EPM3512AFC256-18 - MAX 3000A CPLD, 512 Macrocells, BGA-256 | Altera
MPN: EPM3512AFC256-18 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $32 | $320.00 |
| 100 | $24.5 | $2,450.00 |
| 250 | $19.75 | $4,937.50 |
| 500 | $17.2 | $8,600.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM3512AFC256-18 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AFC256-18 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 512 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 16 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 212 |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tPD1) | 18 ns |
| Global Clock Networks | 4 |
| VCCINT (Core Supply) | 3.0 V to 3.6 V (3.3 V typical) |
| VCCIO (I/O Supply) | 2.5 V or 3.3 V (MultiVolt) |
| Programming Technology | EEPROM (non-volatile) |
| In-System Programming | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG (IEEE Std. 1149.1) |
| Package | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) |
| Ball Pitch | 1.0 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EPM3512AFC256-18 256-ball fineline bga (fcbga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EPM3512AFC256-18 (256-ball fineline bga (fcbga) package) with 212 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 EPM3512AFC256-18.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 212 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
EPM3512AFC256-18 is suitable for 7 applications: Legacy Industrial Control Glue Logic, PCI/ISA Bus Address Decoding, Multi-Rail Power Supply Sequencer, Reset Distribution and Watchdog Controller, Legacy Peripheral Register Bank, Bus Width Translation and Interfacing, State Machine and Protocol Encoder.
Legacy Industrial Control Glue Logic
The EPM3512AFC256-18 fits legacy industrial control designs where the original Altera MAX 3000A bill-of-material must be preserved across board revisions or field replacements. With 512 macrocells and 16 LABs it can absorb the wide-address decoding, bus arbitration, and interrupt-control glue logic that previously required four to six 22V10 PALs. The 18 ns tPD1 is more than adequate for 8/16-bit ISA bus timing, and the non-volatile EEPROM gives instant-on deterministic logic state at cold start - critical for fail-safe industrial controllers. Use this part only when re-validation cost of migrating to MAX II exceeds the BOM savings.
Recommended
PCI/ISA Bus Address Decoding
The EPM3512AFC256-18 is well-suited to PCI/ISA peripheral cards that need wide address decoding and command-signal generation in a single non-volatile device. The 212 available user I/O pins handle ISA bus address (SA0-SA23), command (MEMR/MEMW/IOR/IOW), and chip-select fan-out without external bus-driver buffers. The 18 ns tPD1 fits the ISA bus 8 MHz timing with adequate margin, while the JTAG ISP allows board-level programming before connector assembly. The device replaces 4-6 discrete 22V10 PALs and reduces board area significantly.
Recommended
Multi-Rail Power Supply Sequencer
The EPM3512AFC256-18 is ideal as a multi-rail power supply sequencer in ATCA/uTCA carrier boards, network switches, and telecom line cards that require deterministic turn-on and turn-off of 3.3 V, 2.5 V, 1.8 V, and 1.2 V rails. Its 512 macrocells can implement long state machines, fault-watchdog timers, and PG (power-good) cascaded sequencing in a single device. The EEPROM non-volatile configuration ensures the sequencer starts in a known state at cold power-up without waiting for boot memory, which is critical for ASIC reset distribution. Each VCCIO bank can drive PG signals at 2.5 V or 3.3 V levels to downstream rails.
Recommended
Reset Distribution and Watchdog Controller
Use the EPM3512AFC256-18 as a centralized reset-distribution and watchdog controller for systems with multiple ASICs, FPGAs, or processors that require individual reset timing. The device's 16 LABs and 512 macrocells can host multiple independent watchdog timers, a master arbiter, and reset-pulse-stretching logic. The non-volatile EEPROM behavior gives a deterministic reset state at cold power-up before any boot configuration runs, eliminating race conditions during system bring-up. The 18 ns propagation delay supports reset assertion within one 33 MHz clock cycle.
Recommended
Legacy Peripheral Register Bank
The EPM3512AFC256-18 can replace 8 to 12 discrete 74-series register/latch ICs that previously populated a peripheral card's I/O register bank. Each macrocell provides a D/T/JK/SR flip-flop with individually programmable clock and reset, and the 212 available user I/O pins comfortably handle 16-bit-wide data registers, control registers, and status registers. The MAX 3000A architecture delivers glitch-free register updates thanks to its synchronous product-term clocking, and the EEPROM-based instant-on means all registers initialize to a known default state at cold start.
