EP1M120F484I6N - Mercury FPGA, 120K Gates, 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP1M120F484I6N ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $268.5 | $2,685.00 |
| 100 | $245 | $24,500.00 |
| 500 | $215 | $107,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $188 | $188,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484I6N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EP1M120F484I6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| System Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4,800 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 480 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 |
| User I/Os | 303 |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Code | BGA-484 / FC-FBGA |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C |
| Transceivers | Integrated high-speed transceivers with CDR to 1.25 Gbps |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP1M120F484I6N bga-484 / fc-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1M120F484I6N (bga-484 / fc-fbga package) with 48 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 EP1M120F484I6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 48 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
EP1M120F484I6N is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Serial Backplane Bridge, Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, DSP Pipeline Pre-Processing, Protocol Conversion / Interface Bridge, Test and Measurement Instrumentation Front-End, Industrial Control Glue Logic with Custom I/O.
High-Speed Serial Backplane Bridge
The EP1M120F484I6N's integrated 1.25 Gbps transceivers with on-chip clock data recovery make it a strong fit for high-speed serial backplane bridging between line cards, chassis mid-planes, and adjacent FPGAs/ASICs. The 4,800 logic elements and 49,152 RAM bits allow protocol conversion (for example, custom backplane SERDES to LVDS parallel) entirely inside the Mercury fabric, eliminating a dedicated PHY. Place the part near the board edge connector to minimize serial-channel stub length, and use matched-length differential pairs with controlled 100-ohm impedance for each transceiver channel.
Recommended
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
Telecom line-card designs require wide parallel buses to TDM framers, SERDES backplanes, and clock-distribution ASICs, all of which the EP1M120F484I6N can absorb with 303 user I/Os. The 49,152-bit Block RAM is sufficient for multi-channel elastic FIFOs that buffer between the line-card system clock and the backplane recovered clock. Use the on-chip PLLs to generate multiple related frequencies from one reference, and leverage the 1.25 Gbps transceivers for chip-to-chip serial interconnect to the framer.
Recommended
DSP Pipeline Pre-Processing
The Mercury fabric's 4,800 logic elements and 49,152 bits of Block RAM can implement FIR filters, correlators, and FFT pre-processing stages for DSP pipelines preceding a dedicated DSP or ADC/DAC pair. The high user-I/O count (303 pins) supports wide parallel ADC capture buses, and the on-chip PLLs generate the ADC sampling clock with deterministic phase relationship to the fabric logic. Plan logic utilization at 70% of nominal to leave headroom for timing closure on the I6 speed grade.
Recommended
Protocol Conversion / Interface Bridge
The EP1M120F484I6N is frequently deployed as a protocol converter (for example, custom LVDS-to-LVCMOS bridges, parallel RapidIO fan-out, or UART/SPI aggregation) where ASIC alternatives would be too expensive. With 303 user I/Os and 4,800 logic elements, a single Mercury device can host multiple independent bridge channels simultaneously. The 484-FBGA package keeps the footprint compact even at this I/O density, enabling dense multi-protocol cards for industrial control or test-instrument front-ends.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation Front-End
Laboratory instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and arbitrary waveform generators benefit from the EP1M120F484I6N's mix of parallel I/O, Block RAM, and serial transceivers. The 49,152-bit Block RAM is large enough to capture multi-sample waveform segments for inline pre-trigger storage, and the 1.25 Gbps transceivers can drive external high-speed DACs and ADCs. Use the Mercury PLLs to derive all timing from one low-jitter reference to keep channel-to-channel skew tight.
Recommended
Industrial Control Glue Logic with Custom I/O
Industrial PLCs, motor controllers, and custom I/O concentrators often need many LVCMOS/LVTTL signals driving relays, optocouplers, and parallel LCD/keypad interfaces - exactly the use case where 303 user I/Os shine. The Mercury fabric's CMOS logic cells interface directly to 3.3V/2.5V/1.8V I/O standards with selectable drive strengths. For noisy industrial environments, add external ESD/TVS protection on user I/O and keep the 484-FBGA decoupling network tight: one bulk cap per VCC pin and 0.1 uF + 0.01 uF per power-pair is a good starting point.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484I6N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484I6 | EP1M120F484I5N | EP1M120F484C6N | EP1M120F484C7N | EP1M120F484C8N | EP1M120F48416 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 | FBGA-484 |
| Family | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury |
| Speed Grade | I6 (industrial, grade 6) | I6 | I5 (slower) | C6 | C7 (slower) | C8 (slowest) | [DATA_NEEDED: speed grade mapping] |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +70C | 0C to +70C | 0C to +70C | 0C to +85C |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| User I/Os | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | 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 |
Key Differentiators
- Lead-free terminal finish on the EP1M120F484I6N (vs EP1M120F484I6)
- Industrial-temperature 0C to +85C operating window (vs EP1M120F484C6N)
- Faster I6 speed grade for high-Fmax timing closure (vs EP1M120F484I5N)
Design Notes
The 484-ball FineLine BGA concentrates thermal dissipation in a small footprint; even with a relatively low FPGA core power of approximately 0.5-1 W typical, the FBGA package thermal resistance depends strongly on the PCB copper count. For reliable operation across the 0C to +85C industrial range, dedicate at least one full inner copper plane under the BGA footprint connected to GND, and add thermal vias in the BGA land pattern. In thermally harsh enclosures, derate ambient by 10C or specify the wider -40C to +85C extended-industrial EP1M120F484I6 sibling.
Lay out the 484-FBGA with via-in-pad or dog-bone fan-out to escape the 1.0 mm ball pitch; standard 4- or 6-layer stack-ups with 0.5 oz copper on outer layers are acceptable, but inner planes should be 1 oz for thermal spreading. Match the length and impedance (typically 100 ohms differential for the LVDS/serial channels, 50 ohms single-ended for LVCMOS clocks) of every transceiver pair to within 5 mil. Provide a complete GND reference under all serial-pair traces to keep return paths continuous.
Do not assume EP1M120F484I6N drop-in compatibility with EP1M120F484I6 for RoHS-critical builds: the 'N' suffix indicates a lead-free terminal finish, while the non-'N' part may use a leaded finish. Mixing them on a RoHS-declared product invalidates the declaration. Also, when migrating to the EP1M120F484I5N or EP1M120F484C7N drop-in parts for relaxed timing, verify your design meets the slower speed-grade Fmax targets before committing - timing closure is design-dependent and not automatically guaranteed by silicon-grade swap.
Compliance Information
The 'N' suffix in EP1M120F484I6N indicates lead-free terminal finish per Altera/Intel ordering convention. RoHS, REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals declarations were not present in the captured web data and require confirmation against the manufacturer's current product declaration document. AEC-Q100 is not applicable - this is an FPGA, not an automotive-grade IC.
