EPF8820ARQ208-3N - FLEX 8000 FPGA 8K Gates 672 Cells 5V RQFP-208
MPN: EPF8820ARQ208-3N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $48.5 | $48.50 |
| 10 | $42.75 | $427.50 |
| 100 | $36.2 | $3,620.00 |
| 500 | $30.8 | $15,400.00 |
| 1,000 | $26.4 | $26,400.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPF8820ARQ208-3N — 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:
EPF8820ARQ208-3
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF8820ARQ208-4N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF8820ARI208-3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$21.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF8820ARI208-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$55.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF8820ARC208-3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$85 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF8820ARQ208-3N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | FLEX 8000 |
| Typical Gates | 8,000 |
| Maximum Gates | 16,000 |
| Logic Cells / Logic Elements | 672 |
| User I/O Pins | 152 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 125 MHz |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm CMOS SRAM |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 5 V |
| I/O Voltage | 5 V TTL compatible |
| Package | 208-pin RQFP (Power QFP) |
| Configuration Method | Serial (EPC1/EPC1064/EPC1213/EPC1441) or parallel EPROM |
| Speed Grade | -3 |
| Temperature Range | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial, N suffix) |
| Lead Finish | Lead-free NiPdAu (N suffix) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EPF8820ARQ208-3N 208-pin rqfp (power qfp) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPF8820ARQ208-3N (208-pin rqfp (power qfp) package) with 152 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 EPF8820ARQ208-3N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 152 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
EPF8820ARQ208-3N is suitable for 6 applications: 32-bit Bus Integration and Peripheral Bridging, Industrial Control and Factory Automation, Telecommunications Line Cards and Channel Banks, Legacy 5V System Glue Logic Consolidation, Custom Microcontroller Peripheral Expansion, Test Equipment and Instrumentation Backplanes.
32-bit Bus Integration and Peripheral Bridging
The EPF8820ARQ208-3N's 152 user I/O pins and 8,000-gate capacity make it ideal for integrating 32-bit microprocessor buses, PCI bridge glue logic, and custom peripheral controllers in a single device. With 672 logic elements and continuous FastTrack interconnect, designers can implement wide datapath registers, address decoders, and wait-state generators on one die. Typical designs place the FPGA between an embedded CPU (such as an 80386, MPC860, or i960) and external peripherals, replacing 8 to 15 standard logic devices. The 5 V I/O tolerance directly interfaces with legacy 5 V TTL buses without level shifters.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Factory Automation
Industrial controllers often require combining high-voltage I/O, encoder interfaces, motor-control timers, and protocol bridges in a single rugged package. The EPF8820ARQ208-3N (commercial) or its industrial sibling EPF8820ARI208-3N handles quadrature decoder logic, PWM generators, and CAN/RS-485 glue logic at 5 V logic levels. The 208-pin RQFP footprint provides enough I/O for 8 to 16 axis of motion control with 5V-tolerant inputs. Designers value the SRAM-based architecture for field firmware updates via the JTAG port, which is critical for deployed industrial systems that cannot be returned for reprogramming.
Recommended
Telecommunications Line Cards and Channel Banks
Telecom line cards of the late 1990s and 2000s used FLEX 8000 devices for T1/E1 framer glue logic, HDLC controllers, and time-slot interchangers. The EPF8820ARQ208-3N delivers 8,000 gates with up to 125 MHz Fmax, sufficient for 8-channel HDLC aggregation at 2.048 MHz per channel. Its 152 I/Os interface directly to 5 V framers, LIU ICs, and backplane transceivers without external buffers. The SRAM configuration also supports in-system field upgrades as telecom protocols evolved.
Recommended
Legacy 5V System Glue Logic Consolidation
Older 5V designs filled with PALs, GALs, 74FCT logic, and discrete TTL can be consolidated onto a single EPF8820ARQ208-3N. The device replaces 10 to 20 small logic ICs, reducing board area and improving reliability. Engineers port the original Boolean equations to VHDL or Verilog and use MAX+PLUS II to fit the design. The 5 V I/O directly drives legacy 74LS/74AS/74FCT peripherals, eliminating level translation. This application is particularly attractive for defence and aerospace sustainment programmes that must keep 20-year-old systems operational.
Recommended
Custom Microcontroller Peripheral Expansion
When off-the-shelf microcontrollers lack a specific peripheral (USB 1.1 controller, IrDA encoder, smartcard interface, or graphics LCD controller), designers often turn to an FPGA companion. The EPF8820ARQ208-3N serves as a flexible peripheral coprocessor for 8051, PIC, and ARM7-class hosts. With 672 LEs and 152 I/Os, the device implements the missing peripheral and exposes it via memory-mapped registers or an 8/16-bit parallel bus. The 5 V tolerance matches the host MCU supply and removes level-shifters from the design.
