EP1C12F256C8 - Cyclone FPGA, 12,060 LEs, 256-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP1C12F256C8 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $48.6 | $48.60 |
| 10 | $45.2 | $452.00 |
| 100 | $41.85 | $4,185.00 |
| 500 | $38.5 | $19,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $35.2 | $35,200.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C12F256C8 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1C12F256C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$27.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$46.3 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$51.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$48.29 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C6AA
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$21.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1C12F256C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone |
| Family | Cyclone I |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 12,060 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 1,206 |
| Number of Logic Elements/Cells | 12,060 |
| Number of I/O | 185 |
| Number of PLLs | 2 |
| Total Memory Bits | 239,616 |
| Package / Case | 256-BGA (FBGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (commercial grade) |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| I/O Voltage Range | 1.5 V to 3.3 V |
| Supplier Device Package | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) |
| Process Technology | 130 nm SRAM |
| Configuration Method | Passive Serial / Active Serial / JTAG |
EP1C12F256C8 256-fbga (17x17 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C12F256C8 (256-fbga (17x17 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 EP1C12F256C8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Safe Operating Area (SOA) & Thermal Characteristics
No official SOA curve available for this digital IC. Always operate within absolute maximum ratings specified in the datasheet. Ensure adequate cooling and derate as needed.
Typical Applications
EP1C12F256C8 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Machine Vision and Video Bridging, Communications Bridge and Protocol Conversion, Embedded Processor Prototyping and Education, Consumer Electronics Glue Logic, Legacy Industrial PLC and Test Equipment.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C12F256C8's 12,060 logic elements and 52 M4K RAM blocks deliver enough headroom to implement field-oriented control (FOC), PWM generation, and encoder interfaces for multi-axis industrial motor drives. The 185 user I/O pins in the 256-FBGA package accommodate three-phase gate-drive signals, Hall/quadrature encoder inputs, current-sense ADCs, and CAN or RS-485 communications without external logic expanders. According to the Cyclone Device Handbook, the two on-chip PLLs synthesize the high-resolution PWM carrier and resolver excitation frequencies from a single 50 MHz crystal, and the commercial 0-85°C junction range fits most factory-cabinet environments. Verified cross-reference data confirms that the EP1C12F256C7N is a drop-in substitute for designs needing longer lead-time flexibility.
Recommended
Machine Vision and Video Bridging
The EP1C12F256C8's 239,616 bits of embedded RAM and 185 user I/O pins make it well-suited for video pipeline bridges, where line buffers, color-space conversion, and timing-stripping functions must run in real time. The four-input LUT4 architecture supports up to 18-bit multiplier inference for pixel-level operations, while the dual-port M4K blocks enable simultaneous read/write line buffers at full camera-link bandwidths. The 256-FBGA package exposes enough LVDS-capable I/O to drive 24-bit RGB parallel interfaces plus ITU-R BT.656 streams, and the two PLLs synthesize the pixel clock from the incoming video reference. Verified cross-reference data confirms the EP1C12F256C8N is a pin-compatible lead-free variant for RoHS-compliant vision OEMs.
Recommended
Communications Bridge and Protocol Conversion
The EP1C12F256C8's 12,060 logic elements provide enough fabric to bridge UART/SPI/I2C, CAN, Ethernet MAC, and proprietary field-bus protocols in industrial gateways and protocol converters. With 185 user I/O pins spread across four banks, designers can mix 3.3 V LVCMOS with 5 V-tolerant interfaces on the same die, and the 52 M4K RAM blocks back the packet buffers required by Ethernet-to-serial bridges and Modbus-to-Profinet converters. The two PLLs synthesize independent clock trees for each protocol domain, eliminating external clock-generator ICs. Verified distributor data shows the part shipping same-day from Heisener with 11,112 pieces in stock as of 2026-09-06, easing the long-life procurement typical of industrial communications equipment.
Recommended
Embedded Processor Prototyping and Education
The EP1C12F256C8 remains a popular choice in university embedded-systems labs and processor-prototyping platforms because the Cyclone I architecture is well documented and supported by the free Quartus II Web Edition toolchain. Designers can instantiate Nios II soft processors, custom peripherals, and Avalon bus interconnects entirely within the 12,060 LEs, with the 239,616 bits of embedded RAM backing instruction and data caches. The 185 user I/O pins expose enough parallel ports to drive character LCDs, GPIO banks, and external memory interfaces for full embedded-curriculum coverage. Verified cross-reference data confirms that EP1C12F256C7N is a drop-in equivalent when the C8 speed grade is out of stock at distributors.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Glue Logic
The EP1C12F256C8's combination of 12,060 logic elements, 185 user I/O pins, and 256-FBGA package makes it well-suited to consumer electronics glue logic - signal-routing hubs, display timing controllers, and audio-format converters that fall between a CPLD's capacity and an ASIC's volume. The 52 M4K RAM blocks provide FIFO depth for HDMI audio-de-embedding and I2S-to-S/PDIF bridges, while the four-input LUTs implement complex state machines for IR-protocol decoding and CEC bridging. The commercial 0-85°C operating range matches indoor CE product thermal budgets. Verified distributor data confirms same-day shipping from multiple sources as of 2026-09-06, which suits consumer-electronics short lead-time demands.
