EP1C4F400C8N - 4K LE Cyclone FPGA 301 I/O 400-FBGA | Intel/Altera
MPN: EP1C4F400C8N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.66 | $28.66 |
| 10 | $25.79 | $257.90 |
| 100 | $22.93 | $2,293.00 |
| 500 | $20.06 | $10,030.00 |
| 1,000 | $17.2 | $17,200.00 |
| 3,000 | $15.26 | $45,780.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1C4F400C8N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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EP1C4F400C8
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View Datasheet →EP1C4F400C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone (Altera/Intel) |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 4,000 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LAB) | 400 |
| Total RAM Bits | 78,336 |
| M4K RAM Blocks | 17 |
| PLLs | 2 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 301 |
| Global Clock Networks | 8 |
| Process Technology | 130 nm SRAM |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | 8 (commercial) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Package | 400-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Configuration Mode | AS, PS, JTAG |
| Configuration Device | EPCS1/EPCS4/EPCS16 |
| External Memory Support | DDR SDRAM, DDR2, SDR up to 266 Mbps |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free 'N' suffix) |
| MSL Level | 3 |
| JTAG Support | Yes (IEEE 1149.1 boundary scan) |
EP1C4F400C8N 400-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1C4F400C8N (400-ball fbga (fineline bga) package) with 301 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 EP1C4F400C8N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 301 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
EP1C4F400C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Bridging and Image Sensor Pre-Processing, Low-Cost Software Defined Radio Front-End, Factory Automation Backplane Controller, Educational FPGA Development Kits, Telecommunications Glue Logic and Bridging.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP1C4F400C8N is widely deployed in industrial variable-frequency drives and servo controllers where its 4,000 logic elements and 301 user I/O pins deliver deterministic PWM generation, encoder decoding, and fieldbus glue logic on a single chip. The two on-chip PLLs synthesize the high-resolution switching frequencies needed for space-vector modulation while staying phase-locked to a backplane reference clock. Designers benefit from 78 Kbits of M4K RAM for commutation tables and from SSTL-2/3 I/O for direct connection to DDR memory that buffers waveform samples. The 1.0 mm pitch 400-ball FBGA package exposes enough pins to host EtherCAT, Profinet, and parallel ADC front-ends simultaneously, and the lead-free RoHS-compliant ball finish withstands high-temperature reflow profiles used in industrial-grade assembly lines.
Recommended
Video Bridging and Image Sensor Pre-Processing
The EP1C4F400C8N is well matched to video bridging tasks where a parallel CMOS sensor streams 8/10/12-bit pixels at 80 MHz into the FPGA, which performs color-space conversion, gamma correction, and frame-rate adaptation before pushing data into DDR SDRAM. The 17 M4K blocks provide 78 Kbits of line-buffer memory for horizontal resampling, while the DDR interface sustains burst writes at up to 266 Mbps without external controllers. With 301 user I/O pins, designers can simultaneously accept ITU-R BT.656, VGA, and LVDS inputs and route outputs to HDMI transmitters or parallel RGB panels. The 130 nm CMOS process keeps static power low enough for fanless enclosures, and the 400-ball FBGA dissipates heat evenly through the package substrate for reliable operation in 24/7 surveillance chassis.
Recommended
Low-Cost Software Defined Radio Front-End
Hobbyist and educational software-defined radio platforms frequently use the EP1C4F400C8N as the digital down-conversion engine, because its 4,000 logic elements comfortably implement NCOs, half-band filters, and CIC decimators for narrow-band I/Q streams up to 25 MHz wide. The two PLLs generate the sample clocks that synchronize the ADC and DAC chains with sub-nanosecond jitter, while the DDR interface streams baseband data into external SDRAM for host transfer via USB or Ethernet. The 301 user I/O pins allow direct attachment of parallel ADCs, DACs, and tuning boards without intermediate buffers. Its commercial-grade temperature window (0C to +85C) is well suited to lab and home environments, and lead-free RoHS-compliant assembly simplifies global distribution of SDR kits.
Recommended
Factory Automation Backplane Controller
In factory-automation backplanes, the EP1C4F400C8N serves as a low-cost protocol-bridging device that converts between EtherCAT, Modbus, RS-485, and parallel backplane buses. Its 4,000 logic elements and 17 M4K blocks easily hold state machines for deterministic communication scheduling, and 301 user I/O pins allow direct attachment of multiple isolated bus transceivers. The 1.5 V core keeps thermal output modest even when all eight global clock networks drive simultaneous 100 MHz domains. DDR SDRAM support enables buffering of large process-control telemetry streams, while the 1.0 mm pitch FBGA's large thermal pad dissipates heat into industrial metal enclosures. The RoHS-compliant lead-free finish supports modern assembly lines and avoids exemption paperwork in EU markets.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Development Kits
The EP1C4F400C8N has become a default teaching device in university digital-logic laboratories because its 4,000 logic elements are large enough for semester projects yet small enough to keep compile times under a minute on student laptops running Quartus II Web Edition. The 400-ball FineLine BGA exposes 301 user I/O pins, giving students ample headroom for breadboard-friendly header breakouts, pushbuttons, LEDs, seven-segment displays, and PMOD connectors. The Cyclone family datasheet's comprehensive reference designs for Nios II soft-core processors, VGA controllers, and PS/2 keyboards let instructors focus on HDL concepts rather than board bring-up. The lead-free RoHS-compliant package simplifies compliance paperwork for campus procurement and matches the lead-free assembly lines used by educational kit manufacturers.
