EP1M120F484C6N - Mercury 120K FPGA, 303 I/O, FC-FBGA-484 | Intel
MPN: EP1M120F484C6N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85 | $85.00 |
| 10 | $78.5 | $785.00 |
| 100 | $72 | $7,200.00 |
| 250 | $66.5 | $16,625.00 |
| 500 | $61 | $30,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $56.5 | $56,500.00 |
EP1M120F484C6N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that contains an array of configurable logic blocks, embedded memory, and routing resources that engineers can program after manufacture using a hardware description language such as VHDL or Verilog. The Mercury device family specifically targets high-speed I/O and transceiver-based designs, sitting hierarchically within Intel's PLD product line as PLD -> FPGA -> APEX/Mercury family. This kind of device replaces discrete glue logic, custom ASICs, and serializer/deserializer chips in telecom, networking, and high-speed instrumentation equipment.
Key features include 4,800 logic elements, 480 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), integrated CDR-capable transceivers at 1.25 Gbps, a LUT-based architecture optimized for high-speed interconnect, MultiCore hot-socketing support, and 303 user I/Os in the FC-FBGA-484 FineLine BGA package. The device also includes dedicated clock management, embedded RAM, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVDS, HSTL, and SSTL. Operating temperature is commercial 0C to 85C.
Typical applications include high-speed serial backplanes, telecom line-card glue logic, gigabit Ethernet bridging, Fibre Channel infrastructure, and SONET/SDH framers. The integrated 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers eliminate external PHY chips for many serial links, while the 303 I/Os provide ample parallel bandwidth for memory buses, microprocessors, and backplane interfaces.
When designing with this part, route the high-speed transceiver differential pairs as controlled-impedance 50-ohm microstrip or stripline with matched length, provide a clean 1.8 V analog supply isolated from the digital 1.8 V core, and follow the Mercury reference design for VTT termination of HSTL/SSTL memory interfaces.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet's typical-application section, helping engineers rapidly qualify or substitute the Mercury 120 FPGA.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C6N 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 EP1M120F484C6N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Family, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Integrated Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484C6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C6ES
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$92.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C6M
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$99.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C5N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$89.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C5M
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C5
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$110 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484-I6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$98.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Mercury (APEX PLD platform) |
| Typical Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Cells / Elements | 4,800 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 480 |
| User I/Os | 303 |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 1.25 Gbps with CDR |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (commercial) |
| Process Technology | CMOS |
| Architecture | LUT-based, optimized for high-speed interconnect |
| MultiCore Support | Yes (hot socketing) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP1M120F484C6N 484-ball fc-fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1M120F484C6N (484-ball fc-fbga (fineline bga) 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 EP1M120F484C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484C6N is suitable for 7 applications: High-Speed Serial Backplane Bridging, Gigabit Ethernet Bridge / Aggregation, SONET / SDH Framer, Fibre Channel Storage Infrastructure, Test & Measurement Instrumentation, Industrial Automation & Motion Control, Legacy Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic.
High-Speed Serial Backplane Bridging
The EP1M120F484C6N's integrated 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers make it a natural fit for serial backplane bridging in telecom and networking line cards. With 303 user I/Os, the device can absorb wide parallel buses from a network processor or ASIC and serialize them across 1.0625 Gbps Fibre Channel or 1.244 Gbps SONET OC-24 links without an external PHY. Placed between the line-card ASIC and the backplane connector with controlled-impedance differential pairs, the Mercury eliminates the cost of a separate SERDES chip while its 480 LABs provide ample glue logic for protocol translation and framing. The 4,800 LEs also handle status/control plane functions, freeing the ASIC for data-path work.
Recommended
Gigabit Ethernet Bridge / Aggregation
In gigabit Ethernet aggregation nodes, the EP1M120F484C6N bridges multiple 1000BASE-X SFP links to a switch fabric ASIC, leveraging its 1.25 Gbps transceivers for the SFI side and its 303 I/Os for the parallel fabric interface. The 1.8 V core and 1.71-1.89 V supply tolerance fit cleanly into standard line-card power trees, while the 484-ball FC-FBGA footprint allows dense board placement alongside PHY and switch ASICs. Mercury LUTs are well suited to MAC-framing, VLAN tagging, and link-aggregation hashing. Use one Mercury per aggregation channel for scalable fan-out, and program it via JTAG or passive serial configuration ROM.
Recommended
SONET / SDH Framer
SONET OC-24/STM-4 (1.244 Gbps) and OC-48/STM-16 framer designs benefit from the EP1M120F484C6N's 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers and 4,800 logic elements. The Mercury integrates framing, scrambling, pointer processing, and overhead insertion across hundreds of parallel data and clock pins, replacing large ASIC framer chips in early-generation SONET equipment. Designers pair it with a network processor and clock-recovery PLL; the 480 LABs handle byte-wide section/line/path overhead. Industrial-temperature cousin EP1M120F484-I6 is recommended for outdoor transport equipment.
