[nycbug-talk] Re: [nylug-talk] open source HVAC control software

[alex at pilosoft.com]

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005, Freeman, Joshua wrote:

> The New York Botanical Gardens has several buildings with large HVAC
> installations.  Most of these installations have control consoles from
> Anderson Control Systems (well... Anderson SOMETHING).
> 
> Our operations department has recently been talking to companies that
> sell systems wherein you have a PC at a centralized location (i.e. NOT
> one of the boiler rooms, but a quiet office somewhere) running software
> which enables you to see and manage all of the different control systems
> set up to manage your HVAC installations.
> 
> As I understand it, located near each boiler system is a box with a
> board in it and some kind of onboard storage with an LCD interface where
> you set the thermostat and other controls related to managing the
> system.  This box has an RS485 serial interface.
> 
> The companies that do this stuff basically sell you some kind of
> RS485-to-Ethernet conversion/interface box .. you network all of your
> standalone RS485 control units to this master conversion interface box
> and then the box is on the network and you use client software to
> control it (switch between the different local control units) and upload
> your adjustments and changes to the local control units via the
> ethernet-to-the-RS485 network...
> 
> You get the idea, hopefully..
> 
> I was all fired up by Phil Moore's talk at the NYCBUG meeting last
> night.
> 
> I'm gonna start googling and checking out freshmeat now.. but I was
> wondering if anyone on either of these lists knew ANYTHING about this
> stuff and would be willing to think through what it might take to create
> an open source version of this....
I doubt there is anything like that, and since this is really vertical 
market-specific, whether anyone will be interesting in doing anything like 
that for *you* for free.

Open Source solutions for vertical markets are rare.

-alex