Welcome to ControlTalk NOW: The Smart Building Podcast/Videocast for the week ending March 29, 2015. Our HVAC news of the week features a JCI highlight reel; Rob Allen’s coverage of Johnson Controls’2015 ABCS & Distributor Conference with four insightful video interviews; Gary Weber’s receipt of the 2014 ControlTrends Awards Energy Product of the Year; Bill Jones’ Liquid Level Tech Tip; 2015 Project Haystack’s announcement of the Conference Key Note Speakers; and Andy McMillan’s sagacious advice given at the AHR 2015 Connection Community Collaboratory — still echoes.

Johnson Controls Business Conference Update: New Airflow Products. Rob Allen and Nancy Yannuzzi discuss the requirements for monitoring the air flow into and within a building, which have increased over the years with the IAQ requirements for minimum ventilation of occupied spaces. There are two methods by which air flow is measured within a duct: Differential Pressure, which has been available since the days of pneumatic control, and Thermal Dispersion, which has been available about 10 years. Watch Rob’s video to learn more.

Johnson Controls Business Conference Update: The New Digital Thermostats. Rob Allen’s next update comes from the Johnson Controls Product show. Terry Pierson gives Rob the 411 on Johnson Controls’ New Digital Touch Screen Light Commercial and Residential thermostats, the new TEC 3000, the new features on the EM 4000 Energy meters, and the WT-4000 wireless pneumatic thermostats.

Rob Allen catches up with Heather Ausmus at the 2015 Johnson Control Business Conference and gets the latest on the Johnson Controls Connected Community website. As you will see, this is quite a tool and a wealth of information, and a place to connect, collaborate, and share with building efficiency professionals from around the world.

Project Haystack Announces Keynote Speakers for Haystack Connect 2015 Conference. Dennis Lottero of Vodafone, Jack McGowan of The McGowan Group, and Peter Kelly Detwiler of NorthBridge Energy Partners, have been announced as the Keynote Speakers for the second bi-annual Haystack Connect Conference 2015, to be held May 18-20, 2015, at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. Project Haystack is a collaborative community of leading technology suppliers and systems integrators developing common standards to streamline the interchange of data.

Johnson Controls Business Conference Update: Meet the ABCS Channel Managers. Rob Allen, our man in the field, meets the new Johnson Controls ABCS Channel Managers. Rob introduces us to Robert Harland, Dan Preston (ABCS Channel Sales Manager) and King Thomas (ABCS Channel Director, NA). Together, they discuss the recent reorganization of the ABCS channel and how they plan to apply “Privilege of Focus” to their customers in the different regions. Rob and JCI’s leadership team also discuss some of the other ideas from the business track presented at the Conference.

Bill Jones Tech Tips: Making Liquid Level Gauges Work. Everything you need to know about liquid level gauges but were afraid to ask. Liquid level gauges, like the ones made by Conbraco, are in every equipment room. As simple as they might seem, if you have ever had to replace one, they can be tricky. Not to worry, Stromquist & Company’s, Bill Jones, an expert on Conbraco products, takes the mystery out of liquid level gauges in this informative tech tip. Thank You Mr. Jones!

Belimo Energy Valve Wins Energy Saving Product of the Year. Congratulations to Belimo! The Belimo Energy Valve was chosen by the world-wide ControlTrends Community as the winner of the coveted Energy Savings Product of the Year. Belimo’s Gary Weber accepted the award at the 2014 ControlTrends Awards event in Chicago.

Johnson Controls Highlight Reel. In honor of the Johnson Controls 2015 ABCS Business Conference held earlier this week in Orlando, FL, ControlTrends put together a highlight reel of a few of Johnson Controls’ industry and ControlTrends Awards and accomplishments. Johnson Controls Highlight Reel from Eric Stromquist on Vimeo.

How to Navigate Change in the Building Automation Controls Industry. Special thanks to Ken Sinclair, from Automated Buildings, for having the vision to put together the Connection Community Collaboratory. We had the privilege of filming the last two collaboratories. This video epitomizes the intent of the collaboratory as Andy McMillan, the president of BACnet International, gives some priceless advice to one of the attendees.

