Controlling my thermostat with my Pronto

I am new to CBus, toolkit, etc, having just got CBus thermostat and (wireless) lighting. But I am experienced in programming my Pronto 9400.

I can now control my lights using the Pronto but I can't work out how to control my thermostat (single zone, 5 relay). The lights work by sending an appropriate code to an appropriate group but I can't work out how to put my thermostat into the same sort of group.

If someone could tell me how to control my thermostat from a light switch, then I could probably work out the rest.

Any advice would be most gratefully received.

 

The C-Bus Thermostat doesn't use lighting messages. It uses the HVAC Application. The only aspect of the C-Bus thermostat which will respond to a lighting message is the power (on/off) control.

Will that be adequate for your requirements, or are you wanting to set temperature set-points and control zone dampers?

 

Thanks again, both. Very useful and quick replies.

For the moment at least, I'm only interested in being able to turn my thermostat on and off remotely. As there is no feedback on temperature settings(?), I had assumed that I couldn't change these remotely.

At the moment, I don't understand the toolkit at all and, for example, I don't understand the statement "the NUMBER underlying the name". I've set the group to "Group 1". It has address "001". Does that mean that the NUMBER is 01? If not, how to I find out what the NUMBER is?

 

I am not objecting to the use of numbers by computers! I'm just trying to find out how to find out what the underlying number is. In my case, would it be '01'?

 

Thanks - I'll explore.

A final question: I am clearly getting some feedback messages from my thermostat but I don't know what they mean. I downloaded the document entitled "C-Bus Application Messages & Behaviour: Chapter 0 - Introduction" from the C-Bus site and it says that the format of the these messages is discussed in "Chapter 25 - Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning". However, whilst I found many of the chapters on the C-Bus site, I couldn't find chapter 25. Is it available and, if so, from where?

Thanks in advance.

 

It looks like that one hasn't been released yet. We will see if we can get that released soon.

 

Ok, thanks.

 

Hello all!

I have a same problem as Guy Palmer.

I need to control thermostat with my Beckhoff controller via rs232 port.

I have no problem with control lighting application because i download Lighting Application.pdf. But i can't find description HVAC or Air Condition or samething like application. So i don't understend how i can read temperature and other parametres from thermostat...

May be somebody can tell me rs232 command to read current and/or desired temperature?

I watching to my rs232 port when i turn on my thermostat and change desired temperature on it. And i see this data:
1) 055BAC0079022F02014103160000ED
2) 055BAC0036020141038100F6
3) 055B73000207FF25
4) 055BAC0079022F02014103180000EB
5) 055BAC001502011A810041
6) 055BAC0079022F02014103180000EB
7) 055B73000200000205000206001C
8) 055BAC00050201030800E1
...
===
I try to analyze this data.
eg:
055BAC0079022F02014103160000ED

05 - header
5B - unit address (91)
AC - application address (172=Air Condition)
0079 - turn on ( by analogy Lighting Application)
02 - group address (communication group)
2F02014103160000ED - i don't understand...
Can somebody help me?

===
And application log:

Code:

1) App= 172  Air Conditioning     Group= 002  temp1                Unit= 091                       Event= Temperature set to 26,5?C for zones: Unswitched; Sensor status = No error
2) App= 172  Air Conditioning     Group= 002  temp1                Unit= 091                       Event= Communication Group on
3) App= 172  Air Conditioning     Group= 002  temp1                Unit= 091                       Event= HVAC operating type: Zones = Unswitched; Plant equipment = Heat pump - reverse cycle; Mode = Heat; Flags = Temperature unit is ?C, Setback disabled, Guard disabled; Set Point = 24,0?C; Automatic Fan Mode; Fan running at default speed 
4) App= 115  HVAC Actuator 1      Group= 000  [CG02] B (cool activation) Unit= 091                       Event= Group off
5) App= 115  HVAC Actuator 1      Group= 005  [CG02] Y (heat/cool) Unit= 091                       Event= Group off
6) App= 115  HVAC Actuator 1      Group= 006  [CG02] G (fan)       Unit= 091                       Event= Group off
7) App= 172  Air Conditioning     Group= 002  temp1                Unit= 091                       Event= HVAC plant status: Zones = Unswitched; Plant equipment = Heat pump - reverse cycle; Flags = Damper open; No error
8) App= 115  HVAC Actuator 1      Group= 007  [CG02] B (heat activation) Unit= 091                       Event= Group on

P.s.: sorry for my terrible english, it's not my native language

 

By trial and error, I have come up with the following. The The 9th and 10th characters say what the message is about. It can take the following values:

01 = thermostat is off
79 = thermostat is on
05 = status of the heating unit itself
15 = ???; currently ignoring (seems to take all sorts of values)
36 = ???; currently ignoring (but seems similar to value 05, i.e. with an on and off state)

If it is 79, then the 23rd and 24th characters say what temperature it is set at (in your code above, 16 which is 22degC in decimal).

If it is 05, then the 17th and 18th characters say whether the heating unit is on or off (08 for on and 0A for off).

 

Can I suggest that if you have a logic engine, you can map the IBsystemIO to a recognisable string and use the RS232 port (the PACA would do this nicely) there.

 

That is an understatement

Using trial and error you will work out bits of it, but you will never get it working 100% right under all circumstances.

 

Any success?

 

The C-Bus HVAC (Air Conditioning) application is now available at

http://training.clipsal.com/downloads/OpenCBus/OpenCBusProtocol.html

 

Thanks very much. I've now got everything working, including changing the thermostat temperature setting from my Pronto.

 

Yes, I was vewy, vewy careful and have no plans to generalise my script.