Dr KNX: Using a KNX USB Interface with Windows 8.1
By Dr KNX. Dear KNXer, The update from Windows 8.0 to 8.1 saw a ‘USB Sleep Mode’ feature added in order to save energy. Unfortunately KNX devices do not support this feature yet, and are therefore simply switched off by Windows 8.1. The only workaround is to switch this newly-introduced ‘USB Sleep Mode’ feature off. […]
Country Profile: KNX New Zealand
By Colin Price, Ivory Egg. KNX New Zealand was formed in 2014 by ABB, Siemens and a handful of enlightened KNX engineers. Its aim is to promote KNX as an open protocol to the New Zealand building trade. There are a few projects that have been completed with KNX over the last few years in […]
Case Study: KNX Installation in Rural Residential Property, Northumberland, UK
By Rachel Wilkinson, My KNX Store. The project involved an extensive refurbishment and extension of a rural residential property in Northumberland, UK. The whole project took 18 months, with the home control installation being carried out between January and December 2012. The architect for the project was Nicholson Nairn, who worked closely with My KNX […]
Best Practice: Aiming for Grade C or Above In Energy Efficiency
By Simon Buddle, KNXtoday. Grade C or above? I’m sure I’ve heard that somewhere before. Of course! It was the constant mantra that teachers used in school when describing our exam requirements. I was simply pleased to get through in one piece, and I’m pretty sure my teachers were pleased to see the back of […]
Business: Sowing the Seeds of Success – Out of Europe
By Jesús Arias García, KNXin. ‘Out of Africa’ is the name of a popular shop in South Africa. It is present in all the South African airports, and it is about all the gear and souvenirs related to the local culture and, of course, stereotypes about this side of the African continent. On this occasion, […]
Solutions: KNX in a BMS World
By Sophie Thomas, Ivory Egg. We have been trying to control our built environment since at least 270BCE, when the first automatic control system device, a water clock, was invented. The first HVAC-related system came about in the 1700s through Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur’s scale thermometer and his ideas on temperature control of incubators based […]
Interview: Mehdi Darabi, Parto Negar Parand
Parto Negar Parand Company is an IT and building automation company based in Tehran, Iran. Its Chairman and Founder, Mehdi Darabi, has worked in IT for more than twenty five years in the Middle East and in Asia, specifically in the research and development of geographic information systems, macro and mini computers, RISC machines, networking […]
Dr KNX: Opening the ETS4 Database
By Dr KNX. Dear KNXer, KNX Association chose the Microsoft SQL Server as the database engine for ETS4 because this meant that they did not need to develop a proprietary database engine from scratch. There are, however, some consequences of this approach, such as not being able to just move ETS4 database files, not even […]
Case Study: Gira Installation in South Tyrol Holiday Lodge
By Ewald Burkhart, Elektro Ewald. When the Erlacher family decided to convert a hunting lodge into a rentable holiday home in the mountains of South Tyrol, they wanted it to include state-of-the-art technology so that guests could pamper themselves and relax in this beautiful and natural setting. The Mountain Lodge Tamersc is 130m2 and features […]
Solutions: HVAC – We Need a Holistic Approach
By Mark Warburton, Ivory Egg. It seems a bit odd writing about heating systems at the start of spring, but unfortunately, the specification of control systems doesn’t follow a seasonal pattern. In fact it is probably a good time to reflect on the last few months, as it has been a very odd winter in […]