EP1S80B956C5N - Stratix 79K Logic Elements 956-FCBGA FPGA | Intel
MPN: EP1S80B956C5N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $255 | $2,550.00 |
| 100 | $220 | $22,000.00 |
| 500 | $195 | $97,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $175 | $175,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1S80B956C5N — 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:
EP1S80B956C6N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1S80B956C7N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1S80B956I7N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1S80B956C5N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Altera Stratix |
| Logic Elements | 79,040 |
| Maximum Internal Clock Frequency | 500 MHz |
| Process Technology | 130 nm CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Package | 956-ball FCBGA |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial, 'C' grade) |
| Speed Grade | 5 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Memory Architecture | TriMatrix on-chip memory |
| DSP Blocks | Yes (dedicated hardware multipliers) |
| PLLs | Yes (multiple) |
| I/O Standard Support | LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, HSTL (per Stratix family) |
EP1S80B956C5N 956-ball fcbga Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1S80B956C5N (956-ball fcbga 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 EP1S80B956C5N.
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
EP1S80B956C5N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Baseband Signal Processing, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Industrial Video and Image Processing, Networking Line-Card Packet Processing, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Military and Aerospace Prototyping.
Telecom Baseband Signal Processing
The EP1S80B956C5N's 79,040 logic elements, dedicated DSP blocks, and 500 MHz internal clock performance make it well-suited for telecom baseband processing. With TriMatrix on-chip memory, the device can buffer multiple symbol windows while DSP blocks execute multiply-accumulate operations for channel estimation, equalization, and turbo decoding. The 956-ball FCBGA exposes high LVDS I/O counts needed to interface to external ADCs, DACs, and CPRI/OBSAI framer ASICs in 3G/4G base-station prototyping.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
With 79K logic elements and abundant on-chip memory, the EP1S80B956C5N serves as an effective ASIC prototyping vehicle for designs in the 50K-200K gate range. Multiple EP1S80 devices can be paralleled on a multi-FPGA prototyping board to emulate larger ASICs, taking advantage of LVDS-based chip-to-chip communication and the Stratix family's deterministic timing. Quartus II design partitioning tools simplify the multi-FPGA split.
Recommended
Industrial Video and Image Processing
The EP1S80B956C5N's DSP blocks and high I/O bandwidth support real-time video pipelines at SD, HD, and early 4K resolutions. The 956-ball FCBGA exposes sufficient LVDS pairs to drive multiple Camera Link channels or HDMI/DVI interfaces, while TriMatrix memory buffers line buffers and frame stores. Designers implement motion-estimation, filtering, and color-space conversion directly in FPGA fabric, offloading the host processor.
Recommended
Networking Line-Card Packet Processing
In networking line cards the EP1S80B956C5N performs header parsing, classification, and traffic shaping at line rate. Its abundant LVDS I/O and on-chip memory enable wire-speed processing of 1G and 10G Ethernet streams, while dedicated DSP blocks accelerate hash and CRC operations. The 1.5 V core reduces power per lookup compared to older 2.5 V Stratix predecessors, easing line-card thermal budgets.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP1S80B956C5N enables custom logic-analyzer, protocol-analyzer, and arbitrary-waveform-generator front-ends. Its 500 MHz fabric, multiple PLLs, and LVDS I/O support pattern generation at hundreds of megahertz with precise edge placement. The high logic density allows a single FPGA to implement both the pattern generator and the compare/verification engine, replacing multiple discrete test chips on the same board.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Prototyping
Although the EP1S80B956C5N is commercial-temperature grade (0 °C to +85 °C), it is widely used in military/aerospace prototype and bench development where the engineering environment is controlled. Designers prototype algorithms intended for later porting to radiation-hardened FPGAs, taking advantage of the Stratix architecture's deterministic timing. The industrial-grade variant EP1S80B956I7N is preferred when -40 °C operation is required.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1S80B956C5N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1S80B956C6N | EP1S80B956C7N | EP1S80B956I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 956-ball FCBGA | 956-ball FCBGA - same | 956-ball FCBGA - same | 956-ball FCBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 79,040 | 79,040 | 79,040 | 79,040 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | 5 (fastest commercial) | 6 | 7 (slowest commercial) | 7 (industrial) |
| Temperature Range | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) | -40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) |
| Maximum Internal Clock | 500 MHz | slightly slower than C5 | slower than C6 | similar to C7 |
| Process Technology | 130 nm CMOS | 130 nm CMOS | 130 nm CMOS | 130 nm CMOS |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest speed grade in the EP1S80 commercial family (vs EP1S80B956C6N)
- Pure commercial temperature range (vs EP1S80B956I7N)
- High logic density at 79K LEs (vs EP1S60F1508C7N)
Design Notes
Estimated: The EP1S80B956C5N at 500 MHz core clock with full I/O switching typically draws 3-5 A on the 1.5 V VCCINT rail, plus 1-2 A on the 3.3 V VCCIO rails. Design the regulator stage with at least 30% headroom and place low-ESR ceramic decoupling (10 µF + 0.1 µF per supply pin group) within 5 mm of each BGA via. For 956-ball FCBGA layouts, use a 6- or 8-layer PCB stack-up with dedicated power and ground planes to suppress core-noise coupling onto LVDS pairs.
Estimated: At full 500 MHz operation the die dissipation can exceed 8 W, requiring junction-to-ambient thermal management. Although the FCBGA package has a modest theta_JA, in practice attach a small heat-spreader or thermal pad covering the die shadow on the top of the BGA. For enclosed chassis, derate by 20% above 60 °C ambient. Industrial-grade EP1S80B956I7N variants are recommended above 85 °C ambient.
The 956-ball FCBGA mandates a high-density interconnect (HDI) PCB. Use microvias (laser-drilled, 0.1 mm pad) or stacked microvias for breakout routing from inner balls. Maintain at least 4 ground vias adjacent to the BGA perimeter for return-path integrity, and follow the Altera Stratix Board Design Guidelines for skew-matched LVDS routing (max 10 mil within-pair mismatch). Add a keep-out region beneath the BGA to allow for the heat-spreader attachment.
Do not confuse the EP1S80B956C5N with the Stratix II EP2S80 (different die, different BGA ball-map, not pin-compatible). Always verify the full MPN, especially the speed-grade digit, before ordering - EP1S80B956C5, C6, C7 and I5/I7 are distinct part numbers with different timing. Configuration mode (Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, JTAG) must match the board's boot PROM to avoid lockup at power-up.
Compliance Information
The 'N' suffix in the MPN indicates lead-free packaging per Altera/Intel legacy naming convention. RoHS and REACH compliance status are not present in the verified web data; consult Intel's PCN archive for the specific date code.
