EP3C5E144A7N - Cyclone III FPGA, 5K LEs, 144-EQFP | Altera
Référence : EP3C5E144A7N ✓ Actif| Qté | Prix unitaire | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $36.59 | $36,59 |
| 10 | $32.5 | $325,00 |
| 100 | $28.4 | $2 840,00 |
| 500 | $25.1 | $12 550,00 |
| 1 000 | $22.8 | $22 800,00 |
EP3C5E144A7N Présentation
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device whose logic fabric, routing, and I/O behavior can be reconfigured after manufacturing through a hardware description language (HDL) bitstream. FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs and general-purpose microcontrollers in terms of flexibility, parallelism, and per-unit cost, and they coexist with CPLDs in the programmable logic device (PLD) hierarchy. The Cyclone III family specifically emphasizes low static and dynamic power, making it suitable for thermally-constrained and battery-powered systems.
Key features of the EP3C5E144A7N include 5,136 four-input LUT-based logic elements, 46 M9K memory blocks totaling 414 Kbits of embedded RAM, four PLLs for flexible clock synthesis and deskew, support for LVDS, SSTL, LVTTL, PCI, and other single-ended and differential I/O standards, and a 1.2 V core supply with separate per-bank VCCIO rails. Configuration is supported via Altera (Intel) Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS), JTAG, and Fast Passive Parallel modes, and the device is supported by the Quartus II / Quartus Prime design toolchain.
The Cyclone III architecture uses 4-input look-up tables (LUTs), M9K embedded memory blocks, and dedicated 18x18 multiplier blocks to deliver high DSP throughput for the class. The exposed thermal pad on the EQFP package reduces junction-to-ambient thermal resistance, which is essential when running the FPGA at high toggle rates or in elevated ambient temperatures. Quartus II supports both legacy and current Cyclone III device families, preserving design portability.
Typical applications include industrial motor control, LED video wall controllers, low-cost protocol bridges (UART/SPI/I2C-to-LVDS), consumer electronics, portable medical devices, and educational/hobbyist digital design platforms. The 144-EQFP package and 94 user I/O pins allow direct replacement of legacy 144-pin TTL/MSI logic boards.
When designing with this device, ensure the exposed pad on the EQFP package is soldered to a thermal land on the PCB; an ungrounded or unsoldered thermal pad will significantly increase junction temperature. Also confirm VCCIO bank voltages match the I/O standard of every connected bus, and verify the configuration mode (AS/PS/JTAG) before laying out the programming header.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers evaluate the EP3C5E144A7N against its closest Cyclone III family members and competing low-density FPGAs.
Alternatives de remplacement direct pour EP3C5E144A7N — même boîtier, compatible broche à broche. Les références à boîtier différent nécessitant une retouche du PCB sont exclues.
Variantes de cette série
Modèles de la même série directement compatibles avec EP3C5E144A7N (même facteur de forme et même empreinte) — différant par Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Configuration Modes, Embedded 18x18 Multipliers.
Outil de comparaison rapide — sélectionnez des références alternatives pour une comparaison côte à côte :
EP3C5E144I7N
✅ Remplacement direct✓ En stock
$21.4 / unité
Voir la fiche technique →EP3C5E144C7N
✅ Remplacement direct✓ En stock
$13.17 / unité
Voir la fiche technique →EP3C10E144A7N
✅ Remplacement direct📋 Alternative de référence (hors catalogue)
EP3C5E144C8N
✅ Remplacement direct✓ En stock
$22.1 / unité
Voir la fiche technique →EP4CE6E22A7N
✅ Remplacement direct✓ En stock
$17.4 / unité
Voir la fiche technique →EP3C5E144A7N Valeurs maximales et caractéristiques électriques
| Series | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 5,136 |
| Total Memory Bits | 423,936 bits (414 Kbits) |
| Embedded Memory Blocks | 46 x M9K (9 Kbit each) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 23 |
| User I/O Pins | 94 |
| Number of I/O Banks | 4 |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Bank Voltage (VCCIO) | Per-bank, supports 1.2 V to 3.3 V |
| Boîtier | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP, 22x22 mm) |
| Speed Grade | 7 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C junction) |
| Process Technology | 65 nm low-k dielectric |
| Configuration Modes | AS, PS, JTAG, Fast Passive Parallel |
| Design Toolchain | Quartus II / Quartus Prime |
| Supported I/O Standards | LVDS, SSTL, LVTTL, PCI, LVCMOS |
| Type de montage | Surface Mount |
| Statut RoHS | Compliant (per DigiKey product page) |
Configuration des broches de EP3C5E144A7N
| Broche 1 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O (per Quartus pinout file) |
| Broche 2 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O (per Quartus pinout file) |
| Broche 3 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Broche 4 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 5 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 6 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 7 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 8 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 9 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 10 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 11 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 12 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 13 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Broche 14 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 15 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 16 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 17 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 18 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 19 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 20 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 21 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Broche 22 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 23 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Broche 24 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 25 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 26 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 27 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 28 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Broche 29 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 30 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 31 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 32 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 33 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 34 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 35 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Broche 36 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 37 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 38 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 39 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 40 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 