EPM3256AQC208-7 - 256 Macro Cell 5K Gate MAX 3000A CPLD | Altera
MPN: EPM3256AQC208-7 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $31.32 | $31.32 |
| 10 | $28.5 | $285.00 |
| 100 | $24.1 | $2,410.00 |
| 500 | $19.75 | $9,875.00 |
| 1,000 | $17.2 | $17,200.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM3256AQC208-7 — 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:
EPM3256AQC208-10N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4.62 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPM3256AQC208-10
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPM3256AQC208-7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$19.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPM3256AQC208-7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Altera (now Intel FPGA) |
| Series | MAX 3000A |
| Programmable Type | In-System Programmable (EEPROM) |
| Number of Macrocells | 256 |
| Number of Logic Elements / Blocks | 16 LABs |
| Number of Usable Gates | 5,000 |
| Number of I/O Pins | 158 - 161 |
| Propagation Delay (tpd) | 7.5 ns max |
| Maximum Counter Frequency | 126.6 MHz |
| Supply Voltage - Internal | 3.0 V to 3.6 V (3.3 V nominal) |
| I/O Logic Level Compatibility | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V (MultiVolt) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 70 °C (Commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package / Case | 208-BFQFP (PQFP-208, 28x28 mm) |
| Supplier Device Package | 208-PQFP |
| ISP Standard | IEEE Std. 1532 |
| Process Technology | CMOS EEPROM |
| Product Status | Active (legacy line) |
EPM3256AQC208-7 208-pqfp Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPM3256AQC208-7 (208-pqfp package) with 158 - 161 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 EPM3256AQC208-7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 158 - 161 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
EPM3256AQC208-7 is suitable for 6 applications: Bus Interface Bridging and Glue Logic, FPGA Configuration and Control Plane Logic, Peripheral I/O Expansion and LED / Display Multiplexing, Industrial Control State Machines, Address Decoding and Chip-Select Generation, Legacy Replacement and Long-Life-cycle Designs.
Bus Interface Bridging and Glue Logic
The EPM3256AQC208-7 is well suited to bus-bridging and glue-logic duties between microprocessors, memories, and peripherals where deterministic timing matters. Its 256 macro cells and 158 user I/Os comfortably implement address decoders, chip-select generators, wait-state insertion, and protocol converters on a single device. The 7.5 ns pin-to-pin delay delivers address-to-chip-select latency below one PCI clock at 33 MHz, and the MultiVolt I/O banks connect directly to 5 V microcontrollers and 3.3 V peripherals without external level shifters, reducing BOM cost and PCB area. With non-volatile EEPROM configuration the device is instantly active at power-up, eliminating the FPGA-style configuration delay that would otherwise stall the host CPU's boot ROM access.
Recommended
FPGA Configuration and Control Plane Logic
In FPGA-based systems the EPM3256AQC208-7 is commonly used as a configuration supervisor: it sequences the FPGA's PROG, INIT, and DONE signals, multiplexes between multiple bitstreams, and implements housekeeping state machines. Its 126.6 MHz internal counter frequency is fast enough to handle UART, SPI, or I2C configuration interfaces, while 256 macro cells absorb substantial state-machine complexity including watchdog timers and fallback boot logic. The 208-PQFP footprint is large enough to bring out all control signals but small enough to fit beneath or beside an FPGA on the same board. The instant-on non-volatile configuration guarantees the CPLD is live before the FPGA begins its configuration sequence.
Recommended
Peripheral I/O Expansion and LED / Display Multiplexing
The 161 user I/Os on the EPM3256AQC208-7 make it a strong fit for I/O expansion in industrial controllers, where dozens to hundreds of digital lines must be scanned, debounced, or PWM-driven from a single host interface. The CPLD's macro-cell flip-flops absorb scan-matrix multiplexing for keypads and LED matrices without burdening the host MCU, while the 126.6 MHz counter frequency supports high-refresh-rate multiplexed seven-segment or dot-matrix displays. The MultiVolt I/O banks let the same CPLD drive both 5 V LED displays and 3.3 V MCU-side logic, simplifying mixed-voltage PCBs and reducing the bill of materials.
Recommended
Industrial Control State Machines
For PLC-style industrial controllers, the EPM3256AQC208-7 implements deterministic state machines for sequential process control, stepper-motor commutation, and safety interlocks. The 256 macro cells comfortably encode complex multi-stage state diagrams with parallel transition logic, while the deterministic 7.5 ns pin-to-pin delay lets designers calculate worst-case reaction time for safety-critical inputs. The commercial 0-70 °C temperature grade suits most factory-floor enclosures; for harsher industrial environments, swap to the AQI208-10N industrial variant on the same footprint. JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) boundary-scan support allows in-system programming and board-level interconnect testing, reducing manufacturing test cost.
Recommended
Address Decoding and Chip-Select Generation
Classic CPLD territory: the EPM3256AQC208-7 generates chip-select signals for memory banks, peripherals, and I/O devices from a microprocessor address bus. With 256 macro cells and wide input gating, the device can decode address spaces of 24-32 bits while leaving room for additional control logic such as wait-state insertion, byte-enable steering, and bus-cycle tracking. The MultiVolt I/O supports direct connection to both 5 V 8051-class MCUs and 3.3 V ARM cores, and the instant-on behavior means decoders are live before the host begins its first memory access, eliminating boot-time glitches that could cause unintended peripheral activation.
