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Article - Jan 2000
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But there are times when a "thinner", alternative is needed. Perhaps you need a simple, lightweight interface for an occasional user. Or tenants in your building need to simply view and change their room temperatures and make quick and easy adjustments to schedules.

Priscilla B. Janson
Marketing Writer
Andover Controls Corporation
978-470-0555 x237
jansonp@andovercontrols.com


A FULL RANGE OF ALTERNATIVE USER INTERFACES FOR BUILDING OCCUPANTS AND OPERATORS

contemporary Today's buildings generate vast amounts of information, but it's only useful if the information is easy to extract and simple to understand. The right user interface makes all the difference.

Facilities managers and operations personnel need full access to allow them to respond to alarms, modify control sequences, create reports, and enter new personnel records. Andover Controls' Continuum™ CyberStation front-end software provides these users with the ability to address all of the capabilities of their system.

But there are times when a "thinner", alternative is needed. Perhaps you need a simple, lightweight interface for an occasional user. Or tenants in your building need to simply view and change their room temperatures and make quick and easy adjustments to schedules.

The Andover Controls product line offers a full range of alternative user interface solutions designed to match the needs of all the people that rely on your building automation system. Whether it's interacting with your system via a familiar web-browser or an intelligent thermostat; or, with a touch of the finger, interfacing with a wall-mounted, color, touch screen display, or communicating via your telephone keypad-Andover Controls offers a "thin client" solution for every person in your facility.

Continuum™Web Server
Use Your Favorite Browser To Interact With Your Building Automation System
Today, your web browser has become your most comfortable and familiar user interface. Why not use it to interact with your building automation system? From your desktop computer at the office or home, or with your notebook computer on vacation-Andover Controls' Web Server provides convenient access to your building.

Both Continuum and Infinity network controllers have built-in web server capabilities, so it is easy and cost-effective to provide this interface to your building occupants. There's no need for additional PC hardware or the added cost of a dedicated web server.

You can use your favorite browser and Andover's Web Server capabilities to view status reports displaying real time data from anywhere in the system; make changes to setpoints and schedules; monitor equipment run times and energy consumption, etc.

For example, in a lab environment, researchers need an easy way to monitor and control the environmental conditions in their lab. The idea of having to install a full-scale BAS user interface and train the researchers to use it is just not a viable solution. With the Andover Controls' Web Server feature, custom HTML pages can be easily set up to display just the information needed by each lab. The researchers simply choose the URL associated with their lab to view the desired data.

Limelight™ Wall/PC™
Color Touch screen Display Provides Graphical Window Into Your Building
Based on the latest computer industry technology for "lightweight" user interfaces, Windows CE® Limelight Wall/PC provides a high resolution, color, LCD touch screen display in a cost-effective wall-mounted package.

Limelight connects directly to the Ethernet backbone of the Continuum system and provides access to information from all levels of the system, from the central plant to individual room controllers. With Limelight, there's no need for an external keyboard, mouse, or typing skills. Simply touch the Limelight screen to change setpoints and other parameters; move from graphic to graphic; acknowledge alerts; display floor plans and graphics of equipment systems such as air handlers and chiller plants; control lighting; arm security and alarm functions, and more.

Administrators can create and configure their custom color graphic panels and controls using the Limelight Configuration Tool-a drag-and-drop configuration utility and WYSIWYG editor. There's no programming required. Animated control objects include spinners, gauges, knobs, levels, and buttons, among others.

An administrator can configure Limelight to display "alerts", either as the primary enunciator for the system, or in addition to the alarming capabilities of the Andover Controls CyberStation workstation. Limelight can display text messages or pop-up a specific graphic panel in response to an alarm.

Limelight records all significant events, including alerts, acknowledgements, and user logon/logoff, among others, in an activity log. The log can be automatically uploaded to a PC on the network. Any text-editing tool or a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer®or Netscape Navigator® can be used to view the activity log.

