Computer interfacing electronic boards for building management systems

Modern personal computers are becoming highly capable and can support peripherals of various uses. Present software tools can efficiently work under personal computers and fully support the development of web-based, network-based, and/or offline software packages. This paper presents the design and implementation of a multipurpose hardware/software interfacing system suitable for automating building management. The proposed prototype includes the development of an additional port interfacing card compatible with a personal computer motherboard. A 24-bit port extension board is developed to enable larger interfacing capabilities. The port extension board is compatible with the additional interfacing card. A multi-purpose application interfacing board of relays is also created. The board of relays is compatible with the port extension board and can be connected to building electrical components such as, circuit breakers, sockets, appliances, etc. The proposed hardware subsystems are of multipurpose and their application is not necessarily restricted to building management systems. Two software packages are created for the proposed hardware system. A visual offline package is created under Visual C++ that provides easy control through a structured graphical user interface. A web-based package is also developed for the created hardware interfacing system. The focus of this paper is presenting the automated system blocks with emphasis on the hardware part. The system is proposed as a solution for automating buildings and/or houses of different sizes. The suggested system enjoys several advantages, such as, scalability, upgradability, and ease of use.