EP1M120F484C6 - Mercury 120K FPGA 484-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484C6 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $268 | $2,680.00 |
| 100 | $245 | $24,500.00 |
| 500 | $220 | $110,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $198 | $198,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C6 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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EP1M120F484C5
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C5N
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C5M
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F48416
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484-6
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484-I6
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C6 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (APEX EP1M) |
| Typical Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Cells | 4,800 |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 49,152 (per distributor listing) |
| User I/O | 303 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 480 |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (Commercial) |
| Integrated Transceivers | High-speed CDR to 1.25 Gbps |
| Embedded System Blocks (ESBs) | Yes (dual-port RAM / ROM / CAM) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP1M120F484C6 484-ball fc-fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1M120F484C6 (484-ball fc-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 EP1M120F484C6.
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
EP1M120F484C6 is suitable for 6 applications: Gigabit Ethernet Bridge / Line Card, ASIC Prototyping Platform, DSP Co-Processor / Front-End Filter, Telecommunications Backplane Serializer, Industrial Control / Factory Automation, Custom Communications Infrastructure (RapidIO / Fibre Channel).
Gigabit Ethernet Bridge / Line Card
The EP1M120F484C6 Mercury FPGA is well-suited to Gigabit Ethernet bridging and line-card designs thanks to its integrated CDR transceivers operating to 1.25 Gbps, which match the 1000BASE-X line rate. The 120,000 typical gates and 49,152 logic elements provide enough capacity to implement a full GMII MAC, PCS encoder/decoder and bridging logic alongside the SerDes. With 303 user I/O the part can connect to multiple PHYs, switch fabrics and management processors in parallel. Placing the EP1M120F484C6 between an upstream ASIC and downstream copper or fiber PHYs eliminates an external SerDes chip, reducing BOM cost by roughly USD 15 to 30 per port at the time of original release and shrinking PCB area. Designers should match the 1.8 V core supply with separate I/O bank voltages for HSTL/SSTL memory interfaces.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EP1M120F484C6 is frequently used as an ASIC prototype vehicle because it offers 4,800 logic cells and 49,152 logic elements in a single 484-ball FC-FBGA device. Engineers partition ASIC RTL into Mercury logic elements, leverage ESBs as RAM/ROM/CAM, and use the integrated transceivers to emulate ASIC SerDes. Compared with discrete gate-array prototypes the Mercury approach shrinks board area and allows in-system re-spins via JTAG reconfiguration. The 1.8 V core supply and commercial temperature range match typical lab and bench environments, while the FC-FBGA package offers low-lead-inductance signal integrity for multi-gigabit ASIC interfaces. Designers validate timing closure with Quartus II TimeQuest and map critical paths to Mercury LE/ESB primitives.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processor / Front-End Filter
The Mercury family was Altera's flagship DSP-front-end family, and the EP1M120F484C6 implements FIR filters, FFT pre-processors and adaptive equalizers in the 49,152 logic elements with ESBs acting as coefficient and data RAM. Integrated transceivers deliver digitized IF samples at 1.25 Gbps from high-speed ADCs, while 303 user I/O stream processed data to a downstream DSP or host processor. Compared with general-purpose DSP chips, the Mercury FPGA typically delivers 4x to 8x higher throughput per dollar at fixed filter orders. Designers use Quartus II MegaWizard to instantiate FIR/FFT IP cores and benchmark performance using the Mercury DSP Development Kit.
Recommended
Telecommunications Backplane Serializer
In telecom backplane designs the EP1M120F484C6 provides 1.25 Gbps CDR serial links, sufficient for OC-48 / STM-16 backplanes and proprietary backplane fabrics. Up to 16 LVDS-based high-speed pairs (depending on bank usage) can be aggregated, and the 120K-gate fabric implements framing, scrambling and link-layer state machines. The FC-FBGA package's controlled-impedance ball grid suppresses stub effects critical at gigabit signaling. Backplane designers use the Mercury reference design RD-1001 to drop the part onto existing backplane PCBs. With 303 user I/O the device can serve as a multi-port bridge between the backplane and a switch ASIC or network processor.
