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Yulquen74's avatar
Yulquen74
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2 years ago

Quartus II 13.0.1 and EPM7256AQC208-7

I have a design idea in which the EPM7256AQC208-7 would be a good fit with regards to number of I/O's, logic capacity, voltage levels and speed/delay.

However, as I understand this device is only supported up to Quartus II 13.0.1, so I downloaded and installed that sofware version.

When defining the project, and selecting chip type, the closest I get is EPM7256AEQC208-7, so

MAX7000AE instead of MAX7000A.

As I understand the 7000AE is a slightly improved version of the 7000A, but are they binary compatible with regards to the programming file generated by the fitter?

Thanks in advance for any advice in this matter.

Programmable Logic Device

8 Replies

  • roeekalinsky's avatar
    roeekalinsky
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    2 years ago

    @Yulquen74,

    The parts you mentioned reached obsolescence many years ago. Even if you could find a few in a dusty bin in the back of somebody's warehouse, for a new design it would be inadvisable to choose a part that hasn't been manufactured nor supported for many years.

    I'd suggest that you look at Intel's (and others) current portfolio and identify suitable parts that are currently available, supported, and in active production.

    -Roee

    • Yulquen74's avatar
      Yulquen74
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      2 years ago

      I'm fully aware that the part is now obsolete, and nothing would be better than using new parts and up to date software, I totally agree with you there.

      I have used the filters of several parts distributors I can easily order parts from (mouser, digikey, farnell, rs, elfa and so on) to try and find available CPLD's with at least 160 I/O lines, 7.5ns or better, and suitable for 3.3V/5V environment and a package that is not a BGA, very little is left.

      Digikey offers the EPM7256AQC208-7 as a Rochester marketplace product, and the same part is also available from several sellers on Ebay at much lower prices.

      Although I have access to a production line where BGA is possible, this is for a hobby project, so at least I would like the first version to be hand solderable/reworkable, although I might switch to an BGA incarnation later on if I get it working, unless I need heaps of level shifters.

      3.3V I/O support would be mandatory.

  • _AK6DN_'s avatar
    _AK6DN_
    Icon for Frequent Contributor rankFrequent Contributor
    2 years ago

    You might check on the MicroChip/Atmel ATF15nn series parts. They offer 32/64/128 macrocells, are functionally compatible to the obsolete Altera EPM7K/3K series parts, and are still in active production. You can even use QuartusII 13.0sp1 for development.

    • Yulquen74's avatar
      Yulquen74
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      2 years ago

      My next project is actually a more advanced version of a previous project where I have used the ATF1508. I kind of like them as they work nicely in a 5V environment.

      The problem is I have already used up 99% of the logic cells of the chip. I also need a lot more I/O lines, so the ATF1508 series unfortunately falls short for this one. Splitting the logic to several chips is also not a solution in this case.

  • RichardT_altera's avatar
    RichardT_altera
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    2 years ago

    Unfortunately, this is an unsupported device, and technical support will not be provided.

    All parts in MAX7000A devices are phased out from Quartus v13.0sp1, and there are no data files available in it.

    While a workaround was suggested in another forum case, it is uncertain whether it will work and you will have to bear your own risk.

    It is recommended to choose a device listed in the Quartus to ensure the device is compatible.

    Regards,

    Richard Tan

  • FvM's avatar
    FvM
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    2 years ago

    Regarding MAX7000A versus MAX7000AE, I see that up to Quartus 9.0, devinfo still contains a max7000a folder with only one entry for epm7256a. For some reason it's not visible in device selection.

    As stated by others, I would never use MAX7000 for a new design.