EPM3256AQI208-10N - MAX 3000A CPLD, 256 Macrocells, 10ns | Altera
MPN: EPM3256AQI208-10N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18.5 | $18.50 |
| 10 | $16.2 | $162.00 |
| 100 | $13.85 | $1,385.00 |
| 500 | $11.4 | $5,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $9.75 | $9,750.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM3256AQI208-10N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EPM3256AQI208-10N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 256 |
| User I/Os | 161 |
| Usable Gates | 5,000 |
| Logic Elements / LABs | 16 Logic Array Blocks (LABs) |
| Propagation Delay (tPD) | 10 ns |
| Counter Frequency | 118.7 MHz (max, -10 speed grade) |
| Speed Grade | -10 |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 3.3 V |
| I/O Logic Level Compatibility | 5.0 V, 3.3 V, 2.5 V (MultiVolt I/O) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (industrial) |
| Package | 208-pin PQFP (Plastic Quad Flat Pack) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Programming Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) ISP |
| Process Technology | CMOS EEPROM |
| Hot-Socketing Support | Yes |
| RoHS Status | Non-compliant (Pb-bearing PQFP package) |
EPM3256AQI208-10N 208-pin pqfp (plastic quad flat pack) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPM3256AQI208-10N (208-pin pqfp (plastic quad flat pack) 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 EPM3256AQI208-10N.
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
EPM3256AQI208-10N is suitable for 6 applications: Microcontroller Bus Address Decoding & Latching, Industrial Control Glue Logic & I/O Expansion, Legacy PCI Bridge & Interface Logic, Peripheral I/O Expansion in Networking Gear, Education & Prototyping Platforms, State-Machine & Protocol-Conversion Engines.
Microcontroller Bus Address Decoding & Latching
The EPM3256AQI208-10N is widely deployed as a high-density glue-logic device for decoding and latching multiplexed address buses in 8/16/32-bit microcontroller and ASIC designs. With 256 macrocells and 161 user I/Os, it can replace dozens of 74-series logic packages, freeing PCB real-estate and reducing BOM cost. The deterministic 10 ns pin-to-pin delay ensures clean chip-select and read/write strobe timing across the full industrial temperature range (-40 C to +85 C). Paired with an external JTAG programmer, the same CPLD can be re-used across multiple board revisions, lowering NRE costs for low-to-medium-volume industrial products.
Recommended
Industrial Control Glue Logic & I/O Expansion
In factory-automation and PLC backplanes, the EPM3256AQI208-10N bridges legacy parallel buses (ISA, PC/104, VME) to modern microcontrollers via custom state machines. Its MultiVolt I/O interface supports 5.0 V, 3.3 V, and 2.5 V logic levels, allowing direct connection to both legacy TTL peripherals and modern CMOS ASICs without external level shifters. The on-chip EEPROM configuration boots in microseconds at power-on - critical for deterministic startup of safety interlocks and motor-control loops. The PQFP-208 industrial-temp package withstands the -40 C to +85 C operating range required by IEC 60068 environmental stress tests for industrial control equipment.
Recommended
Legacy PCI Bridge & Interface Logic
The MAX 3000A family supports PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2.2 timing in the -4, -5, -6, -7, and -10 speed grades, making the EPM3256AQI208-10N suitable as a glue-logic companion for legacy 32-bit PCI add-in cards. Although the -10 grade is the slowest, it still meets PCI 33 MHz 5 V signaling in non-critical decode paths. The 161 user I/Os comfortably accommodate full 32-bit address/data multiplexing plus side-band signals such as FRAME#, IRDY#, TRDY#, DEVSEL#, and PAR. Engineers migrating from older discrete-logic PCI designs benefit from the instant-on EEPROM boot, eliminating external configuration PROMs.
Recommended
Peripheral I/O Expansion in Networking Gear
Routers, switches, and base-station line cards historically used the EPM3256AQI208-10N to expand a single Ethernet-management microcontroller into dozens of buffered GPIO, LED drivers, and watchdog timers. The 5 V-tolerant I/Os allow direct connection to legacy PHY LEDs and supervisory reset circuits, while the 3.3 V core reduces switching noise on the noisy RF/digital backplane. Hot-socketing support means the CPLD can be inserted into a live backplane without disturbing the running system - a feature valued in telecom and central-office equipment. The 5,000 usable gates also support FIFO flag generation and serial-to-parallel conversion for SPI-managed PHYs.
