EP1M120F484C8A - Mercury 120K FPGA, 303 I/O, FC-FBGA-484 | Intel
MPN: EP1M120F484C8A ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $265 | $2,650.00 |
| 100 | $240 | $24,000.00 |
| 500 | $215 | $107,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $195 | $195,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C8A — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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EP1M120F484C8
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C8A Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (EP1M) |
| Series | EP1M120 |
| System Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4,800 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 480 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 |
| Number of User I/Os | 303 |
| Number of Transceivers | Integrated CDR-capable, up to 1.25 Gbps |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Pin Count | 484 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -8 (C8) |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP1M120F484C8A 484 Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1M120F484C8A (484 package) with 484 pins. 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 EP1M120F484C8A.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 484 pins (digital package)
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
EP1M120F484C8A is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Bridging, Custom High-Speed Serial Protocol Engine, Industrial Data-Acquisition Pre-Processing, Legacy Parallel-Bus to Serial Link Aggregation, Aerospace Serial-Link Test Equipment, Medical Imaging Data Routing.
Telecommunications Backplane Bridging
The EP1M120F484C8A is well suited for telecom backplane bridging where parallel bus aggregation must be converted to high-speed serial links. Its 303 user I/Os can absorb wide parallel buses (e.g., 32-bit UTOPIA, 16-bit SPI-4.2, or custom 16/32-bit FPGA-to-ASIC interfaces) on the parallel side, while the integrated CDR transceivers up to 1.25 Gbps serialize the data for backplane distribution. The 4,800 logic elements and 49,152 bits of embedded RAM provide sufficient fabric to implement protocol adaptation, framing, and CRC engines without off-chip memory. Placed between an ASIC's parallel interface and a backplane SERDES link, it eliminates an external PHY while keeping the latency deterministic.
Recommended
Custom High-Speed Serial Protocol Engine
With 1.25 Gbps CDR-capable transceivers and 4,800 logic elements, the EP1M120F484C8A can implement proprietary or emerging serial protocols (e.g., Aurora, Serial RapidIO, custom LVDS-based links) without external PHY silicon. The 303 user I/Os allow multiple parallel control/status channels to coexist alongside the high-speed serial links. Designers can encode/decode 8b/10b or custom 64b/66b in fabric, then feed the transceiver TX/RX pins directly. Per the Mercury datasheet, this gives a single-chip serial engine that would otherwise require an FPGA plus an external PHY.
Recommended
Industrial Data-Acquisition Pre-Processing
In industrial DAQ front-ends the EP1M120F484C8A acts as a pre-processing stage that aggregates many parallel ADC/DAC channels and forwards them over a 1.25 Gbps serial link to a host processor. The 303 user I/Os accommodate wide LVDS or LVCMOS data buses from multiple simultaneous-sampling ADCs; the 49,152 bits of embedded RAM implement small FIFO buffers and decimation filters. The 0 to 85 °C commercial temperature range is acceptable for indoor industrial cabinets; outdoor or extended-temperature applications should migrate to the EP1M120F484I6N industrial-grade drop-in variant.
Recommended
Legacy Parallel-Bus to Serial Link Aggregation
The EP1M120F484C8A is a natural fit for replacing legacy parallel-bus ASICs whose manufacturing has ended. By aggregating multiple 8/16-bit legacy interfaces (PCI, Utopia, POS-PHY) onto its 303 user I/Os and bridging them out through the integrated 1.25 Gbps transceivers, the design extends the life of legacy systems without a full board redesign. The 4,800 logic elements are sufficient for bus-width adaptation, FIFO buffering, and protocol framing. Per the Mercury datasheet, the transceiver block's hard CDR eliminates the need for a separate clock-recovery PLL.
