Getting Started with Cyclone III FPGAs

Buy Development Kits and Devices Today

Buy Cyclone^® III FPGAs or development kits today through Altera's online eStore or your local Altera^® sales representative or distributor. You can submit technical questions online or, where available, to your Altera or Altera distributor's technical application personnel.

• Overview of Cyclone III development kits

Download Literature and Utilities

You can download Cyclone III FPGA literature and utilities, including:

• Cyclone III Device Handbook—your comprehensive technical information guide to this FPGA family
• Pin-outs (in PDF, TXT, and XLS formats)
• Cyclone III PowerPlay Early Power Estimator
• Cyclone III FPGA package information

FPGA Design Software and Development Tools

Quartus^® II development software, customer acclaimed as easy to learn and even easier to use, allows you to exceed your performance goals, complete your design faster, and meet power budgets for your next-generation system designs by taking full advantage of Cyclone III FPGA benefits.

You can start designing immediately for Cyclone III FPGAs by downloading the following:

• Free Quartus II Web Edition design software
• Free ModelSim^®-Altera Web Edition software
• Nios^® II 32-bit embedded processors (evaluation edition with complete software IDE support)

Jump-Start Your Designs with IP—Try Before You Buy

Altera and members of the Altera Megafunction Partner Program (AMPP^SM) provide intellectual property (IP) cores and reference designs you can use to accelerate your Cyclone III FPGA design. You can download and use the cores in software and hardware, prior to purchase, to evaluate features and performance.

• Learn more about IP cores via the IP MegaStore^TM web pages

Re-use existing designs when you start designing for Altera Cyclone III FPGAs:

• Altera or partner development kits
• Reference designs and design examples

Download PCB Related Information

• Gerber Files for FineLine BGA (1.0-mm ball pitch) packages
• IBIS models for simulation
• BSDL files for testing
• Cadence Capture CIS and Allegro PCB symbols and footprints
• PCB footprint libraries for Mentor Graphics tools

Learn More While Starting Your Design

You've made the decision to start designing with Cyclone III FPGAs but still want to learn more. Here are some additional resources to keep you on the path towards becoming a Cyclone III FPGA expert:

• Cyclone III FPGA design resources
• Cyclone III end-markets and applications web page
• Wide variety of end-market solutions using other Altera products