EPLD - Erasable Programmable Device

EPLD devices are erasable programming devices introduced by Altera offer high density and buried registers. This new concept in logic design can replace up to 50 or more standard digital integrated circuits in a single device. The immediate result is a very substantial reduction in equipment size. Most of the compact computer and communications equipment has been realized utilizing EPLD technology. The Altera 10K20 EPLD is representative of the new Flex family of electronically programmable devices. Each device contains over 20,000 usable logic gates and flip-flops as well as over 12,000 bits of embedded RAM memory. In many applications, an EPLD can replace a microcontroller and perform the required system functions 100 to 1,000 times faster. Due to the ease of programming these devices, many modifications to the digital system can be implemented by simply downloading the updated file from a personal computer to the EPLD, without removing it from the target printed circuit board.

Image courtesy: Altera