CoolAutomation - Experts & Thought Leaders

System error code 5103 in bedroom number 5, Air Conditioning indoor unit. The error is triggered due to abnormal Thermistor reading.  One of the following reasons may be the cause: Return air Liquid pipe sensor Gas pipe sensor  The traditional course of action Visit the site, access the system physically and  Check if the sensors are fixed properly to the Terminal Block. Check the resistance of the sensors ( 5.3k ohm @ 77°F). Check if faulty PCB not reading correctly, collect new data and verify the fix.  CoolAutomation Remote diagnostics course of action Remote diagnostics: Service engineer assessed the CoolAutomation Remote diagnostics solution to check the system history. Searching for the error cause: Looking at the AC unit's operation data for the last hour, all the thermistor readings are normal. Using historic data: Looking at the info generated by the CoolAutomation Remote diagnostics solution for the last 7 days, engineers saw spikes in the Gas Pipe Sensor. Therefore, indicates that this sensor is faulty and must be replaced (it is less likely that the indoor unit PCB is mistranslating the temperature reading only occasionally). Using Traditional HVAC service vs remote Traditional HVAC service Multiple trips to the site are likely, as an engineer may need several visits before he can witness the error in real-time. Many hours of engineer time. Multiple days of system downtime.  CoolAutomation Remote diagnostics solution A single trip to the site. One hour of VRF engineer time on-site. Minimal system downtime. Benefits of the solution Minimal customer disturbance. Only trip to site versus multiple visits. Simplified data analysis.

Tpoint built smart fully autonomous outdoor squash courts for a Country Club. The courts were fully automated and do not require any human intervention from the country club's side. Tpoint uses a unique application that provides the squash players with full control over the curt: court orders and payment, finding partners, controlling the lighting, doors, HVAC, and more. The idea behind Tpoint's application was to scale the court's concept; a solution that can be recreated globally,  while using Tpoint's app.  The integration challenge The challenge of this project was to fully implement the HVAC control into Tpoint'd app, without the need to use an additional HVAC control app for this purpose. Tpoint also wanted to recreate the court's concept in every new court it builds around the world. This means that the HVAC equipment may vary in a specific site, but Tpoint will not have to redevelop the integration specification.  The solution CoolAutomation's solution connects with all the VRF HVAC brands through unified API, making this solution transferable Instead of relying on local protocols, Tpoint has decided to use the CoolAutomation Developers API solution (REST API platform. CoolAutomation Developers API solution allows for full integration with developed apps that need to communicate directly with CoolMasterNet through the cloud. This ability enabled the squash players to control the VRF HVAC and all the indicated functions, directly through Tpoint's app.  CoolAutomation's solution connects with all the VRF HVAC brands through unified API, making this solution transferable and allowing Tpoint to implement it in other integration sites with no need to redevelop the integration in every site.  System Components HVAC-Samsun VRF 16 Ton ( 4 VRF outdoor units with 4 Air Handling Units) Tpoint's app. The integrator  Ronen Inbar of Inbar Digital  Inbar DIgital is a professional IT company that helps its customers to develop software solutions such as mobile apps, IT systems, and websites. Inbar Digital has joined forces with Tpoint to develop cutting-edge, autonomic, and automated squash courts, managed by smart software only.  Tpoint The user-friendly app allows individuals to reserve courts and find opponents with ease Tpoint's modular squash courts were sparked by the combination of a love of sports and a love of nature. Tpoint is passionate about bringing squash out of hotels, universities, and sports complexes into the open air and urban environment. The user-friendly app allows individuals to reserve courts and find opponents with ease, helping to spark more connections within communities.  Benefits of CoolAutomation Developers API  Rich functionality Includes all major control and monitoring functions and options available through HVAC systems. Secure Utilizing OAuth 0.2 to ensure a safe and secure API environment.  User permission control  The coders have been using the Developers  API, so users can be confident that it has been thoroughly tested and debugged. Simple CoolAutomation's API Developers built on the REST API platform to provide the partners with a user-friendly environment for VRF HVAC control applications and cloud integrations. It has also developed an SDK JavaScript to further simplify the process for JavaScript developers. 

