C-Bus Burden and Termination Block (any Interest)

I am looking to see if there is any interest in a product supporting C-Bus, especially new installs.
As new C-Bus Output units (dimmers, relays, etc) no longer have support for a Software Burden, and the use of the hardware burden is usually met with complaints about taking up a port in the Dimmer or Relay along with just not having a suitable solution for breaking out of the Switchboard for the field bus, and last of all, once the cover is on no visibility of if there is a hardware burden installed and where is it installed.

I propose to address all of these issues with the following concept device. In Din Rail (2 Module 36mm) you get 2 x C-Bus RJ45 Connections at the bottom for connecting to C-Bus Dinrail Products in the Switchboard, PLus 2 x Phoenix Connections at the top for breaking out to the field bus, Plus 1 RJ45 Connection for C-Bus coming out the front providing you bus access without having to take the cover of the switchboard, and a switchable C-Bus burden (recessed into the top cover) . Also, plan to allow space for the label on top so you can capture details of where the field bus runs to etc.

If I can drum up some interest for these, I am willing to make a few, (using quality parts, proper production built PCB's and No 3D Printed crap) if making 10 or less pcs, the Price would be $73.00 each (inc GST) + Shipping, with greater volume the price comes down, I estimate at 50+ pcs, price range of $40-$50, without compromising the Quality of components, there are good break points at 100pcs for components like the RJ45 Sockets (3 per unit) and Phoenix Connectors (2 per unit)

If anybody thinks these would be a good value and is interested, please express your interest here or PM me.
If you think it needs something else included, let me know.
Please do not propose 1 module 18mm, I know it would be good to be smaller, but honestly, the RJ45 Sockets are too big ~16mm wide, and I would not suggest them being on their side, vertically, as this may lead to termination issues over time (prefer to let gravity work for it not against it)

 

Were are you getting the din rail case made

 

Hammond Manufacturing

The case will have a Clear Cover, protecting the front RJ45 and the Burden Switch (so you need to open the cover to plug in a PCI or change the Burden setting.

Still think itsa nice idea to see where the Burden is and if it is set or not set

 

I like the idea, however I am cheap and a burden costs a dollar to make and we can put it at the first wired terminal. if I was to make one, a simple impendence test will tell you if you need one A network burden should only be used to adjust the network impedance to between 400Ω and 1.5 kΩ

 

I looked at developing something pretty much the same about 18 months ago. But, as it's to go into an electrical switchboard, decided against it due to the cost of compliance.

 

I do not know that it would be the cost of compliance that is the issue, but it would be more of an effort to ensure that the correct compliance needs are being met. At the end of the day, this device is nothing more than a Junction Box, with a Mechanical switching of resistor in series with a capacitor to block DC. There is no active components, nothing to generate radiated emissions, and maintaining correct isolation between C-Bus would be the most significant thing to consider. So hardest thing to do is find out what standard applies to the product for which it will need to pass the required testing and be made compliant.

The purpose of this thread was to see if the idea had legs and had a chance to have some volume of sales. The more the sales potential, the more the volume, the lower the cost, and also the more likely that it will be worth making the investment into compliance and so on.

It seems to me that since the new products being released do not seem to include a software option for the burden that the need to add a Hardware burden has introduced a few challenges at various stages of the life of a C-Bus install.

• Having a Hardware Burden when you need it is one of the first issues.
• The current hardware burden takes up 1 port of a C-Bus device in the SB, which is 1 of the 2 only available after you have looped all products together.
• When visiting someone else's Job, having no visibility of whether a burden is present anywhere on the network is a pain, especially if adding/ removing some more devices to a job and not knowing that the burden is there and needs to / be removed.

And then it was a case of what else would be convenient, a Few extra Junction points for the Field. C-Bus port at the front so you do not have to take the cover off to plug in, an interface for your PC when servicing, and a bit of space for labelling. again visible from the front.

Downside is needs 36mm of Dinrail space.
Cost is more than $1 for parts if all you need is a burden.
Without Volume, the cost of all parts and compliance is way too high.

But it would not take long to recoup the value of time spent on the job; $40 to $50 would be easily regained in labour, or lost time, especially if you planned for one in every SB in every job. You would never be caught out without a Burden, make it easy to find and check that there is a burden or not when you come back to the job, and not have to remove a Cover to plug in a PCI.

Anyway, last ditch effort to see if interest is spiked, else I bury the dead horse.

 

We made a product in 2018 that needed (the minimum) AS/NZ 3100 compliance for electrical safety. Even though the proposed product will not have anything active, it still needs to have electrical safety compliance due to being located in a switchboard. The cost back in 2018 was about $6k AUD.