Recommended
Test Equipment and Instrumentation Backplanes
Test and measurement instruments - oscilloscopes, logic analysers, protocol testers - often require custom backplane logic for routing measurement channels. The EPF8820ARQ208-3N's 152 I/Os and 125 MHz Fmax enable cross-point switching matrices, channel multiplexers, and trigger logic for instruments with 32 to 64 input channels. Designers can reconfigure the FPGA in the field as new test modes are added, providing a future-proof upgrade path for capital equipment sold into R&D laboratories.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF8820ARQ208-3N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF8820ARQ208-3 | EPF8820ARQ208-4N | EPF8820ARI208-3N | EPF8820ARI208-3 | EPF8820ARC208-3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 208-pin RQFP (Power QFP) | 208-pin RQFP - same | 208-pin RQFP - same | 208-pin RQFP - same | 208-pin RQFP - same | 208-pin BFQFP - DIFFERENT footprint |
| Logic Elements | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 | 672 |
| Typical Gates | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| User I/O Pins | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 | 152 |
| Speed Grade | -3 | -3 (same speed bin) | -4 (slower, ~15%) | -3 (same speed bin) | -3 (same speed bin) | -3 (same speed bin) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to +70 °C (commercial) |
| Lead Finish | Lead-free NiPdAu (N suffix) | SnPb (matte tin) | Lead-free NiPdAu | Lead-free NiPdAu | SnPb | Lead-free NiPdAu |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
| Approx. Unit Price (1 pc, USD) | 48.50 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | 44.20 |
Key Differentiators
- Lead-free NiPdAu lead finish on the -3N variant (vs EPF8820ARQ208-3)
- Commercial temperature range specifically (vs EPF8820ARI208-3N)
- RQFP-208 package is mechanically compatible across the speed grades (vs EPF8820ARQ208-4N)
Design Notes
The EPF8820ARQ208-3N requires a stable 5 V VCC and a 5 V VCCIO supply for 5 V TTL I/O. Add 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCC/VCCIO pin, plus a single 47 µF tantalum bulk capacitor near the package. Power-on ramp time should be monotonic and slower than 50 ms to ensure the configuration PROM (EPC1/EPC1064/EPC1213/EPC1441) is ready before the FPGA enters configuration mode. Estimated: ICC at 125 MHz with 100% I/O toggling is approximately 250 mA per Altera application note AN-74 - budget for 300 mA worst case.
The 208-pin RQFP package has a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance of approximately 28 °C/W with the exposed thermal pad soldered to 4 square inches of 2 oz copper on a 4-layer PCB. Estimated: at 250 mA × 5 V = 1.25 W dissipation, junction temperature rises 35 °C above ambient - well within the commercial 0 °C to +70 °C range. For industrial EPF8820ARI208-3N operation at 85 °C ambient, ensure at least 6 square inches of top-side copper and consider a small clip-on heatsink if the device sits in an enclosed chassis.
The 208-pin RQFP has 0.5 mm pitch leads - use NSMD (non-solder-mask-defined) pads with a pad width of 0.30 mm and a length of 1.5 mm to improve solder joint reliability. Route all 152 user I/Os on inner layers with 0.15 mm trace/space; only critical clock and global signals should use microstrip on the top layer. The exposed thermal pad MUST be soldered to a continuous copper pour with at least 9 thermal vias (0.3 mm drill, 0.5 mm pitch) to meet the package's thermal and mechanical specifications.
Do NOT confuse the ARQ208 package (Power QFP) with the ARC208 package (BFQFP with exposed pad). Although both have 208 pins and the same FLEX 8000 die, the pin assignments differ and they require different PCB land patterns. Always double-check the package suffix in the part number before layout. A common mistake is treating the -3 and -3N variants as different packages - they share the same RQFP-208 footprint and the only difference is lead finish (SnPb vs NiPdAu), so they are drop-in compatible for footprint purposes.
Dedicate one inner ground plane and one inner 5 V power plane. Place the configuration PROM within 50 mm of the FPGA's DATA0/DCLK/nCONFIG pins to avoid signal-integrity issues on the serial configuration bus. Add 4.7 kΩ pull-ups on nCONFIG, nSTATUS, and CONF_DONE lines as recommended in Altera application note AN-39. For JTAG programming via ByteBlasterMV, route TMS, TDI, TDO, TCK as a 4-wire bus with no stubs and place 10 kΩ pull-ups on TMS and TCK.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance inferred from the -N (NiPdAu lead-free) suffix per Altera/Intel product marking convention. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade FPGA. Halogen-free status not stated in the legacy datasheet, set to unknown.
