EPM240M100C4NGA - MAX II CPLD, 240 LEs, 100-pin MBGA | Intel
MPN: EPM240M100C4NGA ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18.5 | $18.50 |
| 10 | $16.4 | $164.00 |
| 100 | $13.95 | $1,395.00 |
| 500 | $11.85 | $5,925.00 |
| 1,000 | $10.2 | $10,200.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM240M100C4NGA — 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:
EPM240GM100C5N
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View Datasheet →EPM240GM100I5N
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View Datasheet →EPM240GF100C5N
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View Datasheet →EPM240GF100I5N
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View Datasheet →EPM240M100C4NGA Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | MAX II |
| Family | MAX II CPLD |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 240 |
| Equivalent Macrocells | 128 |
| On-chip Non-volatile Flash | 8 Kbits |
| Package | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) |
| Process Technology | 0.18-µm 6-layer-metal flash |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | C4 (internal timing classification) |
| Programming Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) / ISP |
| I/O Voltage Support | MultiVolt (1.5V / 1.8V / 2.5V / 3.3V) |
| Hot-socketing Support | Yes |
| Configuration Method | On-chip flash (instant-on, no boot PROM) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (per manufacturer product page) |
EPM240M100C4NGA 100-ball mbga (micro bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPM240M100C4NGA (100-ball mbga (micro bga) 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 EPM240M100C4NGA.
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
EPM240M100C4NGA is suitable for 7 applications: I2C / SPI Bus Bridging and Protocol Conversion, Power-Up Sequencing Controller, Board-Level Glue Logic Replacement, FPGA Configuration Watchdog and Reset Logic, LED Display and Signage Multiplexing, Industrial Control and Factory Automation I/O, Consumer Electronics Display Interface Bridging.
I2C / SPI Bus Bridging and Protocol Conversion
The EPM240M100C4NGA's 240 logic elements and deterministic pin-to-pin propagation delay (typically <5 ns) make it ideal for I2C-to-parallel, SPI-to-UART, and similar protocol-conversion bridges. The 8 Kbits of on-chip flash provides instant-on configuration so the bridge is operational within microseconds of power-up, eliminating the boot delay of an SRAM FPGA alternative. MultiVolt I/O (1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3V) allows direct interfacing to legacy 5V-tolerant and modern 1.8V rails without external level shifters, reducing BOM cost and board area. Designers should budget roughly 50-80 LEs per simple I2C/SPI bridge and verify pin-to-pin setup/hold timing against the target I2C/SPI clock rate.
Recommended
Power-Up Sequencing Controller
The EPM240M100C4NGA is widely used as a multi-rail power-up sequencer for FPGA, ASIC, and processor boards where multiple voltage rails must be enabled in a specific order to prevent latch-up. The instant-on, non-volatile flash-based configuration guarantees the sequencer logic is operational before the first downstream rail is enabled, a critical safety property that SRAM FPGAs cannot provide without an external boot PROM. With 240 LEs the device can sequence 4-8 rails with adjustable delay timers implemented in HDL. Use the MultiVolt I/O to interface directly to ENABLE pins of various DC-DC converters (1.5V, 3.3V, 5V logic) without external level translation.
Recommended
Board-Level Glue Logic Replacement
Designers migrating legacy 74-series glue-logic designs (address decoding, chip-select generation, interrupt steering, bus muxing) to a single CPLD will find the EPM240M100C4NGA an ideal target. Its 240 LEs can replace dozens of discrete 74HC/74LVC gates in a single 100-ball MBGA package, simplifying BOM and reducing PCB area. The non-volatile configuration means no software boot is required - the device is functional at power-up, matching the deterministic behavior of discrete gates. Hot-socketing support allows live insertion into backplane designs without latch-up or I/O contention.
Recommended
FPGA Configuration Watchdog and Reset Logic
The EPM240M100C4NGA is commonly paired with a host FPGA to monitor CONFIG_DONE, INIT, and DONE signals, asserting a clean reset or reconfiguration pulse if the FPGA fails to come up correctly. The MAX II's 8 Kbits of on-chip flash guarantees this watchdog logic is alive from the very first microsecond of board power, before the host FPGA has even loaded its bitstream - a property impossible to achieve with an SRAM-FPGA watchdog. Industrial variants (EPM240GM100I5N) extend this watchdog function into harsh-environment applications.
