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Domotica & smart home

PICnet is the system for Home and Building Automation applications designed, developed and manufactured by Sinthesi, 100% Made in Italy.

The PICnet system is one of the bus systems for Building Automation applications with the most advanced performances available on the current market at global level.

PICnet allows to centralize any type of user under a single system: lighting, technological systems, temperature control, energy saving, access control, door and window automation, nurse call systems, etc.

All trademarks shown are registered trademarks of their respective owners

MULTIPROTOCOL INTEGRATION

PICnet systems integrate several protocols and third parties products, are totally open and speak MODBUS natively both on serial communication and on the Ethernet IP network, therefore can be interfaced with any supervision software or third-party systems.

As a single-product company, Sinthesi has been guaranteeing total backward compatibility of new products with existing products for over 25 years and ensuring the availability of spare parts.

All the PICnet programming softwares are free of charge and can be downloaded from the dedicated section on our website.

picnet is unique

The structure

Each PICnet system is composed of a central unit called MASTER, which is the CPU of the system with a computing performance of a professional-grade PLC, and a series of peripheral units or modules, connected to each other by a 4-wire BUS cable. Each central MASTER can control up to 250 peripheral units, including other MASTER central units in the case of multi-level systems. For this reason, the size of a PICnet system is virtually unlimited.

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The master unit

DISPLAY AND SELECTION BUTTONS

The MASTER unit is equipped with 4 selection buttons and a display for user messages and alarms (also with variable fields), simplifying installation and management of the system. Through the display and the 4 selection buttons it is possible to set up to 128 time programmers (external lights, heating, etc.) and 128 parameters (temperatures, timings, etc.) freely definable directly from the Master unit. Through the MASTER unit it is also possible to carry out all module addressing and commissioning operations, without the need for any PC or other devices on the system.

micro sd port

The MASTER unit is equipped with a microSD port, which can be used for 2 different purposes:
loading the system program. By simply inserting the microSD containing the updated program, the MASTER unit reprograms itself automatically; this allows to send the system program, or a modification of it, directly to the customer who will only have to insert the microSD into the MASTER, an operation that can also be carried out by non-specialized personnel.
parameters and data recording in DATA LOGGER mode. With microSD inserted, the card can become a data logger support, on which parameters and data such as consumption, temperatures, alarms, etc. are recorded in text or .csv format and according to user-defined intervals.

Serial communication port

The Master unit is equipped with a RS232 or RS485 serial port.

Real time operating system

The Master unit is equipped with a realtime operating system for multiple simultaneous tasks management.

bus cable connection

The Master unit, like all Sinthesi PICnet devices, communicates with the system via the 4-wire PICnet bus cable.

INTEGRATED NETWORK PORT

The MASTER unit is equipped with an integrated Ethernet IP network port.

The MASTER unit speaks natively the MODBUS RTU standard both on the serial port and on the Ethernet IP network, therefore the PICnet systems are totally open and can be interfaced with any third party supervision software. It is never necessary to use exclusively Sinthesi software for plant supervision.

Source program

The MASTER unit always contains the source program which therefore cannot be lost. It is impossible to lose the original program and being forced to reprogram the entire system even by simply changing some parameters or replacement of a single damaged component.

Web server

The MASTER unit is equipped with an integrated web server on which it is possible to directly upload the HTML graphic pages for remote supervision of the system, without the need for any additional supervision software or external devices, allowing to have a web based supervision even in the case of small plants.

Micro USB port

The Master unit is equipped with a microUSB port for direct connection with the PC.

PICNET SYSTEMS CHARACTERISTICS

The Sinthesi PICnet system is universally recognized as a high performance, solid and flexible system, in this section the technical characteristics of the system will be shown

Performance
Solidity
Flexibility

PICnet system performance

The high performance of Sinthesi PICnet systems is due to two types of factors, the performance and operation of the individual devices and the specific structure and operation of the Sinthesi PICnet protocol.

Bus communication speed

The Master unit communicates with the peripheral modules on the PICnet bus at the maximum speed of 62500b/s. This makes PICnet one of the bus systems with the highest communication speeds on the market. The PICnet system is a deterministic system and the response time is constant and independent from the operating conditions.

Lean data traffic

  1. The PICnet system is a so-called mixed logic system. This means that the Master unit has the logic of the whole system, it controls the complete functioning and it is able to manage even very complex scenarios (such as in centralized logic systems); however the peripheral PICnet modules have their own local operating logic, according to the module typology, which allows the autonomous local management (as in distributed logic systems). This allows to lighten a lot the traffic of data passing on the PICnet bus.
  1. The PICnet system is a so-called mixed logic system. This means that the Master unit has the logic of the whole system, it controls the complete functioning and it is able to manage even very complex scenarios (such as in centralized logic systems); however the peripheral PICnet modules have their own local operating logic, according to the module typology, which allows the autonomous local management (as in distributed logic systems). This allows to lighten a lot the traffic of data passing on the PICnet bus.
  2. The PICnet protocol is a differential communication protocol. This means that the Master unit, after the first program cycle, asks the peripheral modules to communicate only the changes compared to the last detected state. This it allows to further lighten the data traffic passing on the PICnet bus, because in case of not solicitation, the peripheral modules do not need to communicate with the master central unit.
  1. The PICnet protocol is a differential communication protocol. This means that the Master unit, after the first program cycle, asks the peripheral modules to communicate only the changes compared to the last detected state. This it allows to further lighten the data traffic passing on the PICnet bus, because in case of not solicitation, the peripheral modules do not need to communicate with the master central unit.

Performance of PICnet modules

The Master module has the computing performance of a professional-grade PLC and the peripheral PICnet modules also use latest generation microprocessors, allowing very high calculation capacity and immediate response times.

Solidity

PICnet bus cable

The PICnet bus cable is a 4-wire bus cable, 2 wires dedicated to the 24VDC power supply (+ 24V and GND) and 2 wires dedicated to communication (A and B). The PICnet bus cable does not require any shielding and is immune to interference, thus can be freely installed together with power cables without restrictions.

The use of a NON-shielded cable is recommended in order not to increase the mutual capacitance of the cable and to be able to communicate at the maximum speed of 62500b/s even over indefinitely large distances.

In a PICnet system, overvoltage protection is never required (indeed it is not recommended) because any overvoltages of atmospheric origin entering the power supply line cannot reach the bus line.

Communication default condition

Even in the event of a lack of communication between the peripheral modules and the Master unit, a basic functionality of the system is maintained; in fact, only the most advanced functions will be lost, but the system functioning will not be interrupted.

Flexibility

Plant topology

In a PICnet system the cabling is completely free: in-out, radial star, ring or combinations of the three topologies are allowed without limitations. From any point it is possible to derive a new bus line without any limitation. Bus termination is not required.

Number and distribution of modules

In PICnet systems there is no limit on the number of modules installed on a certain section of the system, there are no areas, lines or segments, the modules can be freely installed on the system without any precautions regarding the structure of the system.

PICnet systems have no limit on the total size and number of devices.

Power supply

The power supply of a PICnet system is obtained through common, cheap and easily available 24VDC power supplies. In the PICnet systems multiple power supplies can be directly connected in parallel for easy and low-cost back-up operation.

The power supplies can be freely placed on the system, taking care only of the total absorption value of the system.

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