The production of Unipi Axon units was discontinued and no longer receive software updates. The Axon line was replaced by the Unipi Patron.

Unipi Axon

Unipi Axon is our units product line, designed to be used in monitoring, regulation, smart home, HVAC and many other applications. In its core, Axon is improved and redesigned variant of the Neuron product line. The development goal was to capitalize on Neuron's strengths and to further improve them. Axon thus retains a high degree of modularity and flexibility - two of our products' most significant advantages.

Depending on the model, Neuron units feature 1-3 sections. See below for more info.

Each I/O circuit board is controlled by its STM32 processor, which controls inputs and outputs and communicates with the central processing unit (CPU). Processors are using custom firmware containing not only basic I/O functions, but also additional functions and features.

CPU

Unipi Axon units are powered by a 1.2GHz Allwinner H-5 quad-core CPU. Compared to Neuron series, all Axon models contain internal 8GB eMMC memory. That makes the Axon more reliable and less sensitive to memory aging.

Axon also provides 1Gbit Ethernet and two USB 2.0 ports.

Inputs & Outputs

Depending on the model, the Axon product line can offer up to:

  • up to 36 digital inputs
  • up to 4 digital outputs
  • up to 28 relay outputs
  • up to 8 analog inputs
  • up to 8 analog outputs
  • up to 4 RS485 universal bus ports
  • a pair of Ethernet ports
  • 1x WiFi
  • 1x LTE
  • various combinations of the above-mentioned

For more details, please visit the description of Axon inputs and outputs available on this link.

Communication interfaces

Depending on the model, the Axon can feature up to 4 RS485 serial lines, an RS232 serial line, a single 1-Wire bus or various combinations of all mentioned interfaces

  • The RS485 most often utilizes the Modbus RTU protocol and can be used for communication with a wide variety of devices such as energy meters, touchscreen HMI panels, units from other vendors or the Unipi extension modules. The bus can communicate with up to 32 devices with its total length being up to several hundred meters.
  • The RS232 serial line is most often used for communication with HMI displays, various gateways or closed technologies.
  • The 1-Wire bus then can communicate with up to 15 sensors with a maximum total length of the bus up to 200 meters, using either a 2-wire or 3-wire connection method.
  • USB ports can be used to connect various USB converters (RS-232, RS-485 etc.) or external memory drives. Unipi units feature 2 USB 2.0 ports as standard. We do not recommend using the ports to power external devices.

Each Axon also features a single 1Gbit Ethernet for network communication - the exception is the Axon Axon S155 with an additional 10/100Mbit Ethernet port.

Sizes and sections

Unipi units are available in three sizes:

  • Type S: max. 10 inputs and outputs, 70 × 90 × 60 mm (4 DIN modules)
  • Type M: max. 40 inputs and outputs, 140 × 90 × 60 mm (8 DIN modules)
  • Type L: max. 70 inputs and outputs, 210 × 90 × 60 mm (12 DIN modules)

Depending on the model, Unipi units feature 1-3 sections, with each section containing a group of inputs, outputs or communication interfaces. Unipi units can have 1 (S-series), 2 (M-series) or 3 (L-series) sections, as shown on the picture below:

Labels S, M and L allow for a quick distinction between unit sizes. The section numbers is important for the software, especially for addressing input and output boards. The special section number is 0, through which in some cases all three sections can be accessed simultaneously.