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ControlTalk NOW: The Smart Building Podcast/Videocast for Week Ending March 22, 2015. Join us for another ControlTalk NOW and another week of HVAC news featuring Trane’s deep dive into VRF; Inside the Winner’s Circle with Thermokon, Johnson Controls, and Delta Controls; Human error and Cyber Security; The use of Wearable Technology in the HVAC Industry is imminent; Rob Allen steals this week’s show with DDC training and coverage of Johnson Controls’s ABCS and Distributor Business Conference; and make sure to download Contemporary Controls’ free download gift to the HVAC Community: “Network Communications for Buildings.”

Trane Engineers Newsletter Live: Applying Variable Refrigerant Flow. During our most recent ControlTalk NOW, we discussed the future impact the Variable Refrigerant Flow technology is likely to make in our HVAC industry, and how it may effect the after-market sales of today’s HVAC controls distributor. During our search for more relevant information, we came across this informative “Trane Engineers Newsletter Live: Applying Variable Refrigerant Flow” post on You Tube. This outstanding 88 minute video tells the whole VRF story.

Live Event: Introduction to DDC Controls Part 1. In Part 1 of a Live Event DDC Controls, Rob Allen, Stromquist’s DDC guru gets the group up to speed on the basics of DDC Controls. This course was designed for control techs that are relativity new to building automation controls and as a review for more experienced DDC controls professionals.

How to use Social Engineering to Hack into a System. Thanks to Fred Gordy from McKenney for sharing this video with us. Fred had told me that no matter how good your cyber security system is, the biggest loop hole and security threat is human error. Are you as disturbed as I am by just how easy it was for these teenagers to take over Matt’s digital life? Let me know what you think in comments.

Contemporary Controls’ Gift to the Industry: “Network Communications for Buildings” Free Download. March 2015 — The year 2015 marks our 40th anniversary of Contemporary Controls as a company, and as we reflect on this milestone, we cannot help but marvel at the technological changes that have impacted both the automation systems we produce as well as how companies are now doing business. We have witnessed the migration from standalone controllers to fieldbus-networked controllers to IP-based network controllers. The open-systems movement has helped smaller companies participate in markets once dominated by larger companies with their proprietary systems.

In the 2014 ControlTrends Awards Winners Circle with Thermokon. Let the good times roll! Thermokon’s David Alliband celebrates with Sean Johnson at the 2014 ControlTrends Awards. Why are they so happy? Thermokon had just won the 2014 Wireless Product Solution of The Year. Congratulations to David and the team at Thermokon.

2014 ControlTrends Awards Best Technical Support Person – Large Manufacturer. Congratulations to Johnson Controls’ Greg Wilmer and Delta Controls’ Greg Holloway co-winners of the 2014 ControlTrends Award Best Technical Support Person of the Year — Large Manufacturer. It was with extreme pleasure to recognize these two most deserving and dedicated HVAC veterans — in such a befitting and exciting venue. Congratulations once again!

Rob Allen — Live at the Johnson Controls Business Conference Pt.1. Our Rob Allen get’s ready for the 2015 Johnson Controls Business Conference in Orlando. In this first segment, Rob first get’s familiar with his equipment and resolves a little identity crisis. Stay on top of Johnson Controls’ 2015 ABCS and Distributor Conference here at ControlTrends as Rob delivers daily interviews, updates, and conference highlights to the ControlTrends Community. Johnson Controls’ theme this year is Championship Season 2015, Spring Training.

Wearable Technology in the HVAC Industry: Just Around the Bend. Explore the World of AWE. (Photo Credit: procore.com blog) While an increasing concerted effort to grow the HVAC industry young is under way, the need for immediate competent presence (ICP) won’t let HVAC to wait. Wearable technology, especially Smart Glasses adapted for the HVAC/Systems Integration markets, may extend the existing talent pool well enough to serve as the necessary interim measure.

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This week’s ControlTalk NOW features Blue Ridge Technologies — Unified Lighting Control experts; Acuity’s purchase of Distech Controls; EasyIO’s Partners Event in Paris; 2014 ControlTrends Award winners: Johnson Controls’ FX ASSET Tool, EasyIO’s FG-32, and Lynxspring’s Lynx CyberPro; Marc Petock’s review of Project Haystack and Lynxspring’s Niagara R2 solutions; Mike Marston’s CPT graphics demonstration; KMC’s new BACnet multi-port router; and Siemen’s MD energy meter video. Special thanks to Rob Allen for his ControlTalk NOW introduction and another great 7 Minutes in Control!

