EPF81188AQC240-2 - FLEX 8000 FPGA, 12K Gates, 240-Pin PQFP | Altera
MPN: EPF81188AQC240-2 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45 | $45.00 |
| 10 | $39.5 | $395.00 |
| 100 | $33.2 | $3,320.00 |
| 250 | $29.8 | $7,450.00 |
| 500 | $27.1 | $13,550.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPF81188AQC240-2 — 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:
EPF81188AQC240-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$30 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF81188AQC240-4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$18.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF81500AQC240-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$61.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF8820AQC240-2
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF8636AQC240-2
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF81188AQC240-2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | FLEX 8000 |
| Usable Gates | 12,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 1,008 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 126 |
| User I/Os | 184 |
| Number of I/Os (alt source) | 148 |
| Package Type | 240-BFQFP / 240-Pin PQFP |
| Pin Count | 240 |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm CMOS SRAM |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 5 V |
| I/O Voltage Support | 3.3 V or 5.0 V (MultiVolt I/O) |
| Speed Grade | -2 |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| In-Circuit Reconfigurability | Yes (ICR) |
| Configuration Devices | EPC1, EPC1064, EPC1213, EPC1441 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +70°C (Commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EPF81188AQC240-2 240-bfqfp / 240-pin pqfp Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPF81188AQC240-2 (240-bfqfp / 240-pin pqfp package) with 240 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 EPF81188AQC240-2.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 240 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
EPF81188AQC240-2 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Card Glue Logic, Industrial Control Board Logic Integration, Legacy Bus Bridge and Protocol Converter, Replacement of Discrete TTL/CMOS Glue Logic, Educational FPGA Prototyping Platforms, Avionics and Defense Legacy Sustainment.
Telecommunications Line Card Glue Logic
The EPF81188AQC240-2's 12,000 usable gates and 184 user I/Os make it well-suited for telecommunications line cards requiring mid-density parallel bus interfacing, address decoding, and protocol conversion. In a typical line card, the FLEX 8000 device sits between a network processor and framer/mapper ASICs, implementing custom glue logic that would otherwise require 5-7 discrete TTL/CMOS packages. The MultiVolt I/O support allows direct interfacing with 3.3 V framers and 5 V legacy buses without level shifters. The 240-pin PQFP provides sufficient I/O for 32-bit data buses plus control, status, and timing signals. The -2 speed grade delivers internal performance suitable for 50-80 MHz glue-logic clocking in telecom backplane designs.
Recommended
Industrial Control Board Logic Integration
In industrial PLC backplanes and motor-control boards, the EPF81188AQC240-2 replaces dozens of 74-series TTL/CMOS logic chips with a single programmable device, simplifying board layout and reducing inventory SKUs. The 184 user I/Os handle multiple encoder inputs, PWM outputs, optocoupler-isolated control lines, and parallel communication buses (parallel ADC/DAC interfaces, ISA-style bus bridges). The 5 V supply is compatible with legacy industrial 5 V backplanes, while MultiVolt I/O permits mixing 3.3 V microcontrollers. The FLEX 8000 architecture's in-circuit reconfigurability enables field firmware updates via the JTAG port, valuable for deployed industrial systems. The 0-70°C commercial temperature range suits factory-floor enclosures with controlled climate.
Recommended
Legacy Bus Bridge and Protocol Converter
The EPF81188AQC240-2 is well matched to legacy bus bridge applications, such as ISA-to-local bus, VME bus interface, or proprietary backplane protocol conversion, where 12K gates of programmable logic plus 184 I/Os provide ample headroom for state machines and bus arbitration. The FLEX 8000 device implements master/slave state machines, address decoding, wait-state generation, and interrupt handling in a single chip. Compared to designing with discrete PALs and FPGAs from the early 1990s, the EPF81188AQC240-2 integrates logic that previously required multiple devices. The 240-pin PQFP package supports wide parallel buses (32-bit data + 32-bit address) with sufficient remaining I/Os for control signals, DMA handshaking, and status LEDs.
Recommended
Replacement of Discrete TTL/CMOS Glue Logic
The EPF81188AQC240-2 serves as a single-chip replacement for legacy designs that use 74LS/74HC/74F-series discrete logic gates, decoders, multiplexers, and small PLDs. With 12,000 usable gates and 1,008 logic elements, it can replace 10-20 discrete packages, dramatically reducing PCB area, BOM count, and assembly cost. The 5 V supply directly replaces 5 V TTL, while MultiVolt I/O allows mixed 3.3 V interfacing where needed. Designers port existing schematics into MAX+PLUS II or Quartus II (legacy) HDL, achieving equivalent functionality with documented netlist. The 240-pin PQFP package, while larger than the discrete logic it replaces, occupies less total board area than the equivalent discrete logic footprint.
