ControlTrends

Contemporary Controls — See You in Booth C5218 at AHR Expo 2019!

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Visit Contemporary Controls in Booth C5218 at AHR Expo 2019 at AHR Expo 2019 in Atlanta, be sure to stop by to see our suite of new BACnet-compliant and BTL Listed products. We have several new products that we’re excited to show off at AHR 2019, along with our popular suite of BASautomation products that provide open solutions when implementing networked controls in buildings.

Open Control with Free Support Tools

The BAScontrol Open Control Series utilizes BACnet/IP as an open communications protocol, Sedona for open visual control programming, and the BAScontrol Toolset for unrestricted use in program development and archiving. Ideal for unitary control of air-handlers (AHUs), fan coils (FCUs), and rooftop units (RTUs), these controllers are freely-programmable and customizable.

Open Control Meets Micro PC

The BASpi BACnet Client Controller turns an already powerful micro PC, Raspberry Pi, into a BACnet client and open Sedona controller. It serves as a mini-supervisor to BACnet/IP server devices over Ethernet or Wi-Fi and BACnet MS/TP devices over EIA-485. Using custom Sedona network variable components, the BCC can initiate read/write commands from its Sedona wire sheet to BACnet/IP or BACnet MS/TP server points on remote devices. Server points need not be Sedona compliant – just BACnet compliant. Any BACnet remote I/O such as Contemporary Controls’ Cube I/O can be made into a freely-programmable controller with the addition of the BCC.

Secure Cellular Remote Access

With a new suite of wired and wireless routers, plus our RemoveVPN service, customers have multiple solutions for secure remote access. RemoteVPN is an easy, cost-effective remote access solution that allows you to proactively review and communicate with your customers’ automation systems—resulting in valuable time and money savings.

Trusted Router Now with Diagnostics and BTL

The BASrouter has been independently tested and passed industry-standard BACnet testing and is now BTL Listed for both B-RTR and B-BBMD device profiles. The BASrouter 3.0 provides built-in BACnet diagnostic capabilities with visual analytics that include an MS/TP status table, routing status table, network error counts, and traffic statistics. The new features allow the integrator to install robust BACnet networks with rapid troubleshooting capabilities that easily identify network issues.

Cost-Effective Building Supervisors

The BASview3 is a stand-alone, embedded, web-based graphical interface for building automation and process automation systems.

See you in booth C5218! For those of you attending the ControlTrends Awards on Sunday, be sure to stop by and say hello. The ControlTrends Awards will be held January 13 from 6:30PM to 9:30PM at Atlanta’s Historic Fox Theatre.

Episode 295: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for Week Ending Dec 16, 2018

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Episode 295: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for week ending Dec 16, 2018 features our interview with ACI’s Tech Support Manager, Matt Buchholz, who is a finalist for the 2018 ControlTrends Awards Technical Support Person of the Year. Next up, Aaron Gorka, Innovation Manager at Ant Technologies, [Read more…]

Contemporary Controls Announces New BACnet Wi-Fi and MS/TP Compliant Thermostat

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Contemporary Controls continues its mission of “Building on BACnet” by introducing the BASstat series of BACnet-compliant wired or wireless communicating thermostats that are BTL Listed to ensure effortless integration into BACnet/IP (Wi-Fi) or BACnet MS/TP (EIA-485) networks.

BASstat thermostats are suited for single or multi-stage heating, cooling and ventilation binary output control applications such as RTU or AHU. Configurable control algorithm parameters allow adaptability to the specific application. Adaptive control algorithm applied to multi-stage on/off control saves energy and ensures seamless comfort for the occupants. Built in temperature sensor, input for remote temperature sensor, or temperature override network command from Building Automation System can be used. Occupancy status can be set from thermostat buttons or over the BACnet network. Thermostat buttons are optionally lockable to prevent unauthorized control. Digital display with graphical icons is easy to read and understand.

The BASstat’s white backlit LCD display is large and easy to read, even from a distance. It incorporates graphical icons to aid visual indication of current state of operation. Several icons indicate parameters such as: Active Mode, Cooling stage 1 or 2, Heating stage 1 or 2, Ventilation Only, Fan Active, Occupied/Unoccupied state, and Clock icon to indicate Short Cycle Delay or Max Cycles per hour active waiting state. These icons are very useful in indicating the thermostat’s current state of operation.

