MSC8156ESAG1000B - 6x SC3850 1GHz DSP SoC | NXP Semiconductors
MPN: MSC8156ESAG1000B ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $145 | $14,500.00 |
| 500 | $128 | $64,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $112 | $112,000.00 |
MSC8156ESAG1000B Overview
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor optimized for numerical computation on streaming data. Within the broader taxonomy of programmable logic, a DSP sits between general-purpose CPUs (software-flexible but slow on numeric kernels) and ASICs (fast but inflexible). The MSC8156 family occupies the high-throughput programmable tier used in wireless base stations, media gateways, and defense signal-processing platforms. The six-core SC3850 architecture reaches aggregate performance of 48 GMACS at 16-bit or 24 GMACS at 32-bit fixed-point arithmetic, with each core supporting SIMD-style vector operations.
Key features include six 1 GHz SC3850 cores, MAPLE-B hardware accelerator for LTE/HSDPA turbo decoding, two 5 Gbps SerDes ports selectable between SRIO and PCIe Gen1/Gen2, a 64-bit DDR2/DDR3 controller up to 800 MT/s, dual RISC-based QUICC Engine for packet processing, Gigabit Ethernet MAC, Security Engine (SEC 4.0), and a temperature range of 0C to 105C for thermally constrained embedded systems.
Typical applications include 3G/4G wireless baseband processing, media transcoding engines, defense and intelligence DSP front-ends, and high-density channel cards. The wide peripheral mix (SRIO/PCIe/GbE/QUICC Engine) lets designers collapse separate network processors, security coprocessors, and baseband accelerators onto a single die.
When designing with the MSC8156, pay close attention to power-rail sequencing (the device requires multiple voltage rails with monotonic startup) and DDR termination - refer to the manufacturer datasheet for the reference board layout. Due to the 783-ball FCBGA package, an 8-layer PCB with buried vias and matched-length SERDES traces is recommended. Note: this part has reached end-of-life per the manufacturer and is supported primarily through authorized distributors stocking remaining inventory.
Drop-in alternatives for MSC8156ESAG1000B — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with MSC8156ESAG1000B (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Core Architecture, Memory Controller, Product Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MSC8156ETAG1000B
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MSC8156MAG100B
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MSC8156ESVT1000B
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet →MSC8256SAG1000B
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MSC8256ETAG1000B
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MSC8156ESAG1000B Specifications
| DSP Cores | 6x SC3850 StarCore cores |
| Core Clock Frequency | 1 GHz per core |
| Process Technology | 45 nm CMOS |
| Hardware Accelerator | MAPLE-B baseband accelerator (turbo decode) |
| Memory Controller | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, up to 800 MT/s |
| SerDes Lanes | 2 lanes, SRIO or PCIe (selectable) |
| Ethernet | 1x Gigabit Ethernet MAC |
| Packet Engine | QUICC Engine subsystem |
| Security Engine | SEC 4.0 (Cryptographic accelerator) |
| Package | 783-ball FCBGA (29x29 mm) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +105C |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lifecycle Status | End of Life (per NXP PCN) |
MSC8156ESAG1000B 783-ball fcbga (29x29 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for MSC8156ESAG1000B (783-ball fcbga (29x29 mm) package). Pin numbering, functions, and connection diagrams are defined in the manufacturer datasheet. Refer to it for the exact footprint and soldering guidelines.
No detailed pinout data available for MSC8156ESAG1000B.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
MSC8156ESAG1000B is suitable for 6 applications: 3G/4G Wireless Baseband Processing, Media Transcoding and Streaming Engines, Defense and Intelligence DSP Front-Ends, High-Density Channel Cards for Telecom, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Medical Imaging Signal Processing.
3G/4G Wireless Baseband Processing
The MSC8156ESAG1000B is purpose-built for high-density wireless baseband channel cards where six SC3850 cores at 1 GHz and the MAPLE-B turbo-decoding accelerator deliver aggregate processing equivalent to a 6 GHz single-core device. Designers place the part between RF front-end ADCs and the base station's Layer-2/Layer-3 protocol stack; MAPLE-B offloads turbo and Viterbi decode so the SC3850 cores can run upper-layer DSP and protocol code. The dual SRIO/PCIe SerDes lanes let designers daisy-chain multiple MSC8156 devices for higher channel density. Power dissipation scales with core utilization; at full 1 GHz load all six cores expect well-designed thermal vias beneath the FCBGA land pad to keep junction below 105C.
Recommended
Media Transcoding and Streaming Engines
The MSC8156ESAG1000B's six SC3850 cores at 1 GHz and high-bandwidth DDR2/DDR3 controller (64-bit, 800 MT/s) make it suitable for multi-channel media transcoding engines in carrier-grade media gateways. The SC3850 SIMD-style vector units accelerate video codec pre/post-processing while the GbE MAC and QUICC Engine handle packet I/O without burdening the DSP cores. The integrated SEC 4.0 security engine accelerates IPsec/SSL bulk crypto for DRM-protected streams. Compared to a software-only CPU solution, the MSC8156 typically delivers 5-10x throughput per watt for HD video transcoding workloads.
Recommended
Defense and Intelligence DSP Front-Ends
In radar, electronic warfare, and SIGINT platforms, the MSC8156ESAG1000B serves as a high-throughput front-end DSP, processing wideband I/Q data streams with deterministic latency. Six 1 GHz SC3850 cores provide enough parallelism for adaptive beamforming, FFT chains, and pulse compression; the FCBGA 0C-105C thermal envelope supports sealed, conduction-cooled ATR chassis. The SRIO links let designers pipe processed data to downstream FPGAs or GPGPUs without software involvement. Military programs should specify the extended-temperature variant and confirm long-term availability through authorized distributors.