Recommended
Educational FPGA Prototyping Platforms
Universities and training labs use the EPF81188AQC240-2 on legacy Altera/Altera development boards (e.g., FLEX 8000-based educational kits) to teach digital design, HDL programming, and FPGA architecture fundamentals. The 12K gate density is sufficient for student projects such as UART implementations, simple CPUs, video controllers, and audio processors, while the 240-pin PQFP exposes enough I/Os for breadboard-friendly daughterboard connections. The MAX+PLUS II and Quartus II (legacy) toolchain is mature and well-documented for educational use. As boards age, replacement EPF81188AQC240-2 units sustain these educational platforms, though newer Cyclone-based boards are recommended for new curricula.
Recommended
Avionics and Defense Legacy Sustainment
The EPF81188AQC240-2 sustains long-life-cycle avionics, military communications, and defense electronic systems originally designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Its rugged ceramic variants are no longer in production, but plastic PQFP versions continue to support line-replaceable units (LRUs) requiring form-fit-function compatibility. The FLEX 8000 architecture, while obsolete for new designs, remains well-characterized for legacy defense qualification. Authorized distributors holding lot-traceable inventory provide the only source for these long-tail applications. When repairing fielded systems, the EPF81188AQC240-2 enables direct board-level replacement without re-qualification of the host system, provided the bitstream is preserved.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF81188AQC240-2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF81188AQC240-3 | EPF81188AQC240-4 | EPF81500AQC240-2 | EPF8820AQC240-2 | EPF8636AQC240-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) - same | 240-pin PQFP (BFQFP) - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Family | FLEX 8000 | FLEX 8000 | FLEX 8000 | FLEX 8000 | FLEX 8000 | FLEX 8000 |
| Usable Gates | 12,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 16,000 (+33%) | 8,000 (-33%) | 6,000 (-50%) |
| Logic Elements | 1,008 | 1,008 | 1,008 | 1,500 | 672 | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| User I/Os | 184 | 184 | 184 | 184 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| Speed Grade | -2 (fastest) | -3 (slower) | -4 (slowest) | -2 (fastest) | -2 (fastest) | -2 (fastest) |
| Supply Voltage | 5 V core, 3.3/5 V I/O | 5 V core, 3.3/5 V I/O | 5 V core, 3.3/5 V I/O | 5 V core, 3.3/5 V I/O | 5 V core, 3.3/5 V I/O | 5 V core (no MultiVolt in 84-pin pkg only) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density at the -2 speed grade within FLEX 8000 family at this package (vs EPF81188AQC240-3)
- Migration path within same package for higher density requirements (vs EPF81500AQC240-2)
- MultiVolt I/O flexibility for mixed-voltage system integration (vs EPF8636AQC240-2)
- Sufficient user I/O for wide parallel bus designs (vs EPF81188AQC240-3)
Design Notes
The EPF81188AQC240-2 requires a 5 V ±5% core supply with sufficient bulk decoupling (typically 100 µF tantalum + 0.1 µF ceramic per supply pin cluster). Estimated: core current at full toggle activity and 12K gate utilization can reach 200-400 mA. Add 100 µF bulk + 10 µF + 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling at each VCC pin. MultiVolt I/O banks require separate 3.3 V or 5.0 V supply per bank reference, decoupled independently. Inrush during configuration can spike to ~500 mA; size upstream regulators accordingly.
The 240-pin PQFP package has an estimated θJA of approximately 25-35 C/W in still air (PQFP packages are larger and have lower thermal resistance than smaller QFNs). At maximum power dissipation (~1.5 W estimated at 12K gates with high toggle rate), junction temperature rise is roughly 40-50°C above ambient. For sealed enclosures or high-ambient industrial environments, provide airflow or attach a clip-on heatsink to the PQFP body. Thermal shutdown is not a FLEX 8000 feature; design conservatively within thermal limits.
The 240-pin PQFP uses 0.5 mm pitch leads requiring precise PCB footprint and reflow profile. Per Altera PQFP package guidelines, design land pads with 0.27 mm width and 1.27 mm length to ensure reliable solder fillets. Use solder mask-defined (SMD) pads to control pad geometry, especially for prototype runs. Place configuration EPROM (EPC1441 or EPC1) within 50 mm of the FLEX 8000 device to minimize DATA0/DCLK trace length and avoid configuration errors. Add 4-layer PCB with dedicated ground plane directly beneath the device for signal integrity and thermal spreading.
Common pitfalls with EPF81188AQC240-2 designs include: (1) forgetting MultiVolt I/O bank voltage reference configuration - all four I/O banks must have VCCIO pins tied to either 3.3 V or 5.0 V; (2) attempting to use EPC1 with 3.3 V-only systems - EPC1 requires 5 V VCC; (3) leaving JTAG TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI pins floating - they need 1-10 kΩ pull-ups or pull-downs per datasheet; (4) not providing a clean CONF_DONE pull-up to VCC - configuration can hang; (5) mixing -2/-3/-4 speed grades in multi-FPGA designs without verifying timing closure. Always verify configuration with the Altera programming software before depopulation.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance not specified in verified web data - [DATA_NEEDED]. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FLEX 8000 commercial-grade device. For automotive applications, consider Cyclone IV EQ or newer automotive-qualified FPGAs.
