EPF81500ARC304-2 - FLEX 8000 FPGA 16K Gates 304-BFQFP | Intel
MPN: EPF81500ARC304-2 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $132.5 | $1,325.00 |
| 100 | $118 | $11,800.00 |
| 500 | $105 | $52,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $92.5 | $92,500.00 |
EPF81500ARC304-2 Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of integrated circuit containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and programmable I/O cells that engineers can wire to implement arbitrary digital logic. In the system hierarchy, FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs (lower flexibility, lower NRE) and CPLDs (lower density, non-volatile) and are widely used as glue logic, accelerator blocks, and prototyping vehicles. The FLEX 8000 family, in particular, is a register-rich SRAM-based architecture suitable for state machines, datapath control, and bus interfacing where deterministic register-to-register timing is required.
Key features of the EPF81500ARC304-2 include in-circuit reconfigurability (ICR) via an external serial or parallel EPROM configuration device (EPC1, EPC1064, EPC1213, EPC1441), 304-pin BFQFP package with 208 user I/Os for high pin-count glue-logic and bus-interface designs, 5 V tolerant I/O with PCI-compliant drive options, JTAG-based boundary-scan test support, and built-in MAX+PLUS II toolchain support for VHDL, Verilog, and waveform design entry. The device is fully static and operates across the commercial temperature range.
Typical applications for the EPF81500ARC304-2 span glue logic in industrial controllers, peripheral bus interfacing (ISA, PCI bridge glue), high-density state-machine controllers, ASIC prototyping vehicles, and legacy telecom/datacom backplane control. The 208 I/Os allow direct connection to wide parallel buses and multiple peripheral interfaces without external bus expander logic.
When designing with the EPF81500ARC304-2, the engineer must implement a configuration scheme: select a serial (EPC1) or parallel (EPC1064/1213/1441) configuration EPROM, or use an intelligent host controller to load configuration data at every power-up. ICR allows in-field reconfiguration without powering down the board, a defining FLEX 8000 advantage over older one-time-programmable PLDs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing across DigiKey, Mouser, Heisener, Xecor, and Wolfchip; drop-in and pin-compatible variants of the same FLEX 8000 family; and practical design notes on configuration memory, JTAG, and 5V I/O termination that are not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF81500ARC304-2 — 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 EPF81500ARC304-2 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Configuration Method, Process Technology, Usable Gates, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF81500ARC304-2N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF81500ARC304-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$32.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF81500ARC304-2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | FLEX 8000 |
| Product Type | FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) |
| Usable Gates | 16,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 1,296 |
| Registers | 1,500 |
| User I/O Pins | 208 |
| Package | 304-BFQFP (RQFP) |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm CMOS SRAM |
| Core Supply Voltage | 5 V |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 125 MHz |
| Configuration Method | Serial EPROM, Parallel EPROM, or intelligent controller |
| Supported Config Devices | EPC1, EPC1064, EPC1213, EPC1441 |
| In-Circuit Reconfigurability (ICR) | Yes |
| JTAG Boundary Scan | Yes |
| Development Tool | Altera MAX+PLUS II (VHDL, Verilog, waveform) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EPF81500ARC304-2 304-bfqfp (rqfp) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPF81500ARC304-2 (304-bfqfp (rqfp) 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 EPF81500ARC304-2.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPF81500ARC304-2 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Glue Logic Controller, PCI Bridge / Bus Interface Logic, ASIC Prototyping Vehicle, Legacy Telecom Backplane Control, High-Density State-Machine Controller, JTAG-Based Production Programming Station.
Industrial Glue Logic Controller
The EPF81500ARC304-2 fits industrial glue-logic controller applications where multiple asynchronous buses (ISA, parallel I/O, proprietary backplanes) must be merged into a unified interface. Its 208 user I/Os and 1,500 registers provide enough fan-out and state-holding capacity for mid-density control panels, motor-driver interfaces, and sensor-multiplexer control. The 5 V I/O is directly compatible with TTL logic levels common in legacy industrial controllers, eliminating the need for level shifters. FLEX 8000 deterministic timing allows precise sequencing of relay drivers and stepper-motor pulses. The 304-BFQFP package's high pin count suits designs with many parallel signal paths to the controlled system.
Recommended
PCI Bridge / Bus Interface Logic
The EPF81500ARC304-2 fits PCI bridge and bus-interface applications requiring high I/O density with predictable timing. Its 208 user I/Os can absorb a 32-bit multiplexed address/data bus, command and byte-enable signals, plus interrupt and arbitration sidebands, without external bus-expanders. The device's 5 V I/O with PCI-compliant drive strength meets PCI 2.1 electrical specs for legacy add-in card designs. The 1,500 registers provide ample state-machine resources for burst-mode transfer control, target-termination state machines, and configuration-space registers. JTAG boundary-scan verifies card-level interconnect post-assembly, and ICR enables firmware updates to the bridge glue without removing the card from the chassis.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Vehicle
The EPF81500ARC304-2 serves as a prototype vehicle for ASIC designs under 16,000 gates during pre-silicon validation. Engineers can map their RTL (VHDL/Verilog) directly into FLEX 8000 logic cells using MAX+PLUS II, validating functional correctness at 125 MHz before committing to NRE-bearing ASIC masks. The 208 I/Os map easily to standard ASIC I/O libraries for early bench testing, and JTAG provides a debug port for probing internal states. ICR allows rapid design-iteration cycles (compile, program, run, observe) measured in minutes rather than weeks. After ASIC tape-out, the same RTL can be reused; the FPGA is repurposed or removed from the BOM.
