EP1M120F484-I6 - Mercury FPGA 120K Gates 484-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484-I6 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $162 | $1,620.00 |
| 100 | $138 | $13,800.00 |
| 500 | $115 | $57,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $98.5 | $98,500.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484-I6 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484-I6N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1M120F484-6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$53.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F15FC484
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484-I6 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury FPGA |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 4,800 |
| Equivalent Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 480 |
| User I/Os | 303 |
| High-Speed Transceivers | Up to 12 channels |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 1.25 Gbps per channel |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Process Technology | 0.18 µm CMOS |
| Package | 484-pin FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | -6 |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Passive Parallel Sync/Async, JTAG, EPC device |
| I/O Standards | LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, LVDS, LVPECL, HSTL |
EP1M120F484-I6 484-pin fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1M120F484-I6 (484-pin fbga (fineline bga) package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP1M120F484-I6.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Safe Operating Area (SOA) & Thermal Characteristics
No official SOA curve available for this digital IC. Always operate within absolute maximum ratings specified in the datasheet. Ensure adequate cooling and derate as needed.
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484-I6 is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Serial Backplane Interface, Telecom Line Card Aggregation, Industrial Control and Instrumentation, Broadcast Video Processing, Embedded Digital Signal Processing, Legacy Industrial Embedded Computing Platform.
High-Speed Serial Backplane Interface
The EP1M120F484-I6's 12-channel high-speed transceiver block delivers up to 1.25 Gbps per channel, making it well-suited for telecom backplane and Serial RapidIO switching fabrics. The 4,800 logic elements provide sufficient capacity for link-layer processing, 8b/10b encoding/decoding, and CRC generation across multiple lanes simultaneously. Per the Mercury datasheet, up to eight channels can operate at the full 1.25 Gbps rate concurrently while the remaining channels handle slower side-band signals. Place 0.1 µF X7R ceramic decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of each power pin, and route each high-speed serial pair as a length-matched 100 Ω differential pair over a continuous reference ground plane.
Recommended
Telecom Line Card Aggregation
In central-office telecom line cards, the EP1M120F484-I6 acts as the aggregation device between multiple E1/T1/J1 framer ICs and an upstream packet network. Its 303 user I/Os accommodate dozens of parallel framer interfaces plus LVDS backplane links, while the Mercury architecture's MultiTrack interconnect delivers predictable timing closure at 155.52 MHz STS-3 rates. The industrial temperature grade supports outdoor cabinet deployment. Use the LVDS I/O standard for backplane interconnect and route clock signals over a dedicated inner layer to minimize skew across the 484-pin FBGA package.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Instrumentation
The EP1M120F484-I6 is well-matched to industrial control systems that require deterministic logic, abundant I/O, and an extended temperature range. The 480 LABs implement PID control loops, encoder counters, and stepper/servo pulse-trains in parallel; the 303 user I/Os interface directly to 24 V industrial sensors via external level shifters, while HSTL I/O standards address high-speed precision ADC interfaces. The -40 °C to +100 °C industrial temperature window supports outdoor factory-floor cabinets and rail-mounted controls. Allocate 25% logic headroom for state-machine expansion during field upgrades.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The 4,800 logic elements and 1.8 V core supply of the EP1M120F484-I6 fit broadcast video processing subsystems where HD-SDI 1.485 Gbps serial streams must be de-multiplexed, frame-buffered, and re-clocked. The Mercury's embedded memory blocks and high-speed transceivers align with SMPTE 292M SDI rates, while the 303 user I/Os provide parallel DVB-ASI and LVDS display interfaces. Industrial temperature qualification supports truck-mount and outdoor broadcast applications. Pair the FPGA with an external DDR SDRAM FIFO to handle the SDI line buffering required for color-space conversion.
Recommended
Embedded Digital Signal Processing
The EP1M120F484-I6 delivers DSP-friendly architecture for embedded signal processing such as software-defined radio, sonar beam-forming, and vibration analysis. With 4,800 LEs, embedded multiplier blocks (where fitted on Mercury die revisions), and 12 high-speed transceivers, it can implement FFT engines, FIR filters, and digital down-converters. The 1.8 V core plus HSTL/LVDS I/O standards interface directly to precision ADCs and DACs. Designers typically pair the FPGA with external synchronous SRAM for coefficient tables.
