What kind of external memory interface do the 5000 Series chips use?
5000 Series chips use a serial memory interface for external non-volatile memory devices. The chips support both the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) protocols for managing external non-volatile memory. A 5000 Series chip dedicates only 6 pins (5 for SPI or 2 for I2C — one pin is shared by both interfaces) to the external memory interface. In comparison, FT 3150 Free Topology Smart Transceivers used a parallel memory interface for external non-volatile memory devices, and dedicated 26 pins to the external memory interface.
