EPM3512AFC256-10N - MAX 3000A CPLD, 512 Macros, 256 FBGA | Altera
MPN: EPM3512AFC256-10N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $72.03 | $72.03 |
| 10 | $64.83 | $648.30 |
| 100 | $57.62 | $5,762.00 |
| 500 | $50.42 | $25,210.00 |
| 1,000 | $43.22 | $43,220.00 |
EPM3512AFC256-10N Overview
A CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) is a non-volatile programmable logic device that sits between simple SPLDs/PLDs and large FPGAs in the programmable logic hierarchy: SPLD -> CPLD -> FPGA. The MAX architecture integrates multiple Logic Array Blocks (LABs) interconnected by a programmable interconnect array (PIA) and provides predictable, deterministic timing suitable for glue logic, bus decoding, and state-machine replacement.
Key features of the EPM3512AFC256-10N include in-system programmability (ISP) through the built-in IEEE Std. 1149.1 JTAG interface and IEEE Std. 1532 concurrent ISP support, 10 ns tPD (pin-to-pin delay), up to 4.5 ns tSU (setup time), and 32 product-terms per macrocell. The device supports multiVolt I/O for interfacing with 2.5 V, 3.3 V, and 5 V systems (with external pull-ups), and provides open-drain output options. It is built on 5.0 V-tolerant I/O cells powered by 3.3 V VCCINT.
Architecturally, the EPM3512AFC256-10A-equivalent die uses Altera's classic MAX EEPROM-based logic fabric with a global PIA, four dedicated input clocks per device, and per-macrocell flip-flops with configurable clear/preset and clock-enable. The 256-pin FBGA offers high board-density routing for designs with extensive user I/O. Programming is supported through the ByteBlasterMV, MasterBlaster, or USB-Blaster download cables using Altera Quartus II design software.
Typical applications include bus-interface bridging, address decoding and chip-select generation, peripheral glue logic in embedded systems, and pin-compatible upgrades to MAX 7000S/AE devices in 5 V legacy boards. The 256-ball FBGA footprint is ideal for space-constrained designs where high I/O count is required.
When designing with this part, ensure VCCINT is a clean 3.3 V (typical Icc 35-180 mA standby to operating) and that JTAG chain integrity is verified for ISP. Plan for 100% factory-test vector coverage since the part is one-time-programmable (OTP) in production configurations and not field-upgradable without a JTAG chain.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in compatible MAX 3000A/MAX 7000 alternatives, FBGA package handling notes, and JTAG ISP guidance not consolidated in the original Altera datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EPM3512AFC256-10N β 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 EPM3512AFC256-10N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Programming Interface, Maximum Operating Frequency, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPM3512AFC256-10
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$17.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEPM3512AFC256-10N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 512 |
| Usable Gates | 10000 |
| User I/O Pins | 208 |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tPD) | 10 ns |
| Setup Time (tSU) | 4.5 ns |
| VCCINT (Core Supply) | 3.3 V |
| VCCIO (I/O Supply) | 3.3 V or 2.5 V |
| Technology | CMOS EEPROM-based, non-volatile |
| Operating Temperature (Commercial) | 0 C to +70 C |
| Package | 256-ball FBGA (17 mm x 17 mm) |
| ISP Interface | IEEE Std. 1149.1 JTAG, IEEE Std. 1532 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EPM3512AFC256-10N 256-ball fbga (17 mm x 17 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EPM3512AFC256-10N (256-ball fbga (17 mm x 17 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 EPM3512AFC256-10N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EPM3512AFC256-10N is suitable for 6 applications: Bus Interface Bridging and Address Decoding, Peripheral Glue Logic Replacement, Legacy 3.3 V Embedded System Upgrades, Industrial Control Logic, State Machine Replacement, Telecommunications Backplane Glue Logic.
Bus Interface Bridging and Address Decoding
The EPM3512AFC256-10N's 512 macrocells and 10 ns tPD make it well suited for high-density address decoding and bus-interface bridging in embedded systems. Its deterministic MAX-architecture timing produces stable chip-select generation across the full commercial temperature range (0 C to +70 C), critical for synchronous memory and peripheral interfaces where metastable decoding would cause system lockups. The 208 user I/Os allow one device to replace several discrete 74LS/74F glue-logic packages on a legacy CPU/ASIC bus, saving board area and reducing BOM. The built-in IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface enables ISP updates for late-stage board revision changes.
Recommended
Peripheral Glue Logic Replacement
The EPM3512AFC256-10N is commonly used to replace multiple discrete PAL/GAL and 74xx logic packages with a single programmable device, reducing board complexity and assembly cost. With 10K usable gates and 208 I/Os, a designer can integrate up to ~30 SSI/MSI functions including interrupt controllers, wait-state generators, and FIFO flag logic into one 256-ball FBGA. The MAX 3000A architecture's per-macrocell flip-flops with clear/preset and clock-enable provide the latching and registered-logic primitives needed for state-machine replacement. Programming is non-volatile (EEPROM), so no external configuration device is required.
Recommended
Legacy 3.3 V Embedded System Upgrades
The EPM3512AFC256-10N's 3.3 V VCCINT and multiVolt VCCIO (2.5 V or 3.3 V) make it an ideal 3.3 V-system upgrade for legacy designs that previously used 5 V PALs but require reduced power. The I/O pins are 5 V tolerant with external pull-up resistors when VCCIO is at 3.3 V, enabling mixed-voltage interfacing to 5 V peripherals without level translators. The 256-ball FBGA (17 mm x 17 mm) keeps the design compact for embedded form factors, while 10 ns tPD supports 50 MHz+ control-plane signal paths. Designers upgrading from MAX 7000S/MAX 7000AE devices find MAX 3000A pin-compatible in many cases.
