Appliance Design - January 2008 - (Page 56)

ELECTRONICS way that it is just as easy to operate the systems from the wireless device as it is from the legacy remote controllers. Lighting. Automated control of home lighting is often done today via a wireless standard called Z-Wave. Connecting the lighting control to the home network requires a board that converts Z-Wave to the RS-232 protocol. Z-Wave-compatible switches are then installed at either the electrical plug (for stand-alone lamps) or at the wall switch (for permanently installed lighting systems). This typical configuration can also be done with a standard called X-10, which works on the power bus line, but it is not as reliable as the Z-Wave standard. Heating. The thermostat is typically controlled via an RS-485 line that is hardwired from the embedded web server interface to the thermostat. By automating the home entertainment, Zilog Ethernet microcontroller on a home automation controller board. heating and lighting systems in the home, homeowners can ensure that the their environment is tailored to their exact requirements when they enter the house — whether it is after a long day at work, a romantic evening, or a day’s outing in cold weather. Additional home systems that can be controlled via the embedded web server include sprinkler systems, which can be controlled via an RS-485 line, or even a model train layout. With the model train set up, using the embedded web page, one can operate multiple trains on the same track, control train speeds and switch trains from one track to another — all without any of those train crashes so beloved of small boys, but distressing to serious train hobbyists. The idea of controlling home appliances via computer has been around for a couple of decades. The convergence of dedicated Ethernet connectivity microcontrollers along with wireless devices such as the iPhone, have made the concept easier to both implement and use. While the previous examples focused on home automation, the same approach could be used just as easily for commercial buildings, such as offices, hospitals, schools or stores, or for medical instrument or industrial control applications.< For more information, enter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312 · · · · · · · · · · AZ940 AZ2100 · · · · · AZ2500/2501 AMERICAN ZETTLER, INC. 75 Columbia, Aliso Viejo California 92656 Phone: 949-831-5000 · Fax: 949-831-8642 www.azettler.com For more Information Enter 120 56 applianceDESIGN AD01084Quail.indd 1 For more Information Enter 121 www.applianceDESIGN.com 12/12/07 9:01:54 AM January 2008 http://www.quail.com http://www.azettler.com http://www.quail.com http://www.azettler.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - January 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Makers of Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Turn to Variable-Speed Motors to Improve Energy Efficiency. New Motor Design and Control Scheme Makes Brushless Motors More Economically Feasible for a Wider Range of Applications. External Gas Molding, a Relatively New Technique, Solves Many of the Challenges Associated with the Injection Molding of Large Plastic Parts. Plastic Housings Offer Many Benefits: EMI Protection Isn't One of Them. But, New Materials and Techniques are Solving that Problem. Choosing the Optimal Strategy for Effective EMI Shielding Depends on Both Mechanical and Electrical Requirements Ethernet-Enabled Microcontroller Makes Networking Schemes Easier and More Cost Effective to Implement The Ever-Changing Array of Microcontroller Memory Options Makes it Imperative to Keep Abreast of What's Available to Determine the Optimal Choice for an Application. A Vast Range of Components and Finished Products will be Exhibited at the Country's Preeminent HVAC/R Show, AHR Expo, which is Scheduled for Jan. 22-24 in New York. Advertiser's Index Association Report: PRBA

Appliance Design - January 2008

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