Customer Inquiry: a production issue regarding the EP2C5T144I8N. During the first stage after SMT (the programming process), some units failed to program (NG). However, replacing the IC resolved the issue, suggesting specific abnormalities in the failed components.
Below is a checklist of common causes for programming failures. We hope this helps with your troubleshooting.
Related Product:
EP2C5T144I8N Altera | Integrated Circuits (ICs) | DigiKey
Common Troubleshooting Checklist for Abnormalities
- Soldering Quality Defects (SMT Process)
- Cold Solder Joints
- Bridging/Short Circuits
- Poor Contact on Bottom Pads
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Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Damage FPGAs are electrostatic-sensitive devices. Inadequate ESD protection during any stage of the SMT process—including unpacking, component loading, placement, and board handling post-reflow oven—can easily damage the internal logic gates.
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Power Integrity & Power-On Sequencing (Power Issues) The EP2C5T144 requires multiple voltage supplies (e.g., 1.2V core voltage and 3.3V I/O voltage). Improper voltage levels or incorrect power-on sequencing may trigger programming failures.
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Component Storage & Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) Damage
- Popcorning Effect: If the ICs absorb moisture and are not baked before reflow soldering, the internal moisture will expand when heated. This can cause internal gold wire fracture or delamination. Such damage is random and manifests as programming failures in some units.
- External Circuit & Environmental Interference
- JTAG Signal Integrity: Inspect the pull-up/pull-down resistors on the PCB (e.g., nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE pins). Cold solder joints on these resistors will keep the FPGA in a constant reset or error state.
- Programmer Driving Capability: Excessively long cables or aging programmers may result in handshake failures when programming boards that have just been soldered and are in marginal physical condition.