Recommended
Industrial Control Logic
Industrial control boards benefit from the EPM3512AFC256-10N's predictable MAX architecture timing, 208 user I/Os, and 10 ns propagation delay. The deterministic timing simplifies Worst-Case timing analysis for safety-critical paths, and the EEPROM-based non-volatile configuration eliminates the need for separate boot PROMs. Commercial 0 C to +70 C operation is adequate for indoor industrial enclosures; the 256-ball FBGA footprint provides high-density I/O for PLC backplane and HMI controller designs. JTAG ISP enables in-field firmware updates through a JTAG header on the production board, supporting late-stage customization and configuration changes.
Recommended
State Machine Replacement
The EPM3512AFC256-10N is widely deployed as a replacement for discrete MSI state machines, particularly in protocol-conversion and sequencing logic. Each macrocell provides a flip-flop with programmable clear, preset, and clock-enable, supporting Moore and Mealy machines directly. With 32 product-terms per macrocell and a global PIA (Programmable Interconnect Array), the device supports deep combinatorial logic alongside registered outputs. The 10 ns tPD enables state-transition frequencies up to 50 MHz for serial-protocol bit-banging and 25 MHz for parallel hand-shaking interfaces common in legacy data-acquisition systems.
Recommended
Telecommunications Backplane Glue Logic
In telecommunications backplanes, the EPM3512AFC256-10N's 208 I/Os make it ideal for switch-fabric glue logic, line-card presence detection, and clock-distribution control. Its 10 ns tPD supports 50 MHz control-plane traffic typical of T1/E1 and low-speed SONET interfaces, while the multiVolt I/O allows direct connection to 2.5 V backplane drivers when VCCIO is set to 2.5 V. The IEEE 1149.1 JTAG ISP interface aligns with board-level boundary-scan test requirements for telecom hardware, simplifying manufacturing test flows. The 256-ball FBGA's high pin density minimizes backplane trace congestion in densely-populated line cards.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM3512AFC256-10N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM3512AFC256-10 | EPM3512AFC144-10N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 256-ball FBGA (17x17 mm) | 256-ball FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 144-ball FBGA - DIFFERENT |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same |
| Family | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 512 | 512 | 512 (same die, smaller package) |
| User I/O | 208 | 208 | ~98 (smaller package) |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tPD) | 10 ns | 10 ns | 10 ns |
| VCCINT | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (N suffix) | No (tin-lead finish) | Yes (N suffix) |
| Lifecycle | Obsolete (as of 2026-09-12) | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Pin-Compatible Drop-In | (this product) | YES (verified parametric equivalent per DigiKey) | NO (different ball count) |
Key Differentiators
- Largest I/O count in MAX 3000A family (208 user I/O) (vs EPM3256AFC256-10)
- Lead-free (RoHS) finish option for modern assembly (vs EPM3512AFC256-10)
- Industry-standard JTAG ISP via IEEE 1149.1 / 1532 (vs EPM3512AFC144-10N)
Design Notes
Estimated: For a typical commercial-grade EPM3512AFC256-10N with VCCINT = 3.3 V, average Icc is 35-180 mA depending on toggle rate and utilization, yielding ~0.12 W to ~0.6 W dissipation. With a 256-ball FBGA theta_JA typically in the 25-35 C/W range on a 4-layer JEDEC test board (per Altera MAX 3000A datasheet thermal considerations), junction temperature rise stays well below 20 C above ambient at 0.6 W. No external heatsink is required for commercial (0 C to +70 C) operation. For dense stacked designs, ensure at least 4 thermal vias under the BGA thermal pad region if specified.
FBGA-256 (17 mm x 17 mm) requires controlled-impedance PCB stack-up with 0.8 mm ball pitch. Use NSMD (Non-Solder Mask Defined) pads with 0.40-0.45 mm diameter, ENIG or OSP surface finish, and Type-3 or Type-4 solder paste (SAC305). Per IPC-7351 / IPC-7093 BGA guidelines, place a minimum 6x6 thermal-via array under the central thermal balls, each via 0.2-0.3 mm drilled and tented/plugged to prevent solder wicking. X-ray inspection is mandatory post-reflow; optical inspection cannot reliably verify BGA solder joints.
Do NOT assume the EPM3512AFC256-10N can be replaced by the lower-density EPM3256AFC256-10N - both share the FBGA-256 footprint but differ in macrocell count (512 vs 256), which is fatal for board-level functionality even if pin-by-pin compatible at the I/O ball level. The 'N' suffix denotes lead-free finish - the 'non-N' EPM3512AFC256-10 is tin-lead and may not pass modern RoHS assembly lines. JTAG chain integrity (TCK/TMS/TDI/TDO with proper 10 kohm pull-ups on TCK/TMS/TDI) must be verified before ISP - a single broken JTAG link bricks in-system programming.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance inferred from 'N' suffix in MPN per Altera/Intel nomenclature. REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals status not stated in archived datasheet excerpts - marked as 'unknown'. AEC-Q100 not applicable - part is commercial-grade (0 C to +70 C).
