FLEX 8000 FPGA — 1296 logic elements, 181 I/O, 5V supply
The Altera EPF81500AQC240-3 is a FLEX 8000 series FPGA with 1296 logic elements and 16000 usable gates, packaged in a 240-pin BFQFP (32x32 mm PQFP). The commercial temperature range (0°C to 70°C) suits indoor equipment: telecom line cards, test instrumentation, and industrial control boards that were originally designed around this density tier.
1296 logic elements — sizing the logic budget
With 1296 logic elements and 162 LABs/CLBs, this part fits glue logic, state machines, and moderate data-path functions — think address decoding, bus arbitration, or a simple UART wrapper. It is not sized for a soft-core processor or a video scaler; the 16000-gate ceiling sets a hard bound on combinatorial depth. For a BOM line that needs to match an original FLEX 8000 design, the LE count is the figure to verify against the existing fitter report.
Lifecycle and compliance
The EPF81500AQC240-3 is listed as Active in the product status, meaning Altera (now Intel Programmable Solutions Group) continues to manufacture it. There is no last-time-buy window or NRND flag on this line. Note the RoHS non-compliant marking — this part uses leaded solder balls and is not exempt for new EU RoHS designs unless a specific exemption applies. For legacy repair or military/industrial contracts that permit tin-lead, this is the correct original-spec part.