Neuron® 5000 Processor

Neuron 5000 Processor

Faster, smaller, and more cost-effective.

The Neuron 5000 Processor is our next-generation Neuron Chip for LonWorks® control networks. It’s also a key product in the LonWorks 2.0 platform — the next generation of LonWorks products designed to greatly increase the power and capability of LonWorks enabled devices, all while lowering development and node costs.

Combined with inexpensive serial memory, the Neuron 5000 Processor offers greater speed and helps you develop much more cost-effective designs than possible with the previous-generation Neuron 3120® and Neuron 3150® chips.

The Neuron 5000 Processor's flexible communications port can be configured to interface with a wide variety of media transceivers — including twisted-pair, RF, IR, fiber-optics, and coaxial — at a wide range of data rates. The processor also works with TP/XF‐1250 and EIA‐485 transceivers.

Key Features

Neuron 5000 Processor Block Diagram

  • 3.3V operation
  • Internal system clock scales up to 80 MHz, an effective increase of up to 16x over the previous generation
  • Lets you design lower-cost devices
  • Serial interface for inexpensive external EEPROM and flash non-volatile memory devices
  • Supports up to 254 network variables (NVs)
  • User-programmable interrupts provide faster response to external events
  • 7mm x 7mm 48-pin QFN package
  • 5-pin network communications port with 3.3V drive and 5V-tolerant pins
  • 12 I/O pins with 35 programmable standard I/O modes
  • 64KB of RAM (44KB for application code and data) and 16KB of ROM on-chip memory
  • Unique 48-bit Neuron ID in every device for network installation and management
  • Easy upgrade path from previous-generation FTT-10A and Neuron Chip designs
  • Complies with worldwide communications standards
    • ISO/IEC 14908-1
    • ANSI/CEA 709.1
  • -40°C to +85°C operating temperature range
  • A complete Technical Overview is available

Benefits

Faster, smaller, and more cost-effective than previous-generation chips: That's the Neuron 5000 Processor in a nutshell. Now, manufacturers can add LonWorks networking to a wider variety of devices, create more robust and flexible LonWorks devices, and offer them to customers at a lower price.

Faster

  • Internal system clock scales up to 80 MHz
  • Supports up to 254 NVs
  • 64KB of RAM (44KB for application code and data) and 16KB of ROM

Smaller

  • 7mm x 7mm QFN package; much smaller than previous-generation chips
  • Uses small external serial memory parts

More Cost-Effective

  • Inexpensive serial memory devices for external non-volatile memory
  • The LNS FX network operating system and LonMaker FX Integration Tool eliminate the need for credits for commissioning devices using Neuron 5000 Processors. This makes LonWorks networks much more cost-effective, as well as easier to install.

More Flexible and Cost-Effective Development Resources

The Mini FX Evaluation Kit and the NodeBuilder FX Development Tool let you develop LonWorks devices that use the Neuron 5000 Processor. The Mini FX Evaluation Kit is great for evaluating the technology and developing simple LonWorks devices, while the NodeBuilder FX Development Tool supports more sophisticated device development. These tools now use the same hardware based on the FT 5000 Smart Transceiver, providing a lower-cost, software-only migration path from the evaluation kit to the development tool.

Please fill out the form below to get more information how to transition your designs to this new processor or contact your Echelon sales representative.

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End-to-End Solution

A typical Neuron 5000-based device (shown below) requires a power source, crystal, and an I/O interface to the device being controlled.

Typical LonWorks Based Device Block Diagram
Typical LonWorks Based Device Block Diagram

We offer all the building blocks you need to successfully design and field cost-effective, robust products based on the Neuron 5000 Processor, including:

  • A comprehensive set of development tools, network interfaces, routers, and network management tools.
  • The LonSupport™ technical assistance program, which provides pre-production design review services, training, and worldwide technical support, including on-site support.

Applications

LonWorks networks are the leading choice for building, industrial, transportation, home, utility, and other automation applications. We support a variety of media transceivers.

For applications that require free topology twisted pair of wires, use Echelon's FT 5000 Smart Transceiver, which provides support for TP/FT-10 channels.

For applications that require a power line channel, use Echelon's Power Line Smart Transceiver.