Does anyone know of an API or other methodology to integrate the SparkCore & shields to an existing Building Management System (BMS)?
Industry standard comm protocols include BACnet, Modbus, LonWorks, etc. These protocols are usually RS485 2-wire for field devices, but also have TCP/IP versions as well.
In the BMS world, wireless is “cool” but typically not practical since power needs to be wired anyway & the distances, walls, floors are an issue as well. In a 10 story building, for example, we need devices that provide temperature, humidity, occupancy, analog/digital IO, etc. And all of this data needs to be brought back to a single front-end Windows server.
Let’s say I had a building with 300 SparkCore’s with shields that provide Temperature, Humidity, & Occupancy. Without going wireless, what would be the best way to tap into all of that data?
If you are not going wireless your best bet is to stick with one of the protocols you mentioned. (BACnet and Modbus being the most open). You might want to look at:
Most of the BMS systems I work with are from Invensys/TAC. I’m looking to utilize the Sparkcore as an MSTP device, so it would work on any company’s BACnet bus.
BACnet would be the protocol of choice, and I’ll have to start playing around with STM32 devices/interfaces. Funny how Steve Karg popped up in your links, he seems to be the “man behind the curtain” of a lot of BACnet devices.
It would be ideal to have a shield that I can drop the Sparkcore onto, and would provide a BACnet or Modbus interface. Along with IO & some built in sensors, that could save my company a lot of money.