Alco Controls

Network Communication and System Management
A2.5.1/1003/E
The Alco EC Series of drivers and controllers utilise
the very latest in communication technology which
is setting new standards in the refrigeration industry.
Energy saving algorithms are incorporated into many
of the controllers including: Adaptive superheat
and thermostat modulation, defrost on demand &
suction and discharge setpoint shift.
All EC2 or EC3 controllers are available in two
communication protocols TCP/IP Ethernet and
LON.
TCP/IP Ethernet:
The controllers are Ethernet based enabling them
to be connected directly to any computer via the
Ethernet port (RJ45 connector). The controllers act as
web server enabling the engineer to pick-up standard
configuration pages directly from the controllers
without the need of any additional hardware or
software. Each controller can be connected to the PC
using a crossover cable however, the most convenient
way to connect a controller to the PC is to use a router
that will automatically assign a TCP/IP address. Either
way, the engineer can access the monitoring and
parameter configuration pages by entering the TCP/
IP number into the address line of an Internet browser
such as Mozilla or Microsoft Internet Explorer. User
name and password protection is provided to protect
the controller from unauthorized access.
Homepage of EC2-312 TCP/IP Controller
The TCP/IP based Controllers offer a practical
solution particularly for smaller installations that
require communication for monitoring purposes
without the need for customized visualization. For
many installations, an additional monitoring server
is not required.
Other functions:
- Monitoring of system temperatures and pressures
as well as relay status information.
- Read/write of EC2 & EC3 control parameters
- Real time graphical visualization
- Log function of up to one months data directly
on the controller
- Log function of data to a PC *
- Storage and retrieval of system parameter *
Alco Controls
- Local alarms via email *
- Remote alarms via email **
* Controller must be connected to the PC
** Router must be connected to an external
telephone line and / or the Internet via an
Internet Service Provider (ISP).
A new TCP/IP driver has been added to the EMS
Monitoring Server enabling the TCP/IP controllers
to be incorporated into a system whereby the
temperatureandstatusdatafrommultiplecontrollers
can be visualised simultaneously on one screen.
LON Protocol:
An identical range of free-topology LON FTT10 based
controllers is available and compliments the TCP/IP
controller series. LON is an open system protocol
created by Echelon and therefore benefits from not
being tied to a restrictive third party protocol.
LON based controllers can be connected to each
other to form simple networks for applications
requiring master / slave or synchronized defrosting.
However, they can also be connected to a Monitoring
Server to fulfill the most sophisticated system
requirements.
The Monitoring Server acts as an interface from
the LON network containing EC2 and EC3 to the
outside world. Remote access can be made using
standard telephone line; analog or digital ISDN.
Alternatively, data can be transmitted via the Internet
or a dedicated company Intranet using TCP/IP. Either
way, visualization may be made using an industry
standard Internet web browser.
By transmitting the system status information as
temperatures or pressures, used to control the
refrigeration circuit in each subsystem, together with
other vital system data, the system administrator
can potentially identify system failures before they
become an expensive stock loss situation. Should a
system failure occur, the controllers automatically
transfer to an emergency-operating mode whilst
sending a system error message to the monitoring
server.
The benefit of a centralized data acquisition
system is that it can dramatically reduce the costs
associated with food, which cannot be sold as a result
of failing to meet the criteria set by the food hygiene
regulations.
The monitoring server is typically connected to a
analog or digital phone line and can communicate
a system alarm to a remote location via fax, email or
SMS. In a similar way to the TCP/IP controllers, the
engineer can visualize the system without the need
of any additional hardware or software. The system
can be visualized by entering the TCP/IP address of
the EMS Monitoring server into the address line of
the Internet web browser. In fact, the advancement
of telecommunication systems are such that a
maintenance engineer equipped with a laptop
computer and mobile telephone can interact with
the system from any location.
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