Recommended
Telecommunications Glue Logic and Bridging
Telecom equipment makers historically deployed the EP1C4F400C8N as glue logic between T1/E1 framers, framer/mapper ASICs, and backplane SERDES devices. Its 4,000 logic elements accommodate protocol state machines for HDLC, PPP, and GFP, while the 17 M4K blocks hold up to 78 Kbits of elastic-storage buffers for rate adaptation. The two PLLs synthesize the 1.544 MHz, 2.048 MHz, and 19.44 MHz clock trees required in legacy telecom backplanes. The DDR interface bridges into SDRAM used as a shared packet buffer, and 301 user I/O pins allow fan-out to multiple framer ICs and timing sources. While the part is now in last-time-buy, established designs benefit from drop-in variants EP1C4F400C8, EP1C4F400C7N, and EP1C4F400C6N that share the same 400-ball FBGA footprint and bitstream-compatible silicon.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1C4F400C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1C4F400C8 | EP1C4F400C7N | EP1C4F400C6N | EP1C4F324C8N | EP1C4F400I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 400-ball FBGA | 400-ball FBGA - same | 400-ball FBGA - same | 400-ball FBGA - same | 324-ball FBGA | 400-ball FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| User I/O Pins | 301 | 301 | 301 | 301 | ~249 | 301 |
| Speed Grade | 8 (commercial, 8 ns) | 8 (commercial, 8 ns) | 7 (commercial, 7 ns) | 6 (commercial, 6 ns) | 8 (commercial, 8 ns) | 7 (industrial, 7 ns) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (N suffix) | No (SnPb finish) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) |
| RAM Bits | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 | 78,336 |
| Unit Price (qty 1, USD) | 28.66 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| Source | web_data | web_data | web_data | web_data | web_data | llm_knowledge |
Key Differentiators
- Largest 400-ball FBGA in the Cyclone I family (vs EP1C4F324C8N)
- Lead-free RoHS-compliant ball finish (vs EP1C4F400C8)
- Slower but cheaper 8 ns speed grade available (vs EP1C4F400C7N)
- Commercial temperature window versus industrial options (vs EP1C4F400I7N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at the Cyclone I maximum core current of about 400 mA (1.5 V), the EP1C4F400C8N draws roughly 0.6 W from VCCINT and another 0.3 W from VCCIO at 100% I/O toggle rate. Place one 100 µF tantalum plus four 0.1 µF X7R ceramics per VCCINT ball, and 0.1 µF X7R ceramics every two VCCIO pins, within 5 mm of the BGA balls. VCCA_PLL must be filtered with a ferrite bead and 10 µF + 0.1 µF network to keep PLL jitter below 200 ps peak-to-peak.
Route DDR address, command, and clock traces first with 50 Ω single-ended impedance and length-matched within ±25 ps of the 90-degree shifted clock. Use fly-by topology on DDR2 and keep the VTT termination island within the BGA field. For LVDS pairs, maintain 100 Ω differential impedance and length match within ±10 ps; place series-coupled 2.2 nF capacitors within 5 mm of the FPGA balls to bias the LVDS common-mode voltage.
Do not assume the EP1C4F400C8N and EP1C4F400C8 are identical - the 'N' suffix denotes lead-free RoHS finish and is the only version currently shipping at most franchised distributors. Conversely, do not assume EP1C4F400C7N is slower - it is actually faster (7 ns vs 8 ns). Also verify JTAG chain order before first bring-up: TDO of EP1C4F400C8N feeds TDI of downstream devices, and the nCONFIG and nSTATUS pins require 10 kΩ pull-ups to VCCIO.
Estimated: at 1 W total power dissipation, the 400-ball FBGA's theta_JA of about 15 C/W (with 4-layer JEDEC test board) yields a 15 C junction rise above ambient. The 1.0 mm pitch BGA is best cooled with a continuous copper land pattern on the top layer and at least four thermal vias under the central die flag. For sealed enclosures, derate by 0.5 C per 100 m above 500 m altitude per the Altera Cyclone Family datasheet thermal table.
The Cyclone I global clock network skew is typically 200 ps across the device. For designs that demand tighter skew, route high-speed clocks through one of the two PLLs and use the dedicated clock pins CLK[0..15]. If LVDS signaling is used, dedicate one I/O bank to LVDS25 or LVDS33 and avoid mixing SSTL and LVDS in the same bank to prevent simultaneous-switching-noise coupling.
Compliance Information
Lead-free RoHS compliance indicated by 'N' suffix per Altera/Intel ordering information. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in verified web data and is marked 'unknown'. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade FPGA; industrial EP1C4F400I7N is the wider-temperature variant but not automotive-qualified.