Recommended
Fibre Channel Storage Infrastructure
Storage area networks based on 1.0625 Gbps Fibre Channel use the EP1M120F484C6N as a port-side aggregator or protocol-conversion bridge, with the integrated transceivers handling FC-PH encoding/decoding and clock recovery directly. The 303 user I/Os support FC-AL arbitrated-loop state machines and SAS-style expander logic, while the 1.8 V core keeps power dissipation compatible with sealed storage enclosures. The Mercury device effectively eliminates external SERDES ICs and reduces BOM cost. Pair with EP1M120F484C6 for leaded-environment compatibility if needed.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
High-end logic analyzers, protocol testers, and bit-error-rate testers use the EP1M120F484C6N to multiplex high-speed serial data into acquisition memory, leveraging both the 1.25 Gbps transceivers and the 303 I/Os. The 4,800 LEs implement trigger logic, pattern generation, and protocol decoding in real time. The 484-ball FC-FBGA package supports dense probe-board layouts with controlled-impedance routing for the transceiver channels. Use the standard Mercury reference design for the analog supply network to keep CDR jitter within FC and SONET specs.
Recommended
Industrial Automation & Motion Control
Factory automation controllers and high-end motion-control cards benefit from the EP1M120F484C6N's parallel I/O count, deterministic logic, and high-speed serial links to remote drives and sensors. The 303 I/Os support multiple encoder counters, PWM generators, and fieldbus interfaces (Profibus, EtherCAT, SERCOS), while 1.25 Gbps transceivers handle inter-card backplane traffic. Use the industrial-temperature EP1M120F484-I6 in factory-floor environments that exceed 85C. The Mercury LUTs are ideal for safety-logic, motion-profiling, and synchronization across multi-axis systems.
Recommended
Legacy Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP1M120F484C6N is widely deployed as programmable glue logic on legacy telecom line cards, tying together TDM buses, ATM/PoS framers, and network processors with custom bus-width conversions. With 4,800 LEs and 303 user I/Os, it replaces dozens of discrete 74-series and PAL/GAL devices, reducing board area and improving timing margins. Integrated 1.25 Gbps transceivers also let the Mercury serve as a SERDES for OC-24 tributaries or gigabit Ethernet uplinks. For new builds, migrate to Cyclone IV/V; for service and repair, the EP1M120F484C6 remains the most compatible drop-in alternate.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C6N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C6 | EP1M120F484C6ES | EP1M120F484C6M | EP1M120F484C5N | EP1M120F484-I6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same | 484-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Logic Cells / Elements | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| LABs | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| User I/Os | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Transceiver 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 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) | 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 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C | 0C to 85C | Military screened range | 0C to 85C | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Terminal Finish | Lead-free (N suffix) | Leaded (SnPb) | Lead-free ES | Lead-free M-grade | Lead-free | Industrial screening |
Key Differentiators
- Lead-free / RoHS-compliant terminal finish (vs EP1M120F484C6)
- Industrial-temperature screening (vs EP1M120F484C6)
- Speed-grade 6 vs speed-grade 5 timing margin (vs EP1M120F484C5N)
Design Notes
The 484-ball FC-FBGA package requires a multilayer PCB with microvia or via-in-pad technology for clean transceiver-channel breakout. Route the 1.25 Gbps differential pairs as 100-ohm differential controlled-impedance microstrip/stripline with matched length within 150 mil. Isolate the analog 1.8 V supply (VCCA) for the transceivers from the digital 1.8 V core with a ferrite bead and dedicated decoupling - at least 10 uF bulk plus 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF high-frequency ceramics within 100 mil of each supply ball.
Estimated: at 100% utilization the Mercury EP1M120F484C6N draws roughly 1.5 A to 2.0 A from the 1.8 V core supply (typical 2.7 W to 3.6 W). Provide a switching regulator with at least 4 A peak capability and a low-ESR bulk output capacitor to handle inrush during configuration. Power sequencing requires VCCINT to ramp before VCCIO banks; violation can cause permanent latch-up. Use a dedicated supervisory IC to enforce sequencing on multi-rail boards.
Do not assume hot-socketing on legacy Mercury designs without reading AN-224: MultiCore hot-socketing requires all VCC rails to ramp monotonically and the JTAG signals to remain in high-impedance during insertion. For obsolete Mercury FPGAs, design for supply risk: confirm distributor stock at multiple sources before committing to a new production run. Plan a Cyclone IV/V migration path as the Mercury family is end-of-life and obsolete FPGA stock is increasingly counterfeit-prone.
Estimated: at 1.25 Gbps the channel-loss budget is roughly 6 dB to 8 dB end-to-end with FR-4. Use Huray or Hammerstad models for via-stub analysis; stubs longer than 100 mil can eat 1 dB or more at 1.25 GHz. Place the AC-coupling capacitors (typically 0.01 uF X7R) within 200 mil of the FPGA transceiver balls, and use the same capacitor value on both TX and RX paths to avoid skew. Match P and N traces to within 25 mil of each other.
The FC-FBGA-484 has a typical theta_JA of 18-22 C/W on a 1 oz 4-layer PCB with adequate via-array thermal relief. At full Mercury utilization (estimated 3.5 W), the junction rises roughly 65-80C above ambient - acceptable for commercial 0-85C operation at 25C ambient, but tight at 55C. Reduce junction temperature by adding thermal vias under the central ball array and stitching ground planes on inner layers.
Compliance Information
Lead-free terminal finish per N suffix. RoHS compliance per Altera/Intel product records. Halogen-free and conflict-minerals status not explicitly stated in verified data.
