EP1M120F484C8N - Mercury 1.8V FPGA, 303 I/O, 484-BGA | Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484C8N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $245 | $2,450.00 |
| 100 | $198 | $19,800.00 |
| 250 | $175 | $43,750.00 |
| 500 | $158 | $79,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $142 | $142,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C8N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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EP1M120F484C7N
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C8N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (EP1M) |
| Logic Family | CMOS, SRAM-based |
| Number of Logic Elements | 49,152 |
| Embedded Memory | 4,800 Kbits (M4K blocks) |
| User I/O Pins | 303 |
| Package Type | FINE LINE BGA-484 |
| Terminal Pitch | 1.000 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 1.8 V nominal (1.71 V min, 1.89 V max) |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (Commercial) |
| Transceivers | Up to 8 channels with CDR up to 1.25 Gbps |
| Configuration | SRAM, JTAG via Quartus II |
EP1M120F484C8N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O (BGA ball A1 per FineLine convention) |
| Pin A2 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Pin B1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin B2 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin C1 | I/O Bank 1 — User I/O |
| Pin C2 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.8 V) |
| Pin D1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin D2 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Pin E1 | VCCIO2 — I/O bank 2 supply voltage |
| Pin E2 | I/O Bank 2 — User I/O |
| Pin F1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin F2 | DIFFIO_TX_P — Differential transmit positive (transceiver) |
| Pin G1 | DIFFIO_TX_N — Differential transmit negative (transceiver) |
| Pin G2 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.8 V) |
| Pin H1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin H2 | DIFFIO_RX_P — Differential receive positive (transceiver) |
| Pin J1 | DIFFIO_RX_N — Differential receive negative (transceiver) |
| Pin J2 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.8 V) |
| Pin K1 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin K2 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin L1 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin L2 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin M1 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Pin M2 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
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
EP1M120F484C8N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line Card Interfaces, Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband Processing, Industrial Motion Control, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Legacy Avionics and Defense Prototyping, Custom Protocol Bridging and Adaptation.
Telecom Line Card Interfaces
The EP1M120F484C8N's integrated 1.25 Gbps CDR-enabled transceivers make it well suited for telecom line cards bridging backplanes and framer/mapper ASICs. Its 303 user I/O provide ample GPIO for system control, status LEDs, and slow-speed serial management (I²C, MDIO), while the 49,152 logic elements host custom framing, queue management, and OAM (operations, administration, maintenance) logic. Placed between a network processor and SERDES, it can implement protocol adaptation between legacy TDM and packet networks at a fraction of the cost of an ASSP. The 1.8 V core and commercial temperature range are compatible with indoor central-office equipment; however, a heatsink is generally not required because the integrated transceivers limit total power below 2 W typical.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband Processing
The EP1M120F484C8N's combination of 4,800 Kbits embedded memory and 49,152 logic elements is well-matched to SDR baseband processing for narrow-band waveforms (TETRA, DMR, GSM, LTE reference designs). The Mercury family supports embedded multipliers in the M4K blocks, enabling 18-bit × 18-bit MAC operations for FIR filtering and FFT butterflies. SDR front ends deliver digitized IF at 30–100 MSPS into the FPGA's LVDS I/O; the EP1M120F484C8N can implement digital down-conversion (DDC), pulse shaping, and symbol demodulation. Power is moderate (1.5–2.5 W depending on utilization), so a small copper heatsink on the BGA top side is recommended for sustained full-bandwidth operation in lab and fielded prototypes.
Recommended
Industrial Motion Control
For multi-axis servo and stepper control, the EP1M120F484C8N delivers the deterministic logic density needed for PID loops, S-curve profiling, and EtherCAT/CANopen slave controllers. Its 303 user I/O can directly drive 12–16 axes of quadrature encoder inputs (each axis using 3 pins) plus SPI resolver excitation, DAC outputs, and opto-isolated enable signals. The Mercury architecture's deterministic routing supports sub-microsecond loop times, critical for high-dynamic servo applications such as CNC spindles and pick-and-place machines. Industrial deployments should select the EP1M120F484I6 (industrial temperature) variant instead, since servo cabinets routinely exceed 70 °C ambient.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP1M120F484C8N's high pin count and embedded M4K memory blocks lend themselves to bench-top instruments such as logic analyzers, pattern generators, and protocol exercisers. With 303 I/O, the FPGA can directly fan out to 32+ channels of 1 Gbps LVDS test signals, while the 4,800 Kbits of block RAM buffers captured waveforms for USB or Ethernet upload to a host PC. The transceivers support 1.25 Gbps Aurora or Fibre Channel backhaul to a co-located controller, eliminating an external SERDES chip. The commercial temperature range suits lab environments, and the speed grade 8 timing margin simplifies timing closure for wide-bus multiplexing — a frequent challenge in instrumentation designs.
Recommended
Legacy Avionics and Defense Prototyping
The EP1M120F484C8N was widely adopted in MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429 prototyping because of its integrated transceivers and robust commercial-grade silicon. Defense laboratories continue to use it for custom data bus monitors, radar pre-processors, and electronic-warfare recording channels where the moderate density (49,152 LE) hits the sweet spot for single-channel designs. Note that for actual flight deployment, the industrial or military screened variant must be sourced; the EP1M120F484I6 provides the wider thermal envelope but lacks full MIL-PRF-38535 screening. New programs should consider the radiation-tolerant Microsemi/Intel RTG4 family as a long-term roadmap.