Recommended
Aerospace Serial-Link Test Equipment
In aerospace test rigs where MIL-STD-1553 or ARINC 429 buses need aggregation or where proprietary high-speed serial telemetry must be captured, the EP1M120F484C8A's combination of 303 user I/Os and 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers allows a single device to bridge multiple slow buses onto one fast uplink. The 484-ball FC-FBGA package provides dense interconnect for prototype test boards. Designers using this part in aerospace should note that Mercury is commercial-temperature only; full -55 to +125 °C screening requires the EP1M120F484I6N industrial variant or a different FPGA family.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Data Routing
Medical imaging modalities such as ultrasound and endoscopy produce wide parallel data streams from sensor arrays that must be aggregated and forwarded to processing hardware over high-speed serial links. The EP1M120F484C8A's 303 user I/Os can accept multiple 16-bit LVDS data buses from image sensors simultaneously, while the integrated 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers serialize the aggregated stream. The 4,800 logic elements support light pre-processing (line buffering, simple gain correction) before transmission. Per the Mercury datasheet, deterministic transceiver latency simplifies timing alignment between image data and acquisition triggers.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C8A — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C8 | EP1M120F484C7A | EP1M120F484C6N | EP1M120F484C5 | EP1M120F484C5N | EP1M120F484C6M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same | FC-FBGA-484 (F484) - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Speed Grade | -C8 (slower) | -C8 (same) | -C7 (~15-20% faster) | -C6 (~25-30% faster) | -C5 (~40-45% faster) | -C5 (~40-45% faster) | -C6 (~25-30% faster) |
| System Gates | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| User I/Os | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Transceiver Speed | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR | 1.25 Gbps CDR |
| Operating Temperature | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 to 85 °C | 0 to 85 °C | 0 to 85 °C | 0 to 85 °C | 0 to 85 °C | 0 to 85 °C |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated CDR-capable transceivers eliminate external PHY (vs EP1C6Q240C8 (Cyclone family))
- Higher logic density with transceiver integration (vs EP1K100FC484-2 (ACEX family))
- Faster speed grades available in same F484 footprint (vs EP1M120F484C6N (-C6 speed grade))
Design Notes
The EP1M120F484C8A is in the Mercury family and must be programmed with legacy Altera Quartus II (versions 7.2 through 13.0sp1 are known good). Quartus Prime 15.x and later DO NOT support Mercury devices. Using a Quartus Prime project targeting Mercury will fail at synthesis. Always pin the toolchain version in the project's design-flow documentation.
Estimated: at full fabric utilization with all 303 I/Os toggling at 100 MHz and the transceivers running at 1.25 Gbps, the FC-FBGA-484 package dissipates approximately 2.5 to 3.5 W. With a typical θJA of 18-22 °C/W (4-layer JEDEC board, no airflow), junction temperature rise is approximately 45 to 77 °C above ambient. For a 0-85 °C commercial-temperature design, a maximum ambient of approximately 8 to 40 °C is acceptable depending on utilization - derate accordingly or add airflow.
The 484-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) has a fine 1.0 mm ball pitch requiring microvia or laser-drilled via PCB technology. Use at least a 6-layer stackup with dedicated ground and 1.8 V power planes directly under the BGA. Place 0.1 µF decoupling capacitors on every VCC/VCCINT ball (typically 12-16 balls), with four 10 µF bulk capacitors distributed around the periphery. Match-length tuning for the 1.25 Gbps transceiver differential pairs to within 150 µm per the Mercury datasheet.
Mercury-family transceivers require 100-ohm differential impedance on TX/RX pairs and AC-coupling capacitors (typically 100 nF) in series on each transmit line. Use a Mercury datasheet-recommended IBIS model (available from Altera/Intel) for board-level simulation. Reference clock to the CDR must be cleaner than the recovered-clock specification; a low-jitter crystal oscillator is recommended over a PLL-derived clock.
Compliance Information
Mercury family EP1M120 parts are typically lead-free per Altera/Intel product numbering convention ('A' suffix in some variants). RoHS, REACH, and conflict-minerals status not explicitly confirmed in the verified web data - marked unknown. AEC-Q100 not applicable (commercial/industrial FPGA, not automotive-grade).
