EP20K100BC356-1 - APEX-20K FPGA 100K Gates 356-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K100BC356-1 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $132 | $1,320.00 |
| 100 | $118.5 | $11,850.00 |
| 500 | $105 | $52,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $92.75 | $92,750.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K100BC356-1 β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K100BC356-1V
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100BC356-1X
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100EBC356-2
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100EBC356-1
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100BC356-3V
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100BC356-1 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX-20K |
| Device Type | Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4160 |
| Total RAM Bits | 53248 |
| User I/O Count | 252 |
| Number of Gates | 100000 (typical) |
| Propagation Delay | 1.6 ns |
| Speed Grade | -1 |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V typical) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to 85 C (commercial) |
| Package Type | 356-LBGA (Large BGA) |
| Package Dimensions | 45 x 45 mm, 1.27 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Process Technology | 0.15 micrometer all-layer copper CMOS |
| Configuration Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1), passive serial/parallel |
EP20K100BC356-1 45 x 45 mm, 1.27 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP20K100BC356-1 (45 x 45 mm, 1.27 mm pitch 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 EP20K100BC356-1.
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
EP20K100BC356-1 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Data-Path Processing, Video and Image Preprocessing, DSP Co-Processing and Hardware Acceleration, Industrial Control Backplane Glue Logic, Legacy Communication Infrastructure Sustainment, Test and Measurement Front-End Logic.
Telecom Data-Path Processing
The EP20K100BC356-1 fits telecom backplane data-path processing where 100K gates of logic and 53,248 bits of embedded RAM are sufficient for a single line-card or framer function. Its 252 user I/O pins support multiple parallel bus interfaces (UTOPIA, POS-PHY, or proprietary telecom buses) without external mux logic, and the 1.6 ns propagation delay at -1 speed grade is adequate for 60-80 MHz state-machine operation. In production cards, the device is paired with a TI TMS320C6x DSP or a PowerPC host CPU, with the FPGA implementing glue logic, FIFO buffers, and protocol adaptation layers. The APEX-20K embedded system blocks (ESBs) are configured as dual-port RAM for cell buffering at line rates up to 155 Mbps, which is why the part remains in service on legacy STM-1/OC-3 line cards.
Recommended
Video and Image Preprocessing
The EP20K100BC356-1 is well suited to video preprocessing blocks that require real-time pixel pipeline and frame buffering. With 53,248 embedded RAM bits distributed across multiple ESBs, the device can hold at least one full CIF-resolution (352x288) frame buffer on-chip, eliminating an external SRAM in cost-sensitive designs. The 252 I/O pins support 16-bit video buses plus ITU-R BT.656 or parallel RGB interfaces. The 1.6 ns propagation delay allows pixel-clock rates up to about 60 MHz, covering NTSC/PAL and SDTV video rates. Pairing the FPGA with a video ADC such as the ADV7181 or a DAC such as the ADV7171 forms a complete video capture or playback subsystem, with the APEX-20K implementing color-space conversion and deinterlacing in hardware.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing and Hardware Acceleration
The EP20K100BC356-1 serves as a hardware accelerator alongside a general-purpose DSP in latency-sensitive DSP co-processing applications. The 4,160 logic elements provide enough capacity for FFT butterflies, Viterbi decoders, or FIR filter arrays that would otherwise consume 30-50 percent of a DSP core's cycles. The ESBs configured as dual-port RAM implement coefficient tables and circular buffers needed by streaming DSP algorithms. With 252 I/O pins, the FPGA interfaces to the DSP's external memory interface (EMIF) and host-port bus without glue logic. A representative design pairs the EP20K100BC356-1 with a TMS320C6701 DSP at 100 MHz, where the FPGA offloads a 256-point FFT and reduces DSP load by 40 percent.
Recommended
Industrial Control Backplane Glue Logic
The EP20K100BC356-1 is used in industrial PLC and backplane designs where it integrates multiple bus protocols (VME, CompactPCI, or proprietary industrial buses) into a single programmable bridge. The 252 I/O pins allow direct interfacing to 8-bit and 16-bit parallel buses without external transceivers, and the 53,248 embedded RAM bits implement FIFO buffers and command queues for asynchronous bus conversion. The commercial 0-85 C operating range suits factory-floor enclosures, while the 1.6 ns propagation delay accommodates standard 33 MHz PCI or VME64 bus rates. Production boards pair the FPGA with a microcontroller such as the Motorola MPC860 or an Intel i960 host processor for protocol translation.
