Princeton Engineering Services is proud to offer fully interoperable, advanced control system solutions, utilizing LONWORKS® and BACnet based open-protocol control products. PES works with owners, vendors, and contractors to provide System Integration services to create a software/hardware platform to allow the owners to install multiple vendors' controls throughout their various buildings.
BACnet was developed by the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) to allow different systems to share information and allow for a single seat user interface. BACnet is "a data communication protocol for building automation and control networks." A data communication protocol is a set of rules governing the exchange of data over a computer network.
The rules take the form of a written specification that spells out what is required to conform to the protocol, everything from what kind of cable to use to how to form a particular request or command in a standard way. The rules relate specifically to the needs of building automation and control equipment, i.e., they cover things like how to ask for the value of a temperature, define a fan operating schedule, or send a pump status alarm. Released in 1996 BACnet has been adopted by mechanical equipment and control system manufacturers, and has resulted in successful integration for many projects.
LonWorks was developed by Echelon Corporation in 1991. The LonWorks technology is based on the principle of creating intelligent, networkable devices, which can be networked in a flat architecture scheme. Each intelligent device is manufactured with a Neuron chip; an integrated circuit that combines the communications protocol, microprocessor, operating system, and flexible I/O.
Devices containing the Neuron chip and having been configured in accordance with the LonMark Association guidelines, can harmoniously coexist and share information on a control network. This allows the devices to become a control network without the dependency on centralized control panels or communication gateways. Thousands of LonWorks based devices have been manufactured for buildings, factories, transportation, and home applications, facilitating the installation of many successful multi-vendor integrated systems.