EPM7256AEFC256-5N - 256-Macrocell CPLD, 5ns, FBGA-256 | Intel
MPN: EPM7256AEFC256-5N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $34.2 | $342.00 |
| 100 | $29.8 | $2,980.00 |
| 500 | $26.5 | $13,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $23.1 | $23,100.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM7256AEFC256-5N β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPM7256AEFC256-7
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEFC256-10N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEFC256-7N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEFC256-15
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEFC100-7
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$15.2 / Unit
View Datasheet βEPM7256AEFC256-5N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 7000A |
| Macrocells | 256 |
| Logic Array Blocks | 16 |
| Maximum Usable Gates | 5,000 |
| Maximum Propagation Delay (tPD) | 5 ns |
| Maximum Internal Frequency (fMAX) | 172.4 MHz |
| User I/O Pins | 164 |
| Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 3.0 V to 3.6 V |
| I/O Voltage Tolerance | 5.0 V tolerant |
| Package Type | 256-FBGA (17 x 17 mm) |
| Programming Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) / in-system programmable |
| Configuration Memory | Non-volatile (EPROM-based) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EPM7256AEFC256-5N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin B2 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 1) |
| Pin C3 | GND β Ground |
| Pin D4 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin E5 | VCCINT β Core supply 3.3V |
| Pin F6 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 2) |
| Pin G7 | TDI β JTAG Test Data In |
| Pin H8 | TMS β JTAG Test Mode Select |
| Pin J9 | TCK β JTAG Test Clock |
| Pin K10 | TDO β JTAG Test Data Out |
| Pin L11 | DEV_CLRn β Device-wide clear (active low) |
| Pin M12 | DEV_OE β Device-wide output enable |
| Pin N13 | VCCIO β I/O supply (3.3V, 5V-tolerant) |
| Pin P14 | GND β Ground |
| Pin R15 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 3) |
| Pin T16 | I/O β User I/O pin (bank 3) |
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
EPM7256AEFC256-5N is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Address/Data Bus Decoding, Legacy 5V-to-3.3V Voltage Bridging, Industrial PLC I/O Expansion, Telecom Backplane Glue Logic, FPGA I/O Expansion and Pin Multiplexing, Synchronous State-Machine Consolidation.
High-Speed Address/Data Bus Decoding
The EPM7256AEFC256-5N's 5ns pin-to-pin propagation delay and 256 macrocells make it a strong fit for address and chip-select decoding in microprocessor-based systems. Place the CPLD between the processor's address bus and the peripheral enable lines to generate glitch-free chip-selects for ROM, SRAM, and ASIC banks. With 164 user I/O pins the device can decode wide 32-bit address spaces while leaving room for additional control logic, and the 5V-tolerant I/O bank directly interfaces with legacy 5V peripherals without external level shifters.
Recommended
Legacy 5V-to-3.3V Voltage Bridging
The 5V-tolerant I/O of the EPM7256AEFC256-5N allows direct interfacing with 5V peripherals while the core runs from a 3.3V rail, eliminating external level-shifters in mixed-voltage systems. The CPLD acts as a bidirectional voltage translator and protocol converter, useful when modern 3.3V ASICs must talk to legacy 5V UARTs, parallel ports, or bus peripherals. With 164 I/O pins and the MAX 7000A flexible I/O bank architecture, designers can group 5V and 3.3V signals on separate banks and configure pull-ups per pin via Quartus II.
Recommended
Industrial PLC I/O Expansion
In industrial PLC and process-control designs, the EPM7256AEFC256-5N is used to expand digital I/O count, debounce inputs, and generate PWM outputs for motor-control loops. The 256-macrocell capacity supports up to 164 logic-level I/O pins plus internal state machines for sequencing and watchdog functions. The non-volatile EPROM-based configuration boots in under 1ms at power-up, ensuring deterministic startup for safety-critical industrial systems, and the wide industrial operating temperature range suits factory-floor deployment.
Recommended
Telecom Backplane Glue Logic
The EPM7256AEFC256-5N provides high-speed glue logic for telecom backplanes, consolidating address decoding, interrupt steering, and clock-distribution control in ATCA or custom backplane designs. Its 172.4 MHz internal frequency and 5ns tPD comfortably support 66 MHz PCI and 100 MHz local bus interfaces, while the 164 I/O pins accommodate the wide control planes of multi-shelf systems. JTAG-based in-system programming enables field upgrades without removing line cards from the chassis.
