MITD KBTC – Electronic Security and Control Systems –

Building Management System - Handout 11

1.0 Introduction

The (Field) Technical Aspects of Direct Digital Control

A HVAC technician who knows nothing about HVAC control systems would wonder how these hvac
control systems work. To understand hvac controls, one must understand basic electricity and circuits.
Starting with a large commercial VAV air handling unit with three stages of DX cooling and add all the
necessary hvac ddc control points. We have variable frequency drives (VFD's) on the return and supply
blower fans. There is a mixed air damper which closes off the return and opens up to outside air for
economizing and CO2 control. Static pressure control will be achieved with a duct pressure transducer
and the HVAC control program through the frequency drives and blower motors.

Direct Digital Control needs to monitor supply air temperature, mixed air temperature, and return air
temperature along with outside air and outside humidity. We will also monitor the duct smoke detectors
and a freezestat for safety reasons. This is the set-up and we need to make it work. We need to get a point
count and set-up our inputs and outputs.

Digital or Binary Outputs

1. Compressor Stage One

2. Compressor Stage Two

Prepare by B Jankee MITD – KBTC 12/01/2011

 3. Compressor Stage Three

4. Supply VFD Start/Stop

Analog Outputs

1. Supply VFD Speed

Binary or Digital Inputs

1. Smoke Detector
2. Supply Fan Status

3. Compressor Status

Analog Inputs

1. Supply Air Temperature

2. Return Air Temperature

3. Mixed Air Temperature

4. Duct Static pressure

5. Outside Air (this point along with humidity can be networked across a comm trunk from a distant
controller. If the network option is chosen these two points would be analog network inputs and
hard wiring at this controller would be unnecessary.)

6. Humidity

7. Supply VFD Feedback

8. Return VFD Feedback

Prepare by B Jankee MITD – KBTC 12/01/2011

DDC Inputs and Outputs Defined

Now, your asking yourself what analog, and binary, and digital inputs and outputs are?

 Digital or Binary Outputs - Digital and binary are the same. It simply means either on or off, 0
or 1. With DDC control these are either dry contacts or triacs. So with our compressor start/stop
above we simply use HVAC controls to energize a relay that starts or stops the compressor
starter. These contacts are typically rated for 24 volts but may also use 120 volts depending on
the manufacturer and the ratings of the dry contacts and/or triacs. Again with the VFD's we are
simply energizing a relay that starts and/or stops the drive(s). These (digital or binary) contacts
can also be used for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control.

 Analog Outputs - This is simply a modulating signal from the controller to a particular device or
piece of equipment. Our drives, depending on how they are set up in their local parameter
programming will need a signal to tell it how fast to go. We want these drives to speed up and
slow down according to what our static pressure set point is set at. There are three different
typical signals we can send to these drives from the controller. These are a 4-20 Milliamp signal,
a 0-10 volt DC signal, or a 2-10 volt DC signal. To keep it simple we'll set both drives and the
controller up for a 0-10 volt DC signal.

This is an output signal from the controller and an input signal to the drive. If we send 0 volts to
the drive it will run at minimum, if we send 10 volts to the drive it will run at maximum. If we
send it 5 volts it will run at half speed and so on and so forth depending on what the program calls

Prepare by B Jankee MITD – KBTC 12/01/2011

 for the output to send to the drive. These analog outputs can also be used to control SCR's for
resistive heating loads.

 Binary or Digital Inputs - Again, binary and digital are the same. Some controls manufacturers
use binary and some use digital when they describe their inputs and outputs. This is where the
program monitors some dry contacts like the smoke detector. These contacts are normally closed
and when the detector detects smoke the contacts open. DDC sees this and stops all blowers and
sends alarms to the appropriate sources.

(We don't necessarily rely on the direct digital control to stop all the blowers. There should be a
hard wired interlock that will stop all blowers if the smoke detector alarms.) The supply fan and
compressor status inputs can come from either contact on a CT or from aux contacts on the
appropriate starters. Depending on how the program is set up, DDC simply wants to see an open
or closed position from these sources.

 Analog Inputs - Again, an analog signal is a modulating signal. In this case, we have analog
inputs. Input to the controller from a device or piece of equipment. Our temperature sensors are
usually thermistors. Depending on the temperature, the resistance of a thermistor will change.
The controller sends a small amount of current through the thermistor circuit. The program will
take the input current coming back through the thermistor circuit and translate it into a
temperature. This is done in the program through tables in the database which are matched up to
the rated resistance/ temperature of the thermistor.

For the duct pressure transducer we are going to get a different type of signal back to the
controller. We are going to power the transducer up with a separate 24 volts. According to
different manufacturers, this 24 volts can be either AC or DC (read the instructions for the
device). There may be optional settings on the transducer allowing you send (from the device)
either a milliamp or a voltage signal to the input of DDC. For simplicities sake we'll select a 0-10
volt signal from the device to the input of the controller. There should be range settings on both
the device and in the program. These settings should be synchronized. Let us say for example that
the range setting is 0-10 inches H2O.

Therefore, with a 0-10 signal setting at the device and configured in the program, when we get a 0
volt signal back from the device we have 0 inches H 2O pressure. When we get 5 volts back from

Prepare by B Jankee MITD – KBTC 12/01/2011

 the device we have a pressure of 5 inches H 2O and so on and so forth as the pressure changes so
does the voltage coming from the device to DDC which will translate that into a pressure.

DDC Wiring Standards

A good HVAC control installation crew will use wiring installation standards to ensure all wire used
meets appropriate codes and everything has consistency. In mechanical rooms all wire will be in
raceways or conduit. Above ceiling plenum installations will use plenum rated wire and tie wraps to
secure the wire in a high location. Securing wiring in a high location is important and prevents someone
from haphazardly cutting the wire or snagging it and pulling it loose from the controller or device.
Additionally, above ceiling plenum wiring should never be tied off to other trades piping or hangers. If
the wiring were tied off to all the electrical conduit above ceiling and the electrical contractor had to
move or remove the conduit the controls contractor would have to relocate the wiring.

Where consistency really counts in wiring standards is what color is wired where. An example of this is
communication wiring. Communication wiring is generally 24 gauge 18-2 conductor shielded wire. The
two conductors, generally one is white and one is black, should be terminated consistently throughout the
project such as white is positive and black is negative or vice versa (terminations at the controllers on a
network). It is super important that every technician responsible for terminating completely understands
these wiring standards and what color is used as positive and what is used as negative. This will save lots
of headaches and communication troubleshooting in the future.

Prepare by B Jankee MITD – KBTC 12/01/2011