Electronic – Do CPLD devices lose non-volatile memory over long periods of time

durabilitynon-volatile-memoryprogrammable-logic

I have devices that use Xilinx XC9572XL CPLDs. They haven't been used (as in: not powered at all) for almost seven years, and symptoms would point to the CPLDs being at fault.

I couldn't find much on the durability of non-volatile storage in CPLDs. Is it possible that storage has deteriorated enough over 7 years to cause problems?

More generally, how long is a CPLD expected to last once programmed?

Best Answer

The Xilinx data sheet XC9572XL datasheet states that the programming should be good for 20 years. I would expect even more if the temperature is moderate.

From XC9572XL datasheet

I would look somewhere else for problems. Electrolytic caps are the usual suspects for deteriorating with age. Make sure the power supplies for the CPLD are good - measure with a scope as well as a meter as there may be a large ripple if the caps in the PSU have degraded.