Control Network Newsletter

Automation Platform

May 2015 - Both the BASintegratorFIN and the BASsupervisorDG5 run on the powerful Automation Platform with a 1.2Ghz ARM9 processor, 512MB RAM and up to 8GB eMMC on-board flash memory. A built-in five-port Ethernet switch eliminates the need for a separate Ethernet switch in the panel. Two optically-isolated EIA-485 serial ports can connect to either BACnet MS/TP or Modbus RTU networks. BACnet/IP and Modbus TCP are supported via Ethernet ports. The unit supports IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and EnOcean wireless as an option. The compact unit operates from a 24 VAC/VDC supply and is DIN-rail mountable intended for standard control panels.

The Automation Platform is intended as an OEM platform for the building and industrial automation industries. Its design is flexible in both hardware and software and powerful enough to serve in a supervisor, integrator or router application. Pre-loaded with a Linux OS, it can be modified by our technical staff to meet just about any requirement. Manufactured in either our U.S. or China plant, it will carry the necessary regulatory approvals for the industry being served.

Automation Platform Presentation

Bennet Levine, R & D manager will lead a presentation on the Automation Platform. Similar to a PC but more reliable, the Automation Platform is hardened for the heavy demands required for building automation. The platform has no spinning hard drives, no fans, and it fits into the enclosures of the building automation system. Like a PC it will have an operating system, hard drive (solid state, not spinning) and ports. However, these ports will be Ethernet, WiFi, EnOcean, EIA-485, etc. "Many companies in our industry provide software applications that run on PCs. Because of this, it is can be suggested that these companies port their applications to an Automation Platform, which is better suited for building automation software applications," states Bennet Levine, R & D Manager, Contemporary Controls.

Each feature of the Automation Platform can be used by the building automation software application to provide a fully functional BAS solution. Automation Platforms are better suited and more reliable as they are designed from the ground up to be used in building automation systems.

The Automation Platform presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, Track 2 - Next Gen Hardware. (The presentation will be available online soon).

View the Automation Platform Data Sheet to learn more.