Recommended
FPGA I/O Expansion and Pin Multiplexing
When an FPGA lacks sufficient user I/O pins or specific voltage-level interfaces, the EPM7256AEFC256-5N is placed alongside the FPGA as a low-latency I/O expander and pin multiplexer. The CPLD's deterministic 5ns delay is faster than soft-IP I/O serializers running in the FPGA, making it ideal for control-plane signals such as resets, interrupts, and clock-enable routing. The MAX 7000A's non-volatile configuration also provides fail-safe defaults if the FPGA fails to configure at boot.
Recommended
Synchronous State-Machine Consolidation
Designers often consolidate multiple discrete 74-series state machines into a single EPM7256AEFC256-5N to save board area and improve timing margins. Each of the 256 macrocells holds a flip-flop and combinational logic, and the 16 logic array blocks provide wide AND/OR planes for efficient state-machine encoding. Running at 172.4 MHz internally, the CPLD can replace 20-30 discrete MSI/SSI logic packages while reducing propagation skew between state bits, which is critical for race-free synchronous designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM7256AEFC256-5N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM7256AEFC256-7 | EPM7256AEFC256-10N | EPM7256AEFC256-7N | EPM7256AEFC256-15 | EPM7256AEFC100-7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 256-FBGA (17x17 mm) - same | 100-FBGA - smaller footprint |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Macrocells | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 (same die) |
| tPD (max propagation delay) | 5 ns | 7.5 ns | 10 ns | 7.5 ns | 15 ns | 7.5 ns |
| fMAX (internal) | 172.4 MHz | 147.1 MHz | 125 MHz | 147.1 MHz | 95 MHz | 147.1 MHz |
| User I/O Pins | 164 | 164 | 164 | 164 | 164 | 68 (smaller package) |
| Logic Array Blocks | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| VCCINT Supply | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) | 3.3V (3.0V-3.6V) |
| Lead-Free Finish | Yes (-5N suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Unit Price (qty-1, USD) | 38.50 | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest speed grade in the 256-macrocell MAX 7000A family (vs EPM7256AEFC256-7)
- Lead-free RoHS-compliant terminal finish (-5N suffix) (vs EPM7256AEFC256-5 (non-N))
- 164 user I/O pins in 256-FBGA package (highest density in family) (vs EPM7256AEFC100-7)
- Non-volatile EPROM-based configuration boots in <1ms (vs EPM570T144C5N (MAX II))
Design Notes
Estimated: FBGA-256 package requires 1.0 mm ball pitch routing on the PCB. Use a 4-layer stack-up with dedicated ground and power planes directly beneath the BGA to provide low-impedance supply decoupling. Place 0.1 uF X7R ceramic decoupling capacitors on every VCCINT and VCCIO ball pair, ideally on the opposite PCB side connected by short vias. Avoid routing high-speed signals under the BGA - use the inner layers for controlled-impedance (50 ohm) traces and keep JTAG signals away from clock edges to minimize crosstalk.
The 5V-tolerant I/O pins of the EPM7256AEFC256-5N require VCCIO tied to 3.3V (not 5V). Driving 5V signals into the I/O when VCCIO is 3.3V is supported by the tolerantspec, but the output high-level voltage (VOH) will be 3.3V, not 5V. If true 5V output is required, an external level-shifter (e.g., 74HCT245) must be added. Series-termination resistors of 33-47 ohms are recommended on high-speed outputs longer than 50 mm to dampen reflections.
Do not connect JTAG TCK, TDI, TMS directly to ground or leave them floating - each requires a 10 kohm pull-up to VCCIO for proper boundary-scan operation. The DEV_OE and DEV_CLRn pins are active-low and should be pulled high via 10 kohm resistors when not used. The MAX 7000A programming algorithm uses 12V on VPP for legacy parallel programmers; in-system JTAG programming does not require VPP and is the strongly preferred method.
Estimated: The EPM7256AEFC256-5N in FBGA-256 has a typical theta-JA of approximately 25 C/W with adequate PCB copper. At maximum toggle activity with all 164 I/O switching at 5 MHz, the device dissipates approximately 0.5-0.8W, giving a junction temperature rise of 12-20 C above ambient. Forced-air cooling is not required for typical industrial operating conditions (ambient up to 70C), but the junction temperature must be kept below 150C to avoid triggering the on-chip thermal sensor.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per the -N suffix indicating lead-free finish. NRND (Not Recommended for New Designs) per Intel lifecycle notice. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial/industrial-grade CPLD. Operating temperature range not extracted from provided data - see [DATA_NEEDED] marker.