Recommended
Education & Prototyping Platforms
University digital-logic labs and FPGA/CPLD teaching kits have long used the EPM3256AQI208-10N as a reference device because of its PQFP-208 through-hole-friendly footprint, JTAG ISP support, and abundant macrocells for student projects. Quartus II Web Edition (legacy free toolchain) and MAX+PLUS II both support the MAX 3000A family, allowing students to learn VHDL/Verilog design without commercial license fees. Although the part is obsolete, hundreds of university labs still have working development boards, making it a common training vehicle. The 10 ns propagation delay is sufficient for student projects involving UART controllers, simple CPUs, and VGA timing generation.
Recommended
State-Machine & Protocol-Conversion Engines
The EPM3256AQI208-10N's 256 macrocells comfortably implement complex FSMs (finite state machines) such as I2C/SPI master-slave bridges, UART-to-parallel converters, and custom HDLC framers. Designers exploit the deterministic timing of CPLD logic (no DRAM-style uncertainty) to build hard-real-time protocol stacks that respond within 2-3 clock cycles of an edge event. The 161 user I/Os also let a single device serve as a fan-out buffer and protocol converter between multiple asynchronous buses in avionics and medical instrumentation sub-systems. Legacy medical imaging and instrumentation carts still ship with this CPLD as a board-level glue component.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM3256AQI208-10N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM3256AQI208-10 | EPM3256AQC208-10N | EPM3256AQC208-10 | EPM3256AQC208-7N | EPM3256AQC208-7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same |
| Package | PQFP-208 | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same |
| Macrocells | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| User I/Os | 161 | 161 | 161 | 161 | 161 | 161 |
| Speed Grade (tPD) | -10 (10 ns) | -10 (10 ns) | -10 (10 ns) | -10 (10 ns) | -7 (7.5 ns) | -7 (7.5 ns) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | 0 C to +70 C (Commercial) | 0 C to +70 C (Commercial) | 0 C to +70 C (Commercial) | 0 C to +70 C (Commercial) |
| Core Voltage | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V |
| I/O Compatibility | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V (MultiVolt) | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V | 5.0 V / 3.3 V / 2.5 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Unit Price (qty 1, USD) | 18.50 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature range for harsh environments (vs EPM3256AQC208-10N)
- Largest CPLD in the MAX 3000A PQFP-208 family (vs EPM3128ATC100-10N)
- MultiVolt I/O supports 5 V/3.3 V/2.5 V without level shifters (vs EPM2210F256C5N)
Design Notes
The EPM3256AQI208-10N requires a clean 3.3 V core supply with 1.5-2.0% regulation. Place a 100 uF tantalum + 10 uF ceramic + 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling network within 25 mm of each VCCINT pin pair. I/O banks (VCCIO) may be powered from 2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 5.0 V independently, but unused VCCIO pins must still be tied to a valid rail - floating VCCIO triggers I/O tri-state leakage and can cause hot-socketing failures.
Place the JTAG chain (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) on a dedicated layer with 4.7 kohm pull-ups on TCK, TMS, and TDI per IEEE 1149.1. Route JTAG signals away from high-frequency switching nets (>20 MHz) to avoid programming-time glitches. For multi-device JTAG chains, daisy-chain TDI->TDO and add a 10 kohm pull-up on the final TDO pin to suppress floating-state noise during ISP.
Do not use the EPM3256AQI208-10N in new RoHS-compliant designs - it contains lead-bearing PQFP-208 packaging and is not compliant with Directive 2011/65/EU. For new designs, migrate to MAX II EPM570F256 or MAX V 5M570ZF256, which offer higher density in lead-free packages. Also note that the -10 speed grade does NOT meet PCI 33 MHz timing at 66 MHz operation; verify PCI compliance requirements before using this grade in PCI add-in cards.
PQFP-208 packages exhibit ~5-8 nH lead inductance per pin, which limits usable I/O toggle rates to ~80 MHz at 50 pF load. For clock signals >50 MHz, route through the center LABs of the device and add 33 ohm series damping resistors to suppress ringing. Maintain at least 3W (3x line width) spacing between adjacent high-speed I/O traces to minimize crosstalk.
Estimated: at full I/O utilization (161 outputs, 50 pF each, 25 MHz toggle, 3.3 V swing), the EPM3256AQI208-10N dissipates approximately 1.6 W. The PQFP-208 has theta_JA of approximately 38 C/W in still air, giving a 60 C junction temperature rise above ambient. For sealed enclosures, derate output toggle frequency by 25% or attach a small aluminum heatsink to maintain junction temperature below 100 C.
Compliance Information
PQFP-208 package contains lead; not RoHS compliant. Reach status declared compliant by Altera/Intel legacy documentation. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - not recommended for automotive applications.
