EPM7256AEQC208-5N - MAX 7000A CPLD, 256 Macro, 5ns | Intel
MPN: EPM7256AEQC208-5N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18.5 | $18.50 |
| 10 | $16.4 | $164.00 |
| 100 | $14.2 | $1,420.00 |
| 500 | $12.8 | $6,400.00 |
| 1,000 | $11.5 | $11,500.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EPM7256AEQC208-5N 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:
EPM7256AEQC208-10N
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEQC208-7N
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPM7256AEQC208-5N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | MAX 7000A |
| Logic Family / Base Technology | CMOS, EEPROM-based |
| Usable Gates | 5,000 |
| Macrocells | 256 |
| User I/Os | 164 |
| Dedicated Inputs | 16 |
| Number of Pins | 208 |
| Package | 208-pin PQFP (Plastic Quad Flat Pack) |
| Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 3.3 V |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 172.4 MHz |
| Pin-to-Pin Propagation Delay (tPD) | 5.5 ns |
| Speed Grade | -5 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +70 C (Commercial) |
| Programming Interface | JTAG (IEEE Std. 1149.1) / ISP |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | unknown |
EPM7256AEQC208-5N Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O β User I/O pin (global) |
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| Pin 11 | GND β Ground |
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| Pin 53 | GND β Ground |
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| Pin 97 | GND β Ground |
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| Pin 137 | GND β Ground |
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| Pin 181 | TDI β JTAG Test Data In |
| Pin 182 | TMS β JTAG Test Mode Select |
| Pin 183 | TCK β JTAG Test Clock |
| Pin 184 | NC β Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 185 | VCC β 3.3 V supply |
| Pin 186 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 187 | I/O β User I/O pin (global) |
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| Pin 205 | TDO β JTAG Test Data Out |
| Pin 206 | NC β Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 207 | VCC β 3.3 V supply |
| Pin 208 | GND β Ground |
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
EPM7256AEQC208-5N is suitable for 6 applications: Bus Interface Bridging, Industrial Glue Logic Consolidation, Peripheral I/O Expansion, Telecom Line-Card Control Logic, State-Machine and Control Sequencer, Legacy Board Repair and Spare-Part Replacement.
Bus Interface Bridging
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N is well suited to bridge mismatched bus protocols (PCI-to-ISA, VME-to-PCI, ISA-to-LPC) because its 256 macrocells and 164 I/Os can absorb up to 96 simultaneous bus signals with 5.5 ns pin-to-pin delay. The 3.3 V core matches modern 32-bit bus transceivers while the JTAG-ISP interface enables post-assembly protocol fixes. Unlike discrete 74-series glue logic, the MAX 7000A reduces 6-8 SSI/MSI packages to a single device, cutting board area by 60 percent. Designers should allocate two LABs per 8-bit bus path and reserve one macrocell for a registered parity or wait-state generator.
Recommended
Industrial Glue Logic Consolidation
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N replaces entire boards of legacy 74LS/74HC glue logic with a single device, ideal for PLC backplanes, motor-control signal conditioning, and industrial sensor aggregators. The 5,000 usable gates handle 32-channel discrete I/O muxing with 16-bit debounce counters and HMI keypad scanners. EEPROM-based configuration retains the bitstream through brown-outs without external boot memory, a major reliability advantage over SRAM FPGAs in factory-floor environments. Designers should add 10 kohm pull-ups on JTAG pins and a 0.1 uF + 10 uF decoupling capacitor pair per VCC/ GND pair.
Recommended
Peripheral I/O Expansion
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N expands a microcontroller's GPIO by exposing 164 programmable I/Os with individually configurable pull-ups, slew rate, and 3.3 V/5 V-tolerant inputs. Designers implement PWM generators, quadrature decoders, and 7-segment LED/LCD multiplexers entirely in hardware, offloading the host MCU for real-time tasks. The 5.5 ns propagation delay supports SPI master implementations at up to 80 MHz, doubling the throughput of bit-banged MCU peripherals. The device's commercial 0 C to +70 C rating is sufficient for indoor control cabinets.
Recommended
Telecom Line-Card Control Logic
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N is widely deployed in legacy T1/E1 and DSLAM line cards for alarm aggregation, scan-matrix control, and serializer/deserializer glue logic. Its 16 dedicated inputs handle clock and framing signals while the 164 I/Os drive up to 24 E1 ports worth of HDLC controllers. The non-volatile EEPROM bitstream survives line-card hot-swap events, eliminating the 100 ms boot delay typical of SRAM-based FPGAs. Designers use the JTAG chain to test the entire backplane at once, simplifying factory burn-in and field diagnostics.
