FT 5000 Smart Transceiver

Faster, smaller, and more cost-effective.

FT 5000 Smart Transceivers

The FT 5000 Smart Transceiver is our next-generation chip for smart 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.

The FT 5000 Smart Transceiver integrates a high-performance Neuron® Core with a free topology twisted-pair transceiver. Combined with the new low-cost FT-X3 communication transformer and inexpensive serial memory, the FT 5000 Smart Transceiver is faster and helps you develop much more cost-effective designs than possible with the previous-generation LonWorks TP/FT-10 solution.

FT 5000-based devices are fully compatible with existing LonWorks networks and vice versa.

Key Features

FT 5000 Smart Transceiver Chip Block Diagram

FT 5000 Smart Transceiver Chip

  • 3.3V operation
  • Internal system clock scales up to 40 MHz, an effective increase of up to 8x over the previous generation
  • 50% reduction in node cost
  • 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 time to external events
  • 7mm x 7mm 48-pin QFN package
  • Supports polarity-insensitive, free topology star, daisy chain, bus, loop, or mixed topology wiring
  • Works with TP/FT-10 channels that use current FT 3120/3150 Smart Transceivers or FTT-10A Free Topology Transceivers
  • 12 I/O pins with 35 programmable standard I/O modes
  • Supports up to 42KB of application code
  • 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
  • Provides exceptional immunity from magnetic and high-frequency common-mode noise
  • Complies with worldwide communications standards
    • ISO/IEC 14908.1 and 14908.2
    • ANSI 709.1 and ANSI 709.3
  • Offers an easy interface to any host MCU
  • -40°C to +85°C operating temperature range

Benefits

FT 5000 Smart Transceiver IC Pin Configuration

Faster, smaller, and more cost-effective than previous-generation chips: that's the FT 5000 Smart Transceiver 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 40 MHz
  • Supports up to 254 NVs
  • 64KB of RAM (44KB user-accessible) and 16KB of ROM

Smaller

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

More Cost-Effective

  • 50% reduction in node cost (including FT 5000 Smart Transceiver, memory, and separately sold FT-X3 communication transformer)
  • Inexpensive serial memory devices for external non-volatile memory
  • The LNS FX and LonMaker FX network management tools eliminate the need for credits for commissioning devices using FT 5000 chips. This makes LonWorks networks much more cost-effective, as well as easier to install.

Easy Interface to Any Host MCU

The FT 5000 Smart Transceiver can be easily interfaced to other host MCUs through our ShortStack Micro Server firmware, which lets any OEM product with a host microcontroller quickly and inexpensively become a networked, Internet-accessible device.

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 FT 5000 Smart Transceiver. The Mini FX Evalution 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, providing a lower-cost, software-only migration path from the evaluation kit to the development tool.

End-to-End Solution

A typical FT 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

We offer all the building blocks you need to successfully design and field cost-effective, robust products based on the FT 5000 Smart Transceiver, 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 a power line channel, use Echelon's Power Line Smart Transceiver.

For applications that require a channel other than a twisted pair of wires, use Echelon's Neuron 5000 Processor, which works with a variety of transceivers designed for other physical media channels.

Additional Information

For more information, contact your Echelon sales representative.