Six buttons on the BASstat allow users to manipulate temperature set point, change HVAC modes, turn the thermostat ON/OFF, and more. Pressing the Set and Up/Down buttons can manually toggle the thermostat from occupied/unoccupied modes, where BACnet occupancy command is not an option. All 6 of these buttons are lockable in a configurable manner to prevent unauthorized configuration change. Some or all buttons can be locked for application flexibility, making the stat suitable for applications where limited user control is allowed.

Visit the BASstat product page for more information.

Episode 288: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for Week Ending October 20, 2018

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Episode 288: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for week ending Oct 20, 2018, comes to you from the Renaissance Orlando at Seaworld, Orlando, FL, where our coverage of Honeywell’s 2018 Momentum Event begins with interviews with rising industry star, Phil Zito, CEO, Building Automation Monthly (BAM), and veteran Building Automation Systems and Security Integrations expert, Roger Rebennack, CEO, Jackson Control. Contemporary Controls featured at Building Automation Training; Belimo Demand Control Ventilation Webinar; and Connect-Air’s Wire & Cable Division Focuses on Wire and Cable Distribution for HVAC, Security & Fire Alarm Systems.

Honeywell’s Momentum 2018 Conference theme is “You’ve Got Connections,” and is dedicated to next-gen building innovations. ControlTrends is amidst a network of over 400 elite distributors, integrators, contractors, product experts, and exhibitors for three days of business-building insights and a chance to interact with the latest products and solutions. Day 1 will begin early AM with a General Session, followed by a myriad of Breakout Sessions and Vendor Trade Show.

Our first ControlTalk NOW interview is with Phil Zito, CEO, Building Automation Monthly (BAM), who previews BAM’s fast-track training options. BAM is all about increasing the profitability of your building automation business. BAM provides online building automation training that increases the ability of your building automation employees to execute their jobs as profitably as possible. Check out BAM’s online courses that will provide the skills that your employees need — to execute their building automation work as profitably as possible.

Our second ControlTalk NOW interview is with Roger Rebennack, CEO of Jackson Control. Very few people in our industry possess Roger’s passion, innovation, and dedication to the security sector of enterprise security integrations. The team at Jackson Control have taken Threat Level Management and Shooter Detection Systems to the next level. Jackson Control is now the Honeywell National WEBs N4 Security Distributor and Solutions Design Center.

Connect-Air’s Wire & Cable Division Focuses on Wire and Cable Distribution for HVAC, Security & Fire Alarm Systems. Since 1978, Connect-Air, now part of the Genuine Cable Group, has been a leader in supplying electronic cable and cable assemblies. In 2015 Connect-Air was acquired by EIS, Inc., a North American Distribution Leader in the electrical industry, and part of GPC, a Fortune 200 Company. Connect-Air is now part of EIS’s Genuine Cable Group, which includes Seacoast Electric, Cobra Wire & Cable, and Electro Wire.

Belimo Demand Control Ventilation: Indoor Air Quality & Energy Savings Webinar, Wed, Oct 31, at 1:00 PM EDT. Register now for Belimo‘s Demand Control Ventilation Webinar and learn how you can maximize your Indoor Air Quality & Energy Savings. What exactly is demand control ventilation and how does it help my building? Join Belimo for a webinar to learn how using demand control ventilation helps you to have better indoor air quality and improved energy savings. By utilizing Belimo’s humidity, temperature, air quality, and air differential pressure sensors accurate measurements will ensure optimal HVAC system performance for the life-cycle of a building.

Contemporary Controls BAScontrol22 and BAScontrol Toolset Featured at Building Automation Training. Contemporary Controls is excited to announce that their BAScontrol22 and BAScontrol Toolset were utilized at a 4-day course on Building Automation Systems (BAS) taught at the newly completed International Training and Conference Center in Cosby Texas. This 237-acre facility is the largest and most comprehensive training facility for union Operating and Stationary Engineers in North America.

Contemporary Controls BAScontrol22 and BAScontrol Toolset Featured at Building Automation Training

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Contemporary Controls is excited to announce that their BAScontrol22 and BAScontrol Toolset were utilized at a 4-day course on Building Automation Systems (BAS) taught at the newly completed International Training and Conference Center in Cosby Texas. This 237-acre facility is the largest and most comprehensive training facility for union Operating and Stationary Engineers in North America.