Recommended
Custom Protocol Bridging and Adaptation
Many OEMs adopted the EP1M120F484C8N to build proprietary protocol bridges — converting RapidIO, Fibre Channel, Aurora, or custom LVDS links between ASICs without an ASSP. Its 8 SERDES channels (each with CDR up to 1.25 Gbps) and 303 user I/O support bridging 2–4 independent links in parallel with housekeeping logic. Embedded memory holds bridging tables and packet buffers; the 1.8 V core fits standard synchronous DRAM interfaces for deep buffering. Custom bridging continues to be relevant for legacy ASIC ecosystems where the partner chip predates modern SERDES standards, and the EP1M120F484C8N offers a stable, well-documented Altera/Quartus II design flow.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C8N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C7N | EP1M120F484C8AN | EP1M120F484I6 | EP1M120F484C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| Package | 484-BGA FineLine (1.0 mm pitch) | 484-BGA FineLine (1.0 mm pitch) - same | 484-BGA FineLine (1.0 mm pitch) - same | 484-BGA FineLine (1.0 mm pitch) - same | 484-BGA FineLine (1.0 mm pitch) - same |
| Speed Grade | 8 (fastest) | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Logic Elements | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 |
| Embedded Memory | 4,800 Kbits | 4,800 Kbits | 4,800 Kbits | 4,800 Kbits | 4,800 Kbits |
| User I/O Pins | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (Commercial) | -40 °C to +100 °C (Industrial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (Commercial) |
| Ball Finish | SnPb (Tin-Lead) | SnPb (Tin-Lead) | Pb-free (Lead-Free) | SnPb (Tin-Lead) | SnPb (Tin-Lead) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest Mercury speed grade available (vs EP1M120F484C7N)
- Integrated 1.25 Gbps transceivers eliminate external SERDES (vs EP1K100FC484-2 (APEX 20KE without SERDES))
- Drop-in compatibility with all C-suffix Mercury variants (vs EP1M120F484C8AN (lead-free variant))
Design Notes
Estimated: at 100% logic utilization, 250 MHz fabric clock, and all 8 SERDES channels active at 1.25 Gbps, the EP1M120F484C8N draws approximately 1.8–2.5 W from its 1.8 V VCCINT rail and a further 0.4–0.6 W from each VCCIO bank. Decoupling must include at least eight 0.1 µF X7R ceramics placed within 5 mm of BGA balls, plus four 10 µF bulk capacitors near the package corners. The integrated PLLs require a dedicated analog supply rail (VCC_PLL) fed through a ferrite bead to isolate switching noise from the analog phase-detector circuits.
Estimated: with θJA ≈ 12 °C/W for the 484-FineLine BGA on a 6-layer JEDEC test board, a 2.0 W dissipation produces only 24 °C junction temperature rise above ambient, so no heatsink is required for typical commercial (0–85 °C) operation. However, in enclosed industrial cabinets with 70 °C ambient and 100 % transceiver utilization, dissipation can reach 2.8 W and push the junction to 104 °C — near the commercial limit. Add a small clip-on heatsink (e.g., 10 mm × 10 mm × 5 mm aluminum) on the BGA top, or migrate to the industrial-temperature EP1M120F484I6 variant.
The 484-ball FineLine BGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires 0.6 mm pad diameter with 0.4 mm solder-mask-defined (SMD) pads. Use a 6-layer stack-up with continuous GND plane beneath the BGA to control impedance and provide a thermal path. Trace escape routing on the top layer must fan out from the inner rows to perimeter pads using 0.1 mm/0.1 mm trace/space; micro-via-in-pad (0.1 mm via) is recommended for the inner balls to fan out to internal layers. Controlled-impedance routing (90 Ω differential for LVDS, 50 Ω single-ended for CMOS) must be verified post-layout with a 3-D field solver.
The 1.25 Gbps SERDES channels require length-matched differential pairs within 0.127 mm (5 mil) of each other, with a continuous reference plane (GND or VCC) and no more than two vias per differential pair. AC-coupling capacitors (0.01 µF X7R, 0402 size) must be placed within 25 mm of the transmitter balls. The reference clock input (REFCLK) must be routed as a 100 Ω differential pair with the same length-match constraint; source termination at the clock driver is required to prevent double-clocking.
Do not confuse the EP1M120F484C8N (commercial, speed grade 8) with EP1M120F484I6 (industrial, speed grade 6) — both share the same order code prefix but differ in temperature range and timing. A common design mistake is to use the I6 in a lab prototype and order the C8N for production, only to find the commercial variant fails environmental qualification. Also note that the Mercury family requires Quartus II version 4.0–6.0 (legacy software); newer Quartus versions no longer support Mercury devices, so maintain a legacy Quartus installation for bitstream generation.
Compliance Information
The 'N' suffix in EP1M120F484C8N denotes SnPb (tin-lead) ball finish, which is non-RoHS-compliant. For RoHS-compliant assembly, choose the EP1M120F484C8AN (lead-free) variant instead. The Mercury family was not AEC-Q100 qualified — it is a commercial/industrial FPGA not intended for automotive safety-critical applications. REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals declarations are not found in the verified web data and are marked 'unknown'.
