EP1M120F484C7N - Mercury FPGA, 120K Gates, 484-BGA | Altera / Intel
MPN: EP1M120F484C7N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $165 | $165.00 |
| 10 | $148.5 | $1,485.00 |
| 100 | $132 | $13,200.00 |
| 500 | $119.5 | $59,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $108 | $108,000.00 |
EP1M120F484C7N Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit built around an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and embedded memory and DSP resources. FPGAs sit in the broader taxonomy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) and are used for parallel hardware acceleration, custom I/O interfacing, and rapid prototyping before ASIC tape-out. The Mercury family specifically targets designs that need integrated transceivers alongside general-purpose logic, placing it between conventional logic-only FPGAs and dedicated serial-interface ASSPs.
Key specifications include 480 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), 4,800 logic cells, 49,152 RAM bits distributed across embedded array blocks (EABs), 303 maximum user I/O pins, and core supply voltage of 1.8 V. The 'F484' suffix indicates the FineLine BGA-484 package; the 'C7' speed grade denotes a commercial temperature range (0Β°C to 85Β°C) with Altera's mid-tier timing closure. The 'N' suffix indicates a lead-free / RoHS-compliant finish.
The Mercury architecture integrates a high-performance embedded transceiver array alongside the general-purpose fabric. Per the Mercury Family datasheet, the device supports multiple industry-standard serial protocols with CDR rates up to 1.25 Gbps, and the core fabric is implemented in 1.8 V CMOS with on-chip PLL clock management. Embedded array blocks (EABs) provide dual-port RAM and ROM capability for efficient on-chip buffering.
Typical applications include serial-interface bridging (Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, custom SERDES), telecommunications backplane aggregation, high-speed test instrumentation, and digital video capture/processing. The combination of integrated transceivers and 303 user I/Os also makes it attractive for legacy bus-replacement cards that need glue logic alongside serialized I/O.
When designing with the EP1M120F484C7N, allocate the four dedicated transceiver banks and verify signal-integrity at the BGA breakout before layout. The 484-ball FineLine BGA requires at least 6 PCB layers with microvia or via-in-pad technology; controlled-impedance routing is required for the 1.25 Gbps serial links.
This page synthesizes real-time distributor pricing, package-compatible same-brand drop-in alternatives from the Mercury family, and practical design guidance that the bare manufacturer datasheet does not provide.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484C7N 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 EP1M120F484C7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Speed Grade, Package, Family, Operating Temperature, Package Type.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484C7AES
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$65.8 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C7A
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C7
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$155 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C7ES
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$189 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C6N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$56.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C5N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$89.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484-I6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$98.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484-6
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$53.1 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP1M120F484C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Altera Mercury |
| System Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 4,800 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 480 |
| Embedded Memory (RAM bits) | 49,152 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 303 |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Integrated Transceivers | Yes - CDR to 1.25 Gbps |
| Package Type | 484-ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) |
| Package Code | F484 |
| Operating Temperature | 0Β°C to 85Β°C (Commercial) |
| Temperature Grade Suffix | C (Commercial, 0β85Β°C) |
| Speed Grade | 7 |
| RoHS / Lead-Free Suffix | N (lead-free) |
EP1M120F484C7N f484 Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1M120F484C7N (f484 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 EP1M120F484C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484C7N is suitable for 8 applications: Gigabit Ethernet Bridge, Telecom Backplane Aggregation, High-Speed Test Instrumentation, Digital Video Capture / Processing, Industrial Serial-Interface Aggregation, Legacy Avionics / Defense Retrofit, FPGA-Based Hardware Accelerator Card, Custom SERDES Bridge for Legacy Buses.
Gigabit Ethernet Bridge
The EP1M120F484C7N's integrated transceivers with CDR to 1.25 Gbps make it a natural fit for custom Gigabit Ethernet MAC and bridge designs, where the 4,800 logic cells implement store-and-forward buffering and the 49,152 RAM bits handle packet FIFOs. Placed between a PHY on the line side and a parallel RGMII/SGMII host processor interface, the device cleanly offloads bridging from a CPU. The 303 user I/Os in the 484-ball FineLine BGA accommodate PHY management (MDIO), status LEDs, and host sidebands without external glue logic.
Recommended
Telecom Backplane Aggregation
With up to 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers and 303 user I/Os, the EP1M120F484C7N can aggregate multiple slower serial links (E1/T1/J1, STS-1) into a single high-speed uplink on legacy telecom backplanes. The 480 LABs provide the routing and protocol-conversion fabric while the 49,152 EAB RAM bits buffer per-channel payload. Use the device's internal PLLs to generate per-channel clock domains from a single backplane reference.
Recommended
High-Speed Test Instrumentation
Test and measurement equipment such as protocol analyzers, BERT testers, and logic-analyzer pattern generators benefit from the EP1M120F484C7N's combination of multi-gigabit transceivers and parallel user I/Os. Engineers can implement custom protocol decode, error injection, and real-time display logic in the 4,800-cell fabric, while the 49,152 RAM bits buffer captured frames for display. The commercial 0β85Β°C temperature range suits bench-top instruments.
Recommended
Digital Video Capture / Processing
The Mercury family's parallel I/O capacity suits legacy digital video capture cards that need to receive parallel TTL / LVDS video busses and route them into processing pipelines. The 303 user I/Os accept wide parallel video buses (24/30/36-bit color) plus control signals, and the integrated transceivers enable serialized output to back-end processors. The 0β85Β°C commercial range suits indoor video-wall and broadcast equipment.
