Supervisors and Basic Graphics
Lesson 5.1
The Hierarchy
Level 4: Enterprise / Cloud: Energy dashboards, reporting, analytics platforms, FDD tools.
Level 3: Supervisor / Head End: Niagara Supervisor, Trane Ensemble, Metasys ADS, Desigo CC. Runs on a server or appliance. Aggregates point data from all controllers. This is where operators spend most of their time.
Level 2: Network Controller / Sub-supervisor: A JACE, Johnson Controls NAE, or Trane Tracer SC. Handles a floor or zone.
Level 1: Field Controller: The DDC controller at each piece of equipment. This is where the sequences run.
Level 0: Field Devices: Sensors, actuators, relays. The physical world.
Critical insight: field controllers run their sequences autonomously. If the supervisor goes offline, the AHU keeps running.
What a Supervisor Does
Scheduling: The supervisor hosts the occupancy schedule for the building.
Alarm Management: Collects alarms from all controllers, timestamps them, routes them, and tracks acknowledgment.
Trending and Logging: Collects point data at regular intervals and stores it in a database. Trend logs are how you prove a sequence is working.
Inter-Controller Coordination: Global resets, optimal start calculations, demand limiting strategies.
Operator Setpoint Overrides: Operators can change setpoints, enable/disable equipment, acknowledge alarms.
What Graphics Look Like
A BAS graphic is a visual representation of a system with live data overlaid. A good graphic contains: a schematic of the system, live values, equipment status indicators, operator-adjustable setpoints, and navigation links.
Common Platforms
Niagara Framework (Tridium / Honeywell): The most widely deployed supervisory platform. The JACE is the most common hardware it runs on. Speaks virtually every field protocol.
Metasys (Johnson Controls): Common in healthcare and large commercial buildings.
Desigo CC (Siemens): More common in Europe and large campus applications in the US.
Trane Ensemble / Tracer SC (Trane Technologies): Ensemble is the full supervisor. The Tracer SC is the network controller.
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