AERCO XPC GATEWAY Communications - Manual (Page 10)

GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS MANUAL
10
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
AERCO Boilers and Water Heaters equipped with any of the AERCO Control Systems listed below
can communicate directly with a Building Automation System (BAS) or Energy Management System
(EMS) utilizing Modbus RTU protocol. The AERCO Control Systems include:
• C-More Control System
• Boiler Management System (BMS or BMS II)
• Boiler Communications Module (BCM)
• Electronic Control System (ECS)
Although most BAS and EMS Systems support Modbus communication, many installations may
already be utilizing different types of communication protocol. In addition to Modbus, the most
commonly used protocols are BACnet, LonWorks and N2. In order to bridge the gap between
Modbus and other popular protocols, AERCO has developed the AERCO XPC Communications
Gateway. This Gateway makes connectivity to AERCO equipment as simple as “plug-and-play”.
The remaining sections in Part I provide top level descriptions of the AERCO Gateway and how it can
be implemented to provide connectivity between AERCO equipment and a BAS or EMS system
utilizing Modbus or other popular communication protocols.
Sections 2 through 5 provide detailed information and procedures for implementing network set-ups
to interface the XPC Gateway to AERCO boilers and water heaters.
1.2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
References to the following documents are included in the appropriate sections and subsections of
this manual:
DOCUMENT TITLE
AERCO
(www.aerco.com)
AC-105 Electronic Control System
Installation, Operation & Maintenance Manual
GF-108M,
GF-124 Boiler Management System (BMS or BMS II)
Installation, Operation & Maintenance Manual
GF-112 C-More Control Panel Operation Manual
GF-114 Modbus Communication Manual
GF-115-C Operation & Wiring Guides for Modulex E8
Controller & Boiler Communications Module (BCM)
Eurotherm
(www.eurotherm.com/controllers/2400_doc.htm)
HA026230 2000 Series Communication Handbook
HA025132 2404/2408 Control Setpoint Programmer Installation
and Operation Handbook
1.3 AERCO XPC GATEWAY PURPOSE AND USE
The primary purpose of the AERCO XPC Gateway is to allow monitoring or control of AERCO units.
Due to the operational nature of the Gateway, it should not be used to configure the system.
Configuration (or setup information) should not be constantly changed since this information is
generally stored in EEPROM non-volatile memory in the AERCO Controllers (C-More, BMS, and