Presenting the EagleHawk AX controller

CentraLine, Honeywell, control, BMS, BEMS

CentraLine by Honeywell has released the first of a new generation of EagleHawk AX controllers, setting a new standard for Building Management Systems. Designed and developed specifically for HVAC applications the EagleHawk AX controller will radically reduce engineering and installation costs.

The EagleHawk AX combines four key elements that CentraLine believes are essential for an energy-efficient and cost-effective HVAC control application.

• Honeywell-manufactured hardware designed for the European market and conforming to EU installation and wiring standards.

• One engineering tool — the flexible and powerful Niagara AX Framework software for integration, control, metering and supervision.

• Tested and proven HVAC energy-efficient application macro libraries based on years of Honeywell development and experience.

• PanelBus field communication protocol enabling zero engineering time of an extensive range of cost efficient PanelBus I/O modules.

CentraLine, an early adopter of Tridium Niagara AX (a Honeywell company), introduced the Hawk AX integration controller to a broad base of independent systems installers.

Niagara AX has been an outstanding success with over 140 CentraLine Partners using this advanced software engineering tool for a wide range of projects — establishing the Hawk, with its scalable integration, on-board graphics and communication capabilities, as the foundation of CentraLine by Honeywell.

CentraLine’s extensive experience with Niagara AX identified a need for a focused HVAC controller targeted to provide enhanced cost-effective solutions through product design and reduced engineering time.

The new EagleHawk AX is exclusive to CentraLine Partners and powered by the familiar Niagara AX 3.8 Framework software. It incorporates a library of tested control applications and the PanelBus I/O module protocol.

The EagleHawk controller hardware.

CentraLine EagleHawk utilises the Honeywell Eagle controller hardware manufactured in the CentraLine factory, which is renowned for quality and reliability.

There are over 25,000 Eagle hardware units installed worldwide.

It is designed to the European mounting standards, does not need batteries, uses a standard 24 V AC/DC panel support voltage and requires no additional power supply.

Designed for panel mounting, it is compact enough to be fitted into electrical distribution units, making it ideal for small systems or field applications.

The first release of the EagleHawk will include the PanelBus field communication protocol as standard, with later versions having on-board I/O (Input/Out) and an HMI (human machine interface) display.

The EagleHawk hardware is ideally suited for plant control, metering solutions and a room master of multiple open-protocol LON or BACnet terminal-unit controllers.

PanelBus I/O modules

Cost-efficient installation is the key to providing clients with competitive systems without loss of flexibility and performance.

The EagleHawk PanelBus protocol enables field communication with CentraLine PanelBus I/O modules without the engineering time and unit cost associated with LON or BACnet.

PanelBus I/O automatic commissioning requires no engineering software tool or training.

The deterministic bus is very reliable with the possibility of ring wiring and field communication of up to 800m.

The modules offer an extensive range of input/output configurations, including manual over-ride switches independent of the controller’s CPU and safety positioning of 0%, 50% and 100%.

PanelBus modules are available in six plug in models communicating on the panel bus and allowing easy assembly and service replacement.

Five smaller modules provide various combinations of analogue I/O, digital I/O and floating output.

The larger module is a mixture of 8A/I, 12D/I, 8A/O and 6 D/O.

Energy efficient HVAC application macro libraries.

The EagleHawk has the option of using a library of control regimes developed by Honeywell with years of experience in delivering wide range of applications to provide maximum energy efficiency without loss of effectiveness.

This macro library enables the engineer to select from a pallet of pre-programed control strategies — reducing engineering time and cost whilst ensuring the client is provided with high quality energy efficient solution.

Standardising on macro libraries enables a CentraLine Partner business to increase overall engineering efficiency — radically reducing training time and cost whilst assuring customers of a control application independently developed and tested by Honeywell.

Niagara AX 3.8 ENGINEERING TOOL

The EagleHawk has one engineering tool for integration plant and room control, metering and supervision.

Niagara AX proven software with over 500,000 installed nodes provides ‘top-to-bottom’ engineering for a complete building-management system — from individual room controllers to a front end supervisor.

A single engineering tool reduces training and engineering time offering customers an expansive integration and programming feature set.

• Over 100 device and system drivers.

• An open software framework, providing development opportunities for additional drivers.

• Freely programmable graphical interfaces.

• Java programming within program components.

The EagleHawk-based Arena AX Supervisor offer a very cost-effective building-management system (BMS) — including alarms, plant graphics, schedules, trending histories and dashboards.

The on-board graphical display of Niagara AX inherent in the EagleHawk is extended and expanded in the CentraLine Arena AX Supervisor, providing CentraLine Partners significant advantages in engineering and meeting customers’ stringent requirements.

This is particularly important as the revolution of smart devices such as smart phones and tablets has demanded state-of-the-art building controls and management system to have remote access for alarms, monitoring and adjustment.

The EagleHawk user interface requires almost no engineering and is optimised for smart devices and what is increasingly being referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Internet of Things is another way of expressing the capability of the Niagara Framework to fulfil the requirements of a building-management systems — namely internet access and control of plant, equipment and sub-systems.

The EagleHawk AX requires almost zero engineering capability for user interfacing of smart phones and tablet PCs, so it is ideal for the Internet of Things. It can supporting energy efficient applications and ‘smart service’ opportunities such as proactive maintenance and secure data transfer.

Jim Sword UK sales leader for CentraLine and Ex-Or summarises:

‘The EagleHawk controller brings a new dimension to CentraLine by combining the power of Niagara AX software with hardware manufactured exclusively for our Partners.

‘This is an HVAC controller specifically designed and manufactured for building management systems — with a high emphasis on product quality, functionality, reliability and cost efficiency.

‘We have focused primarily on developing a controller solution that brings together the key elements required to deliver high standards of energy efficiency without loss of engineering flexibility and Partner innovation.

‘CentraLine pioneered the Honeywell introduction of Niagara AX into the UK and has built a network of Partners based on the Hawk integration controller.

The EagleHawk controller builds on the training and support CentraLine, and our Partners have invested in Niagara AX software by providing a hardware solution designed and manufactured specifically for HVAC applications.

CentraLine has recognised that product cost effectiveness has to be supported by engineering and installation efficiency.

‘The introduction of the energy-efficient application macro library and the PanelBus I/O modules ensures the EagleHawk will deliver real savings to our Partners and their clients.

‘I am looking forward to working closely with the CentraLine team and our Partners to introduce this exciting product into the building controls industry, where I am confident it will be enthusiastically received.’

If you would like to know more about EagleHawk and other CentraLine products, please visit the link below.

For more information on this story, click here: March 2016, 19
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