EP1M120F484 - Mercury FPGA 120K Gates 1.25Gbps | Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $132.5 | $1,325.00 |
| 100 | $118 | $11,800.00 |
| 500 | $105 | $52,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $92 | $92,000.00 |
EP1M120F484 Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device whose architecture consists of an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory, routing resources, and programmable I/O, allowing engineers to implement custom digital logic after PCB assembly. The Altera Mercury family occupies the niche between mid-density Cyclone-class parts and high-end Stratix-class devices, targeting applications that need high-speed serial I/O without the full Stratix power budget. Within the broader taxonomy, the EP1M120F484 sits as: FPGA -> programmable logic device -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor.
Key differentiating features include 49,152 bits of embedded RAM, 4,800 logic elements, a 1.8V core supply with 3.3V/2.5V-tolerant I/O, and JTAG-based in-system configuration via the IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan interface. Speed grades -5, -6, -7, and -8 are available, with the F484 designation indicating the 484-pin FineLine BGA package and the second digit denoting the speed bin. The Mercury transceiver PHY also supports 8B/10B encoding and basic SONET/SDH framing, simplifying SERDES integration in communication designs.
Architecturally, the EP1M120F484 uses a 4-input look-up table (LUT) based logic fabric with dedicated carry chains for arithmetic, distributed and block RAM, and a separate transceiver quadrant placed along the north and south edges. The combination of PLLs, LVDS I/O, and embedded SERDES enables the device to bridge parallel processor buses, memory controllers, and gigabit serial links on a single die. Configuration is typically stored in an external EPC serial configuration device, although the part also supports JTAG and passive parallel modes.
Typical applications include 1 Gbps Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet interface cards, SONET/SDH framer/mapper cards, backplane serializer/deserializer (SERDES) bridges, software-defined radio data paths, and high-speed test instrumentation. The 1.25 Gbps CDR capability also makes the EP1M120F484 suitable for PCI Express endpoint prototyping (pre-Intel Altera hard-IP era) and custom radar or imaging front-ends.
When designing with the EP1M120F484, pay close attention to the transceiver reference-clock jitter, supply-rail decoupling around each GXB block, and thermal management of the FCBGA substrate. Multi-gigabit SERDES channels demand continuous reference planes on inner PCB layers and impedance-controlled differential traces, and the device should be paired with a regulated 1.5V analog supply in addition to the 1.8V digital rail.
This page consolidates Altera Mercury family specifications, same-family drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the printed datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484 β 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 EP1M120F484 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Family, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484I6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$95 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C7A
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484I6N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$188 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F480C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$99.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (EP1M) |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4,800 |
| Gate Count | 120,000 |
| Embedded Memory (Bits) | 49,152 |
| User I/O Pins | 303 |
| Total Package Pins | 484 |
| Package | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.8 V |
| I/O Supply Voltage | 3.3 V / 2.5 V |
| Transceiver Channels | Up to 18 channels |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 1.25 Gbps with CDR |
| Process Technology | CMOS |
| Configuration Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) / EPC serial |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP1M120F484 484-pin fineline bga (fcbga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1M120F484 (484-pin fineline bga (fcbga) 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 EP1M120F484.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484 is suitable for 6 applications: Gigabit Ethernet Interface Cards, SONET/SDH Framer / Mapper Cards, Backplane SERDES Bridges, Software-Defined Radio Data Paths, High-Speed Test & Measurement Instrumentation, Medical Imaging Front-Ends.
Gigabit Ethernet Interface Cards
The EP1M120F484 is well suited for 1 Gbps Ethernet NIC designs because each of its 18 transceiver channels can reach 1.25 Gbps, comfortably covering 1000BASE-T/SX/LX SERDES rates with margin for 8B/10B overhead. The 4,800 logic elements and 49,152 bits of embedded RAM are sufficient to implement a full MAC, FIFO buffering, and a small RISC management core on-chip. Designers typically instantiate an SGMII PHY interface in GXB transceiver tiles, route the parallel data path through the FPGA fabric at 125 MHz DDR, and expose the link to the host via PCI or PCI-X. The 1.8V core keeps power dissipation low enough for line-card thermal envelopes. For new designs in 2026, designers may prefer the Cyclone IV GX or Cyclone V GX with hard IP for 1G Ethernet, but the EP1M120F484 remains a proven option for legacy sustainment.
Recommended
SONET/SDH Framer / Mapper Cards
The Mercury family's embedded CDR and 8B/10B support make the EP1M120F484 a practical choice for early-generation SONET OC-48/STM-16 and SDH framer or mapper line cards. Each of the 18 channels at 1.25 Gbps maps cleanly to STS-48/STM-16 tributary rates, allowing the FPGA to implement section/line/path overhead processing, pointer justification, and payload mapping. The 49,152 bits of block RAM provide per-channel elastic store buffering, and the 303 user I/O pins comfortably fan out to backplane buses, framer companion chips, and LIU devices. Telecom platforms built around the EP1M120F484 have shipped in volume since 2003. Engineers maintaining these cards in 2026 should keep an eye on Altera Mercury errata sheets and plan for long-term obsolescence of supporting serializer components.