Recommended
Legacy Telecom Backplane Control
The EPF81500ARC304-2 fits legacy telecom backplane-control applications where 5 V TTL signalling, high I/O density, and register-rich state machines are required. Telecom backplanes often carry many control lines (alarm, status, switch fabric management) that need fan-out logic, parity generators, and address decoding - all well-served by FLEX 8000's register-heavy architecture. The 5 V I/O is directly compatible with legacy telecom backplane drivers. The 304-BFQFP package supports the dense connector pinout required for multi-slot backplane cards. In-circuit reconfigurability allows telecom service providers to update control logic without removing the card from the live chassis, minimizing service interruptions.
Recommended
High-Density State-Machine Controller
The EPF81500ARC304-2 fits state-machine controller applications where 1,500 registers are needed to hold dozens of parallel state machines for protocol handling, motor sequencing, or instrument control. Each FLEX 8000 logic element contains a register, so the 1,500-register count translates directly to 1,500 state bits, supporting complex multi-state controllers like MIL-STD-1553 bus controllers, HDLC framer/deframer state machines, or multi-axis CNC interpolators. The 125 MHz maximum frequency supports fast bus rates. JTAG allows real-time state observation for debug, and the MAX+PLUS II simulator provides cycle-accurate verification before hardware integration.
Recommended
JTAG-Based Production Programming Station
The EPF81500ARC304-2 fits production programming stations where the FPGA is used as a JTAG-controlled reconfigurable test fixture for board-level boundary-scan tests. The 208 user I/Os are wired to the UUT (unit-under-test) connector pins, and the FPGA is reconfigured on the fly to drive different test vectors for each product variant. FLEX 8000 ICR (in-circuit reconfigurability) lets the test fixture switch between product test programs in milliseconds, supporting high-volume production test throughput. The 5 V I/O is robust against factory floor ESD/EMI conditions. The legacy Altera MAX+PLUS II toolchain continues to compile new test programs and generate EPC1-compatible bitstreams.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF81500ARC304-2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF81500ARC304-2N | EPF81500ARC240-2 | EPF81500AQC240-2 | EPF81500ARC304-3 | EPF81188ARC240-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 304-BFQFP (RQFP) | 304-BFQFP (RQFP) - same | 240-RQFP - different footprint | 240-RQFP - different footprint | 304-BFQFP (RQFP) - same | 240-RQFP - different footprint |
| Usable Gates | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 8,000 |
| User I/O Pins | 208 | 208 | 184 | 184 | 208 | 100 |
| Core Voltage | 5 V | 5 V | 5 V | 5 V | 5 V | 5 V |
| Max Frequency | 125 MHz | 125 MHz | 125 MHz | 125 MHz | Slower speed grade | 125 MHz |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| In-Circuit Reconfigurability | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Highest I/O count in the FLEX 8000 family at this density (vs EPF81500ARC240-2)
- -2 speed grade (fastest in FLEX 8000) (vs EPF81500ARC304-3)
- Highest-density FLEX 8000 die (16K gates, 1,296 cells, 1,500 registers) (vs EPF81188ARC240-3)
Design Notes
The EPF81500ARC304-2 requires a stable 5 V ±5% supply to the VCCINT pins, with VCCIO separately driven to match downstream logic (3.3 V or 5 V). Decouple each VCC pin with a 0.1 µF ceramic + 10 µF tantalum bulk cap placed within 5 mm of the package. Estimated: total quiescent current for a 1,296-cell SRAM FPGA at 125 MHz is 100-300 mA; with I/O switching add 50% margin. Before configuration, the device draws IccSTANDBY ≈ 50 mA; after configuration VCCINT ramps to full load. Use a power-on reset supervisor or MCU GPIO to gate the nCONFIG line until VCCINT stabilizes for 100 ms.
The 304-BFQFP package has a 0.5 mm pitch and requires controlled-impedance routing on all I/O traces. Recommended escape: route the outer rows of balls/lands on the top layer through micro-vias to inner stripline layers. Add a solid ground plane directly beneath the package to suppress ground bounce and reduce VCCIO noise. JTAG signal traces (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) should be kept under 100 mm and routed with 50 Ω controlled impedance to match the JTAG pod. Configuration data lines (DCLK, DATA0) should also be length-matched if multiple FPGAs are daisy-chained.
Estimated: A common pitfall is forgetting to tie nCONFIG high through a 10 kΩ pull-up to VCCIO - leaving it floating causes intermittent configuration failures. Another is using 3.3 V-only I/O buffers when downstream logic is 5 V TTL - the device supports 5 V tolerant inputs but its output VOH at 3.3 V VCCIO is only 2.4 V min, which is below the 2.7 V VIH of true 5 V TTL receivers. Lastly, do not assume the configuration bitstream from MAX+PLUS II is portable across speed grades (-2 vs -3); bitstreams must be regenerated for the target speed grade. Finally, when migrating from -2 to -3 (slower speed grade), verify timing margins - the slower speed grade can fail hold-time requirements in tightly-timed designs.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not provided in verified web data. The -2 suffix in the MPN likely indicates a non-lead-free terminal finish typical of older FLEX 8000 family parts; for lead-free, order the EPF81500ARC304-2N variant.
