EPM3512AQC208-3N - MAX 3000A CPLD, 512 Macrocells, 172 I/O | Intel
MPN: EPM3512AQC208-3N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.5 | $28.50 |
| 10 | $25.2 | $252.00 |
| 100 | $21.75 | $2,175.00 |
| 500 | $18.9 | $9,450.00 |
| 1,000 | $16.4 | $16,400.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM3512AQC208-3N — 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:
EPM3512AQC208-10N
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AQC208-7N
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AQC208-15N
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AQC208-10S
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AQC208-10NS
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View Datasheet →EPM3256AQC208-10N
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View Datasheet →EPM3512AQC208-3N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 3000A |
| Macrocells | 512 |
| User I/O Pins | 172 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 16 |
| Macrocells per LAB | 32 |
| Pin-to-Pin Logic Delay | 3 ns (speed grade -3) |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 3.3 V |
| I/O Supply Voltage (VCCIO) | 3.3 V (MultiVolt 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V / 5.0 V tolerant) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +70C (commercial) |
| Package | PQFP-208 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Programming Technology | EEPROM (non-volatile, in-system programmable) |
| JTAG / Boundary Scan | IEEE 1149.1 compliant |
| ISP Compliance | IEEE Std. 1532 |
EPM3512AQC208-3N Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 2 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 3 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 4 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 5 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 6 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 7 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 8 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 9 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 10 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 11 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin 12 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 13 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 14 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 15 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 16 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 17 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin 18 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 19 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin 20 | I/O — User I/O pin (bank 2) |
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
EPM3512AQC208-3N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Glue Logic and Bus Decoding, Telecommunications Line-Card Address Decoding, Motor Control and PLC I/O Expansion, Legacy Peripheral Replacement in 5 V Mixed-Voltage Systems, Test and Measurement Instrumentation Front-End, Aerospace Avionics Interface Logic, Consumer Electronics Display Timing Controllers.
Industrial Glue Logic and Bus Decoding
The EPM3512AQC208-3N fits industrial glue-logic and bus-decoding roles because of its 512 macrocells, instant-on EEPROM configuration, and 5 V-tolerant MultiVolt I/O that interfaces directly to legacy 5 V peripherals without level shifters. With 172 user I/Os it can absorb address-decoding, chip-select generation, and bus-arbitration logic for multi-master VME, ISA, or proprietary backplane designs, replacing dozens of discrete 74-series gates with deterministic timing that is independent of routing density - a key advantage for control-plane logic where SRAM-based FPGAs would add boot latency. Pin-to-pin logic delay of 3 ns comfortably meets register-to-register timing for most asynchronous bus protocols.
Recommended
Telecommunications Line-Card Address Decoding
The EPM3512AQC208-3N is well-suited to telecommunications line-card address decoding because its 16 LABs provide ample capacity for multi-protocol address-matching, chip-select fan-out, and interrupt-priority logic. The 3.3 V core with 5 V-tolerant MultiVolt I/O allows direct connection to TDM backplanes and older ASICs, while the JTAG/IEEE 1532 ISP interface supports field upgrades without removing line cards from service. Deterministic pin-to-pin delay ensures that address-valid signals arrive before the next TDM frame regardless of logic density, critical for E1/T1 timing budgets.
Recommended
Motor Control and PLC I/O Expansion
The EPM3512AQC208-3N suits motor-control and PLC I/O expansion boards because the 172 I/Os comfortably absorb encoder interfacing, PWM conditioning, optocoupler-isolated I/O mapping, and safety-interlock logic in a single device. The instant-on EEPROM configuration eliminates FPGA boot delays that would be unacceptable in safety-critical emergency-stop paths, while the MultiVolt I/O allows direct connection to 24 V PLC signal-conditioning front-ends through external resistor dividers. The PQFP-208 footprint is compatible with hand-solderable rework, important for low-volume industrial production.
Recommended
Legacy Peripheral Replacement in 5 V Mixed-Voltage Systems
The EPM3512AQC208-3N excels at replacing legacy peripherals in mixed-voltage 5 V/3.3 V systems because the MultiVolt I/O banks accept 5.0 V inputs while running from a 3.3 V core. Designers can map 5 V peripheral chip-selects, read/write strobes, and interrupt flags into a single CPLD, retiring aging 74F/74AS TTL parts that consume more board area and power. The 512 macrocells also enable emulation of discontinued proprietary ASICs by reproducing state machines, timers, and bus-protocol engines in deterministic, instant-on programmable logic.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation Front-End
The EPM3512AQC208-3N fits test-and-measurement front-ends where deterministic timing is required for waveform sequencing, channel multiplexing, and trigger logic. The 3 ns pin-to-pin delay enables precise delay-line generation for time-interval measurement, while the 172 I/Os allow direct drive of multiple relay multiplexers and ADC front-ends. The EEPROM-based instant-on configuration ensures the instrument is operational within microseconds of power-up, eliminating the FPGA configuration interval that would disrupt fast-startup automated-test sequences.
