Control Network Newsletter

Visit Us at Haystack Connect

April 2013 – Contemporary Controls will be exhibiting at the upcoming community-focused Haystack Connect 2013 event in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 29 - May 2. Haystack Connect2013 brings together systems integrators, technology suppliers and early adopter customers that are advancing the state of the art in intelligent buildings and energy management. This community-produced event demonstrates a natural progression - with open technologies, no single manufacturer or organization can drive the industry. The inspiration behind Haystack Connect2013 is to find the best solutions to advance the state of the art in intelligent buildings. The event enables the community to come together in this effort.

Contemporary Controls will showcase products at Haystack Connect that maximize the benefits of both BACnet and Ethernet that support our product vision of BASautomation® - Building on BACnet - communication, integration, visualization and control. A few showcased products include:

• The BASrouterLX router is just released and is our newest member of the product family. The BASrouterLX has numerous advanced features including built-in diagnostics that aid in commissioning or troubleshooting BACnet MS/TP networks in the field. Providing a high-speed 32-bit processor and expanded memory the BASrouterLX is perfect for larger sub-netted BACnet/IP networks subjected to heavy device discovery traffic. The BASrouterLX provides stand-alone routing between BACnet/IP, BACnet Ethernet, and BACnet MS/TP - all at the same time in addition to being able to route between two BACnet/IP networks while supporting Network Address Translation (NAT).
• The BAScloudVPN consists of a virtual private network (VPN) server provided by Contemporary Controls. Using a local Internet service, the operator first opens up VPN client software on the computer, which provides a VPN tunnel connection to a Cloud-VPN. A similar VPN tunnel connection to this same Cloud-VPN already exists at the remote site. Using a tool such as the Niagara Workbench on a computer, the operator has the ability to access a controller at a remote site in order to examine a temperature point of interest. The Cloud-VPN makes the necessary connection between the two VPN tunnels. Once a connection is made, the operator can service the remote site as if they were physically there. The remote site accesses the Cloud-VPN using a cellular network while the systems integrator simply needs some way of accessing the Internet. The BAScloudVPN provides an effective secure method of remote access without concern for intervening firewalls.
• The BASgatewayLX connects BACnet/IP Ethernet to non-BACnet compliant networks such as Modbus Serial or Modbus TCP. Using the concept of virtual routing, up to 30 Modbus devices appear as individual BACnet devices. Using web pages and a resident database of common Modbus device profiles, Modbus registers can be mapped to BACnet objects. Contemporary Controls provides a library of Modbus device profiles on the BASgateway. Additional custom profiles can be uploaded.

Participating in the conference, George Thomas, President of Contemporary Controls will present Embedded Linux - a Standardized Platform for IP Applications. As processor speeds increase and memory costs shrink, upgrading to 32-bit processors running a full Linux implementation looks attractive for automation projects. This is especially true when the application calls for a TCP/IP stack which is readily available under Linux. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of embedded Linux in terms of cost, support and functionality? Mr. Thomas' presentation will be held during the Hardware Track on Wednesday, May 1, 10:30am - 12:00pm, that highlights the next wave of hardware advances that are transforming price points, system architectures and redefining "the possible".

For more information on our Building on BACnet solutions visit, www.BASautomation.com.