Blue Ridge Technologies — Unified Lighting Control Experts — Show You How! Get distributed Zone Control with Blue Ridge Technologies’ Zone Control(ZC)! ZC is a UL Listed distributed lighting controller in a compact junction box mounted package. ZC may be scheduled from any BACnet BAS, and it is compatible with all low voltage override switches, occupancy sensors, and light level sensors. ZC is suited for new or existing buildings, and may be scaled from basic to advanced control sequences; including daylight harvesting, load shedding, equipment optimization, and trending.

EasyIO Gets Ready for Next World Wide Partner Event in Paris. What is the best way to get your Uncle Sam to pay for a trip to Paris? Well the folks at EasyIO make it all possible with great controls, great food, and a great location, and although I am not an accountant, I am pretty sure you can write it off as a business expense. “Mad Mike” Marston and the team at EasyIO are preparing the Next World Wide Control Event in Paris France, September 21-23. Don’t wait, reach out to your local EasyIO dealer and tell them you want to be part of the EasyIO World Event in Paris.

Distech Controls is Purchased by Acuity Brands. One of the leading building automation control players in our industry was acquired today. Acuity Brands purchased Distech for approximately $252 million. Acuity, which had net sales of $2.4 billion dollars in 2014, owns a group of companies that work in the lighting and building automation controls market. About Distech: An Innovative Leader in Energy Management Solutions.Distech Controls provides unique building management technologies and services that optimize energy efficiency and comfort in buildings.

Johnson Controls FX Asset Tool Wins Big at the 2014 ControlTrends Awards. Congratulations to Johnson Controls and the FX Asset Tool which was awarded the 2014 Building Automation Controls Programming Tool of the Year by the world-wide ControlTrends Community. To learn more about this incredible product click here for a ControlTrends live Training Rewind or here for a presentation on the power of the FX Asset Tool.

Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control: Introduces a New Router from KMC Controls. Rob welcomes Dave Bohlmann from KMC Controls to 7 Minutes in Control. Dave shows Rob KMC’s new single point BacNet Router. The multi-port KMC FullBAC
router efficiently and reliably routes BACnet traffic for today’s complex building automation projects that consist of multiple networks. The BAC-5050 provides communication between foreign devices, BACnet IP LANs, the BACnet MS/TP controller network, and an Ethernet 802.3 (ISO 8802-3) network.

Lynxspring Offers Four Conversion Options to Take Niagara R2 to Niagara AX. Niagara R2 to Niagara AX –The time has come to replace Niagara R2 in favor of the far more advanced Niagara AX! The Niagara Framework has evolved significantly since the first commercial version; Niagara R2 was first introduced. Since that time, Niagara has become the industry’s open software platform standard that enables the integration of complex and disparate monitoring, control and automation solutions.

EasyIO Wins Plant Controller of the Year at The 2014 ControlTrends Awards. Congratulations to EasyIO for winning the 2014 ControlTrends Awards Plant Controller of The Year. The legendary EasyIO FG-32 (The Beast From the EAST) is known around the world as a powerful, affordable DDC controller, so much so, that the world-wide ControlTrends Community has voted to give this coveted award to the FG-32 for the third year in a row. Truly, an impressive accomplishment!

EasyIO’s Mike Marston Demos FG’s CPT Graphics. CPT Tool is an executable file and does not require installation. The package is supplied as a zip file. Extracting the zipped file will create the file structure. Note: All of the files need to be located in the same folder in order for CPT to run correctly. CPT is a tool developed by Online Tools Inc. as the new choice for users of controllers based on Sedona Framework. It allows online programming where Sedona had been designed for as the management of the software packages, (kits). The tool also has the capability to do backups and restore of the applications.

Siemens MD Energy Meters Sales Training Video. Siemens Industry’s MD Model Power Meter is a submetering device designed to provide real time, accurate electricity metering to enable proper control over energy costs. The meter can capture kWh/kW energy and demand data, as well as virtually all relevant energy parameters for diagnostics and monitoring on three-phase or single-phase circuit installations. The meter’s flexibility, size, and ease-of use make them ideal tools for gathering detailed consumption information in commercial, industrial, governmental, and retail environments.

Making Device Data Self-describing to Enable Seamless Integration Across Multiple Applications. Article by Marc Petock, Vice President Marketing, Lynxspring & Connexx Energy and Member Board of Directors, Project-Haystack. The amount of data created by equipment, systems and devices has exploded in recent years. Today’s automation systems and smart devices produce tremendous amounts of data to the point where we have expanded our reach to a range of devices that can gather and analyze physical data and react to that data in a variety of applications that we’ve never seen before.