Recommended
Legacy Communication Infrastructure Sustainment
The EP20K100BC356-1 is predominantly used today as a sustainment part for legacy communication infrastructure where board re-design is impractical due to long qualification cycles. Long-life programs in defense, aerospace, and telecom central offices rely on Rochester Electronics and authorized distributors to maintain supply of the original APEX-20K device. The 1.6 ns propagation delay and 100K-gate density match the original design specification, so no firmware or timing closure changes are needed when replacing a board. The same firmware bitstream loads unchanged into EP20K100BC356-1, EP20K100BC356-1V, and EP20K100EBC356-2 variants, simplifying long-term inventory management.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Front-End Logic
The EP20K100BC356-1 is well matched to test and measurement equipment front ends where it implements custom trigger logic, pattern generators, and protocol-aware decode engines. The 4,160 logic elements allow a single FPGA to handle multiple parallel instrument channels, while the 53,248 bits of embedded RAM buffer captured waveform segments at sample rates up to 200 MSPS. The 252 I/O pins fan out to multiple ADC and DAC channels without external mux logic. In a typical oscilloscope or logic-analyzer design, the FPGA is paired with an 8-bit 200 MSPS ADC such as the AD9288 and a high-speed comparator array, with the APEX-20K implementing peak detection and decimation in hardware.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K100BC356-1 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K100BC356-1V | EP20K100BC356-1X | EP20K100EBC356-2 | EP20K100EBC356-1 | EP20K100BC356-3V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm, 1.27 mm pitch) | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm) - same | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm) - same | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm) - same | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm) - same | 356-LBGA (35x35 mm) - same |
| Series | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K |
| Logic Elements | 4160 | 4160 | 4160 | 4160 | 4160 | 4160 |
| Total RAM Bits | 53248 | 53248 | 53248 | 53248 | 53248 | 53248 |
| User I/O Count | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 |
| Speed Grade | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 (faster) | -1 | -3 (fastest) |
| Propagation Delay | 1.6 ns | 1.6 ns | 1.6 ns | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| Core Voltage | 1.71-1.89 V | 1.71-1.89 V | 1.71-1.89 V | 1.8 V (lower-power E process) | 1.8 V (lower-power E process) | 1.71-1.89 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete (Rochester stock) | Obsolete (Rochester stock) | Obsolete (Rochester stock) | Obsolete (Rochester stock) | Obsolete (Rochester stock) |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible with full APEX-20K 356-LBGA family (vs EP20K100EBC356-2)
- Same die across -1 and -V variants (vs EP20K100BC356-1V)
- Lower cost than -3 speed grade for legacy systems (vs EP20K100BC356-3V)
Design Notes
Place decoupling capacitors as close as possible to each VCC and VCCIO pin of the 356-LBGA. The Altera APEX-20K reference design recommends one 0.1 microfarad X7R ceramic per VCC pin plus a single 47 microfarad tantalum bulk capacitor per supply rail. Place the configuration PROG and CONFIG_DONE pull-up resistors within 1 inch of their respective pins to avoid spurious reconfiguration during power-up.
Do not exceed the maximum VCCIO of 3.6 V when driving 3.3 V LVCMOS signals; the 5 V tolerant I/O version is a different part suffix. The MSEL[2:0] pins must be tied to logic-high or logic-low through 1 kohm resistors, not left floating, otherwise the device may power up in the wrong configuration mode. JTAG TCK should be series-terminated with 33 ohm if the trace exceeds 2 inches to prevent reflection-induced configuration failures.
Static CMOS logic in the APEX-20K family dissipates power primarily during switching, so worst-case junction temperature depends on toggle rate rather than quiescent current. For the 356-LBGA package with theta_JA around 15 C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board, a continuous 1 W dissipation yields about 15 C junction rise above ambient, generally within the 0-85 C commercial range. Forced-air cooling is required only when the design exceeds 60-70 percent of available logic elements switching simultaneously.
Route the 252 user I/O signals in groups matching the bank voltage (VCCIO) assignments on the APEX-20K pin table; mixing 3.3 V and 2.5 V signals in the same bank will damage the device. Keep all clock inputs (CLK[3:0] and FCLK) on inner layers with ground reference and length-matched to within 100 mil of each other to minimize skew. The 356-ball BGA at 1.27 mm pitch requires microvia or via-in-pad PCB technology for reliable assembly - confirm with your board house before layout.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance status not present in the verified web data; the APEX-20K family predates RoHS requirements. AEC-Q100 is not applicable because this is a commercial-grade FPGA without automotive qualification.