Recommended
High-Density Channel Cards for Telecom
Channel cards for voice and data infrastructure benefit from the MSC8156ESAG1000B's six-core parallelism, GbE MAC, and QUICC Engine, which together consolidate DSP, packet processing, and security on a single die. Designers use the QUICC Engine for ATM/PPP/MLPPP and Ethernet fan-out, the GbE MAC for uplink, and the SC3850 cores for voice codec and echo cancellation. Compared to a CPU-plus-network-processor design, the integrated approach reduces board area, BOM, and power. The 783-FCBGA footprint requires 8-layer or higher PCB stack-up with buried vias for SERDES routing.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Modular test instruments such as wireless protocol analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators can leverage the MSC8156ESAG1000B's six SC3850 cores for real-time demodulation, modulation, and protocol decode. The deterministic interrupt latency of the SC3850 cores supports tight timing budgets needed for standards-compliant testing. Designers use SRIO to stream sample data from a co-located ADC FPGA and PCIe to push processed frames to the host controller. The device's EOL status makes it more suitable for sustaining existing production instruments than for new platform development.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Signal Processing
The MSC8156ESAG1000B can drive real-time signal processing pipelines in ultrasound, CT, and MRI imaging systems. Six SC3850 cores at 1 GHz support parallel beamforming, FFT, and image reconstruction kernels while the DDR3 controller absorbs the high sample-rate I/O bandwidth. The SEC 4.0 engine accelerates HIPAA-compliant encryption for DICOM export. Designers must validate the 0C-105C operating range against the medical device's required patient-contact or patient-proximity thermal envelope. EOL status requires long-term stock planning for medical systems with multi-decade support windows.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MSC8156ESAG1000B — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MSC8156ETAG1000B | MSC8156MAG100B | MSC8156ESVT1000B | MSC8256SAG1000B | MSC8256ETAG1000B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors (Freescale) | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors |
| Package | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same |
| DSP Cores | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz | 6x SC3850 @ 1 GHz |
| MAPLE-B Baseband Accelerator | Yes (integrated) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (omitted in MSC8256 family) | No (omitted in MSC8256 family) |
| DDR Memory Controller | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s | 64-bit DDR2/DDR3, 800 MT/s |
| SerDes / High-Speed I/O | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) | 2x SerDes (SRIO or PCIe) |
| Security Engine (SEC) | SEC 4.0 | SEC 4.0 | SEC 4.0 | SEC 4.0 | SEC 4.0 | SEC 4.0 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +105C | 0C to +105C | 0C to +105C | 0C to +105C | 0C to +105C | 0C to +105C |
| Lifecycle Status | EOL | EOL | EOL | Obsolete | EOL | EOL |
Key Differentiators
- MAPLE-B baseband accelerator integrated on-die (vs MSC8256SAG1000B)
- Six-core StarCore SC3850 at 1 GHz with 45 nm process (vs MSC8151TAG1000B (single-core 1 GHz))
- Integrated QUICC Engine + GbE MAC + SEC 4.0 (vs MSC8256ETAG1000B)
Design Notes
The 783-FCBGA package has a die-expose thermal pad on the bottom surface; route thermal vias directly beneath the pad to inner PCB copper planes. At full 1 GHz load on all six SC3850 cores plus MAPLE-B, the device can reach 8-10W; a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance of 5 C/W or better requires at least 4 inner copper planes with thermal via arrays. Avoid placing hot components directly above the FCBGA thermal pad - use split planes if needed.
Design an 8-layer (or higher) PCB stack-up with buried vias for SERDES breakout. The two SerDes lanes (SRIO/PCIe up to 5 Gbps) require matched-length routing within 5 mil tolerance and reference planes on both sides of the trace. DDR2/DDR3 signals must follow the JEDEC recommended layout with 50-ohm controlled-impedance routing, fly-by termination on the address/command/control signals, and matched clock-to-DQS trace lengths.
The MSC8156 requires multiple voltage rails (typically a core voltage plus I/O voltages plus a SerDes voltage plus a PLL analog voltage). Each rail must come up monotonically and within the window specified by the manufacturer datasheet power-up sequence - a violation can prevent the device from leaving reset. Decouple each rail with bulk capacitors plus high-frequency ceramic capacitors placed as close to the FCBGA balls as the PCB stack-up allows. Estimated: with 6 cores plus peripherals, total board power is in the 8-12W range.
Separate analog/digital ground domains; use a single ground plane stitched with vias at SerDes and PLL regions. Place the 25 MHz or 100 MHz reference oscillator (per device variant) within 250 mils of the clock input balls; route the clock trace over a continuous ground reference. Route JTAG signals with a chain topology if multiple devices share the boundary-scan bus, and provide test points for boundary-scan access in production.
Do not assume the MSC8156, MSC8151, and MSC8256 are software-compatible at the binary level - although they share SC3850 cores, the integrated accelerators and peripheral set differ. Confirm the device boot configuration pins before layout; the SYSCLK, POR, and configuration resistors determine the boot mode and DDR memory width. Do not populate only a single SerDes lane and assume the unused lane can be left floating - the unused SerDes still requires AC coupling capacitors and reference clock per the manufacturer datasheet.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free, and halogen-free compliance not stated in the Verified Web Data; refer to the NXP product page or PCN for definitive compliance information. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial/industrial DSP SoC, not an automotive-grade part.
