MAX 10M02 in quad flat pack

You'll be extremely luck if Altera consider releasing such a part. The hobbyist market is not really very high up their list of key markets.

However, I will suggest that the 144-pin EQFP is relatively easy to hand solder - the pins are no problem. The exposed ground pad on the bottom can be tricky. You'll need a heat gun to re-flow that and you'll need to be a good judge as to when it's reflowed. However, it's very doable. It must be connected to ground and, as Altera states, to the ground plane of your PCB.

And, if you 'need' a ground plane, you need at least 4 layers. However, 4 layers doesn't cost a great deal more than two.

So, I suggest you consider this route. As you're clearly aware, these devices are well worth the effort.

Cheers,

Alex

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You'll be extremely luck if Altera consider releasing such a part. The hobbyist market is not really very high up their list of key markets.

Alex

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Clearly large manufacturers drive production and profits. However, most new products come out of small businesses. If you don't cater to the small business / hobbyist you miss out on future opportunities, which is short sighted. Microchip is a good example of a company that did well in the low end market. And Maxim comes to mind where they dropped out of the small market and then quickly backtracked. Moving the price point for an FPGA into sub-$5 price point opens up new market opportunities.

I can buy EP2C5's for less than the price of a 10M02, why would I buy the new part?

Ron

We're unlikely to use the MAX 10 where I work. However, despite it being of no consequence we've been telling Altera, since MAX 10 was launched, that it's poorly priced. They're promoting it as an alternative to a Micro. However, attacking such a well established market needs some USP.

Can MAX 10 do everything a Micro can? Not really. However, Altera will quickly point out it's 'performance' is higher. Of use to some, but not as useful to many as the variety of peripherals available in a Micro.

Is it easy for a company to deploy MAX 10? Not really. There are 1000 software engineers for every rtl engineer. So why would a company pick MAX 10 over a Micro? Riskier to both deploy and support.

So, to make inroads into the market the family needs to be cheaper. However, it's not a cheap family to manufacture. It could be if they sold more, but they can't because it's too expensive, not flexible enough and (relatively) difficult to design in and support...

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most new products come out of small businesses.

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Possibly. However, Altera won't benefit from the number of different products available, quite the opposite. Longevity and volume are key here.

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If you don't cater to the small business / hobbyist you miss out on future opportunities, which is short sighted

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The sentiment is spot on. However, supporting such a market is very expensive and, frankly, a headache for those people tasked with doing so (no, I'm not one, but deal with them frequently).

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I can buy EP2C5's for less than the price of a 10M02, why would I buy the new part?

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You (and I) wouldn't - unless you're looking for a MAX 10 feature - in which case I'd most likely choose a Micro.

Are Altera right with with their current pricing? Perhaps we engineers don't think so. However, Altera's business acumen has resulted in Intel taking notice, something shareholders quite took kindly to. Should Altera pander to their want or ours?

Cheers,

Alex