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IntroductionThis web page is a brief introduction to the basics of the PMBACS as it is applied to residential "Home-Automation". The same principals can be applied to commercial and industrial control. The primary functions cover lighting, heating, security, access control and irrigation. This information is particularly relevant if you are about to build a new home, but can also be applied to existing homes. |
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The 1604 Control System is ideally suited to home automation.
There are 2 basic electrical options when building a new Home: Traditional wiring is the same basic system that has been used for over 100 years now. It consists of a main switch-board wired to power points and lights. That's about it. Over the years a few features have been added such as the odd dimmer, telephones, television antenna wiring, speaker wiring, door bell, and sometimes an intercom. The PMBACS structured wiring and control system is different. There is still a switch-board but the power goes out to distribution control hubs, then to the power-points and lights (there is no mains power at the light switch). A low voltage control network connects all of the smart switches and displays to the control hubs. This permits reconfiguring of the features within each area without rewiring. A PMBACS system installation also includes telephone and data networks, as well as TV and entertainment wiring. These can be patched in and out of each main area as required. Of coarse, how much you get will always depend on how much is installed. The important thing is that the wiring structure does not unduly limit future options. Future Proof Totally future proof is a bit of a wild claim. No body knows exactly what the future holds. Wiring and conrol networks will evolve and change in the future. New controls and connections between equipment will be introduced. It's unlikely to change significantly in structure within a near future. Considering the life of a home may exceed 50 years, you would expect to have to wire it to cope with at least that time period. I reality the home will most likely go through a major renovation before then. This will be a opportunity to update any control wiring that needs it. I'm picking that in 25 years time there will be some new control protocols in use but the means of connection will still be copper wire, fibre optics and radio (RF). I expect that copper and fibre will still dominate providing the best value and bandwidth (best data throughput). Sure, RF technology will improve but the benefits will be offset by greater use and interference limitations. If you can set you new home up for the future, then why install a 100 year old wiring structure? One other thing that home automation installers don't mention: how long is the equipment they are installing going to be available and supported? Most companies operate with the best of intentions. Maybe the initial plan is to make and sell the equipment for the next 50 years. We've already seen automation products from a couple of major manufacturers here in New Zealand come and go in 6 to 8 years. What's happening to the systems they installed during that time? We have a solution that's generally called "Open Source" (OS). Most companies try to keep everything they know a secret, releasing only just enough to sell the product; problem is, when they go the secrets go with them. With OS there are no secrets; the information that that makes up the system is freely available. More about this soon. This is more difficult than installing the system during construction. In an older home with under-floor and roof spaces it can be achieved without cutting too many holes. Newer homes with concrete floor slabs minimal roof spaces and complex designs are the most difficult. These will require interior wall linings to be removed so that the wiring structure can be installed. This makes a lot of mess and adds significantly to the cost. Additions to existing homes can be treated like new homes. The result will simply be that the new section has more automation than the original section. A couple key areas in the existing section could be upgraded at the same time. As there is significant work already underway, it will have little additional affect. If you are building a new home, it pays to put the wiring in early.
This is what most people want to know. Typical modern 3 to 4 bedroom family home: The important thing to realise here is that options 3 and 4 can easilly be created once your home is wired as per option 2. You can see that the structured wiring option 2 costs very little more than the traditional wiring. Simply put; the bigger the system the more it costs. But to prepare your new home for the future costs little more than the 100 year-old traditional wiring that you're probably also considering.
A fully featured home automation system is currently quite a bit more expensive than a traditional electrical wiring installation. Simply put, the more it can do, the more it costs. The problem is that these days with concrete floors, insulation in the walls and interresting roof shapes, if you don't put the wiring in for when building it's not possible to do it later without some major reconstruction. PMB has solved this problem for new home builders. We can now offer a structured wiring installation which equiped with our starter system will out perform traditional wiring and even some very expensive automation systems. This means that for not much more cost than the old traditional wiring you get everything you need to stay up with the times; and a path to progressively upgrade to a much more comprehensive automation system without having to re-wire. Modern building materials and construction techniques make it virtually impossible to install a structured wiring system without removing the interior wall and ceiling coverings. This is disruptive and costly. If the wiring is not installed at the time of construction, major re-work is required. The problem with home automation has been that if you installed the wiring you had to also install the costly equipment. We have overcome this problem by designing a low cost set of equipment. With advances in microcontroller technology we found that it is now possible to put much of the function of the full system into a smaller, lower cost version that is still compatible with the full size system. It works like this: The starter system provides all of the function of traditional wiring, and some extras: It's no longer as complicated as you would think. Unlike other automation systems we've simplified it to a point that there's no requirement for specialist installation. Any experienced electrician prepared to do a bit of reading and ask a few questions can handle it. click here to find out how it works
Like some of the better control systems the PMBACS can control just about anything you care to connect to it. The system features list is a list of basic features and includes the most common things that we are called upon to control. Obviously, because we are able to control something does not mean that we will; it may not be deemed cost effective or important. It is the customers choice and preferences vary. The PMBACS is a hard-wired system. This means that all the parts of the system are connected together with wiring that is installed into the building. Two other options are Power-Line-Carrier and Radio (RF). Hard-wired is used here because it is nowhere near as susceptible to interference making it far more reliable. click here for more technical discussion The structured wiring includes all mains wiring, low voltage control wiring, telephone, data network (computer network) and entertainment systems wiring (TV & audio).
We can offer a complete electrical, telephone, data, and entertainment package which is tailored to each customers requirements and budget A typical configuration consists of: Standard optional extras include: The package is worked out initially with the customer. The customer is generally involved throughout the installation. Once the home has been occupied for a short time, the system features are fine tuned to suit the customers requirements.
With the introduction of the new starter system we've simplified the planning and installation. Installation can be considered in two parts: Part one includes planning, installation and the installation of the starter system equipment. The important thing during the planning is to include all of the wiring that may be required. As we use low cost data cable for all the low voltage control wiring it makes sense to install the wire if in doubt. Wiring istallation can be handled by any experienced electrician. We can supply documentation explaining how the low voltage wiring structure works and what wiring should be installed. The planning and prewire includes installation of wiring for telephones, computers and entertainment. This must be discussed with the customer to determine the level of installation. The starter system is not that complicated. Once the wiring is in place it's just a matter of connecting the equipment and turning it all on. This will provide at least the same level of function as traditional wiring. Special features can be enabled and configurations changed once the system is up and running. This will require the use of a PC; probably a good job for the kids. Part two is really all about adding features. This is where it can get a bit complicated. The size of the system doesn't really matter because it's modular (one apple, fifty apples; doen't matter they are still just apples). Once an experienced electrician has done the prewire and connected the starter system, upgrades should not be out of reach but will likely require some support. Cost is directly related to complexity and the time it takes to achieve.
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For detailed information or to discuss you're requirements please contact PMB |