41 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 42 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Broche 43 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 44 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Broche 45 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 46 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 47 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 48 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 49 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Broche 50 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 51 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 52 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 53 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 54 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 55 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 56 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Broche 57 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 58 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 59 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 60 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 61 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 62 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 63 | VCCIO3 — I/O bank 3 supply voltage |
| Broche 64 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 65 | I/O Bank 3 — User I/O |
| Broche 66 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 67 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 68 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 69 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 70 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 71 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 72 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 73 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 74 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 75 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 76 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 77 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 78 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 79 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 80 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 81 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 82 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 83 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 84 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 85 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 86 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 87 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 88 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Broche 89 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Broche 90 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Broche 91 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Broche 92 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (open-drain) |
| Broche 93 | nCONFIG — Configuration control input |
| Broche 94 | CONF_DONE — Configuration done (open-drain) |
| Broche 95 | MSEL0 — Configuration mode select 0 |
| Broche 96 | MSEL1 — Configuration mode select 1 |
| Broche 97 | MSEL2 — Configuration mode select 2 |
| Broche 98 | DCLK — Configuration clock (PS/FPP modes) |
| Broche 99 | DATA0 — Configuration data input 0 |
| Broche 100 | nCE — Chip enable (active low) |
| Broche 101 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Broche 102 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 103 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Broche 104 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 105 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Broche 106 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 107 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Broche 108 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 109 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.2 V) |
| Broche 110 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 111 | VCCA_PLL1 — PLL1 analog supply |
| Broche 112 | GNDA_PLL1 — PLL1 analog ground |
| Broche 113 | VCCA_PLL2 — PLL2 analog supply |
| Broche 114 | GNDA_PLL2 — PLL2 analog ground |
| Broche 115 | VCCA_PLL3 — PLL3 analog supply |
| Broche 116 | GNDA_PLL3 — PLL3 analog ground |
| Broche 117 | VCCA_PLL4 — PLL4 analog supply |
| Broche 118 | GNDA_PLL4 — PLL4 analog ground |
| Broche 119 | I/O Bank 4 / CLK — User I/O / clock input |
| Broche 120 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 121 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 122 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 123 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 124 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 125 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 126 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 127 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 128 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 129 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 130 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 131 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 132 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 133 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 134 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 135 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 136 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 137 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 138 | GND — Ground |
| Broche 139 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 140 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 141 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 142 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply voltage |
| Broche 143 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
| Broche 144 | I/O Bank 4 — User I/O |
Applications typiques
EP3C5E144A7N convient pour 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, LED Video Wall Controller, Low-Cost Protocol Bridge (UART/SPI/I2C to LVDS/Ethernet), Portable Medical Device Signal Conditioning, Educational / Hobbyist Digital Design Platform, Industrial Control / Glue Logic Replacement.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3C5E144A7N fits industrial motor-control designs because it combines 5,136 four-input LUTs, 23 dedicated 18x18 multipliers, four PLLs, and 94 user I/O on a single 65 nm die. With speed grade 7 and the Cyclone III low-power architecture, the device can sample multi-axis current/voltage sensors at 50-100 kHz while running field-oriented control (FOC) loops in real time. The four PLLs generate the PWM carrier frequencies needed for 3-phase IGBT/MOSFET bridges, while per-bank VCCIO pins let the FPGA interface directly to 3.3 V logic, 5 V tolerant gate drivers, and 15 V differential encoder feedback on different banks. Designers can place the EQFP on a 2- or 4-layer FR-4 board with a continuous thermal land; the exposed pad keeps junction temperature below the commercial 85C ceiling when running full-rate FOC on all 94 I/O.