The customer commissioned a Daikin VRV Heat Recovery System and the HVAC worked for ~2 years. The customer was satisfied with the HVAC. Customer Challenge After ~2 years, both the inverter compressors were faulty; a rare case where both are. The customer decided to switch the service company for the replacement. The compressors were replaced and activated but the root cause was still unknown. The traditional course of action Schedule a site visit Travel to site Connect a service tool and collect a current limited operational data Analyze the collected data Find the fault and fix it Collect new data and verify the fix Remote service course of action The control swap was probably the major factor in the compressor fault The service team performed a checkup using the CoolAutomation Remote Diagnostics solution and found irregular readings. When both inverter compressors units were heating- both were heating as required. But when one unit was in Heat mode and the other was Off, the unit in Heat mode was cooling.  Bu using CoolAutomation's Remote Diagnostics solution, the VRV expert gained remote access to the site's data. Based on the data, he suspected a swap of control lines between the two units (in this case: AV and Bedroom 1). A team of junior service providers was sent to the site. Upon arrival at the site, they opened the ceiling and indeed the control lines were swapped between the units. After fixing the issue technically, the team used CoolAutomation's Remote Diagnostics solution again. They repeated the operational sequence and saw that now both units were working correctly. And so the root cause was reaffirmed: the control swap was probably the major factor in the compressor fault and liquid refrigerant may have entered the suction pipe. Course of action Access the system remotely to test the system and find fault: AV Room & Bed 1 have crossed F1-F2 BS-indoor cables Send a junior VRV engineer for 1-hour on-site to perform a fix Verify the fix remotely: After correcting cross cables, Bed1 is in Heat mode ( Although the AV rack unit is off) The technician can remotely set and run an automatic test procedure on the fixed system followed by remote verification that all works as expected.

Data is playing an increasingly important role in smart buildings. Analysis of building system data is guiding an expansion of capabilities in the smart building environment, making building systems - including HVAC - more efficient, effective and smarter. The growth of intelligence in the HVAC market was among the more prominent industry trends in 2020. This article will revisit some of the year’s most popular articles on HVACinformed.com that focused on the trend toward more intelligent systems. "I don’t think many would disagree that the most talked about trend in the HVAC market is smart technology,” says Chris Windass of Incentiv Tec in an HVACinformed.com Expert Panel Roundtable article. “Smart technology like mobile apps allow building managers to control HVAC technology from one centralized point. With this smart technology, HVAC will be able to identify and alert building managers when maintenance is needed or assets have failed to operate.” smarter building technology A Johnson Controls survey found that 77% of organizations planned to make investments in energy efficiency and smarter building technology in 2020. “A complete overhaul of legacy systems is not necessary as small investments today can help position a facility to more easily adopt technologies at scale in the future,” says Lisa Brown, Senior National Director of Municipal Infrastructure and Smart Cities at Johnson Controls. More Intelligence in Home Systems Google’s Nest smart thermostat is offering a new capability that will alert homeowners of problems “As a first step, it’s important for building owners to conduct an assessment and establish a strategy that defines a comprehensive set of requirements and prioritizes use-cases and implementations. From there, incremental investments and updates can be made over a realistic timeline.” Smart systems are also a big part of residential HVAC systems. For example, Google’s Nest smart thermostat is offering a new capability that will alert homeowners of problems with the operation of their HVAC systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that analyze system performance. The technology will empower Nest Learning thermostats to provide “early warning” of HVAC problems and even direct homeowners to a repair company. Remote Troubleshooting Emerges Sensors are another element of smart buildings. The Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled more sensors of different types to be deployed in more locations throughout the building easier than ever before. The point of installing and using IoT sensors is to gain deeper insight into how buildings are performing, and ensure buildings are healthier, more productive for people to work in, more effective to run and more energy efficient. In-room sensors, such as temperature, air quality and occupancy, work with the IoT to improve building performance. The benefits of IoT sensors are that they are easy to install, both physically and from a commissioning perspective. Remote troubleshooting is another smart capability that is generating interest. CoolAutomation’s Remote HVAC Service Solution enables HVAC service providers to remotely troubleshoot issues by analyzing real-time and historic data trends and analysis. Communicating in Smart Buildings They receive automatic error and anomaly notifications in their office or on their mobile phones They receive automatic error and anomaly notifications in their office or on their mobile phones. “The remote service solution provides the tools that HVAC service providers need to offer remote services to their existing clients while attracting new customers who understand the value of remote service for their business,” says Roy Muchtar, VP of Products at CoolAutomation. Communication is a central aspect of smart building systems, and now there’s a better option: a high-speed wireline communication standard called HD-PLC that is developed specifically for today’s industrial IoT and smart building applications. In 2017, after careful evaluation of various technologies, LonMark International adopted HD-PLC as its new channel standard. smart home standards And last October, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) approved ANSI/CTA 709.8 LON HD-PLC (High Definition Power Line Communication) as a new standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Also related to communication, the Zigbee Alliance seeks to promote collaboration in the Internet of Things by creating, evolving, and promoting universal open standards that enable all objects to connect and interact. A quick search also provides a manual, wiring diagram and video training content for that specific unit Their effort took off when Amazon, Apple, Google and the Zigbee Alliance announced an industry working group in December 2019 to take the “best of market” technologies from leading smart home standards, portfolios and ecosystems and to develop a “super spec” that will be open, inclusive and a significant industry shift in the smart home market. The Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP) is looking to unify the environment, under one technology, one certification program and one logo. Training Technicians Using Technology Technology is also helping to fill the skills gap in the HVAC market. The XOi Vision platform helps on-site HVAC technicians in three ways. One is to “capture” images and videos. A technician can take a picture (with a smart phone or tablet), and the system’s machine learning can extract the text from the nameplate of a unit in the field, interpret the type of name plate, and provide full model number, serial number and other information about the unit, which is relayed automatically to the technician in a text message. A quick search also provides a manual, wiring diagram and video training content for that specific unit.