Limelight Workstation™ PC Software for Windows 95/98/NT
Low-Cost User Interface Transforms Your PC Into A Control And Monitoring Center
For applications requiring a simple, low-cost graphical user interface running on a conventional PC, Limelight Workstation is the right choice. The Limelight software offers a built-in library of animated graphic controls and works on low-end PCs using the Windows 95, 98, or NT operating system with VGA screen resolution.

Using Limelight Workstation, you can view and adjust point values and view and acknowledge alerts originating from any Continuum or Infinity device on your network. Simply point-and-click your way through vivid color graphic screens to select a display, change a setpoint, track occupants, control lighting, monitor door status, modify equipment status, arm and disarm high security areas, or navigate to another screen.

Configuring the Limelight Workstation application is a snap! Administrators can create and configure their custom graphic panels and controls using the drag-and-drop configuration utility and WYSIWYG editor. There's no programming required. Animated controls include spinners, gauges, knobs, levels, and buttons, among others.

An administrator can configure controllers to display alerts to Limelight Workstation. In addition to audible alerts, Limelight can display text messages or pop-up a specific graphic panel.

VT-1 Voice Telecom Module
A Voice-Output, Touch-Tone Interface To Your Building Automation System
No need to leave the comfort of your office or home to run your building-just pick up the phone! The VT-1 is a voice-output/touch-tone input telecom module that provides facilities personnel and building occupants with easy-to-use, voice-prompted data entry capabilities for their Continuum building automation system using the familiar keypad on any standard or cellular telephone.

Dial in to the VT-1, for example, to access a building's status; change local setpoints; request after-hours occupancy; determine operating conditions of equipment; enable or disable equipment; and to report alarm or event conditions or history-all over your telephone!

The VT-1 allows a set of spoken messages and words to be pre-recorded to inform users of building conditions and/or to prompt users for additional input. And you can easily change and record your own custom messages just by speaking into your phone!

InfiStat
Keypad/Display Makes Building Automation Accessible To Any Tenant Or Operator In Your Facility
The Andover Controls InfiStat keypad/display module provides tenants and operators in your facility quick access to HVAC or security information and a convenient way to adjust personal comfort levels, with little or no training. The InfiStat also measures local temperature and humidity (optional) using a thermistor and capacitive sensor, respectively. The InfiStat includes a two-line, 16-character LCD display and audible beeper output. Hidden from view behind a flip-down cover is a 12-button, ergonomically designed, programmable keypad.

The InfiStat can be tailored to meet almost any need. With a touch of a finger, a user can scroll through building parameters, such as temperatures or pressures; as well as view equipment status, change setpoints and schedules, turn equipment on and off, and air balance VAV boxes. The keys can be custom programmed to perform a wide variety of functions, including switching a specific zone to occupied mode, signaling an alarm condition, adjusting the amount of override time, arming or disarming a security system, and enforcing password security. Interactive display scripts can prompt the user to enter passwords, setpoints, schedule times, etc.

Cost-effective, compact, and attractively packaged, InfiStat blends into the décor of the facility. InfiStat is available in two versions-one compatible with Andover Controls' Continuum™ NetControllers and another that is fully compatible with any LonMark® network.

Smart Sensor
Much More Than An Ordinary Temperature Sensor
For room control applications, the Smart Sensor provides the looks, features, and price to meet your building occupants needs. Although it looks like a typical temperature sensor, the Smart Sensor is much, much more!

The standard Smart Sensor combines an attractive display with a room temperature sensor, a two-character LED display, and a six-button programmable keypad. It is designed for use with the Andover Controls Infinity TCX 866 and 867 controllers and can provide local control and monitoring of VAV boxes, fan coil units, heat pumps, packaged HVAC units, and small air handlers.

With the Smart Sensor, operators and occupants can change setpoints, monitor occupancy status, and turn equipment on and off. The keys can be custom programmed to perform a wide variety of functions, including switching a specific zone to occupied mode, signaling an alarm condition, adjusting the amount of override time, arming or disarming a security system, and enforcing password security.

An enhanced version of the Smart sensor is also available with a four-digit LCD that includes the following icons: PM, %, °, Setpoint, cool, heat, CFM, Fan, OA, and SP.


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