EP1C12F324C8N - Cyclone FPGA, 12K LE, 324-BGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP1C12F324C8N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $89.5 | $89.50 |
| 10 | $78.2 | $782.00 |
| 100 | $67 | $6,700.00 |
| 500 | $58.4 | $29,200.00 |
| 1,000 | $51.75 | $51,750.00 |
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View Datasheet →EP1C12F324C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone I |
| Number of Logic Elements | 12,060 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 1,206 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 |
| Number of I/O Pins | 249 |
| Number of Multipliers (18x18) | 12 |
| Number of PLLs | 2 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Process Technology | 130 nm CMOS |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 275 MHz |
| Package | 324-BGA (FineLine BGA), 19 mm x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Speed Grade | 8 (C8) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead-Free | Yes (N suffix) |
EP1C12F324C8N 324-bga (fineline bga), 19 mm x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C12F324C8N (324-bga (fineline bga), 19 mm x 19 mm, 1.0 mm pitch package) with 249 pins. 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 EP1C12F324C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 249 pins (digital package)
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
EP1C12F324C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control (FOC/PWM), Telecom Interface Bridge (TDM-to-IP), Video Processing / Image Pipeline, Low-Cost Protocol Converter (UART/SPI/I2C Bridging), Educational FPGA Development Platform, Test & Measurement Front-End Logic.
Industrial Motor Control (FOC/PWM)
The EP1C12F324C8N is well matched to multi-axis industrial motor control. Its 12 dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers handle the Park/Clark transforms and SVPWM modulations required for Field-Oriented Control of three-phase AC motors, while the two PLLs synthesize high-resolution carrier frequencies from a single crystal reference. The 249 user I/O of the 324-FBGA package interface encoder feedback, isolated gate-driver signals, and CAN/RS-485 peripherals without external muxing. The 1.5 V core at 275 MHz leaves sufficient timing margin for closed-loop update rates of 16 kHz or higher.
Recommended
Telecom Interface Bridge (TDM-to-IP)
In legacy T1/E1-to-Ethernet gateway designs, the EP1C12F324C8N provides the 12,060 logic elements required to time-slot demult multiplex TDM streams into packet payloads. The 239,616-bit M4K memory fabric buffers payload frames with low-latency dual-port access, and the two PLLs derive 1.544/2.048 MHz trunk clocks from a 25 MHz reference. LVDS-capable I/O banks simplify direct connection to LIU (Line Interface Unit) transceivers without external level shifters, while JTAG configuration allows rapid firmware updates during field deployment.
Recommended
Video Processing / Image Pipeline
The EP1C12F324C8N handles real-time video pixel processing such as deinterlacing, color space conversion (YCbCr-to-RGB), and basic edge enhancement for mid-resolution surveillance and industrial cameras. The 18x18 multipliers accelerate 2D FIR/box filter convolutions, while the 239 Kbit of M4K memory provides line buffers for pipelined pixel streams at standard-definition and 720p resolutions. The 324-FBGA's 1.0 mm pitch footprint enables compact camera-board layouts and exposes 249 I/O for parallel RGB, BT.656, or MIPI-CSI bridge interfaces.
Recommended
Low-Cost Protocol Converter (UART/SPI/I2C Bridging)
Embedded systems frequently need to bridge between asynchronous UART streams, multi-slave SPI buses, and I2C peripherals, and the EP1C12F324C8N is a cost-effective host. The 12,060 logic elements implement multiple soft UART cores plus I2C/SPI master controllers in parallel, while the two PLLs derive precise baud-rate clocks from a single crystal source. The 324-FBGA package exposes 249 user I/O, sufficient for bridging 8–12 simultaneous serial channels without external muxing, and the Quartus II IP library provides free UART, SPI, and I2C cores.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Platform
The EP1C12F324C8N is a teaching favorite because the 12,060 logic elements, 12 hardware multipliers, and 249 I/O of the 324-FBGA exercise every key Quartus II concept: synthesis, place-and-route, SignalTap II debugging, and TimeQuest timing analysis. The 275 MHz headroom supports classroom exercises in pipelined multipliers, soft-core CPUs (Nios II/e), and custom peripherals over the 249 available I/O. The mature Cyclone I device support means Quartus II 13.0sp1 Web Edition handles the entire development flow for free with no license fees.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Front-End Logic
The EP1C12F324C8N's 12 dedicated 18x18 multipliers make it effective for implementing FIR filtering, FFT butterfly operations, and digital down-conversion stages in benchtop T&M equipment. The 239,616 bits of M4K memory hold FFT window tables and decimation filters, while the 324-FBGA package's 249 I/O support parallel LVDS sampling of multi-channel ADC front-ends at rates up to 250 MHz. The two PLLs generate precise ADC sampling clocks and DDS tuning words from a single external TCXO reference.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C12F324C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C12F324C7N | EP1C12F324C8 | EP1C12F324C8L | EP1C12F324I7N | EP1C12F324C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Package | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) - same | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) - same | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) - same | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) - same | 324-FBGA (FineLine BGA) - same |
| Speed Grade | C8 | C7 (faster) | C8 (same) | C8 (same) | I7 | C6 (fastest) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | -40 °C to +100 °C (Industrial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) |
| Lead-Free | Yes (N suffix) | Yes | No (SnPb finish) | Yes (L suffix) | Yes | Yes |
| Number of Logic Elements | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 | 12,060 |
| Number of User I/O | 249 | 249 | 249 | 249 | 249 | 249 |
| Total RAM Bits | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 | 239,616 |
| Number of Multipliers (18x18) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Number of PLLs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-cost lead-free C8 Cyclone I in 324-FBGA (vs EP1C12F324C7N)
- RoHS-compliant Pb-free ball finish (vs EP1C12F324C8)
- Commercial temperature range only (vs EP1C12F324I7N)
Design Notes
Estimated: At default 12,060 LE utilization (~70% of logic), 50% toggle rate, and 275 MHz core clock, ICCINT for the EP1C12F324C8N is approximately 300–500 mA on VCCINT (1.5 V). Add 33 µF bulk tantalum plus 100 nF ceramic decoupling adjacent to every VCC pin and VCCA_PLL pin. VCCIO current scales with the number of driven LVCMOS/LVDS outputs; size each VCCIO bank independently and consider a ferrite if a bank drives a mix of 3.3 V and 2.5 V loads.
The 324-FineLine BGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires either an 8-layer stack-up with micro-vias or a 6-layer stack-up with HDI (laser-drilled) vias. Match trace lengths within each LVDS pair to within 150 mil to satisfy the Cyclone I LVDS skew budget. Route the JTAG TCK signal as a 50 Ω microstrip guarded by VCCIO on each side and provide a 4.7 kΩ pull-up on TCK, TMS, TDI, and a 4.7 kΩ pull-down on TDO.
Do not attempt to configure the EP1C12F324C8N with a Cyclone II/III/IV/V bitstream—Cyclone I uses a unique bitstream format that is incompatible with newer families. Retain a Quartus II 13.0sp1 (or older) toolchain for Cyclone I projects because Quartus Prime has dropped Cyclone I device support. MSEL[3..0] pins must be tied correctly for the desired configuration mode (AS = 010, JTAG = 101) before nCONFIG rises.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant indicated by 'N' suffix per Altera ordering convention. REACH SVHC declarations available from Intel product compliance portal. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGA logic devices.
