Waveshare ALTERA CoreEP4CE6 Core Board FPGA development tool

🔧 CoreEP4CE6 by Waveshare is a compact, high-performance FPGA development board designed to accelerate prototyping and education for Altera/Intel Cyclone IV-based projects. Whether you're a student, hobbyist, or professional, this board makes digital design more accessible than ever! 💡

✨ Key Features:

• 🖥️ Onboard USB interface for seamless programming

• 🔌 Reusable GPIO headers for quick hardware interfacing

• ⚡ Robust power management circuit ideal for low- to mid-density designs

• 📚 Accessible documentation and plug-and-play integration

• 🔄 Compatible with common FPGA development workflows

💻 Dive into embedded systems, experiment with rapid prototyping, or teach digital logic—all with a reliable, budget-friendly platform that’s ready to go out of the box. 🚀

🔧 Features

• • 💾 Onboard Serial Configuration Device: EPCS16SI8N

  • ⏱️ Integrated FPGA basic circuit, including a clock circuit

  • 🔘 Onboard control buttons: nCONFIG, RESET, and 4 x LEDs

  • 📤 Accessible I/O ports via pin headers

  • 🛠️ JTAG interface for debugging/programming

  • 📏 2.54mm header pitch design

Specifications

🧩 Overview

CoreEP4CE6 is a versatile FPGA core board featuring the EP4CE6E22C8N device onboard, designed to support further expansion for a wide range of applications. 🚀

What's On Board

🔧 FPGA Board Specifications & Features

1️⃣ EP4CE6E22C8N — ALTERA Cyclone IV FPGA

• 📶 Operating Frequency: 50MHz

• 🔋 Operating Voltage: 1.15V~3.465V

• 📦 Package: QFP144

• 🔌 I/O Ports: 180

• 🧠 Logic Elements (LEs): 6K

• 🗄️ RAM: 270kb

• 🔁 PLLs: 2

2️⃣ 🛠️ Onboard JTAG support

3️⃣ ⚡ AMS1117-3.3: 3.3V voltage regulator

4️⃣ ⚡ AMS1117-2.5: 2.5V voltage regulator

5️⃣ ⚡ AMS1117-1.2: 1.2V voltage regulator

6️⃣ 💾 EPCS16: Onboard configuration chip for storing program code

7️⃣ 🔋 Power indicator LED

8️⃣ 🔄 Reset button

9️⃣ 🔃 nCONFIG button: Reconfigures the FPGA chip (acts like a power reset)

🔟 🔘 User buttons: 4 total

1️⃣1️⃣ ✨ User LEDs: 8 total

1️⃣2️⃣ 🧩 JTAG interface for debugging and programming

1️⃣3️⃣ 📌 JTAG pin labels: VCC, GND, and all I/O ports are clearly marked on the PCB for easy expansion

1️⃣4️⃣ 💡 LED running light feature

1️⃣5️⃣ 🎇 LED dancing light feature

Photos

⚠️ Note: The CoreEP4CE6 provides a JTAG debugging interface, but does NOT include any built-in debugging functionality — an external debugger is required.

🖼️ Important: The motherboard and programmer/debugger shown in product photos are for demonstration purposes only and are NOT included in the price.

JTAG Interface

The figure below shows the header pinout of JTAG

📚 Development Resources

• • 💻 Related software: Quartus II, NIOS II, and more

  • 🧪 Demo code: Verilog, VHDL, NIOS II C examples

  • 📄 Schematic: Available in PDF format

  • 📘 FPGA development documentation for all levels
    
    

🚀 Applications

• 🎓 FPGA education and training

• 🧠 Hardware logic prototyping

• 📡 Signal processing applications

• 🤖 Embedded system control

• 🏭 Industrial automation projects

• 🔬 STEM development and research

🛠️ Software & Development Support

• ✅ Compatible with Quartus II IDE

• 🧾 Supports Verilog, VHDL, and NIOS II

• 🧩 Reference code and schematics available

• 📖 Detailed documentation for beginners

Refference

CoreEP4CE6