A new cloud-based solution enables HVAC professionals to access VRF systems remotely to diagnose service issues and lessen the time and costs of providing service. CoolAutomation’s Remote HVAC Service Solution enables HVAC service providers to remotely troubleshoot issues by analyzing real-time and historic data trends and analysis. They receive automatic error and anomaly notifications in their office or on their mobile phones. “The remote service solution provides the tools that HVAC service providers need to offer remote services to their existing clients while attracting new customers who understand the value of remote service for their business,” says Roy Muchtar, VP of Products at CoolAutomation. variable refrigerant flow On site, a CoolAutomation CloudBox connects directly to the VRF and links to the cloud via routers and the Internet. The box shares data on the operation of the VRF to the cloud, where a subscription service enables it to be analyzed to determine any problems. The service solution can connect to any major VRF (variable refrigerant flow) system, including Mitsubishi, Daikin, LG, Samsung, et. al.; and can connect to VRF units from multiple manufacturers in case a customer has installed more than one. The cloud solution begins monitoring information from the VRF at the time of installation If a service provider is migrating from one brand to another, the cloud solution can operate with both if there is a period of overlapping systems. The experience is the same regardless of the VRF brand. The cloud solution begins monitoring information from the VRF at the time of installation, providing a benchmark of how the equipment operates when it is first commissioned. Over time, the technology collects and stores additional data on how it continues to function. remote service solution The service provider receives an email or an alert on their smart phone if something is wrong or if a component is operating outside a defined parameter. The remote service solution also shortens the cycle of service and support. In case service is needed, the provider can diagnose the problem remotely before he or she visits the site; in some cases, remote service can solve the problem. If any anomaly surfaces, the service provider has access to the entire history of system operation to show them what has changed and when. If a site visit is needed, the technician can arrive on site knowing what the problem is and with a plan (and required materials) to solve it quickly. There is no need, for example, for one site visit to diagnose a problem and then a second visit to fix it. cloud-based approach Knowing ahead the complexity of a problem helps service providers decide which technicians (e.g., what level of expertise) to send to the site. The cloud-based approach can also maximize productivity of a service company’s most experienced technicians. A knowledgeable technician can address multiple customer issues in less time, diagnose the problems remotely, and then dispatch less experienced technicians as necessary, knowing exactly what they need to do. The model of sending a technician on site to address every service call, from small to big, will be challenging" In short, the remote service solution is another tool in a provider’s toolbox, helping them improve service, lower costs, and benefit their own bottom lines. There are also benefits for any companies seeking to provide “HVAC as a service” – less cost and more dollars go to the bottom line from any monthly subscription payments. remote service capabilities During the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits of remote service have become even more obvious as a way to minimize customer visits. In fact, in general, end customers increasingly are coming to expect remote service capabilities from providers.  “HVAC technical service organizations and HVAC contractors will have to make some transition in the way technical service is being provided because of the pandemic,” says Muchtar. “The model of sending a technician on site to address every service call, from small to big, will be challenging in an environment of ever-changing travel restrictions.” The remote service solution also avoids having to set up an appointment to access a system if the building is vacant (because of coronavirus). Also, any anomalies in system operation are less likely to be noticed if the building is empty, so remote monitoring is even more valuable. From the end customer’s perspective, it is likely a service provider can solve any situation before the customer is even aware there is a problem. The time needed for problem resolution is shorter, and lifespan of the system is longer because small problems are addressed before they cause larger problems. In addition to service issues, the information stored in the cloud provides voluminous data that can be analyzed to yield insights on how the system has been used, the performance of various elements, etc. interpreting larger trends The CloudBox, also used for home automation, is already in use in more than 90 countries A rules engine can aid with analyzing multiple factors to interpret larger trends. Rules can be customized to provide alerts based on specific parameters and/or anomalies, and customers can share a library of rules generated by other users. Alerts may include operational analytics (e.g., if the room temperature goes below 60 for 30 minutes), manufacturer alerts (if something is wrong with the VRF), and maintenance alerts (e.g., filter needs to be changed). The new technology, launched in late June, has been beta testing worldwide for several months, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Germany. The CloudBox, also used for home automation, is already in use in more than 90 countries. targeting facility managers Use of the technology will soon be expanded beyond VRFs to connect with chillers and other more traditional HVAC systems; however, additional integration is needed to operate with various brands of chillers, each with a different interface. In addition to the remote service solution, CoolAutomation also offers a control application (for end users). Later this year, the company will be introducing an application targeting facility managers that addresses issues such as scheduling and energy consumption