XC3S200A-4FTG256I - 200K Gate Spartan-3A FPGA, 195 I/O | AMD/Xilinx
MPN: XC3S200A-4FTG256I ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $34.2 | $342.00 |
| 100 | $28.9 | $2,890.00 |
| 500 | $24.5 | $12,250.00 |
| 1,000 | $21.8 | $21,800.00 |
XC3S200A-4FTG256I Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a class of programmable logic device that allows engineers to implement arbitrary digital circuits using a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and dedicated hardware blocks such as block RAM and multipliers. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside ASICs and CPLDs as reconfigurable logic; the Spartan-3A family is Xilinx's low-cost, high-volume segment designed for consumer, industrial, and communications glue-logic applications.
Key specifications of the XC3S200A-4FTG256I include 448 Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs), 288 Kbits of block RAM, up to 667 MHz maximum operating frequency (speed grade -4), dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers for DSP, and a Digital Clock Manager (DCM) block for clock synthesis. The FTG256 package measures 17x17 mm and uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch.
Architecturally, the Spartan-3A integrates CLBs arranged in rows and columns, surrounded by IOBs (I/O blocks), with block RAM columns interleaved, four DCMs, and dedicated multiplier blocks. The device supports multiple I/O standards including LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, and differential HSTL/SSTL for direct interface to external memories and high-speed peripherals.
Typical applications include industrial control and machine vision, consumer electronics display controllers, communications protocol bridges, low-cost video processing, motor control, and educational/hobbyist development boards. The wide operating temperature range (-40C to +100C industrial grade) also suits factory automation and outdoor equipment.
Designers should pay attention to the FTG256 ball-pinout for PCB layout: a 256-ball BGA with 1.0 mm pitch requires 4-6 layer PCB design with microvia or via-in-pad technology for reliable assembly. Use Xilinx ISE WebPACK or the modern AMD Vivado/Vivado Lab Edition for configuration bitstream generation. Power estimation should be performed with the Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE) tool before finalizing thermal management.
This page consolidates current distributor pricing, verified pin-compatible drop-in alternatives in the Spartan-3A family, and practical design notes - practical context not found in the bare manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for XC3S200A-4FTG256I — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with XC3S200A-4FTG256I (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Block RAM, Family, Logic Cells, Package, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
XC3S200A-5FTG256I
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
XC3S200A-4FTG256C
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
XC3S200AN-4FTG256I
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
XC3S200A-4FT256I
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
XC3S400A-4FTG256I
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
XC3S200A-4FTG256I Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Spartan-3A |
| System Gates | 200,000 |
| Logic Cells | 4,032 |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 448 |
| Slices | 1,792 |
| Distributed RAM | 48 Kbits |
| Block RAM | 288 Kbits |
| User I/Os | 195 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 667 MHz |
| Speed Grade | -4 |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Multipliers (18x18) | 16 dedicated |
| DCMs | 4 |
| Package | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| RoHS Status | Lead-free / RoHS compliant |
XC3S200A-4FTG256I 256-ball ftbga (ftg256), 17x17 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for XC3S200A-4FTG256I (256-ball ftbga (ftg256), 17x17 mm, 1.0 mm pitch 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 XC3S200A-4FTG256I.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
XC3S200A-4FTG256I is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control & Machine Vision, Consumer Display Controller / HDMI Bridge, Communications Protocol Bridge / Glue Logic, Motor Control / Servo Drive Front-End, Low-Cost Video Processing / Frame Grabber, Educational / Hobbyist Development Board.
Industrial Control & Machine Vision
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I fits industrial control and machine vision because its 4,032 logic cells and 16 dedicated 18x18 multipliers deliver enough parallelism to process Camera Link or GigE Vision pixel streams at 60-80 MHz, while the 195 user I/Os in the FTG256 package provide direct LVDS/LVCMOS connections to image sensors, encoders, and motor drivers. Industrial temp grade (-40C to +100C) lets it operate inside unheated factory cabinets. Its 288 Kbits block RAM holds line buffers for real-time Bayer-to-RGB conversion, and the 667 MHz internal speed grade keeps critical paths below 50 ns. Use it with external DDR SDRAM via SSTL I/O for high-throughput frame buffering.
Recommended
Consumer Display Controller / HDMI Bridge
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I serves well as a low-cost display controller for consumer electronics such as DLP pico-projectors, LVDS-to-eDP bridges, and dual-display kiosk panels. Its 195 I/Os handle 24-bit RGB plus HSYNC/VSYNC/DE control signals across multiple LVDS pairs, and the 4,032 logic cells implement pixel-clock domain crossing, color-space conversion, and on-screen display overlay logic. The FTG256 17x17 mm package fits inside space-constrained slim display enclosures, and the 1.2V core keeps active power below 0.5W for HDMI-to-LVDS bridging. Block RAM tiles store font glyphs and gamma LUTs without external memory.
Recommended
Communications Protocol Bridge / Glue Logic
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I is well suited to communications protocol bridging between SPI, I2C, UART, and parallel buses - a common need in telecom and networking equipment. The 4,032 logic cells implement full custom protocol state machines and FIFOs, while 288 Kbits block RAM provides sufficient buffer space for packet reassembly. The 195 I/Os connect multiple bus standards simultaneously, including 3.3V LVCMOS to legacy 5V peripherals via on-chip PCI-clamp diodes. Industrial temp grade ensures reliable operation in outdoor base-station cabinets, and 4 DCMs synthesize precise clock frequencies from a single reference oscillator.