Recommended
Legacy Industrial PLC and Test Equipment
The EP1C12F256C8 has a multi-decade installed base in industrial PLCs, automated-test-equipment (ATE) pin-electronics, and legacy data-acquisition systems that must continue to be manufactured for spare-parts support. The 256-FBGA package, 185 user I/O pins, and 12,060 logic elements provide the exact resource mix that legacy designs standardized on, and the 130nm SRAM process continues to be supported by Intel FPGA for these long-life programs. The two PLLs synthesize clocks for parallel ADC/DAC interfaces, and the 239,616 RAM bits back the capture buffers used in ATE waveform digitizers. Verified distributor data confirms the EP1C12F256C8N is a drop-in lead-free variant for new RoHS-compliant service boards.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C12F256C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C12F256C8N | EP1C12F256C7N | EP1C12F256C7 | EP1C12F256C6N | EP1C12F256C6 | EP1C12F256C6AA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 256-FBGA (F256) | 256-FBGA (F256) - same | 256-FBGA (F256) - same | 256-FBGA (F256) - same | 256-FBGA (F256) - same | 256-FBGA (F256) - same | 256-FBGA (F256) - same |
| Logic Elements | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 |
| User I/O | 185 | 185 | 185 | 185 | 185 | 185 | 185 |
| Speed Grade | C8 (8) | C8 (8) | C7 (7) | C7 (7) | C6 (6) | C6 (6) | C6 (6) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Commercial 0 to +85°C | Automotive screening |
| Number of PLLs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Unit Price (qty 1, USD) | 48.60 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
Key Differentiators
- Same silicon and package, lead-free terminal finish (vs EP1C12F256C8N)
- Higher Fmax on critical paths than C7/C6 speed grades (vs EP1C12F256C7N)
- Larger logic capacity than mid-range Cyclone I EP1C6/EP1C4 (vs EP1C6F256C8)
Design Notes
The EP1C12F256C8 requires separate VCCINT (1.5 V core), VCCIO (per-bank I/O supply from 1.5 V to 3.3 V), and VCCA (1.5 V PLL analog supply) rails. According to the Cyclone Device Handbook, VCCA must be powered up before or simultaneously with VCCINT, and VCCIO banks can be sequenced independently as long as each bank is brought up within the datasheet-specified monotonicity limits. A bulk 100 uF decoupling capacitor at the regulator output plus 0.1 uF / 1 nF pairs at every VCC pin is required to suppress simultaneous-switching-noise (SSN) transients during configuration bitstream loading.
The 256-FBGA package has a 1.0 mm ball pitch, which requires laser-drilled microvias or 0.4 mm via-in-pad for breakout on a 4-layer PCB. According to the Cyclone Device Handbook, all VCCINT and VCCIO balls must be decoupled with a 0.1 uF ceramic cap placed within 100 mils of each ball, with a 1 nF cap on every fourth ball. The exposed center balls on some FBGA revisions serve as thermal relief - if present, they must be soldered to the PCB ground plane with a 5x5 via array to meet the theta-JA thermal envelope.
Do not confuse the EP1C12F256C8 (commercial 0-85°C) with the EP1C12F256I7 (industrial -40 to +100°C) when sourcing for outdoor or factory-floor designs - the silicon is identical, but the I-grade is qualified across the wider temperature window. Also note that 'N' suffix parts (EP1C12F256C8N) are lead-free / Pb-free terminal-finish variants, not new speed grades - the N is a packaging/RoHS indicator. Always re-validate timing closure after swapping C8 for C7 or C6 speed grades, since slower speed grades may fail setup on critical paths.
The 185 user I/O pins support LVCMOS, LVTTL, SSTL, and LVDS I/O standards, but LVDS requires the VCCIO of the corresponding bank to be 2.5 V. According to the Cyclone Device Handbook, banks 1 and 3 are the recommended locations for DDR SDRAM interfaces because of matched trace lengths and the dedicated DQS delay lines. Differential I/O pairs must be length-matched to within 20 ps to avoid skew beyond the receiver's tolerance.
Compliance Information
Verified web data does not specify RoHS or REACH status. Per industry convention, parts with 'N' suffix (e.g., EP1C12F256C8N) carry Pb-free terminal finish and are RoHS-compliant; the base EP1C12F256C8 (no N) is typically SnPb finish. AEC-Q100 is not applicable - this is a commercial/industrial-grade FPGA, not automotive-qualified.
