3S speed grade in industrial -40 °C environments — substitute the -3N drop-in for cold-soak applications.
Compliance Information
Legacy Altera FLEX 6000 part in PQFP-240 package with lead-based finish — RoHS non-compliant per current Intel/Altera product listing. AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGA, not automotive-grade qualified). REACH and conflict-mineral status not stated in available datasheet excerpts.