LYNX CyberPro Wins Innovative Product of the Year! Congratulations to the team at Lynxspring for winning the 2014 ControlTrends Awards Innovative Product of the Year with the Lynxspring Cyber Pro (Watch George Hawkins’ presentation). Designed with building operations in mind, LYNX CyberPro creates “shields of security” and preemptive threat protection for the devices and systems across a building network by securing, managing, controlling, tracking and monitoring all account access and activities. The solution supports leading building automation protocols with TCP/IP networks and can be accessed from anywhere without exposing building system devices to the public internet.

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This week’s ControlTalk NOW features Daikin’s IoT game-changer, the Rebel RTU; Stromquist’s Tim Chamblee’s VFD Training Part 1 and Part 2; More about KMC’s Conquest Controllers; 2014 ControlTrends Award Winners, Delta Controls and Schneider Electric; and the FieldServer Protocol Revision 12 BACnet Router from the Sierra Monitor Corporation.

Tim Chamblee’s Intro Class: Variable Frequency Drives Part 1. Learn the basics of variable frequency drives in this intro class, from Variable Frequency Drives guru, Tim Chamblee. With over thirty years of experience, Tim is a well recognized expert in the HVAC industry and an enormous asset to the Stromquist team. Tim is also a part-time instructor at Chattahoochee Technical College teaching the Advanced HVAC Program.

In The Winners Circle with Schneider Electric’s Can2Go. Check out Patrick Dumas in the winner’s circle at the 2014 ControlTrends Awards with Sean Johnson. Schneider Electric’s Can2Go (SmartStruxure Lite) won the 2014 ControlTrends Awards Wireless Product/Solution of the Year. Can2Go offers Contractors and Systems integrators one of the most complete hybrid control solutions: Wired (BACNet, Modbus, CANbus), Wireless (EnOcean, ZigBee), and Web (IP/Ethernet). These building automation technologies combine to provide maximum interoperability, control, and energy savings.

Daikin Launches First IoT HVAC Equipment. Rebel RTU Rocks! Ken Smyers caught up with Paul Rauker, VP of Systems and Controls, Daikin Applied, on the ground floor of the 2015 AHR Show. Paul expertly reviews the features of Daikin’s latest Intelligent Equipment, the Rebel RTU — that is the first IoT HVAC RTU. Paul shows us what extraordinary innovation is possible when collaboration takes place between industry and technology leaders, Daikin and Intel.

Introducing KMC New Line of BAS Controllers: Meet Conquest! Thanks to Erich Kreuter for introducing us to KMC’s Conquest line of building automation controllers. KMC Conquest controllers are fully programmable, native BACnet controllers with integrated alarming, trending, and scheduling that maintain logic and data at the edge. KMC Conquest controllers are enabled with NFC technology allowing field configuration with our mobile app: KMC Connect Lite.

Delta Controls Wins 2014 Building Automation Control System of The Year. The world wide ControlTrends Community spoke with their votes and Delta Controls was named the winner of the 2014 ControlTrends Building Automation Control System of The Year. Congratulations to Jack Nichols, and the entire Delta team, for a job well done. The Delta Controls’ motto, which permeates throughout the organization is “Do it Right!”

VFD Training Part 2: Tim Chamblee continues his Variable Frequency Drive Training with an in-depth explanation of the application benefits, the potential energy savings, and the importance of proper grounding and wiring methods — and then demonstrates how to use a Honeywell Variable Frequency Drive to control a cooling tower fan with a Honeywell T775 controller.

Sierra Monitor Corporation’s FieldServer BACnet Router — First Product to be Certified as Router at BACnet Protocol Revision 12. Milpitas, California – January 12, 2015 – Sierra Monitor Corporation, a provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that connect and protect high- value infrastructure assets, today announced that its FieldServer BACnet Router has been certified by the BACnet Testing laboratory (BTL), having successfully passed the Protocol Revision 12 router tests. Sierra Monitor Corporation addresses the industrial and commercial facilities management market with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that connect and protect high-value infrastructure assets.

The post ControlTalk NOW: The Smart Building Podcast Week Ending March 8, 2015 appeared first on ControlTrends.

