thermostas for M!

ozdood

New Member
Does in Australia use a communicating thermosta with the M1? if so which one and do you get full 2 way control?
 
I'm not in Australia...but the M1 does support the RCS serial thermostats (TR-16 and TR-40). I have not tried them myself with the M1 however, so I cannot tell you exactly which two-way features of the thermostat are supported.
 
I have the TR-40 hooked to up my M1 and it works great.

Here's how it's hooked up:

M1 -> M1XSP -> TR-40 TCU

From the M1 panel (Web Interface, Phone or Keypad) I can monitor or adjust the temperature, control the fan, build rules around the thermostat. Also, if I make adjustments from the actual thermostat WDU, they are communicated to the panel so it's always up to date.

Thank to the Elk boyz Celsius is all tuned in as well.
 
That RCS TR-40 looks sweet. Can it plug directly into the RS-485 bus, or do you still need another serial port expander set to RS-485 mode? That would actually be a cheaper option than the others if you didn't need another serial port expander.

The only thing that sucks about it, I didn't see that it sensed humidity or did humidifier control. I have yet to understand WHY companies make high end thermostats without humidifier control. It annoys me to no end. I had a Robert Shaw at my old house that controlled the humidity, and while it didn't communicate, it was still awesome. Plus, it had an external temp sensor and it would lower the humidity level automatically to avoid condensation on the windows to keep your window sills from rotting.

At this point, there is really no way to sense or control humidity with the ELK is there?
 
At this point, there is really no way to sense or control humidity with the ELK is there?

There are a number of stand-alone humidifier controls out there. Aprilaire makes a bunch of them, they have an outdoor temp sensor and a control that mounts in your return duct. The return air plenum is a much better place for a humidity sensor than a random thermostat location, senses the air entering the furnace from everywhere. You can use a relay output to turn on/off the humidifier, or if you are intrepid, you can control the amount of humidity(usually a dial on the control). Having the humidity sensor in the thermostat is a waste, but a more integrated means of controlling the amount of humidification is definitely needed!
 
That RCS TR-40 looks sweet. Can it plug directly into the RS-485 bus, or do you still need another serial port expander set to RS-485 mode? That would actually be a cheaper option than the others if you didn't need another serial port expander.

The only thing that sucks about it, I didn't see that it sensed humidity or did humidifier control. I have yet to understand WHY companies make high end thermostats without humidifier control. It annoys me to no end. I had a Robert Shaw at my old house that controlled the humidity, and while it didn't communicate, it was still awesome. Plus, it had an external temp sensor and it would lower the humidity level automatically to avoid condensation on the windows to keep your window sills from rotting.

At this point, there is really no way to sense or control humidity with the ELK is there?

It appears that you will need a serial expander to connect TR-16/40 to the M1 panel.

You will also need to consider how the TR will connect to HVAC zone controller (if that's how you want to run it). TR-16 I think povides dry contacts out for heating, cooling, fan etc, so I would suggest that you check with Daikin/Fujitsu/etc to see if they can advise where the dry contacts can connect to their controllers.
 
That RCS TR-40 looks sweet. Can it plug directly into the RS-485 bus, or do you still need another serial port expander set to RS-485 mode? That would actually be a cheaper option than the others if you didn't need another serial port expander.

The only thing that sucks about it, I didn't see that it sensed humidity or did humidifier control. I have yet to understand WHY companies make high end thermostats without humidifier control. It annoys me to no end. I had a Robert Shaw at my old house that controlled the humidity, and while it didn't communicate, it was still awesome. Plus, it had an external temp sensor and it would lower the humidity level automatically to avoid condensation on the windows to keep your window sills from rotting.

At this point, there is really no way to sense or control humidity with the ELK is there?

It appears that you will need a serial expander to connect TR-16/40 to the M1 panel.

You will also need to consider how the TR will connect to HVAC zone controller (if that's how you want to run it). TR-16 I think povides dry contacts out for heating, cooling, fan etc, so I would suggest that you check with Daikin/Fujitsu/etc to see if they can advise where the dry contacts can connect to their controllers.

Why would I need a serial expander to plug this in? Essentially, I'd be converting RS-485 back into RS-485. That seems pretty silly.
 
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