Students were taught using the BAScontrol22. Topics included basic control theory, wiring and connecting controllers, DDC device configuration, and HVAC/R system controls. Wire sheets were created using the BAScontrol Toolset, which was perfect for this training event. The open-source Sedona Application Editor (SAE) embedded in the toolset allowed the students to create wire sheets and configure and interconnect components to create applications. The included BASemulator allowed students to then emulate on a Windows PC the operation of any of the controllers in the BAScontrol series. They could practice on their own time, complete homework assignments, or simply improve their control sequences at their convenience.

BASbackup — the BAScontrol Project Utility, (included in the Toolset) allowed students to back-up the work they had done on the emulation platform and restore the entire project (Sedona application files and device configuration files) onto the real BAScontrol22 in the classroom and observe their application working on a real device.

Contemporary Controls is committed to open source building automation solutions to reduce the cost of implementing solutions for our customers and extend the range of applications that can interact without restrictions. We were pleased to be chosen as a partner for this hands-on training session.

Visit the BAScontrol product page to learn more.

Episode 283: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for Week Ending September 16, 2018

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Episode 283: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for week ending September 16, 2018 features a cursory review of the 2018 CGNA Synergy Conference in Chicago; Elon Musk’s AI and the Future Podcast; Contemporary Controls heads to the Honeywell October Momentum in Orlando; and Functional Devices introduces their brand new logo. Stay tuned for the 2018 ControlTrends Awards nomination phase, which will begin shortly! Get ready to nominate the industry’s best products, solutions, vendors, Master Systems Integrators, and more.

Elon Musk on AI and the Future: How will this Change Smart Buildings? In a rare podcast interview Elon Musk, joins Joe Rogan (one of my favs) among other things they discuss the future of AI and how it will effect everything and everyone (yes, Ken Sinclair, even Smart Buildings). This is intriguing, scary, thought-provoking, and controversial. This is when Elon Musk allegedly smokes pot during the interview and sends Tesla stock tumbling.Caution: please beware there is lot of bad language and behavior in this video, but it’s worth it in my humble opinion.

Contemporary Controls’ September Control Network Newsletter: Latest Innovations, Technical Tips and Product Updates. Industrial Ethernet University 15-Year Anniversary: For the past 15 years, the Industrial Ethernet University (IEU) has been teaching proper protocols and applications through self-guided lessons. To celebrate its anniversary, IEU has been updated with a new look, to better present the educational material.

RIB Functional Devices — Introducing Our Brand New Logo We want to make it clear that, although we may look new and different, nothing has changed under the hood. We will still be providing you with the same top quality customer service and American made products we always have. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Functional Devices’s story, and we’re very excited to finally be sharing it with all of you!

Contemporary Controls’ September Control Network Newsletter: Latest Innovations, Technical Tips and Product Updates

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Industrial Ethernet University 15-Year Anniversary: For the past 15 years, the Industrial Ethernet University (IEU) has been teaching proper protocols and applications through self-guided lessons. To celebrate its anniversary, IEU has been updated with a new look, to better present the educational material. Read more.

Honeywell Momentum 2018: Contemporary Controls is proud to be a sponsor of Honeywell Momentum 2018, October 21-23 in Orlando, Florida. The conference, themed You’ve Got Connections, provides the opportunity for more than 300 distributors, contractors, sponsors and staff to evaluate top trends in the building automation industry and participate in training workshops. Read more.

Contemporary Controls Welcomes Senator John Curran: Contemporary Controls was proud to welcome State Senator John Curran on August 27 for a meeting with our engineers and a tour of our manufacturing facility. Read more.

Contemporary Controls Provides BACnet Interface for People-Movers at Manchester Airport: Otis Elevator Company was selected to provide the people-mover solutions for Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport in the UK. They turned to Contemporary Controls Ltd (CCL) for assistance with the connection of their products – including elevators, escalators, and moving walkways – with the Delta Controls head-end Building Management System (BMS) being installed. Read more.

Episode 275: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for Week Ending July 22, 2018

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Episode 275: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for week ending July 22, 2018 features interviews with Therese Sullivan, Director of Channel Marketing at Tridium, and Alper Uzmezler, Managing Partner, BASSG and Founder of Anka Labs. Contemporary Controls introduces their new EIGR Routers; Lynxspring offers Analytics at the edge; Acuity’s Lucid delivers a data and analytic platform; Why Project SandStar could change the Smart Building Controls world forever; and a message to contractors from Honeywell’s General Manager, Mike Garceau.

