BACNET INTEGRATION
Technical Documents: NiagaraAX 3.x Bacnet Guide, NiagaraAX
Note: the JACE must be licensed for BACnet (see ‘Basic Steps-Installing AX Workbench’ section).
Bacnet Objects have four key properties:
1) Type: AI, AO, BI, BO or Device (controller or field device).
2) Instance Number (“Object Identifier”): Must be unique for every object in a device across the entire network.
(duplicates are possible by using a router to separate the segments).
3) Name: (Room Temp, Occ Mode, TStat_4, etc)
4) Present Value.
1 - CONFIGURE THE BACNET NETWORK
Add a BACNET Network
1. Open Config > Drivers.
2. Select ‘bacnet’ palette.
3. Drag the ‘BacnetNetwork’ component onto the ‘Drivers’ node (or select the ‘New’ button).
Configure the Local Device
The BACnet ‘Local Device’ represents the Station externally (how the Station becomes a ‘server’ to other BACnet
devices (‘clients’) on a connect network. To permit any BACnet operation in the Station, a unique device ID (Instance
#) must be assigned (range = 0 to 4194302).
1. Expand the BacnetNetwork.
2. Open the Property Sheet of 'Local Device'.
3. Set the Object ID (Instance Number; default = -1)
Configure the Network Ports
To Configure a BACnet/IP Port
1. Expand Tree: BacnetNetwork > Bacnet Comm > Network.
2. Open the Property Sheet of 'Ip Port'.
3. Set the Network number (typically 1).
4. Expand Tree: BacnetNetwork > Bacnet Comm > Network > Ip Port
5. Open the Property Sheet of 'Link'.
6. Set the Network Adapter. Typical is ‘Adapter en0’.
Adapter en0 = JACE LAN #1 port (right side; typically connected to the Internet to AX Supervisor).
Adapter en1 = JACE LAN #2 port (left side)
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To Configure a BACnet/IP Port Cont.)
7. Verify the correct JACE IP address.
8. Review the Udp port setting (default = 0xBAC0, hexcadecimal, 47808, decimal).
9. Click the Save button to save Ip Port changes.
10. Enable the Ip Port (right-click ‘Ip Port’ > Actions > Enable). The ‘Status’ field of the Ip Port should read ‘ok’.
To Configure a BACnet/MSTP Port
1. Expand Tree: BacnetNetwork > Bacnet Comm > Network.
2. Open the Property Sheet of ‘MstpPort’.
3. Set the Network number. In an existing BACnet installation, use the same network number already in use.
4. Open the Property Sheet of 'Link'.
5. Set the ‘Port Name’ to the RS-485 port to be used (eg, COM3).
6. Set the ‘Mstp Address’ (0-127). Typically, you leave the Mstp Address at 0 (default). Verify that no other device
has the same address. If there is a “lost token”, the device with the lowest MAC address regenerates the token (in
this case it will be the Station).
7. Set the ‘Max Info Frames’ to the lowest known master device on the network (with some room for expansion, if
needed). Note: the ‘Max Info Frames’ controls how many messages are sent before passing the token – may be
increased up to 50 for improved performance.
8. Click ‘Save’.
9. Right-click ‘MstpPort’ > Actions > Enable.
2 – CREATE BACNET DEVICES
Manually Add Bacnet Devices (Off-line Engineering)
Three Options:
1) Drag a BacnetDevice from the ‘bacnet’ palette.
2) Device Manager’s ‘New’ device wizard.
3) Device Manager’s ‘Match’ function (match a manually added device with a discovered device).
Using Online Discover to Add Bacnet Devices (On-line Engineering)
1. Open the Bacnet Device Manager. (double-click ‘BacnetNetwork’)
2. Click ‘Discover’ (bottom).
3. Discovered Bacnet devices will appear in the 'Discovered' pane (top).
4. Select the devices then click ‘Add’.
5. In the ‘Add’ dialog box edit the device properties (name, instance #, enable=true). OK.
6. The desired Bacnet devices should appear in the ‘Database’ pane (lower).
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3 – CREATE BACNET PROXY POINTS
Manually Add Bacnet Proxy Points (Off-line Engineering)
Two Options:
1) Drag a Bacnet point from the ‘bacnet’ palette.
2) Bacnet Point Manager’s ‘New’ button.
Using Online Discover to Add Bacnet Proxy Points (On-line Engineering)
1. Expand Tree: BacnetNetwork > Bacnet Controller_xx
2. Open the Bacnet Point Manager (double-click the ‘Points’ folder).
3. Add a Bacnet Point Folder, if required:
1. Click ‘New Folder’ (or drag ‘BacnetPointFolder’ from the Bacnet palette).
2. Open the ‘Bacnet Point Manager’ of the folder (double-click it).
4. Click the ‘Discover’ (bottom).
5. Select the required points in the ‘Discovered’ pane (top). (watch the point type).
6. Click ‘Add’. The points should appear in the ‘Database’ pane (bottom).
7. Edit the point’s properties (name, type, facets) as required.
8. OK.
[Notes]
• Bacnet does not have a ‘Bacnet’ card like LON does.
• It is better to host Bacnet on a PC than a JACE (since Bacnet is a ‘Host-level’ protocol). To export BAS Bacnet
points to a JACE, see “Bacnet Export Table”.
