Product Overview
The FC-5000 Flow Computer is the panel or wall electronics for the Impeller line — a microprocessor flow computer that reads the pulse from any Data Industrial sensor and shows flow rate and total, volumetric or mass, on a 128 × 64 backlit graphical LCD with a full numeric keypad. Ordered as the Flow Computer or the simpler Flow Display, it runs one or two flow channels, so a single unit can totalize two sensors; relays (two Form C, or one Form C plus a solid-state), two scaled analog or frequency outputs and six digital I/O channels are specified at order time, and Modbus RTU / ASCII or BACnet over RS-485 puts up to 255 units on one daisy-chain, with a Mini-B USB for field updates. It mounts in a panel cutout or a NEMA 4X / IP67 field enclosure. For combined flow + energy on the same platform, see the FC-5000 BTU Monitor.
Impeller flow sensors & other electronics
300-Series Flow Transmitters — 4–20 mA, pulse & relay without a display
Series 200 Insertion — large-line flow sensor
Metal Tee 228 & 250 — small-line flow sensor
Series 380DS BTU — integrated energy meter in one tee
(For Flow & Energy) FC-5000 BTU Monitor — the same unit, plus two temperature inputs
Key Features & Benefits
- One or two flow channels — totalize one impeller flow point or two on a single unit — the two-channel capacity is what the flow configuration buys over the BTU build, which trades the second channel for a temperature pair
- Big backlit graphical LCD — a 128 × 64-pixel LED-backlit display with softkeys and a full numeric keypad reads near and far, single or dual view
- Relays for local control — two Form C mechanical relays (or one Form C plus a solid-state Form A, chosen at order time) switch alarms and totalizing outputs on rate or total
- On the building network — Modbus RTU / ASCII or BACnet over RS-485 puts the totalizer on the plant or facility network — up to 255 units on one daisy-chain — and a Mini-B USB handles field updates
- Configurable I/O, specified at order time — two scaled analog or frequency outputs and six isolated digital channels for remote reset — the output set is ordered to the job, so you carry only what the application needs
- Panel or NEMA 4X field mount — a panel cutout for the control room or a NEMA 4X / IP67 enclosure for the field
Specifications
- Function
- Microprocessor-driven industrial flow computer and display — totalizes an impeller-sensor pulse and indicates flow rate and total
- Meter & sensor compatibility
- Pairs with the full line of Data Industrial / Badger Meter impeller flow sensors
- Measured & displayed parameters
- Flow rate, flow total, and mass flow rate and total; a sensor-data screen shows raw and calculated values plus relay, output and I/O status
- Flow-meter input
- One or two flow channels — the flow-configuration differentiator; 0.3 Hz–10 kHz; square-wave 0–30V pulse (2.5V threshold) or zero-centered sine (45 mV threshold), configurable debounce
- Sensor excitation output
- 12V DC source to power the flow sensor
- Flow calculation
- Flow-calculation uncertainty ±0.01%, with an adjustable FIR / IIR damping filter
- Analog output
- Two scaled channels (option A): 0–5V, 0–10V or 4–20 mA, ±0.1% of reading, 16-bit (15-bit on 0–5V) — specified at order time
- Frequency output
- Two scaled TTL channels (option F): 1–4000 Hz, ±0.01% — specified at order time
- Relay outputs
- Two Form C mechanical relays, or one Form C mechanical plus one Form A solid-state — selected at order time; configurable for rate or total as an alarm or totalizing output
- Digital I/O
- Six isolated channels for remote reset of relays and totalizers
- Communication
- Modbus RTU, Modbus ASCII or BACnet over EIA-485 (RS-485), 1200–115.2K baud; up to 255 units on one daisy-chain
- USB
- Mini-B USB (device) receptacle for field firmware updates
- Display
- 128 × 64-pixel graphical LCD, LED backlit; single or dual view (rate / total or mass)
- Keypad / interface
- Membrane keypad with integrated softkeys and a full numeric keypad
- Power supply
- 10–40V DC or 9–28V AC (50–60 Hz), 8 W maximum
- Mounting
- Panel mount, or wall mount in a NEMA 4X / IP67 enclosure — selected at order time
- Volumetric flow units
- US and Imperial gallons, liters, cubic meters, cubic feet, acre-feet, barrels or a custom unit
- Ambient temperature
- 32 to 130°F (0 to 55°C)
- Storage temperature
- −40 to 160°F (−40 to 70°C)
- Humidity
- 0 to 85%, non-condensing
- Operating altitude
- Up to 2000 m (6561 ft)
- Weight
- Panel mount 1.25 lb (0.57 kg); wall mount 4.54 lb (2.06 kg)
Common Applications
- Local rate / total display for an impeller flow point
- Totalizing two flow points, or reading mass flow, on one unit
- Relay alarms and totalizing outputs with remote reset
- Feeding a PLC, DCS or building-automation system over Modbus or BACnet
- Central totalizing of many units on one RS-485 daisy-chain
For a loop-powered analog, pulse or relay output without a display, the 300-Series transmitters do the job in a smaller box; for combined flow + energy, see the FC-5000 BTU Monitor.