Recommandé
LED Video Wall Controller
The EP3C5E144A7N drives low-to-mid-density LED video walls by combining 23 hardware multipliers (ideal for brightness/hue correction), 414 Kbits of M9K block RAM (sufficient for line buffers), and LVDS I/O support for high-speed serial links to LED receiver cards. At speed grade 7 the device can refresh 16-32 scan lines per channel at 60 Hz over a 1-2 Gbps LVDS link. Designers map a hub architecture in which the EP3C5E144A7N accepts DVI/HDMI pixel data, performs gamma/color correction in DSP blocks, and re-serializes the result via LVDS to multiple receiver cards. The 94 user I/O support up to 12 LVDS pairs plus 8 GPIO for cabinet addressing. Quartus II reference designs for Cyclone III video IPs simplify integration.
Recommandé
Low-Cost Protocol Bridge (UART/SPI/I2C to LVDS/Ethernet)
The EP3C5E144A7N is well-suited to industrial protocol bridge designs that translate between legacy UART/SPI/I2C buses and high-speed LVDS or MII/RMII Ethernet. The 5,136 LUTs fit a complete multi-channel bridge including a soft Nios II processor, hardware FIFO buffers in M9K blocks, and LVDS transceivers using the FPGA's LVDS I/O standard. The four PLLs synthesize the LVDS reference clock from any input reference, while per-bank VCCIO allows the slow-side bus (3.3 V CMOS) and the fast-side link (LVDS) to coexist without level shifters. Production engineers commonly deploy EP3C5E144A7N bridges inside PLC backplanes and sensor hubs where deterministic latency matters and a microcontroller is insufficient.
Recommandé
Portable Medical Device Signal Conditioning
In portable medical devices such as pulse oximeters, ECG front-ends, and handheld ultrasound probes, the EP3C5E144A7N delivers the right balance of DSP performance, low static power, and small footprint. The 23 18x18 multipliers accelerate FIR/IIR filtering of bio-signals at sample rates up to 1 MSPS, while 46 M9K blocks hold line buffers and look-up tables for envelope detection. Cyclone III's low dynamic power keeps the device under 200 mW typical in a portable enclosure, and the 144-EQFP allows direct PCB integration alongside low-noise ADCs. Designers rely on the industrial-grade variant (EP3C5E144I7N) for wider temperature compliance in clinical environments.
Recommandé
Educational / Hobbyist Digital Design Platform
The EP3C5E144A7N is widely used in university digital-logic courses, FPGA training boards, and hobbyist development kits because the Cyclone III architecture is simple to learn and the Quartus II toolchain is free for students. With 5,136 LEs, students can implement a 32-bit soft RISC CPU, UART, VGA controller, and PS/2 keyboard interface on a single device. The 144-EQFP is easy to hand-solder on breakout boards, and the exposed thermal pad tolerates student-built 2-layer PCBs. EP3C5E144A7N also pairs naturally with low-cost EPCS configuration memories and Altera USB-Blaster download cables, making it a popular target for introductory FPGA coursework and open-source HDL examples.
Recommandé
Industrial Control / Glue Logic Replacement
The EP3C5E144A7N frequently replaces legacy 144-pin TTL/MSI glue-logic boards in industrial controllers, substation automation, and test equipment. Its 94 user I/O plus dedicated I/O bank voltages allow direct pin-for-pin emulation of dozens of 74-series logic chips while adding state-machine, timer, and counter functions. Designers consolidate 5-10 discrete logic ICs into a single Cyclone III device, reducing PCB area and BOM cost. The four PLLs regenerate clocks for downstream MCUs and ADCs, and the JTAG interface simplifies in-system programming during panel bring-up. Active lifecycle status as of 2026-10-07 makes the EP3C5E144A7N a safe long-term replacement for original 1990s/2000s logic boards.
Recommandé
Récapitulatif des produits recommandés
Données de référence d'ingénierie pour EP3C5E144A7N — comparaison, recommandations de conception et informations de conformité.