Recommended
State-Machine and Control Sequencer
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N implements complex Moore/Mealy state machines with up to 64 states per macrocell group, ideal for test-equipment sequencers, instrumentation handlers, and motor-control state machines. The product-term allocator maps sparse state encodings efficiently, reducing macrocell count by 20-30 percent versus fixed-OR CPLDs. A typical 32-state sequencer fits in fewer than 64 macrocells, leaving the remaining 192 macrocells free for parallel datapath arithmetic. Designers should use synchronous design rules to avoid glitches on registered outputs.
Recommended
Legacy Board Repair and Spare-Part Replacement
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N is a drop-in spare for repairing EOL Altera MAX 7000A line cards, medical imaging backplanes, and military communication equipment still in service. Its PQFP-208 footprint and JTAG interface match the original design files, allowing engineers to clone legacy bitstreams using a USB-Blaster and Quartus II v9.1. Secondary-market inventory through authorized brokers is typically traceable and factory-tested, mitigating counterfeit risk. Designers should re-verify timing margins because the -5 speed grade may differ from the original -7 or -10 grade deployed in the unit.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPM7256AEQC208-5N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPM7256AEQC208-10N | EPM7256AEQC208-7N | EPM7256AEFI256-7 | EPM7256AEFC256-5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 208-pin PQFP | 208-pin PQFP - same | 208-pin PQFP - same | 256-pin FBGA - different | 256-pin FBGA - different |
| Brand | Altera / Intel | Altera / Intel | Altera / Intel | Altera / Intel | Altera / Intel |
| Macrocells | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| User I/Os | 164 | 164 | 164 | 164 | 164 |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay (tPD) | 5.5 ns | 10 ns | 7.5 ns | 7.5 ns | 5.5 ns |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 172.4 MHz | ~125 MHz | ~150 MHz | 150 MHz | 172.4 MHz |
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V | 3.3 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +70 C | 0 C to +70 C | 0 C to +70 C | -40 C to +85 C (industrial) | 0 C to +70 C |
| Footprint Compatibility | PQFP-208 baseline | Drop-in (same PQFP-208) | Drop-in (same PQFP-208) | Cross-package (256-FBGA) | Cross-package (256-FBGA) |
Key Differentiators
- Higher speed grade within the same PQFP-208 footprint (vs EPM7256AEQC208-10N)
- Highest commercial-temperature speed grade in PQFP-208 (vs EPM7256AEQC208-7N)
- Mature EEPROM bitstream retention for instant-on systems (vs EPM7256AEFI256-7)
Design Notes
The EPM7256AEQC208-5N draws approximately 250-400 mA from the 3.3 V VCCINT rail under typical 50-75 percent utilization, per the MAX 7000A power calculator. Add a 100 uF bulk tantalum plus 0.1 uF and 10 uF ceramic decoupling within 5 mm of each VCC pin (185, 207). Place the bulk capacitor on the same side as the device to minimize loop inductance. The 5 V-tolerant inputs do not require a separate 5 V supply but observe absolute maximum ratings of 7 V on any I/O pin.
The PQFP-208 package uses 0.5 mm lead pitch and demands IPC-7351 land patterns with 0.30 mm pad width. Use a 4-layer PCB with dedicated VCC and GND planes to ensure clean power delivery to all 16 LABs. Recommended stack-up: signal / GND / VCC / signal. Leave 2 mm of copper pour around the device thermal land to spread heat, although commercial-grade (-5N) thermal dissipation is rarely a limiting factor in lab environments.
Estimated: When migrating from the legacy 5 V MAX 7000 (EPM7256QC208) to the 3.3 V MAX 7000A (EPM7256AEQC208-5N), designers must reconfigure the VCC rail from 5 V to 3.3 V - applying 5 V will permanently damage the device. Also note that bitstreams compiled for the legacy MAX 7000 are NOT compatible with the MAX 7000A; recompile using Quartus II 9.1 or later. Always re-verify timing closure because the -5 speed grade is faster than the legacy -7 grade.
Compliance Information
Lead-free ('N' suffix) per Altera part numbering convention. RoHS, REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-mineral status not stated in the verified web data; consult factory certificate of conformance before RoHS-critical placements.