What to Pair It With
The FC-5000 reads a flow sensor’s pulse — it needs a sensor to monitor. Pair it with any Data Industrial impeller flow sensor:
- Metal Tee 228 & 250 — the preassembled tee meters for small and mid-size metal lines — see Metal Tee 228 & 250
- PVC Tee Series 228 — the Sch 80 PVC tee for potable and corrosive lines — see PVC Tee 228
- Series 200 Insertion — the single-point insertion sensor for large lines — see Series 200
Design & Selection Considerations
- Decide whether a transmitter already does the job — if all the flow point needs is a 4–20 mA loop, a scaled pulse or a relay, a 300-Series transmitter carries it without a display; the FC-5000 earns its place when you want a local readout, two flow channels on one unit, relays plus network on one device, or many units queried on one bus. Spec the computer for what the transmitter cannot do — not as a default add-on.
- Match the input to the sensor’s output — the input is configured per channel as a 0–30V square-wave pulse (2.5V threshold) or a zero-centered sine (45 mV threshold), 0.3 Hz–10 kHz, with configurable debounce — and the 12V DC excitation output powers the sensor itself. Use the input form to tell us the sensor model and we’ll confirm the input and excitation match.
- Choose analog OR frequency outputs, and the relay form, at order time — the two scaled channels ship as analog (option A) or frequency (option F), not both, and the relay block ships as a dual mechanical pair or one mechanical plus solid-state — list the loads you must switch and the signals you must retransmit up front. The output and relay set is fixed by the part number, so size it to the job before ordering.
- Program the K-factor and units to the loop — the computer maps the sensor’s raw frequency into engineering units — flow units from gallons to barrels to custom, with FIR / IIR damping to steady the reading — and PTP programming and commissioning are available as an optional, quoted service. Use the input form to send the sensor model and pipe size and we’ll quote the unit set up for your loop.
- Plan the RS-485 bus for the final unit count — up to 255 FC-5000 units run on one EIA-485 daisy-chain at 1200–115.2K baud, each addressed and queried from a control room — lay out the addressing and bus wiring for the full count up front so a later unit drops onto the same chain. Design the network for the last unit, not just the first.
- Pick panel or field mounting with the order — the panel-mount build takes a cutout in the control room; the wall-mount build ships in a NEMA 4X / IP67 enclosure for the field — and the 32 to 130°F ambient rating covers most mechanical spaces. Use the input form to tell us where it lives and the mounting build follows.
To configure the right FC-5000 flow computer:
Use the input form to tell us the flow sensor, the pipe size and the fluid — and, for energy, the supply and return temperatures — plus what the output has to do (a trip relay, a 4–20 mA loop, a scaled pulse, or Modbus / BACnet), and we’ll match the transmitter or computer to it.
Flow Meter Application Sheet ›Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com
Specifications compiled by Prater Technical Partners from Badger Meter Data Industrial impeller flow-sensor product literature.