Contemporary Controls News: New Product — EIGR Routers Add OpenVPN Server Functionality. The EIPR-V routers have supported the OpenVPN client functionality to provide secure remote access using the RemoteVPN service. The newly released EIGR routers support this functionality but also can be configured to as an OpenVPN server. Setting up an OpenVPN server on your own is not a trivial task. It involves setting up a root certificate authority and generating certificates and keys for the OpenVPN server and for each client device that intends to connect to this server.

ControlTalk NOW interview with Therese Sullivan, who in her new role as Tridium’s Director of Channel Marketing, tells us how she still monitors the technology quakes emanating from the Silicon Valley, while taking a deeper focus on the Voice of the Customer. Therese also brings us up-to-speed on tagging, mobile first, bulk deploy, and the increased efficiency between the supervisors and controllers — features of Tridium’s Niagara 4.6 impending release.

Lynxspring Edge-to-Enterprise Solution Now Offers Analytics at the Edge for the Building Environment and Operational Systems. Lynxspring, Inc., a premier developer and provider of open, IP-control solutions for building automation, energy management, and edge-to-enterprise integration, announced today the full release of their Onyxx® SkySpark® Edge Analytics solution which embeds SkyFoundry’s SkySpark® Everywhere™ Analytics software in the Lynxspring Onyxx® Hardware platform.

ControlTrends’ Ken Smyers gets the 411 on Acuity’s Acquisition of Lucid at Realcomm20/IBcon. Ken Smyers digs in at RealComm|IBcon and talks with the team at Lucid about how their products will add to the great product portfolio Acuity Brands already has like DG Logik and Distech. Lucid provides a data and analytics platform to make data-driven decisions to improve building efficiency and drive energy conservation and savings. Its SaaS-based BuildingOS platform enables owners, operators, and occupants to gain powerful insights into the operations of their buildings, providing the ability to make them more efficient and improve the performance of the people and businesses utilizing these strategic assets.

ControlTalk NOW second interview is with Alper Uzmezler, Managing Partner, BASSG and Founder of Anka Labs. Alper tells us about Sandstar, an initiative that combines two open industry standards, Sedona and Project Haystack, which replaces hardware dependent code with self-describing haystack-based tagging. Alper follows with a demonstration and explains that the key to AI-infused PID loops is clean data. The next step is to develop the Sandstar ecosystem. Community participation is welcome!

Why Project SandStar Could Change The Smart Building Controls World Forever. If ControlTrends’ Young Gun, Alper Üzmezler, managing partner at BASSG, is correct with his theory that the way DDC software is done today is redundant — costly and inefficient, and if he can deliver the promises of Project Sandstar, then the smart building controls world as we know it — is getting ready to change forever. What Sandstar allows — is for independent Direct Digital Controls to merge Sedona with Haystack — into a seamless whole, which according to Alper, means you would eliminate the need for each individual manufacturer’s software.

Honeywell Building Controls 2018 Contractor Guide Book. A message from Mike Garceau, General Manager – Honeywell Brand: Dear Honeywell Contractor, Honeywell has a long tradition of working with independent contractors and integrators to provide complete, successful building control solutions. And thanks to your hard work and partnership, we feel our channel-to-market approach is the strongest it’s ever been. That’s why we’re committed to investing in the tools and resources and introducing more partner benefits — such as Contractor Pro Rewards — that help make you a success each and every day.

Contemporary Controls News: New Product — EIGR Routers Add OpenVPN Server Functionality

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The EIPR-V routers have supported the OpenVPN client functionality to provide secure remote access using the RemoteVPN service. The newly released EIGR routers support this functionality but also can be configured to as an OpenVPN server. Setting up an OpenVPN server on your own is not a trivial task. It involves setting up a root certificate authority and generating certificates and keys for the OpenVPN server and for each client device that intends to connect to this server. The EIGR-V allows you to do all this easily via its built-in webpages on the router itself and without the need to download any software to generate these certificates or keys.

The EIGR-V in the server mode can support up to 15 EIPR-V/EIGR-V routers in the client mode. Up to 15 PC clients (or any device with OpenVPN functionality like Tablets/phones) can be connected to the OpenVPN server. This setup can provide secure remote access to the IP devices on the LAN side of the EIPR-V/EIGR-V OpenVPN client routers. Each device can be accessed with a specific IP address and there is no additional requirement to setup NAT or Port Forwarding on the client routers. Furthermore, the OpenVPN client devices only require internet access – there is no requirement for a static public IP address. The only requirement for a Public IP is for the OpenVPN server router. The OpenVPN server router itself can be connected behind an existing firewall/router with a public IP and have the OpenVPN port forwarded to it.