This week’s ControlTalk NOW introduces several new products from KMC Controls and Functional Devices; interview coverage of KMC’s Erich Kreuter and JCI’s Guy Holden; Belimo’s Lars van der Haegen’s appointment to CEO Belimo Group; The Smart Grid’s ADMS report; and the concluding events of Ken Sinclair’s 2015 Connected Community Collaboratory, EnOcean’s Jim O’Callaghan’s 2020 — 100 billion sensor prediction and the Q&A session that ended the 3rd Annual CCC.

Mounting a Siemens SSA Valve Actuator to a 599 Series Zone Valve Body. This short video shows you the tools you will need and steps to take to correctly mount a Siemens SSA Valve Actuator to a 599 Series Zone Valve Body: 599 Series Valve Body, SSA Electronic Zone Valve Actuator, Small Flat Blade Screwdriver, and a 3 mm Hex Wrench.

Part 6: Jim O’Callaghan at The 2015 Connected Community Collaboratory. EnOcean’s Jim O’Callaghan brings his unique perspective too the 2015 Connected Community Collaboratory. Jim shares his thoughts on how the Building Automation Control World will look when the world goes from the 70 million sensors that exist today to the estimated 100 Billion sensors that will control and influence our world in 2020. Very compelling stuff!

Increased Visibility to the Grid is Happening! Read How — Voices of Experience|ADMS. Consider the Cost of a Power Outage: “The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the $150 billion in annual economic losses because of outages is equivalent to adding 4 cents per kWh of costs to consumers nationwide.” — Annual Energy Outlook 2010, U.S. Department of Energy. Excerpt from the Guide: “Considering that this is an era in which smart phones and Google Maps are ubiquitous, it may come as a surprise that utilities have very little visibility into their distribution systems.”

Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions: Delivering World-Class Quality with Lower Costs. Guy Holden, VP & GM of Johnson Controls, Global WorkPlace Solutions Europe, Middle East, and Africa, discusses how the Facility Management (FM) industry is responding to demands for improved quality at a reduced cost. In response, some FM companies are specialized either in service delivery or strategic management, while JCI’s Global WorkPlace is investing in both.

Functional Devices Introduces New Wi-Fi RIB Products. EXPAND YOUR NETWORK — EXPAND YOUR CONTROL — At Functional Devices, the Internet of Things is happening today! Functional Devices is very proud to introduce its new Wi-Fi RIB products! Functional Devices’ Wi-Fi RIBs are the I/O devices for the next wireless generation of Building Automation and Energy Management Systems. You can turn your devices on and off wirelessly, and monitor your network remotely.

Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control: Erich Kreuter KMC Controls. In this episode Rob welcomes KMC’s Erich Kreuter and they talk all about the C words — The 5 C’s as defined by KMC’s new suite of Smart Building and Building Automation Controls that doesn’t use PC based software, rather an advanced technology with built-in diagnostics — that is designed to take labor costs out of a project. Check it out and be prepared to be amazed!

Lars van der Haegen to Become New CEO of the BELIMO Group. Lars van der Haegen is the new CEO of the Belimo Group starting July 1, 2015. Lars van der Haegen has been the President of Belimo Americas and Member of the Executive Committee since November, 2010. Prior to that, he was employed by Belimo in various positions since 2000. Lars van der Haegen has a strong HVAC application and industry knowledge paired with master degrees in business from Columbia Business School in New York and the London Business School.

The 2015 Connected Community Collaboratory Finishes Strong with Summary and Q & A. Ken Sinclair’s group of Industry experts finished the 2015 Connected Community Collaboratory with a compelling crescendo, then took the conversation to an even deeper level, as they answered several thought-provoking questions from the audience. Great job Ken, Marc, John, Andy, Jim, and Paul.

Get On Board! Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings March 2015 Theme: Creating Self-Learning Cultures. Ken Sinclair’s Connection Community Collaboratory has recently invigorated the HVAC and Building Automation industry’s interest with an open challenge to make our industry younger by attracting new talent and bringing these new employees up to speed quickly. Sadly, we lost the use of Star Trek’s Vulcan Mind Meld with the loss of Leonard Nimoy, but Ken’s autodidactic style of learning is indeed, a vital part of the future solution. As an industry we must think of how each of our organizations can leverage its existing resources, policies, collaboratories, and industry partnerships to create greater career pathways that will close the skills gaps faster and ultimately, sustain our industry.

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