Recommended
Bus Width Translation and Interfacing
The EPM3512AFC256-18 functions as a flexible bus-width translator between 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit processors or peripherals where commercial off-the-shelf translator ICs are unavailable or oversized. Each VCCIO bank can be powered at 2.5 V or 3.3 V independently, allowing the device to bridge a 3.3 V processor to a 2.5 V peripheral with no external level shifters. The 512 macrocells implement byte-enable logic, parity generation, and bus-snooping functions in a single chip, replacing two to four discrete 74-series bridge ICs and saving substantial board area in mixed-voltage designs.
Recommended
State Machine and Protocol Encoder
The EPM3512AFC256-18 is a natural fit for complex state-machine controllers and protocol encoders where many state variables and timing windows must be tracked simultaneously. Its 512 macrocells accommodate large FSMs (50-100 states), and the four global clock networks allow independent timed state transitions across the design. Legacy protocol encoders - HDLC framing, I2C/SPI master controllers, parallel-to-serial converters - map efficiently onto the macrocell architecture. The EEPROM non-volatile storage lets the encoder start in a known protocol state at cold power-up without external boot logic.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM3512AFC256-18 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM3512AFC256-10N | EPM3512AFC256-10 | EPM3256AFC256-10N | EPM3256AFC256-10 | EPM3256AFC256-7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 256-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same |
| Family | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 512 | 512 | 512 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tPD1) | 18 ns | 10 ns (44% faster) | 10 ns (44% faster) | 10 ns | 10 ns | 7.5 ns |
| Programming Technology | EEPROM (non-volatile) | EEPROM (non-volatile) | EEPROM (non-volatile) | EEPROM (non-volatile) | EEPROM (non-volatile) | EEPROM (non-volatile) |
| In-System Programming | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG | IEEE Std. 1532 / JTAG |
| VCCIO (I/O Supply) | 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V or 3.3 V | 2.5 V or 3.3 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible speed-grade upgrade available (vs EPM3512AFC256-10N)
- Pin-compatible lower-capacity variant (vs EPM3256AFC256-10N)
- Non-volatile EEPROM instant-on (vs SRAM-based FPGAs)
Design Notes
The 256-ball FineLine BGA at 1.0 mm pitch demands a 4- or 6-layer PCB stack-up with controlled-impedance routing and microvia or via-in-pad technology to escape the ball array reliably. Place at least one full GND plane directly under the device to provide a low-impedance return path for the 16 LABs and the high-frequency JTAG signals. Decoupling: a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 2 mm of each VCCINT/VCCIO ball group, with a single 10 uF bulk tantalum or ceramic at the package edge. Estimated: typical MAX 3000A core current is around 200-400 mA at 3.3 V, so bulk capacitance must supply that during JTAG programming transients.
Route JTAG signals (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) as a daisy-chain or star from a single 4-pin header, with TCK having a series-termination resistor (33-68 ohm) close to the driver. Keep JTAG traces away from clock and high-speed I/O to avoid programming failures during ISP. The MultiVolt VCCIO banks should be grouped by destination voltage - one bank per voltage rail - to minimize simultaneous-switching-noise coupling. Estimate: VCCIO bank current scales with the number of I/O pins and toggle rate; budget 10-20 mA per switching output at 3.3 V.
Do not assume the EPM3512AFC256-18 is 5 V tolerant on its I/O. The MAX 3000A datasheet specifies 5 V tolerance only when VCCIO = 3.3 V and an external pull-up is used; with VCCIO = 2.5 V the I/O are not 5 V tolerant. Also avoid the common mistake of assuming that all 256 balls are user I/O - approximately 30-40 are dedicated VCCINT, VCCIO, GND, JTAG, and configuration pins, leaving 212 user I/O. Finally, do not design assuming a Quartus II device support newer than v9.0 SP2: the MAX 3000A family is legacy and not supported in current Quartus Prime releases.
The 18 ns tPD1 device supports synchronous logic up to roughly 50 MHz internal state-machine clock. For designs above 25 MHz on output registers, add series damping resistors (22-33 ohm) on clock-distribution nets to control edge rates. Tie unused I/O pins to GND through 10 kohm resistors or to a defined logic level - per the MAX 3000A datasheet, unused pins default to input-high but can draw supply current if left floating on a bus. Estimate: floating-bus current draw is 1-5 uA per pin; with 30+ unused pins this can add 30-150 uA of quiescent current.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not explicitly stated in retrieved search results. The EPM3512AFC256-18 is part of the legacy MAX 3000A family; the -10N variant typically indicates lead-free packaging per Altera/Intel naming convention, but this was not confirmed in the retrieved data. Not applicable for AEC-Q100 (industrial/legacy part, not automotive qualified).
