BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEM & HVAC CONTROLS
WME Controls provides our customers with custom temperature control solutions. Whether your application is a simple programmable thermostat or a complex campus wide comprehensive building automation system, we can provide a system tailored to your individual project requirements. Our systems include a user friendly web based graphical user interface that allows for easy occupied/unoccupied scheduling as well as providing necessary information for maintenance personnel to properly monitor system operation. Alarms can even be communicated to mobile devices. We are authorized business partners for Johnson Controls Facility Explorer and Distech Controls. Our technicians are Niagara certified and experienced in BACnet and Lonworks network systems. Please call or contact us through our website for more information.
Understanding a Building Automation System
​
Building Automation Systems can be implemented either during initial construction or through a retrofitting process for an existing structure. It uses five component categories to provide a smart building environment.​​
Servers
Servers are machines that collect and serve up the BAS data. These servers will either take the form of a desktop machine or a rack-mounted server. These servers will run the BAS software and will connect to the network using network interface cards (NIC)
Supervisory Devices
Supervisory devices can be either software or hardware based. Software supervisory devices are often known as soft-supervisors, where the supervisory software exists inside a server instead of a dedicated device, are becoming more common.
Soft-supervisors will utilize communication cards so that they can communicate with field buses.
Field Buses
Field buses are the way building automation field controllers communicate back to supervisory devices. There are two prominent field buses right now. These are BACnet MS/TP and LON FT-10. These field buses connect field controllers back to the supervisory device using a daisy chain architecture.
Controllers
Controllers are potentially stand-alone devices that control systems. An example of a system would be an air handler unit or a central plant. These controllers are programmed using programming software.
This programming software is usually specific to each individual vendor and can only be used on their field controllers.
There are two main types of field controllers:
-
Free programmable
-
Application-specific
Inputs / Outputs
A BAS controller will take signals from inputs (things like pressure or temperature sensors).
Then the program inside the controller will decide to do something based on the value of these inputs.
Once that thing action is determined the BAS controller will command an output (actuator, relay, etc).
Building Automation System Diagram
A building automation system (BAS) uses interlinked networks of software and hardware to monitor and control a building’s mechanical and electrical systems, including heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting, security and fire systems. From a physical perspective, the BAS consists of Servers, Supervisory Devices, Field Buses, Controllers, Inputs and Outputs.