The EIGR-V OpenVPN server also has additional ability to setup access control. Each PC client can be configured to communicate with 1 or more router clients independent of each other. With its ease of installation and flexibility, the EIGR-V is an ideal setup for troubleshooting and diagnostics for remote access at multiple remote locations.

Visit the EIGR product page to learn more.

Read the rest of Contemporary Controls July Newsletter.

Episode 272: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for Week Ending June 24, 2018

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Episode 272: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings Videocast and PodCast for week ending June 24, 2018 brings us to the mid-year point of 2018 (already). Stay on top of the HVAC and Building Automation industries: Get your Niagara 3.8 and Niagara 4.4 updates; Great interviews from 2018 Realcomm|IBcon with Distech’s Ryan Sen and Charles Pelletier, and KMC’s Scott Taylor; Contemporary Controls’ new line of EIGR Gigabit IP routers allow faster routing throughput. and EasyIO’s ultimate mini Wi-Fi controller opens up a wealth of new opportunities; and, for those who were unable to attend the NS 2018 Niagara Summit, voila, here’s your opportunity to watch the Day 1 Keynote speakers.

Tridium Technical Bulletin: Niagara AX 3.8 Update 4/Niagara 4.4 Update 1.Dear VYKON partner, New updates for Niagara AX (3.8 update 4) and Niagara 4 (4.4 update 1) are available on Niagara Central. The Niagara AX 3.8 Update 4 release (3.8.401) includes several fixes an important vulnerability mitigations for cybersecurity protection of Niagara AX systems, including, but not limited to, an important revision of the Java Virtual Machine that fixes critical security vulnerabilities.

Distech’s Ryan Sen and Charles Pelletier Demo the UniTouch APP at 2018 Realcomm|IBcon. ControlTrends joined Distech’s Ryan Sen, Director, Customer Experience, and Charles Pelletier, Global Product Manager, at the 2018 Realcomm|IBcon vendors exhibit to get a firsthand demonstration of Distech’s new UniTouch APP, which truly gives the occupant total control of their space — using their Bluetooth connected mobile device to control their temperature setting, lighting/dimming preference, fan speed, CO2 reading, blind positioning, and scene selection — all from the palm of their hand!

KMC’s VP of Business Development, Scott Taylor Interview from 2018 Realcomm|IBcon. Our ControlTrends interview with KMC’s VP of Business Development, Scott Taylor, at the vendor show at the 2018 Realcomm|IBcon Conference was a great opportunity to hear the latest from KMC Controls, who offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive array of options that allow contractors to use the right-sized and right-priced software tool, namely, the KMC Commander, for small to mid-sized buildings.

Contemporary Controls New Products Announcement: New EIGR Series of Gigabit IP Routers Introduced. The Contemporary Controls’ EIGR series of Gigabit IP Routers are being introduced with features beyond our popular EIPR series of 10/100 Mbps IP routers while retaining the EIPR’s ease-of-use. Besides gigabit speed on both LAN and WAN ports, the new line of EIGR Gigabit IP routers allows for faster routing throughput, VPN server in addition to VPN client, and outdoor temperature operation. In addition to the basic EIGR-E model is the EIGR-V offering the choice of OpenVPN client or server.

EasyIO The Ultimate mini Wi-Fi Controller that Opens up a Wealth of New Opportunities. The ultimate mini Wi-Fi controller that opens up a wealth of new opportunities for you. That’s what the new EasyIO FT-04 controller is going to be all about. In this newsletter we share the preliminary datasheet and a few benefits of the FT-04 with you, so you get to know more about it’s features and capabilities.

Niagara Summit 2018 Day 1’s Keynote Speakers: Tridium’s President and General Manager, Jim Bland and CTO, Kevin Smith. Following the dazzling electronic imagery of the Niagara blue spread of connected data through a city landscape on three-screen wide presentation, Tridium’s Jim Bland, President and General Manager, takes the wand from the cyber maestro of the screen and hands it, figuratively, to the expectant audience of over 1000 global Niagara Community members — challenging them that NOW — is the time to really think outside the box.

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