Recommended
Legacy Industrial Embedded Computing Platform
Long-lifecycle industrial platforms — including CNC controllers, programmable logic controllers, and SCADA RTUs — often require a drop-in FPGA refresh for a 10–20 year product lifecycle. The EP1M120F484-I6's industrial temperature qualification and Altera's heritage Cyclone/Mercury ecosystem support these extended deployment windows. Its 480 LABs and 303 I/Os can replace multiple discrete logic ICs plus a legacy microcontroller, simplifying the BOM. When designing for a 15-year lifecycle, derate junction temperature to 90 °C max and provision a JTAG header for in-field firmware updates.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484-I6 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C6 | EP1M120F484-I6N | EP1M120F484-6 | EP1M120F484 | EP1M120F15FC484 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 484-pin FBGA | 484-pin FBGA (same) | 484-pin FBGA (same) | 484-pin FBGA (same) | 484-pin FBGA (same) | 484-pin FBGA (same) |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 LEs | 4,800 LEs | 4,800 LEs | 4,800 LEs | 4,800 LEs | 4,800 LEs |
| User I/Os | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40°C to +100°C) | Commercial (0°C to +85°C) | Industrial (-40°C to +100°C) | Industrial (per MPN suffix) | Generic (verify per datasheet) | Commercial (verify per datasheet) |
| Speed Grade | -6 | -6 (same) | -6 (same) | -6 (same) | Generic | -1.5 (slower, ~15% lower Fmax) |
| High-Speed Transceivers | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps | Up to 12 channels @ 1.25 Gbps |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature qualification for harsh environments (vs EP1M120F484C6)
- Lead-free / RoHS compliant reflow-compatible option (vs EP1M120F484-I6N)
- Drop-in 484 FBGA footprint with 12-channel 1.25 Gbps transceiver block (vs EP1M120F15FC484)
Design Notes
The EP1M120F484-I6 requires a clean 1.8 V core supply with bulk decoupling of 100 µF tantalum or polymer plus 0.1 µF X7R ceramic capacitors placed within 5 mm of every power pin. Auxiliary PLL analog supplies (VCCA_PLL) must be filtered with a ferrite bead and decoupled with 10 µF tantalum + 0.1 µF ceramic to minimize jitter on the high-speed transceivers. Estimated: with all 12 transceivers active at 1.25 Gbps, the total device power approaches 1.5 W, requiring adequate copper pour on inner power planes.
The 484-pin FBGA package has a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance of approximately 12 C/W with a 4-layer PCB and 1 oz copper. Estimated: with 1.5 W dissipation at 70 °C ambient, junction temperature is roughly 88 °C, which is within the industrial -40 °C to +100 °C window but leaves limited margin. For deployments where the device runs at sustained high toggle rates or full transceiver utilization, add a thermal via array under the package center pad to the bottom-layer copper pour.
Route each high-speed serial transceiver pair as a length-matched 100 Ω differential pair with continuous reference ground plane beneath. Keep series AC-coupling capacitors within 200 mil of the FPGA pin. For LVDS I/O running above 100 MHz, maintain 5 W or 50 Ω controlled impedance on the outer microstrip and avoid vias on differential pairs. JTAG chain integrity should be verified at board bring-up with the Altera ByteBlaster or USB-Blaster download cable.
Do not confuse the EP1M120F484-I6 industrial variant with the EP1M120F484C6 commercial variant for outdoor deployments — the commercial part will fail below 0 °C. Ensure all configuration pins (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE) are pulled to the correct logic levels via 10 kΩ resistors, and that the EPC configuration device is selected for the correct FPGA density. Always include a JTAG header on prototype boards to allow configuration reloading during bring-up.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not explicitly stated in the verified distributor snippets. The EP1M120F484-I6N variant (N suffix) is reported as lead-free/RoHS-compliant per DigiKey listings; the standard EP1M120F484-I6 may be non-RoHS. AEC-Q100 is not applicable for FPGAs (this is not an automotive-qualified logic IC). Engineers should request the latest material declaration from Altera/Intel before qualifying the part for RoHS/REACH-sensitive designs.