Recommended
LED Display and Signage Multiplexing
The 240 LEs and 100-ball MBGA package of the EPM240M100C4NGA provide ample logic and pin count to drive multiplexed LED matrix displays (e.g., 8x8 RGB panels, scrolling text signs) with deterministic refresh timing. The instant-on flash configuration boots the display driver within microseconds of power-up, and the MultiVolt I/O interface connects directly to 3.3V or 5V LED driver chains. Designers can implement PWM-based brightness control and grayscale in HDL with no external configuration memory, achieving a lower BOM than FPGA-based alternatives.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Factory Automation I/O
Rugged industrial-control designs leverage the EPM240M100C4NGA's deterministic timing and on-chip flash to build isolated I/O expanders, encoder counters, and motor-control glue logic on PLC and CNC boards. Industrial-temperature variants in the same MBGA-100 footprint (such as EPM240GM100I5N) extend operation to -40 °C to +100 °C for factory-floor and outdoor cabinet installations. The instant-on configuration also supports fail-safe PLC startup, ensuring I/O initialization matches the discrete-gate behavior expected by legacy PLC firmware without boot-delay surprises.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Display Interface Bridging
The EPM240M100C4NGA is widely used in TV, set-top box, and monitor designs to bridge between incompatible display interfaces - for example converting LVDS to eDP, parallel RGB to MIPI, or HDMI side-band signals to GPIO. With 240 LEs it can implement protocol converters up to ~50 MHz pixel clock, sufficient for 1080p60 bridging. The 100-ball MBGA package fits compact consumer PCB layouts, and the low static power of MAX II (typically 30-50 mW) helps meet Energy Star standby requirements. MultiVolt I/O connects directly to 1.8V eDP and 3.3V LVDS rails without external level shifters.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM240M100C4NGA — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM240GM100C5N | EPM240GM100I5N | EPM240GF100C5N | EPM240GF100I5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) - same | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) - same | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) - same | 100-ball MBGA (Micro BGA) - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) - same | Intel (formerly Altera) - same | Intel (formerly Altera) - same | Intel (formerly Altera) - same |
| Logic Elements | 240 LEs (128 macrocells) | 240 LEs - same | 240 LEs - same | 240 LEs - same | 240 LEs - same |
| Speed Grade | C4 (commercial) | C5 | I5 | C5 | I5 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) |
| On-chip Flash | 8 Kbits | 8 Kbits - same | 8 Kbits - same | 8 Kbits - same | 8 Kbits - same |
| Programming Interface | JTAG / ISP | JTAG / ISP - same | JTAG / ISP - same | JTAG / ISP - same | JTAG / ISP - same |
| RoHS / Lead-free | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant (lead-free finish) | RoHS compliant (lead-free finish) |
Key Differentiators
- Instant-on configuration with on-chip flash (no boot PROM required) (vs SRAM-based small FPGAs (e.g., Lattice iCE40, Xilinx Spartan-6))
- 240 logic elements in 100-ball MBGA package - very compact footprint (vs Discrete 74-series glue logic (74HC138, 74LVC245, 74HC08, etc.))
- MultiVolt I/O supporting 1.5V / 1.8V / 2.5V / 3.3V without level shifters (vs Older 5V-only or 3.3V-only CPLDs)
- Multiple same-footprint speed-grade and temperature variants available (vs Single variant of competing CPLD families)
Design Notes
The 100-ball MBGA package requires a 4-layer or higher PCB stack-up with continuous ground and power planes under the BGA field. Use 0.5 mm (or finer) trace/space rules, microvia-in-pad if budget allows, and NSMD (non-solder mask defined) land pads with 0.4 mm pitch. Follow Intel's MAX II Hardware Reference Manual ball map exactly - swapping MBGA pads with TQFP pin numbers is a common bring-up error.
Do not confuse the EPM240M100C4NGA (MBGA-100) with the EPM240M100C4N (TQFP-100) - they share the same silicon die but use incompatible PCB footprints. Also verify JTAG chain order in multi-device boards: MAX II's TDI/TDO must be in the correct chain sequence, and a wrong chain order will cause the Quartus programmer to fail to detect the device even though the PCB is correct. Always generate a fresh JIC file when migrating between speed grades (C4 vs C5).
Decouple VCCINT (core) and VCCIO (I/O bank) rails independently with 0.1 µF ceramic capacitors placed as close to the package balls as possible, plus a bulk 10 µF tantalum or ceramic per supply pin. The MultiVolt I/O feature lets you mix 1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3V on different banks, but each bank has its own VCCIO pin - do not tie them together if you need different voltages. Static power is typically 30-50 mW; dynamic power scales with toggle rate and logic utilization.
Estimated: at 50% LE utilization and 100 MHz global clock with 20% toggle rate, the EPM240M100C4NGA draws approximately 200-300 mW from VCCINT (1.8V) plus I/O dynamic power. Provide adequate copper pour under the exposed thermal pad region to keep junction temperature below 125 °C - in still air, plan for at least 1 cm² of copper pour tied to GND. Avoid routing high-speed signals (DDR, LVDS) across the BGA field to minimize return-path discontinuities.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Intel (formerly Altera) MAX II family product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified (CPLD is not an automotive-grade part). Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in public datasheet - request manufacturer material declaration for confirmation. Lead-free finish indicated by 'G' character in part number suffix.
