EP1M120F484C6M - Mercury 120K FPGA, 484-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484C6M ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $132 | $1,320.00 |
| 100 | $118.5 | $11,850.00 |
| 250 | $108.2 | $27,050.00 |
| 500 | $99.75 | $49,875.00 |
EP1M120F484C6M Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that sits in the wider taxonomy of digital semiconductors: FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> integrated circuit. Unlike fixed-function ASICs, FPGAs implement custom digital circuits through a configurable array of logic blocks, programmable interconnects, and embedded memory and DSP resources. The Mercury family sits between Altera's older ACEX 1K line and the Cyclone series, offering multi-gigabit transceivers for high-speed serial I/O.
Key features of the EP1M120F484C6M include 480 LABs/CLBs (each containing 10 logic elements), 49,152 bits of total RAM distributed across embedded array blocks (EABs), up to 303 user I/O pins routed through eight I/O banks, and LVDS/LVTTL/LVCMOS I/O standards. The Mercury architecture also integrates high-speed transceivers capable of running up to 1.25 Gbps on any 8 of the available channels, which is a notable step above purely parallel FPGAs of the same era. Configuration is supported through passive serial, passive parallel synchronous, and JTAG modes.
The Mercury family uses a 0.18-micrometer CMOS process with a 1.8 V core supply, providing a balanced trade-off between logic density, static power, and I/O performance. The 1.25 Gbps transceivers enable applications such as LVDS panel interfaces, telecom backplanes, and protocol bridging (e.g., SPI-4.2, RapidIO) without requiring external PHY chips. The device's 480 LABs and embedded memory allow designers to absorb glue logic, memory controllers, and bus bridges into a single chip.
Typical applications include high-speed serial protocol bridging, telecom line-card glue logic, industrial machine-vision interfaces, medical imaging front-ends, and defense/aerospace signal processing. The 303 available user I/Os make the part suitable for designs that must fan out to many parallel sensors or memory devices alongside the high-speed serial links.
When designing with this part, verify that your Quartus II version supports the Mercury device family and that your PCB footprint matches the 484-ball FC-FBGA (23x23 mm) land pattern. The 1.25 Gbps channels require matched-impedance routing and a clean analog supply for the transceiver PLL.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, mercury-family drop-in alternatives, and practical board-design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet, giving engineers a faster path to part selection.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C6M — 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 EP1M120F484C6M (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Family, Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Integrated Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$56.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$89.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C5M
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C5
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$110 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C6ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C6M Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (Altera) |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 |
| System Gates | 120,000 |
| LABs/CLBs | 480 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 |
| User I/O | 303 |
| I/O Banks | 8 |
| Core Voltage | 1.71 V to 1.89 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0 to 85 C (TJ) |
| Package | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | -6 |
| Transceivers | Up to 1.25 Gbps on 8 channels |
EP1M120F484C6M 484-bbga, fcbga (23x23 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1M120F484C6M (484-bbga, fcbga (23x23 mm) 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 EP1M120F484C6M.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484C6M is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging, Industrial Machine-Vision Interfaces, Medical Imaging Front-End, Defense / Aerospace Signal Processing, Test & Measurement Instrumentation.
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP1M120F484C6M fits telecom line-card glue-logic designs where 120K gates, 49,152 bits of embedded RAM, and 303 user I/Os are needed alongside high-speed serial links. Its 1.25 Gbps transceivers can carry SPI-4.2 or proprietary LVDS streams between the line card and the framer, while the 480 LABs absorb bus bridges, FIFO buffers, and control-plane state machines. Place the FPGA between the network processor and the PHY, and feed the transceiver PLL from a filtered analog supply to meet jitter masks.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging
The 1.25 Gbps transceivers on the EP1M120F484C6M make it a natural fit for protocol-bridging designs such as SPI-4.2 to RapidIO, or proprietary LVDS to parallel bus conversion. The 4,800 logic elements implement PHY adaptation layers and link-training state machines, while the 49,152 bits of EAB RAM provide elasticity buffers across clock-domain crossings. Use matched-impedance routing on the transceiver differential pairs and isolate the analog supply to meet 1.25 Gbps eye masks.