Recommended
Legacy Replacement and Long-Life-cycle Designs
The EPM3256AQC208-7 is widely used in long-lifecycle products such as medical instrumentation, test equipment, aerospace ground support, and industrial controllers that must remain in production for 10-20 years. Its mature EEPROM-based architecture, well-documented IEEE 1532 ISP, and broad distributor stock make it a stable choice for designs that cannot tolerate the supply churn of newer families. When the -7 speed grade is out of stock, the -10 and -10N variants on the same 208-PQFP footprint serve as drop-in replacements with a modest 25% timing penalty. For new designs where the user can change footprints, MAX II (EPM240/EPM570) is the recommended modern successor offering lower power and lower cost.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM3256AQC208-7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM3256AQC208-10N | EPM3256AQC208-10 | EPM3256AQC208-7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel FPGA) | Altera (Intel FPGA) | Altera (Intel FPGA) | Altera (Intel FPGA) |
| Package | 208-PQFP (28x28 mm) | 208-PQFP (28x28 mm) - same | 208-PQFP (28x28 mm) - same | 208-PQFP (28x28 mm) - same |
| Macrocells | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| Usable Gates | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| User I/O | 158 - 161 | 158 - 161 | 158 - 161 | 158 - 161 |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tpd) | 7.5 ns | 10 ns | 10 ns | 7.5 ns |
| Max Counter Frequency | 126.6 MHz | 100 MHz (approx) | 100 MHz (approx) | 126.6 MHz |
| Core Supply Voltage | 3.3 V (3.0 - 3.6 V) | 3.3 V (3.0 - 3.6 V) | 3.3 V (3.0 - 3.6 V) | 3.3 V (3.0 - 3.6 V) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 70 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to 70 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to 70 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to 70 °C (Commercial) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | No (standard lead finish) | Yes ('N' suffix) | No (standard lead finish) | Yes ('N' suffix) |
Key Differentiators
- Same-die drop-in upgrade path within the MAX 3000A family (vs EPM3256AQC208-10N)
- Faster -7 speed grade over the slower -10 family (vs EPM3256AQC208-10)
- Larger 208-pin PQFP gives more I/O than smaller MAX 3000A parts (vs EPM3128ATC100-10N)
Design Notes
The EPM3256AQC208-7 requires a tightly regulated 3.3 V supply on VCCINT (3.0 V to 3.6 V range). Place a 100 µF bulk tantalum plus 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling capacitor within 25 mm of each VCCINT pin group; the device can draw substantial transient current during ISP programming. Each VCCIO bank must be tied to its respective logic-rail voltage (2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 5.0 V) and bypassed with 0.1 µF + 10 µF capacitance. Power-supply ramp-up must be monotonic — the MAX 3000A family latches into configuration only after clean power-on reset; noisy or oscillating rails can cause incomplete ISP and silent configuration corruption.
The 208-PQFP (28x28 mm) package requires careful PCB layout because of its fine 0.5 mm pitch leads. Use a 4-layer board with a dedicated ground plane directly beneath the device to control switching noise and provide thermal spreading. All unused user I/O pins should be left floating or tied to ground via 10 kΩ resistors — never leave them driving into an undefined logic state. JTAG pins TDI, TMS, TCK, and TDO must be pulled to known states: TCK pulled low through 10 kΩ, TMS pulled up through 10 kΩ, and TDI pulled up through 10 kΩ, otherwise spurious boundary-scan activity can interfere with normal operation.
Although the EPM3256AQC208-7 is not a high-speed SerDes device, its 7.5 ns pin-to-pin delay translates to a useful toggle bandwidth above 100 MHz. Route clock and high-fanout signals on inner layers with controlled impedance (50 Ω microstrip / stripline) and keep them away from analog sections of the board. The MultiVolt I/O interface tolerates 5 V inputs on the device's 3.3 V VCCIO bank without external clamping — verify in the MAX 3000A datasheet that this hot-swap capability applies to your specific I/O bank configuration. Use Altera's Quartus II (legacy) or Quartus Prime software for place-and-route timing closure to ensure all paths meet setup/hold requirements.
Do not confuse the EPM3256AQC208-7 (PQFP-208, -7 speed grade, commercial temp) with the EPM3256AQI208-10N (PQFP-208, -10 speed grade, industrial temp) or the EPM3256AFC256-7 (FBGA-256, same -7 speed grade but different package footprint — NOT drop-in). Mixing these up will result in either a non-functional PCB (footprint mismatch with FBGA variant) or timing violations (commercial vs industrial grade). The 'AQC' suffix encodes: A = MAX 3000A family, Q = PQFP package, C = commercial temperature, 208 = pin count; speed grade (-7, -10) and lead-free indicator (N) follow separately. Always verify the full order code against the manufacturer datasheet before PCB layout.
Compliance Information
The EPM3256AQC208-7 (without 'N' suffix) is the standard lead-finish variant. RoHS/lead-free compliance applies to the '-7N' / '-10N' variants. The part is commercial temperature grade (0-70 °C) and is not AEC-Q100 qualified; choose AQI208 variants for industrial (-40 to 85 °C) applications.
