Description

Application Scenarios:

In a modern, high-efficiency commercial office tower, the building management system (BMS) centrally controls thousands of devices—from chillers and air handling units (AHUs) to VAV boxes and lighting—to optimize energy use and occupant comfort. The pumps and fans within the AHUs are controlled by ABB HVAC drives for precise speed regulation. To enable the BMS to monitor the status (e.g., running, fault, speed) and send speed commands to these drives, a standardized, open communication network is essential. The ABB RLON-01 RLON LONWORKS Adapter plugs directly into the drive, acting as its translator. It takes the drive’s internal data and converts it into the standardized LONWORKS protocol, allowing the drive to appear as a native node on the building-wide LON network. This allows a facilities manager at the BMS workstation to see the exact power consumption of a cooling tower fan, adjust its speed setpoint based on occupancy schedules, and receive immediate alarms if a fault occurs, all over a single, unified network cable. The adapter solves the critical pain point of vendor interoperability, enabling best-in-class drives to communicate effortlessly within a multi-vendor BMS ecosystem.

Parameter:

Main Parameter	Value / Description
Product Model	RLON-01
Manufacturer	ABB
Product Category	Fieldbus Communication Adapter / LONWORKS Interface Module
Primary Protocol	LONWORKS (ANSI/CEA-709.1, EN 14908). An open, standardized building automation protocol.
Physical Layer	Typically supports FTT-10A free topology twisted pair at 78 kbit/s, common in building installations.
Compatible Drives	Designed for specific ABB HVAC and general purpose AC drives (e.g., ACH/ACS series with an adapter slot).
Interface	Plugs into the dedicated communication slot on the drive’s control unit.
Power Supply	Powered directly from the host drive, requiring no external power source.
Configuration	Requires configuration with a LONWORKS tool (e.g., NLAM/Node Creator) to set a unique Neuron ID and network variables.
Data Exchange	Provides bi-directional exchange of standard drive parameters: speed reference, actual speed, current, status, faults, control words.
Standards	Conforms to relevant building automation and drive communication standards.

Technical Principles and Innovative Values:

Innovation Point 1: Standardized Network Variable (SNVT) Implementation for True Interoperability: The core value of the RLON-01 lies in its implementation of Standard Network Variable Types (SNVTs). Instead of using a proprietary data map, it presents drive parameters—like speed command, feedback, status, and faults—as standardized LONMARK objects (e.g., SNVT_lev, SNVT_switch, SNVT_temp). This allows any LONWORKS-compliant BMS controller or supervisor (from Johnson Controls, Siemens, Honeywell, etc.) to recognize, read, and write to the drive’s data natively, without requiring custom drivers or complex mapping. This plug-and-play interoperability drastically reduces system integration time and cost.
Innovation Point 2: Self-Contained Neuron Chip Architecture: The adapter incorporates a dedicated Neuron Chip (like the Toshiba TMPN3150 or Echelon variant), which is the heart of a LONWORKS node. This chip runs the LONMARK profile for a variable speed drive, handling all protocol-related tasks—medium access, addressing, and message processing—independently of the drive’s main processor. This architecture ensures reliable, deterministic communication performance and offloads the communication processing burden from the drive’s core control functions.
Innovation Point 3: Seamless Drive Integration and Power Sourcing: The RLON-01 is designed for effortless physical and electrical integration. It plugs directly into a standardized adapter slot on compatible ABB drives, drawing its operating power directly from the drive’s internal +24V supply. This eliminates the need for external power supplies and complex wiring. The adapter and drive firmware are designed to work in concert, ensuring that configuration parameters set via the drive’s keypad or PC tool are automatically reflected in the LONWORKS network variables, providing a unified configuration experience.