Recommended
Motor Control / Servo Drive Front-End
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I fits motor control front-end applications in CNC machines, robotics, and servo drives because its 16 hardware multipliers perform Park/Clark transformations and PI loops in hardware, offloading a companion MCU. The 195 I/Os in the FTG256 package interface with multiple Hall-effect sensors, quadrature encoders, and PWM outputs to MOSFET gate drivers. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) handles drive cabinet environments. The 4 DCMs synthesize multiple synchronized PWM frequencies, and the 288 Kbits block RAM stores sine tables for SVPWM modulation across all three motor phases.
Recommended
Low-Cost Video Processing / Frame Grabber
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I is appropriate for entry-level video processing such as surveillance DVRs, machine-vision frame grabbers, and broadcast auxiliary data inserters. Its 4,032 logic cells can implement H.264 entropy encoding pre-processing or de-interlacing at standard-definition resolutions, while the 288 Kbits block RAM acts as a frame buffer for one CIF-resolution image. The 195 I/Os accept parallel ITU-R BT.656 video streams directly, and the 4 DCMs synchronize to incoming video timing. Industrial temp grade supports outdoor surveillance cabinet deployment, and the FTG256 17x17 mm footprint simplifies compact PCI/104-Express board layouts.
Recommended
Educational / Hobbyist Development Board
The XC3S200A-4FTG256I is widely used in university FPGA design courses and open-source hobbyist boards because it provides enough logic (4,032 cells) for meaningful Verilog/VHDL coursework without the cost of larger FPGAs, while still exposing 195 I/Os in the FTG256 package for breadboard-friendly PMOD/Arduino-shield daughter cards. The ISE WebPACK free toolchain supports the Spartan-3A family, and the industrial temp grade lets students prototype indoor lab projects as well as outdoor robotics. The 16 dedicated 18x18 multipliers allow DSP teaching examples (FIR filters, FFTs) at realistic clock rates under 100 MHz.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for XC3S200A-4FTG256I — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | XC3S200A-5FTG256I | XC3S200A-4FTG256C | XC3S200AN-4FTG256I | XC3S200A-4FT256I | XC3S400A-4FTG256I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Xilinx (AMD) | Xilinx (AMD) | Xilinx (AMD) | Xilinx (AMD) | Xilinx (AMD) | Xilinx (AMD) |
| Package | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm - same | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm - same | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm - same | 256-ball FTBGA (FT256), 17x17 mm - same footprint | 256-ball FTBGA (FTG256), 17x17 mm - same |
| Logic Cells | 4,032 | 4,032 | 4,032 | 4,032 | 4,032 | 8,064 |
| Speed Grade | -4 (667 MHz) | -5 (770 MHz) | -4 (667 MHz) | -4 (667 MHz) | -4 (667 MHz) | -4 (667 MHz) |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| Block RAM | 288 Kbits | 288 Kbits | 288 Kbits | 288 Kbits + internal Flash | 288 Kbits | 360 Kbits |
| User I/Os | 195 | 195 | 195 | 195 | 173 | 195 |
| Internal Flash Memory | None (Spartan-3A) | None | None | Yes (Spartan-3AN variant) | None | None |
Key Differentiators
- Speed grade -4 at 667 MHz vs faster -5 grade (vs XC3S200A-5FTG256I)
- Spartan-3A vs Spartan-3AN: internal Flash memory option (vs XC3S200AN-4FTG256I)
- 4,032 logic cells vs larger XC3S400A die (vs XC3S400A-4FTG256I)
- Industrial -40C to +100C temp grade (vs XC3S200A-4FTG256C)
Design Notes
The 256-ball FTG256 package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch, which demands a 4-6 layer PCB with microvia or via-in-pad technology for reliable assembly. Per the Spartan-3A family datasheet DS529, the FPGA requires four dedicated power rails: VCCINT (1.2V core), VCCAUX (2.5V auxiliary), VCCO (1.2V-3.3V I/O banks), and VCC_BATT (battery-backed RAM). Each rail needs its own decoupling capacitor network: place 0.1uF X7R capacitors within 5 mm of every power pin, and add 10uF bulk capacitors per bank. Ground returns must use a continuous ground plane on layer 2.
Estimated: at 100% toggle rate with all 195 I/Os active at 100 MHz I/O toggling, the Spartan-3A XC3S200A dissipates approximately 0.6-1.0W on the 1.2V core. Forced-air cooling is not required under typical 50% utilization, but the FTG256 package should be paired with thermal vias (16+ 0.3 mm vias under the center thermal pad) connected to an internal ground plane for heat spreading. The industrial grade -40C to +100C range provides substantial margin against self-heating.
Do not confuse the FTG256 (lead-free, RoHS) package with the legacy FT256 package - both are 256-ball BGAs with the same 17x17 mm body but FT256 is non-RoHS tin-lead and may be unavailable in your supply chain. Also, do not migrate a design from XC3S200 (Spartan-3, NOT Spartan-3A) without HDL re-verification: while the FTG256 footprint is shared, the bitstream format and DCM configuration differ. Always regenerate the bitstream using ISE or Vivado after switching silicon variants.
For DDR memory interfaces, the Spartan-3A supports SSTL I/O standards with matched trace lengths within +/- 25 ps across the byte group. The 4 DCMs provide fine-grained phase shifting for DDR sampling; route the DCM output clocks to the memory clock pin with controlled impedance (50 ohm single-ended or 100 ohm differential). Avoid routing LVDS pairs over plane splits, and maintain 100 ohm differential impedance with 5 mil trace width / 8 mil spacing for FR4 dielectric.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per AMD/Xilinx product page and the FTG256 package marking. Lead-free solder balls (SAC405) per DS529 datasheet. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is an FPGA, not an automotive-qualified IC; for AEC-Q100-grade FPGAs consider Xilinx XA7 series.