Recommended
Aerospace Avionics Interface Logic
The EPM3512AQC208-3N is used in aerospace avionics interface logic where instant-on non-volatile configuration is mandatory and radiation-tolerant behavior is acceptable for non-critical subsystems. The 172 I/Os handle ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, and discrete avionics signal routing, while the 5 V tolerance interfaces directly to legacy cockpit instrumentation. Designers verify lot-by-lot traceability and apply derating per DO-254 guidelines; this obsolete part is typically retained only for legacy airframe sustainment rather than new avionics certifications.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics Display Timing Controllers
The EPM3512AQC208-3N serves in consumer display timing controllers where the 172 I/Os drive LVDS bridges, backlight PWM, and on-screen-display overlay logic. The 3 ns propagation delay enables precise horizontal/vertical timing alignment for LCD panel column/row drivers, and the MultiVolt I/O accepts 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 5 V signaling across multiple source-IC generations. The instant-on EEPROM configuration ensures the panel initializes without flicker on cold-boot, an important user-experience factor in televisions and monitors.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM3512AQC208-3N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM3512AQC208-10N | EPM3512AQC208-7N | EPM3512AQC208-15N | EPM3512AQC208-10S | EPM3256AQC208-10N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | PQFP-208 | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same | PQFP-208 - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same | Altera (Intel) - same |
| Macrocells | 512 | 512 | 512 | 512 | 512 | 256 |
| Pin-to-Pin Logic Delay | 3 ns (-3 grade) | 10 ns (-10 grade) | 7 ns (-7 grade) | 15 ns (-15 grade) | 10 ns (-10 grade) | 10 ns (-10 grade) |
| User I/O Pins | 172 | 172 | 172 | 172 | 172 | 164 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 8 |
| Core Voltage | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Programming Technology | EEPROM | EEPROM | EEPROM | EEPROM | EEPROM | EEPROM |
| JTAG / IEEE 1532 ISP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Largest macrocell density in MAX 3000A family (vs EPM3256AQC208-10N)
- Slowest, lowest-cost speed grade available (vs EPM3512AQC208-10N)
- MultiVolt I/O supports 5V legacy peripheral interfacing (vs EPM240T100C5N (MAX II))
Design Notes
The EPM3512AQC208-3N requires one 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling capacitor per VCCINT and VCCIO pin pair, placed within 5 mm of the package body. Add one bulk 10 uF tantalum or ceramic capacitor per supply rail at the board edge connector. The PQFP-208 has 12 VCCINT pins distributed around the perimeter; do not allow any single VCCINT pin to drive more than ~5 macrocells without local decoupling, or VCC sag during ISP programming will corrupt the configuration.
The PQFP-208 package has a theta-JA of approximately 35 C/W in still air on a 2-layer board, rising to 28 C/W on a 4-layer board with a thermal pad and via array. Estimated: at maximum operating current the device dissipates ~1.5 W; in a sealed enclosure at 70C ambient this would push the junction to 70 + 1.5*35 = 122.5C, which exceeds the commercial rating - add airflow or heatsink if designing for high-altitude/high-ambient industrial environments.
Route all JTAG signals (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) as a 4-wire chain with pull-ups on TCK/TMS/TDI; the JTAG chain should be daisy-chained across all programmable devices on the board to minimize connector pin count. Keep JTAG traces short (<50 mm) and away from switching power-supply edges; the IEEE 1149.1 standard requires stable TCK edges during scan to avoid false boundary-scan failures.
Common pitfalls include: (1) failing to program the MultiVolt I/O banks with the correct VCCIO voltage, which can permanently damage 3.3 V-only peripherals connected to a 5 V-configured bank; (2) using the -3 grade in a timing path that requires <3 ns register-to-register delay - the spec is pin-to-pin, not setup-time-based; (3) forgetting that JTAG ISP requires a minimum VCCINT ramp time of 1 ms to avoid configuration failure on cold start.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance not stated in the retrieved DigiKey/Mouser/Vemeko snippets for this obsolete part; EPM3512AQC208-10NS variant is confirmed lead-free per the NS suffix. Lifecycle is obsolete across the entire MAX 3000A family.
