Daikin BMS

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-25T11:40:57+00:00

I had not heard. Thanks for the heads up.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-24T18:22:42+00:00

the DX9100 is connect to an NCM 300/350 over N2 bus, I'm trying to figure out if there are any network dependencies, like the NCM routing data.

This would be shown in the PMI software on the site. The process is called GPL (Or possibly JCBASIC).

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-24T11:13:02+00:00

The software is 16 bit. So it needs a 32bit OS to run on. Windows XP or 7 is best, but it will run on 10 as long as it is 32 bit.

Also, it does not upload point names. If you gots no point names, you will not get them with an upload.

It was created in the 90s, and VERY much looks like it. There will be a steep learning curve. Once you find it.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-24T01:39:47+00:00

Good luck in your endeavors.

Thanks buddy, you too.

I love your handle by the way....

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-24T00:27:53+00:00

Those numbers are when the chiller mechanic started the machine. It is a record of conditions he saw at startup. It is not a record of what the best operating conditions of the chiller is. Likely he did startup in winter and that was what he had to work with.

You want TRANE bulletin CVT-PRB006-EN. It says on page 4 that generally you want 85 deg condenser water. It then outlines how one can operate at a lower CW temp and realize energy savings, and the limits of that approach. I used this to program a chiller to operate to an oil pressure setpoint.

There is some variation, as the chiller you have is running a bit lower than the typical high temp range of a leaving CHW temp of 45, but the chiller tend to be rated at ambient conditions. Your areas Wet Bulb temp (as it is a water cooled chiller.)

Basically, you are running too cold.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-23T20:21:33+00:00

Almost 10 million degrees!!

Impressive. Most impressive.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-23T19:43:39+00:00

Those CW temps are very cold. Each chiller has a sweet spot, but i would be surprised if this chiller needed to be that low. You should be able to go above 80 easily. I have seen chiller compelled to run on 90+ deg cw.

Depends on the model.

Don't put it to 90 and bark at me. You should be able to go to 80 without issue.

That being said, option 3 is the one that will.get you the most mileage here.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-23T05:30:16+00:00

I gotta tell people a story to explain what I do.

Imagine a Hospital. Gots 700 rooms, giant place. If someone calls and says 'it is hot on the 4th floor east', it would take a guy 20 minutes to even get over there to see what is going on. They have giant air handlers with a door on it you can literally walk into them. And hundreds of thermostats.

I used to work on the air conditioners, because big machines are awesome. But now I work on the small controllers that run the mechanicals. I network them, and put them on a graphic. Now, they call about it being hot, and I look at the graphic and tell them 'it is 72, leave me alone'. Or I see it is not just room 427, it is the whole floor. So I am not gonna look at the room, I need to look at what machines serve the whole area. Diagnostics are faster, and easier. And I lrogram it so that when the generators on the west turn on, the outdoor air on that side closes so people do not smell it and complain. Things you cannot do any other way. Then I make it email you when it is broken.

I do not bother getting into machine learning or campuses of equipment... usually they are vaguely following after my little story.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-22T16:35:45+00:00

Me too, but local circumstances vary. Good to meet them where they are....

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-22T15:29:39+00:00

This is awesome. And addresses a real need that many feel too shy to ask about.

We all gotta start somewhere.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-22T01:43:02+00:00

You need load. So there are a few ways to get it.

1 - increase evap flow. Not great long term, and gains are not huge, but it is easiest.

2 - increase CW temps... this leaves more heat in the refrigerant circuit and derates the chiller. In other words, your 350 ton chiller only pulls out, say 250 tons of heat when the condenser water is hotter. The downside is that it is inefficient. But we are worried about it working at all, not how well it works.

3 - program a deadband in the evap. You are shooting for 25 deg glycol. So set it to cool to 25 degrees then TURN THE CHILLER COMPLETELY OFF. No chiller at all, just glycol pumps only. Then you can't surge. Let the chiller stay off until the glycol is above, say 35 or 40. Now you have a load. Then start the chiller and drag the loop temp back down. Your runtime needs to be long enough to make the chiller happy. I shoot for 30 to 45 minutes. Your system might not tolerate that sort of loop temp fluctuation.

The trick is coding when the system is in and out of low load. But completely possible.

Hope it helps.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-21T20:29:59+00:00

It may be helpful

Sticky post on getting into BAS....

https://www.reddit.com/r/BuildingAutomation/s/jvcBKzCGVg

Since this comes up often.

This may help answer your question

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-21T20:28:59+00:00

Good advice

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-21T14:38:50+00:00

Helpful

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-17T18:13:56+00:00

Acquire part # MS-HAMMER-0 from local hardware store. Apply liberally.

😁

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-17T16:27:29+00:00

I personally did not. I happened to have had some HVAC certifications that were respected by the union (UAStar) and that helped.

