I am design an HVAC control system with multiple zones. To optimize cost, I would like to minimize the number of thermostast and use temperature sensors when possible. 1. If I have two zones equipped with dampers and don?t want to set a different temperature in each zone. Am I correct to assume that I can use a 4-zone thermostat in one zone and a temperature sensor in the other zone? The temperature setting will be the same but each zone will operate indepently. 2. Is there an easy way to create a virtual thermostat in the wiser, a touch screen or the PACA and use the reading from a temperature sensor instead of using a real thermostat? Thanks.
Re 1. You can use a temperature sensor with a 4-zone thermostat as a remote sensor of another area (spatial zone). Exactly how you set it up is something I can't remember now, but you can do it. Re 2. Things like Wiser can be used as a remote display (or similar) for a thermostat but they are not a replacement for it. The reason for this is that the thermostat contains all the software algorithms to actually run the a/c equipment, including a "PID" controller which looks at set point + actual temperature to calculate a demand, it also has the plant controller which from the demand figures out how much heating or cooling to apply (and how to make the equipment actually do that). There's a few other things in there as well (eg setback for economy operation, guard to prevent freezing, etc etc). So the thermostat is actually a very sophisticated and busy little beast; that software is not implement in other products.
Spacial Zone? I have moved over from Thermostat zones to enable sensor groups? Does anyone have any information on setting up a 'spacial zone', whats the concept? I have four heating zones, controlled by three temp sensors (5031TS) and a four zone thermostat (5070THPSS) independently of one another, and I'd like to program all four zones using thermostat even if it's just turning them on or off and leaving the temperature setting to the sensors. I'm about to go mad writing code on a PAC to get group state from groups set by the thermostat zone control and sensors, I won't be able to set the desired temp for the remote zones but at least i can turn them on and off using the thermostat. So for example I'll have three groups for each remote zone, eg: Zone 1 from Thermostat/Zone 1 from Sensor/Zone 1 Damper Relay. Then I'll use logic in the PAC to enable the Damper Relay when both the Thermostat and Sensor Zones are ON. It may be worth mentioning I'm using the logic availble in the relay to control the plant itself. It seems like a clunky way to do it as I'm sure the thermostat could handle this itself but can't find any documentation other that the help which doesn't flow too well since I've been dumbed down by my kids lego instructions!
Whilst I can't help with the specifics of the issue, you need to make sure that your temperature sensors are the 2nd generation units, i.e. the 5031RDTSL, not the earlier 5031TS for this. Only the RDTSL can broadcast it's measured temperature value on the network. The 5031TS cannot. If you have the earlier 5031TS's it's not a total loss. You can use a monitor component within a PAC/C-Touch/Spectrum/CTC to get the temperature value out of the temperature sensor. You can then use logic to broadcast that on the network as a Measurement Application temperature broadcast.
Thank you very much newman. I'm off to search for some posts now that may point me in the right direction to learn how to set up the monitor components and then broadcast and have the thermostat read the broadcasts. I'll put links to any useful posts back into this post if I find any, and would truly appreciate it if anyone is already aware of any. C-Bus : Poll a C-Bus Temperature Sensor <-- now I've played I guess this isn't really needed if I do what you say and set up monitors.
That's right. If you use the Monitor within PICED then the temperature is automatically retrieved and correctly scaled for you.