Guide de sélection
Comparaison avec les alternatives
| Paramètre | Ce produit | EP3C5E144I7N | EP3C5E144C7N | EP3C10E144A7N | EP3C5E144C8N | EP4CE6E22A7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Package | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP, 22x22 mm) | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP) - same | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP) - same | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP) - same | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP) - same | 144-LQFP Exposed Pad (EQFP) - same |
| Logic Elements | 5,136 | 5,136 | 5,136 | 10,320 (+101%) | 5,136 | 6,272 (+22%) |
| Embedded Memory | 423,936 bits (46 M9K blocks) | 423,936 bits | 423,936 bits | 608,256 bits (+44%) | 423,936 bits | 270 Kbits |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 23 | 23 | 23 | 46 (+100%) | 23 | 15 |
| User I/O | 94 | 94 | 94 | 94 | 94 | 91 |
| Speed Grade | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 (faster) | 7 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial |
| Series | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone III | Cyclone IV E |
| Qty-1 Unit Price (USD) | 36.59 (as of 2026-10-07) | Higher (industrial grade premium) | Similar | Higher (larger die) | Similar | Higher (Cyclone IV E) |
Principaux différenciateurs
- Only Cyclone III variant with commercial temp grade + speed grade 7 at the 5K-LE density on 144-EQFP (vs EP3C5E144I7N)
- Cyclone III low-power 65 nm architecture vs Cyclone II 90 nm predecessor (vs EP2C5E144 (Cyclone II))
- Same 144-EQFP footprint as EP3C10E144A7N with smaller die and lower cost (vs EP3C10E144A7N)
Notes de conception
Estimated: at typical Quartus utilization (~70% LEs, 50% RAM, 50% multipliers) and 100 MHz internal clock, the EP3C5E144A7N dissipates approximately 0.5-1.0 W. The 144-EQFP package with exposed pad has a theta_JA of approximately 20-25 C/W when the exposed pad is soldered to a continuous 4-layer PCB thermal land of at least 100 mm^2. Without the exposed pad soldered, theta_JA rises sharply (to roughly 40-50 C/W) and the device may exceed the commercial 85C junction limit. Always solder the thermal pad and stitch vias from the pad to internal ground planes.
The EP3C5E144A7N requires three power rails: VCCINT = 1.2 V (core), VCCIO1-4 = per-bank 1.2-3.3 V, and VCCA_PLLx = 1.2 V (PLL analog). Per the Cyclone III handbook, VCCINT must be monotonic and reach 90% of nominal within 100 ms; failure to do so triggers a POR reset. Use an LDO with at least 500 mA capability for VCCINT, and decouple each VCCIO bank with a 0.1 uF + 10 uF pair placed within 5 mm of the bank supply pin.
Route configuration signals (TCK, TMS, TDO, TDI, nSTATUS, nCONFIG, CONF_DONE, MSEL0-2, DCLK, DATA0) on the top layer with no vias and avoid stubs. Per the Cyclone III handbook, the MSEL pins must be tied through 1 kohm resistors to VCCIO or GND according to the desired configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG, FPP). Leave CONF_DONE pulled up to VCCIO with a 10 kohm resistor for readback and JTAG configuration modes. Use a 4-layer PCB (SIG/GND/PWR/SIG) for noise-sensitive applications.
Do not leave any I/O bank unpowered; an unpowered VCCIO pin causes input leakage and can prevent configuration. If a bank is unused, tie all its VCCIO pins to a valid 1.2-3.3 V rail rather than leaving them floating. Also avoid mixing 5 V inputs into LVTTL/LVCMOS banks; the EP3C5E144A7N absolute maximum is VCCIO + 0.3 V. Cyclone III is not 5 V tolerant - use an external level translator when interfacing to 5 V logic.
When using LVDS pairs, route them with 100 ohm differential impedance and maintain length matching within 150 mils for clock pairs. The Cyclone III LVDS transceivers support up to 840 Mbps per pair but the FPGA fabric must be constrained to the corresponding clock rate. For high-fanout clock nets, prefer a global clock input pin (CLK0-3) instead of regular I/O; the four PLLs then deskew the global network.
Informations de conformité
RoHS compliance per DigiKey product listing. Cyclone III devices are not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive applications use the AEC-Q100 variant (EP3C5E144A7N-Q1 or similar) where available. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified web data.
