10M16SAU169I7G Datasheet, Specifications & Application Guide – Altera MAX 10 FPGA

The 10M16SAU169I7G is a non-volatile FPGA from the Altera (Intel) MAX 10 family, delivering 16,000 logic elements in a compact 169-ball UBGA package. Built on a 55 nm process with integrated flash memory, dual analog-to-digital converters, and instant-on capability, this device is engineered for industrial control, IoT edge computing, and sensor-interface applications where reliable, low-power programmable logic is required.

Table of Contents

• 1. 10M16SAU169I7G Device Overview
• 2. Key Specifications & Electrical Parameters
• 3. Pinout, Package & Footprint Details
• 4. Typical Applications & Circuit Design
• 5. Design Resources & Development Kits
• 6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. 10M16SAU169I7G Device Overview

The 10M16SAU169I7G belongs to the MAX 10 FPGA family, the industry's first single-chip non-volatile FPGA built on TSMC's 55 nm embedded flash process. Unlike traditional FPGAs that require external configuration memory, the MAX 10 integrates configuration flash on-chip, enabling instant-on operation within milliseconds of power-up — a critical feature for automotive, industrial, and safety-critical systems.

The part number decodes as follows: 10M16 = MAX 10 family with 16K logic elements; S = single power-supply mode; A = analog block (ADC) enabled; U169 = 169-ball Ultra-Thin Fine-Pitch BGA package; I = industrial temperature range (−40°C to +100°C); 7 = speed grade 7.

Figure 1: MAX 10 FPGA evaluation kit block diagram illustrating the internal architecture with embedded ADC, flash memory, and I/O banks.

2. Key Specifications & Electrical Parameters

Parameter	Value
Part Number	10M16SAU169I7G
Family	MAX 10 (Altera / Intel)
Logic Elements (LEs)	16,000
Logic Array Blocks (LABs)	1,000
Embedded Memory (M9K)	549 Kb
User Flash Memory (UFM)	2,304 Kb
18×18 Multipliers	45
PLLs	4
Global Clock Networks	20
ADC	Dual 12-bit, 1 MSPS
Maximum User I/O	130
Package	169-ball UBGA (11 mm × 11 mm)
Core Voltage (VCC)	1.2 V
I/O Voltage Range	1.0 V – 3.3 V
I/O Standards	LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, HSTL, HSUL, LVDS
External Memory	DDR3, DDR2, LPDDR2 SDRAM
Temperature Range	−40°C to +100°C (Industrial)
Speed Grade	7
Process Node	55 nm (TSMC embedded flash)
Configuration	Internal flash (instant-on), JTAG

The single power-supply variant (S) simplifies board design by deriving all internal voltages from a single 3.3 V input through an integrated voltage regulator, reducing external component count and PCB area.

3. Pinout, Package & Footprint Details

The 10M16SAU169I7G uses the U169 Ultra-Thin Fine-Pitch BGA package measuring 11 mm × 11 mm with a 0.8 mm ball pitch. This compact form factor is ideal for space-constrained designs in handheld instruments, compact sensor modules, and embedded controllers.

Figure 2: U169 UBGA-169 package mechanical drawing and ball assignment for the 10M16SAU169I7G.

Key pin categories include:

• 130 user I/O pins across multiple I/O banks supporting 3.3 V LVTTL/LVCMOS to 1.0 V differential signaling
• Dedicated analog input pins for the dual 12-bit ADC channels
• JTAG programming pins (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) for in-system configuration
• Power and ground pins for V_CC (1.2 V core), V_CCIO (per-bank), and V_CCA (analog)

For complete pin assignment tables and recommended PCB land patterns, consult the MAX 10 FPGA Device Pin-Out document available from the Altera product catalog on wwdparts.com.

4. Typical Applications & Circuit Design

The 10M16SAU169I7G is widely deployed across diverse application domains:

• Industrial Automation: Motor drive control, PLC co-processors, real-time sensor fusion with on-chip ADC
• IoT Edge Nodes: Protocol bridging (SPI/I2C/UART to Ethernet), edge inference pre-processing, secure boot with bitstream encryption
• Test & Measurement: Custom data acquisition with the dual 12-bit ADC, waveform generation, high-speed digital pattern generation
• Video & Display: LED panel controllers, LVDS serializer/deserializer, video format conversion
• Communications: Baseband processing, multi-protocol bridge, custom PHY interfaces

Figure 3: MAX 10 FPGA evaluation board featuring an Altera MAX 10 device with USB-Blaster, SDRAM, and Arduino-compatible expansion headers for rapid prototyping.

For power supply design, the single-supply variant requires only a 3.3 V input. The integrated regulator generates the 1.2 V core voltage internally. Add decoupling capacitors (100 nF ceramic per V_CC pin, 10 µF bulk) close to the BGA for optimal signal integrity. See the MAX 10 design guides on the wwdparts blog for reference schematics.

5. Design Resources & Development Kits

Altera provides comprehensive design support for the MAX 10 family:

• Quartus Prime Lite Edition – Free FPGA design software supporting synthesis, place-and-route, timing analysis, and JTAG programming for all MAX 10 devices
• MAX 10 FPGA Development Kit – Full-featured evaluation platform with USB-Blaster II, DDR3 SDRAM, Arduino/Pmod headers, HSMC connector, and on-board power management
• Terasic DE10-Lite – Low-cost educational board featuring the MAX 10 10M50 FPGA with VGA, accelerometer, 7-segment displays, and switches — perfect for learning and prototyping
• Platform Designer (Qsys) – System integration tool for building Nios II soft-processor systems with DMA, timers, UART, and memory controllers
• ModelSim-Intel Starter Edition – Free HDL simulation environment for functional and timing verification

Video Tutorial: Getting Started with MAX 10 FPGA

Watch: Intel MAX 10 FPGA Tutorial Part 1 — covering Quartus Prime setup, pin assignment, and your first LED-blink project on a MAX 10 board.

6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Related Articles on wwdparts.com:

• 10M16SAU169C8G Datasheet & Specs – Intel MAX 10 FPGA
• 10M08SAE144C8G – MAX 10 FPGA Application Guide
• 10M04SCE144C8G – Intel MAX 10 FPGA Overview