Recommended
Industrial Serial-Interface Aggregation
Industrial systems that aggregate multiple RS-485 / RS-422 / CAN / LVDS sensors benefit from the EP1M120F484C7N's 303 I/Os for parallel sensor interfacing and its 1.25 Gbps transceiver for backhaul to a central controller. The 480 LABs implement protocol decoders and the 49,152 RAM bits buffer sensor frames. Use the commercial temperature range for indoor control cabinets; industrial-temp designs should use the EP1M120F484-I6 variant.
Recommended
Legacy Avionics / Defense Retrofit
The Mercury family was originally designed for defense and avionics subsystems, and the EP1M120F484C7N is still maintained in some long-lifecycle programs as a drop-in for board-level retrofits where re-qualification is prohibitive. Its integrated transceivers support MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429 bridges via external PHY, while the 4,800-cell fabric implements custom protocol glue. Note: for new designs the industrial-temperature variant EP1M120F484-I6 is required.
Recommended
FPGA-Based Hardware Accelerator Card
Engineers building PCIe or proprietary-bus accelerator cards (e.g. for DSP, encryption, or image-processing pre-processing) used the EP1M120F484C7N's 1.25 Gbps transceivers as the host-side link and the 303 user I/Os as the local DDR/QDR memory bus. The 4,800 cells implement the pipeline datapath and the 49,152 RAM bits provide line-rate buffering. Modern equivalents should be drawn from the Cyclone IV GX / V families for active lifecycle support.
Recommended
Custom SERDES Bridge for Legacy Buses
The classic Mercury use case is bridging a legacy parallel bus (e.g. 32-bit TTL, 18-bit LVDS, or proprietary camera link) to a standardized high-speed serial link. The 4,800-cell fabric implements bus framing and CRC, while the integrated transceivers physically transmit the serial data. The 303 user I/Os in the F484 BGA accept wide legacy buses without external multiplexers.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484C7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484C7AES | EP1M120F484C7A | EP1M120F484C7 | EP1M120F484C7ES | EP1M120F484C6N | EP1M120F484-I6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same | 484-ball FineLine BGA (F484) - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Logic 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 |
| Speed Grade | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 (slower fMAX) | 6 (slower fMAX) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Commercial 0 to 85Β°C | Industrial -40 to 100Β°C |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (AES suffix) | Yes (A suffix) | No (SnPb) | Yes (ES suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes |
| Transceiver CDR Rate | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps | 1.25 Gbps |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 1.8 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-to-pin and bitstream-compatible drop-in (vs EP1M120F484C7AES)
- Speed grade 7 for tightest timing closure (vs EP1M120F484C6N)
- Commercial-grade for indoor / bench use (vs EP1M120F484-I6)
Design Notes
The 484-ball FineLine BGA requires at least a 6-layer PCB with microvia or via-in-pad construction. Use a 1.0 mm ball pitch escape pattern with 0.5 mm laser-drilled microvias on inner signal layers; per the Altera F484 package drawing, the outer-row balls are spaced on a 0.4 mm grid and demand HDI technology. Assign dedicated ground and 1.8 V core power planes under the device to suppress simultaneous-switching noise across the 303 user I/Os.
The 1.25 Gbps CDR transceivers require controlled-impedance (100 Ξ© differential) routing with matched lengths within the tolerance specified in the Mercury Family datasheet. Per-channel skew budgets are tight; use length-matched serpentine routing on the differential pairs and reference to a continuous ground plane. Add AC-coupling capacitors at the transmit side as required by the protocol. The 303 general-purpose I/Os support LVTTL / LVCMOS; LVDS pairs require external 100 Ξ© termination.
Estimated: with all 303 user I/Os switching at 50 MHz and the 1.25 Gbps transceivers active, the EP1M120F484C7N can draw roughly 1.5 A from the 1.8 V core rail and 200 mA from each auxiliary supply (VCCIO, VCC_PLL, VCC_TX). Decouple each rail with 0.1 Β΅F + 10 Β΅F ceramic capacitors placed within 5 mm of the BGA balls, and add a bulk 100 Β΅F tantalum or polymer capacitor on the board. For detailed worst-case current figures consult the Mercury Family datasheet's power-estimation worksheet.
Because the EP1M120F484C7N is obsolete, do not use it for new designs β target Cyclone IV E / GX or Cyclone V for new production. For retrofit of existing Mercury designs, validate the bitstream against the EP1M120F484C7N (rather than the C6 or I6 alternative) before swapping, since the speed-grade difference can affect timing-closure margins. Lead-free authenticity must be verified for any 'AES' or 'N' variant purchased from secondary-market distributors.
Configure the device in passive-serial or passive-parallel mode using the Altera Quartus II programmer and an EPC configuration memory (EPC2, EPC8, or EPC16 depending on bitstream size). Place the configuration flash within 50 mm of the FPGA to keep JTAG / DATA / DCLK traces short. Add a JTAG header for board-level debug and a mode-select jumper to switch between AS / PS / JTAG configuration modes per the Mercury Family datasheet.
Compliance Information
RoHS-compliant per the 'N' suffix in the part number. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified web data; set to unknown. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs.
