HELP for beginner with bacnet!!

I recently installed new plc's for controlling precision temperature in over 40 rooms where produce is kept. Using the DL205 from automation direct i have programmed the units using the apropriate PID setting. I recently arrived at the plant and do not really understand what they have done in the past but they seem to have a few of the other rooms i did not install, for control on the ethernet. I would like to set-up the new controls i installed on the existing ethernet, i am somewhat limited in my ethernet knowledge. I understand that they are using BAC net as their protocol. Somebody please help me with either the resources or the answers to be able to plug my new controls to the existing ethernet.

BACnet is typically used in building management systems. It appears to be becoming the neywork of choice. I do not know of a PLC that has BACnet capability yet but there may be one. Trying to write a communications protocol in a PLC would not be for the faint hearted I think.Here is a link to the BACnet website
http://www.bacnet.org/
Good luck.

Hi Bob. There is a Bacnet module available for the control logix. Main use of this module is to get data from a bacnet system into the PLC system, however you can use the controllogix PLC for control.

Titoyabril: I am not sure of what you are asking. Have you installed the PLCs and they are working OR have you programmed the PLCs taken them to site and found the existing system is a BMS with bacnet?

I am assuming also that there is a higher level controller over seeing the complex that monitors and controls the temperature settings.

Either way the DL05s will be a stand alone system from what is there and you will need a speciality protocol converter to change Automation Direct protocol to a Bacnet protocol to allow a higher system to monitor and command the rooms. I would suggest looking at modbus as the protocol out of the DL05 as I am sure you will find a modbus to bacnet converter.

Regards Alan Case

thanks for the help! yes it is an existing stand alone unit that i have installed and i would like the higher level system to have control over it.
i am going to look into modbus. thanx