ProASIC3 Device Family Overview
v1.3
1 - 7
I/Os with Advanced I/O Standards
The ProASIC3 family of FPGAs features a flexible I/O structure, supporting a range of voltages
(1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, and 3.3 V). ProASIC3 FPGAs support many different I/O standards—single-ended
and differential.
The I/Os are organized into banks, with two or four banks per device. The configuration of these
Each I/O module contains several input, output, and enable registers. These registers allow the
implementation of the following:
Single-Data-Rate applications
Double-Data-Rate applications—DDR LVDS, B-LVDS, and M-LVDS I/Os for point-to-point
communications
ProASIC3 banks for the A3P250 device and above support LVPECL, LVDS, B-LVDS and M-LVDS.
B-LVDS and M-LVDS can support up to 20 loads.
Hot-swap (also called hot-plug, or hot-insertion) is the operation of hot-insertion or hot-removal of
a card in a powered-up system.
Cold-sparing (also called cold-swap) refers to the ability of a device to leave system data
undisturbed when the system is powered up, while the component itself is powered down, or
when power supplies are floating.
Wide Range I/O Support
Actel ProASIC3 devices support JEDEC-defined wide range I/O operation. ProASIC3 supports the
JESD8-B specification, covering both 3 V and 3.3 V supplies, for an effective operating range of
2.7 V to 3.6 V.
Wider I/O range means designers can eliminate power supplies or power conditioning components
from the board or move to less costly components with greater tolerances. Wide range eases I/O
bank management and provides enhanced protection from system voltage spikes, while providing
the flexibility to easily run custom voltage applications.
Table 1-1
I/O Standards Supported
I/O Bank Type
Device and Bank Location
I/O Standards Supported
LVTTL/
LVCMOS
PCI/PCI-X
LVPECL, LVDS,
B-LVDS, M-LVDS
Advanced
East and west Banks of A3P250 and
larger devices
Standard Plus
North and south banks of A3P250 and
larger devices
All banks of A3P060 and A3P125
Not supported
Standard
All banks of A3P015 and A3P030
Not
supported
Not supported