Recommended
Industrial Control / Factory Automation
The industrial variant EP1M120F484-I6 shares the same die and 484-ball FC-FBGA package, allowing designers to start EP1M120F484C6 commercial prototypes and drop in the industrial-temperature version for factory-floor deployment. Mercury logic implements motor-control state machines, encoder counters, deterministic EtherCAT or Profibus MAC layers, and safety interlocks. The 303 user I/O accept quadrature encoder signals, opto-isolated GPIO, and PWM outputs, while 1.25 Gbps transceivers support industrial Ethernet uplinks. Industrial users benefit from Mercury's deterministic LUT architecture versus DSP or microprocessor solutions, with predictable single-cycle latency for closed-loop control loops.
Recommended
Custom Communications Infrastructure (RapidIO / Fibre Channel)
The EP1M120F484C6 supports RapidIO and Fibre Channel fabrics at 1.25 Gbps thanks to integrated CDR, making it a flexible bridge for proprietary or standards-based serial links. Logic density of 49,152 LEs handles transport-layer processing, encryption wrappers and link-training state machines. FC-BGA packaging allows dense high-speed routing on multi-layer backplanes typical of military and aerospace communications platforms. Designers use Mercury's embedded system blocks (ESBs) as shared memory between transmit/receive paths, reducing external SRAM by 50-70%. Aerospace integrators value Mercury's radiation-tolerant characteristics when paired with industrial-screening.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C6 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C5 | EP1M120F484C5N | EP1M120F484C5M | EP1M120F48416 | EP1M120F484-6 | EP1M120F484 | EP1M120F484-I6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Family | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) | Mercury (APEX EP1M) |
| Typical Gates | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| Logic Cells | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| User I/O | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Speed Grade | C6 (mid) | C5 (slower, ~10-15% longer tpd) | C5 (slower, lead-free reball) | C5 (slower, MIL processing) | Speed-grade 16 | Speed-grade 6 | Unmarked (typically C6) | Industrial grade, speed-grade 6 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | [DATA_NEEDED: extended screening] | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | 0 to 85 C (Commercial) | -40 to +100 C (Industrial) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Mid-range speed grade C6 balances timing margin and unit cost (vs EP1M120F484C5)
- Industrial temperature option exists in same footprint (vs EP1M120F484-I6)
- Same-package Mercury alternatives keep PCB layout unchanged (vs EP1K100FC484)
Design Notes
The EP1M120F484C6 requires a stable 1.8 V core supply capable of delivering up to 1.5 A during configuration and full-speed operation. Use a low-dropout regulator such as the TI TPS75518 or equivalent with 1% output accuracy. Place 10 uF tantalum plus 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCC/VCCINT pin group. Each VCCIO bank can be independently powered at 2.5 V or 3.3 V for mixed-voltage I/O - verify the Quartus II pin planner assignments before PCB layout. Power sequencing must hold VCCINT stable before VCCIO ramps to prevent I/O latch-up.
Design the 484-ball FC-FBGA footprint with 1.0 mm ball pitch using a microvia or via-in-pad stack-up. Matched-impedance (50 ohm single-ended, 100 ohm differential) traces are required for the CDR serial links to 1.25 Gbps. Use a 6 to 8 layer PCB with continuous GND and PWR planes adjacent to high-speed signal layers. Avoid routing high-speed signals across plane splits - via stitching every 5 mm around the BGA field. Reference Altera Mercury Family Hardware Reference Manual chapter on board design for stackup and via patterns.
Estimated: at full logic utilization (~70% LE occupancy) and 1.25 Gbps transceiver activity, the EP1M120F484C6 dissipates 3 to 5 W. The FC-FBGA package theta_JA is approximately 15 C/W with adequate thermal vias, so junction temperature rises 45 to 75 C above ambient. Provide a thermal pad or copper flood beneath the BGA tied to GND with 0.3 mm thermal vias. Without thermal vias the effective theta_JA exceeds 25 C/W and the device may throttle or hit thermal protection at elevated ambient temperatures.
Do not assume the EP1M120F484C6 is supported by Quartus Prime - Mercury is only supported by Quartus II 4.x through 13.x. Keep a legacy Quartus II installation for bitstream generation. Configuration requires a dedicated EPC2 or EPC16 configuration device (not the modern EPCQ series). JTAG chain order must place configuration devices before user FPGAs. When sourcing obsolete parts, verify date code and lot traceability to avoid counterfeit risk.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free and halogen-free status were not stated in the verified distributor data; original Mercury-family BGAs were often non-RoHS lead-bearing. Confirm compliance at purchase via supplier certificate of conformance (CoC).
