Control Network Newsletter

Modbus Integration Solved at Galeria Manhattan Shopping Mall

October 2016 - Three of our popular BASgatewayLX - Modbus to BACnet gateway - were used to integrate 66 SystemAir heat pumps at the newly renovated Galeria Manhattan shopping mall in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. Each heat pump then appeared as a "virtual BACnet device" to the BACnet headend. A single BASgatewayLX can easily handle up to 30 Modbus devices and 1,000 points.

Nord Instal and MOBBI needed to integrate HVAC, lighting, power monitoring, security and water monitoring at the Galeria Manhattan shopping mall. Using a combination of Delta Controls controllers, MOBBI lighting controllers and the BASgatewayLX, Nord Instal was able to provide a complete system integration.

The completed system included controls for the outside building lights; controlling and managing current power receivers; monitoring sewage pumping stations and sewage treatment; control of chillers, cooling towers, ventilation and heat pumps; and central control and monitoring of temperature.

Modbus remains a popular network interface. It is commonly found on jobs such as heat pumps, boiler control, variable speed drives, and metering applications, but these devices lack BACnet compliance. To make Modbus devices appear as individual BACnet devices while bringing in the necessary points, a BASgatewayLX is used.

The BASgatewayLX supports up to 30 Modbus serial devices with each device appearing as an individual BACnet device. Each one of the attached devices supports RTU and ASCII serial along with Modbus TCP slave devices attached over Ethernet. The BASgatewayLX functions as a master to all slave devices. Collectively, all the Modbus TCP and Modbus serial devices are assigned to a virtual BACnet network number during configuration.

Trying to integrate a Modbus device to a BACnet inter-network can be tedious when you have to make a device profiles on a point-by-point basis. However, with the BASgatewayLX, Nord Instal was able to leverage Contemporary Controls' library of device profiles. With over 100 device profiles available for free, the integration of Modbus devices into a BACnet internetwork was a quick and easy affair.

"Industry constantly needs to be monitored in order to stay up to speed and reliability. Contemporary Controls not only does this but they also have the resources to help provide implementation and support in all areas of the project," said Korneliusz Żegunia, Co-Owner, Nord Instal, Poland. "Contemporary Controls assisted us when we were looking at convert Modbus Protocol to BACnet/IP. The solution Contemporary Controls put together was so well thought out and planned that what could have been a very stressful project has been implemented quite smoothly."

 

 

For more information, visit the BASgatewayLX product page.

 

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