Recommended
Industrial Machine-Vision Interfaces
Industrial machine-vision cameras and frame grabbers benefit from the EP1M120F484C6M's 303 user I/Os to interface to many parallel LVDS sensor channels, plus its embedded RAM to buffer incoming video lines. The Mercury family's 1.25 Gbps transceivers can compress and transmit processed frames to a host PC over a single high-speed serial link, reducing cable count. Plan the FPGA layout so that LVDS pairs are length-matched within the I/O bank's skew tolerance.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Front-End
In ultrasound and endoscopy front-ends, the EP1M120F484C6M can aggregate many parallel ADC channels, perform beamforming or pixel processing in its 4,800 LEs, and stream processed data over a 1.25 Gbps link to a host processor. The 303 I/Os comfortably accept 16 to 32 LVDS ADC channels plus control buses, while the 49 Kbit of embedded RAM acts as line-delay memory for beamforming. Keep the device within its 0 to 85 C commercial temperature range and ensure adequate airflow over the FC-FBGA package.
Recommended
Defense / Aerospace Signal Processing
The Mercury family was widely adopted in defense programs, where the EP1M120F484C6M provides 120K gates of DSP-capable logic plus 1.25 Gbps transceivers for radar IF processing or secure datalink bridging. Its 480 LABs and 49 Kbit EAB RAM are sufficient for FFT pre-processing and buffering, while 303 I/Os interface to ADC/DAC arrays and backplane buses. Use the EP1M120F484C6ES screening variant for military temperature-range programs.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
Automated test equipment (ATE) and bench instruments benefit from the EP1M120F484C6M's mix of parallel and serial I/O: the 303 user I/Os drive pin electronics, while the 1.25 Gbps transceivers backhaul results to a host processor. The 4,800 logic elements implement timing generators, pattern sequencers, and result comparators. Place the FPGA close to the analog front-end and use the device's I/O bank control to manage LVDS/LVCMOS signaling per pin.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C6M — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C6 | EP1M120F484C6N | EP1M120F484C5N | EP1M120F484C5M | EP1M120F484C5 | EP1M120F484C6ES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera |
| Package | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same | 484-BBGA, FCBGA (23x23) - same |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| System Gates | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 | 49,152 |
| User I/O | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Speed Grade | -6 | -6 | -6 | -5 | -5 | -5 | -6 |
| Core Voltage | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V | 1.71 V to 1.89 V |
| Transceiver Rate | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) | 1.25 Gbps (8 ch) |
Key Differentiators
- Identical Mercury die in a pin-compatible 484-FBGA footprint with packing-suffix variation (vs EP1M120F484C6)
- Faster -6 speed grade for timing-critical paths (vs EP1M120F484C5N)
- 1.25 Gbps transceivers integrated on-chip (vs ACEX 1K EP1K100FC484-3)
- 303 user I/Os with 8 banks of LVDS support (vs EP1K50FC484-3)
Design Notes
The EP1M120F484C6M core runs at 1.71 V to 1.89 V with a separate analog supply for the 1.25 Gbps transceiver PLLs. Use an isolated ferrite bead plus a dedicated linear regulator (e.g., LT3042) for the analog rail to keep switching-noise spurs out of the PLL spectrum and meet the datasheet jitter mask at 1.25 Gbps.
The 484-ball FC-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch on a 23x23 mm substrate. Fan-out requires HDI microvias on at least 4 routing layers; plan the stackup so that the transceiver differential pairs have a continuous reference plane and a target differential impedance of 100 ohm. Decoupling: place 0.1 uF + 10 uF ceramic capacitors within 2 mm of every VCCIO bank pin.
Match lengths of LVDS pairs within the I/O bank's skew tolerance (typically 50 mil for LVDS at 1 Gbps). For 1.25 Gbps transceiver channels, keep the differential pairs length-matched to within 5 mil and avoid splitting the reference plane between transmit and receive. Use a pi-attenuation network or redriver on long board traces to recover eye margin.
Do not assume the EP1M120F484C6M is RoHS compliant - the Mercury family predates full RoHS conversion for many SKUs, and the 'M' suffix only indicates packing option. Confirm the latest material declaration with the distributor before shipping into RoHS markets. Also note that Quartus II software must support the Mercury device family for compilation and programming.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance not confirmed in verified web data; Mercury family predates full RoHS conversion for many SKUs. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is an FPGA, not an automotive-grade IC. Confirm material declaration with the distributor before shipping into regulated markets.