Recommended
Backplane SERDES Bridges
Custom backplanes running proprietary gigabit serial links benefit from the EP1M120F484's combination of 18 GXB channels at 1.25 Gbps and 4,800 logic cells. The device can implement multiple parallel-to-serial bridges (e.g. LVDS to serial, parallel RapidIO to Aurora) on a single chip, replacing several discrete SERDES ICs and a state machine FPGA. The 484-pin FineLine BGA exposes enough LVDS pairs (303 user I/O) to drive sideband signaling and a slow-speed management bus. The 1.8V core rail reduces in-line card power dissipation relative to 2.5V-era parts. Recommended PCB practice includes matched-length differential pairs, 100-ohm differential impedance, and continuous reference planes across all 18 channels.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Data Paths
Software-defined radio (SDR) platforms can use the EP1M120F484 as the front-end data path that digitizes IF signals and routes them into DSP processors. The 18 GXB channels accommodate multiple digital down-converter (DDC) data streams from RF ADCs, and the 4,800 logic cells are enough to implement channelizers, packetizers, and Aurora or Serial RapidIO links into TI/Ceva DSP farms. The 49 Kbit block RAM provides efficient FIFO buffering between sample domains, while the 303 I/O enable wide LVDS connections to ADC/DAC devices. For wideband SDR with sampling rates above 250 Msps, designers typically pair the EP1M120F484 with a high-speed ADC front-end such as the TI ADS62Pxx family. The 1.8V core eases thermal design in sealed outdoor enclosures.
Recommended
High-Speed Test & Measurement Instrumentation
In bit-error-rate testers (BERT), protocol analyzers, and digital sampling scopes, the EP1M120F484 provides pattern generation, error detection, and protocol-aware decoding across up to 18 simultaneous serial lanes. Its 1.25 Gbps capability covers OC-48, Fibre Channel 1G, GigE, and PCIe Gen 1 physical-layer characterization. The 303 user I/O pins can drive color displays, front-panel keypads, and parallel LVDS buses to capture memory, while the 4,800 logic cells support state-machine-based protocol analysis. The 1.8V core plus integrated CDR eliminates external SERDES hardware, simplifying instrument BOMs. Test labs maintaining legacy BERT racks can keep them operational in 2026 by stocking spare Mercury parts through specialist brokers.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Front-Ends
Ultrasound, CT, and MRI front-end digitizer boards can stream high-speed LVDS data from sensor arrays into the EP1M120F484's transceivers, then packetize the data over an Aurora or proprietary serial link to the host CPU/GPU. The 1.25 Gbps transceivers aggregate multiple 10/12-bit ADC channels sampled at 40-80 Msps, while the 4,800 logic cells and 49 Kbit block RAM implement channel interleaving, beamforming preprocessing, and packet framing. The 303 user I/O pins connect to the front-end analog boards, JTAG chain, and housekeeping peripherals. The Mercury family has a long history of medical imaging deployments where long-life support is critical, and the EP1M120F484 remains a known-quantity part for sustaining production in 2026.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C6 | EP1M120F484I6 | EP1M120F484C7A | EP1M120F484I6N | EP1M120F480C6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-pin FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 480-pin BGA - different footprint (drop-in only for 480-pin boards) |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| Gate Count | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| User I/O Pins | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | Fewer (480-pin BGA variant) |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V |
| Transceiver Max Data Rate | 1.25 Gbps with CDR | 1.25 Gbps with CDR | 1.25 Gbps with CDR | 1.25 Gbps with CDR | 1.25 Gbps with CDR | 1.25 Gbps with CDR |
| Embedded Memory (Bits) | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Fully speed-grade-validated drop-in on the same 484-ball F484 footprint (vs EP1M120F484C6)
- Industrial temperature range option without changing the PCB (vs EP1M120F484I6)
- Pb-free / RoHS-compliant A-suffix variant available on the same footprint (vs EP1M120F484C7A)
Design Notes
The 484-pin FCBGA has moderate thermal mass but limited top-side heat-spreader options. Estimate junction-to-ambient theta_JA around 12-18 C/W with a 4-layer PCB and standard ground pour (no dedicated thermal via array under the die). For 1.25 Gbps operation across all 18 channels the Mercury die can dissipate 4-6 W; design a copper pour that covers at least 50% of the BGA land area and use 9 thermal vias per GXB quadrant to keep junction temperature below 100C in industrial (-40C to +100C) deployments.
For each of the 18 GXB transceiver channels, route the differential TX/RX pairs as 100-ohm differential impedance on the top microstrip with continuous ground reference on layer 2. Match TX-to-RX trace lengths within 0.5 mm and channel-to-channel lengths within 2.5 mm to preserve CDR lock. Decouple each GXB supply pin (VCCA, VCCT, VCCR) with a 0.1 uF X7R plus 10 uF tantalum or polymer capacitor placed within 50 mil of the ball pad. Provide an isolated 1.5V analog plane for the GXB PLL filter components.
Estimated: at 1.25 Gbps the reference-clock jitter budget is roughly 0.05 UI RMS; do not use a generic 100 MHz LVCMOS oscillator - choose a sub-100 fs RMS-jitter XO such as Crystek CVHD-950 or SiTime SiT9121. Also ensure JTAG chain integrity: pull TMS, TCK, TDI, TDO to well-defined states at power-up; floating JTAG pins can cause the device to enter unintended configuration modes and appear as 'bricked'. Always include a configuration reset supervisor that drives nCONFIG and nSTATUS per the Mercury Handbook.
Each 1.25 Gbps channel launches roughly 4-5 mA of differential current into the TX pair, generating significant return-path discontinuities if the ground plane is split. Maintain an unbroken ground plane under all 18 channels and avoid routing unrelated signals through the GXB quadrant keep-out zones. Apply source-series termination (typically 10-15 ohm) on the TX pair close to the FPGA ball and verify with TDR that the channel's return loss stays below -10 dB up to 1.25 GHz / 1.5 (Nyquist).
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance status not present in the provided web data; only the EP1M120F484C7A A-suffix is confirmed as a Pb-free RoHS variant. Mercury family is not AEC-Q100 qualified (industrial grade -40C to +100C only).