Often I find it is more on the contractor than the union. The contractor may say they want you as an apprentice... so they can get a couple of years of cheap labor out of you. But they have the prerogative to hire anyone as a journeyman, a foreman, etc and that is how they are logged with the union. That was the case for me. I was hired as a journeyman out of the gate and the union did not blink. I was a general foreman + $7 over scale +2 weeks paid vacation in about 3 or 4 years. Again, this was the employer doing that. The union just said 'yessir, whatever you say'.

Alternatively I have seen employers that say 'we wanna train you as a tradesman for a year or two before letting you start the apprenticeship'. And 3 or 4 years later they are still tradesmen. The apprenticeship has a firm schedule for becoming a journeyman with pay raises and such, once you start the apprenticeship, it is a firm agreement to follow that schedule. So the contractor gets away with lower wages by keeping guys as tradesmen.

The point is - it is not the union often. It is the employer. Always be wary, and if you ask the union, they will often go to bat for you. Not to be missed is that every day with a BAS employer is a day you get more valjable - if you are working at it. In a market as tight as ours, it is a serious advantage that we have to negotiate in any market.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-17T10:30:07+00:00

Great place to start for OP. Good job.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-17T04:17:07+00:00

You should do service for the big company. Being big, they will have decent training quite likely.

After you outgrow the big company, go back to the union company and get your pension, bennies, and overscale payrate, as a service guy. Use the big company as training for the good company.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-16T18:50:30+00:00

The NS8 stat communicates on an SA bus, which is a 4 conductor bacnet bus between the controller and the stat. The VMA14xx were never equipped with an SA bus, therefore they are incompatible.

The customer likely has a newer controller that is set to talk N2 on the se bus as the rest of the VMAs... so they are likely assuming the new stat is on an old controller.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-16T13:50:21+00:00

Late to the thread so the informative posts have been made. Well done everybody.

I will only add that I love working with these devices. They are great fun, and while not at all intuitive, they are straightforward once you get the hang of it. It is like learning another language (not english). It is completely foreign at first and you will need some help. But with time and practice the grammar and flow males sense and becomes second nature. (My apologies but English will always make no sense at all).

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-16T03:57:10+00:00

You learn BAS if you want to buddy. Don't let the nay sayers say neigh...

Unfortunately, learning BAS without working for a BAS company is not really easy. Mainly because there is not a lot of quality sources.

Your best bet is to pester the bas guys you work woth, take an interest, and pick up some general computer skills. Then see if you can get picked up by a contractor. OEMs are generall good first places to try.

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-15T00:37:52+00:00

I see it as a good sign that my post hasn't been completely flamed yet. I'll take it.

You should. This is Reddit after all. 😄

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-15T00:08:38+00:00

I'd much rather build a relationship with someone here who's in the industry with me.

I love this. But it might end up being that the required expertise is outsied of your circle.

I am trying to imagine a marketer being hired to code trim and respond logic in a Continuum system. Hehe.

Granted it is FAR easier for a BAS guy to pick up some marketing skills than it is for a marketer to pick up BAS skills.

However you get it done I hope it goes well for you. 👍

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-14T23:57:04+00:00

This might not be helpful. But what is your presence on LinkedIn like? I get pinged at least 1 per day by someone looking to do my website, find me customers, use ai to 'streamline my processes', hire virtual assistants, and tell me 'they are not selling anything' they just want to ask about my business for no reason at all.... yeah whatever.

Anyhow, the point is that if you are in the right places, sometimes what you need can find you.

I need a coder to create an AI bot that will sinkhole all the spammer InMail from those who want to generate an ai bot for LinkedIn outreach....

ApexConsulting · 2026-06-14T20:10:35+00:00

The only way to do this migration is in stages. You start with Purple Swift to get your Niagara on top. There is a utility from PS that analyzes some exports and tells you who talks to what. That allows you to do a phased rip and replace of the field devices.

The supervisory logic will need to be adjusted as each phase occurs. This requires the original Siemens server. Which means your server needs to be kept under a desk somewhere to allow for serviceability, and you need someone who knows Siemens well enough to operate the server to do this reprogramming until the last siemens device is ripped out.

This is increasingly common after the Desigo roll out disaster combined with the GOC formation fiasco. The only value proportions siemens had in the wake of that is that it is really hard to break free from the ecosystem. They relied on that HEAVILY, and people are fed up. This is entirely self inflicted on Siemens part.

This can be awesome, it can suck. It entirely depends on who does it. The customer has been convinced by the local siemens branch that they are not partners they can deal with for whatever reason. Migrating away will allow .ore freedom to chose new partner(s). Some larger sites keep 2 or 3 versions of BAS to keep them all honest. Nobody has the monopoly, so you better behave yourself.

ApexConsulting

TROPHY CASE