How to control Mitsubishi Air Conditioning with KNX

There are two main ways to control Mitsubishi Air Conditioning systems from KNX - locally and centrally. There are benefits to each and which one you chooses will also depend on the type of system installed.

Local Control - Split Systems

Best suited to projects with only a few AC units, a small KNX module is connected directly to the control board on the internal AC unit. This a very simple way to control as all that is needed at each AC units is a KNX cable and because the connection is direct the standard remote control connection is still available if a Mitsubishi controller is required.

It is possible to control AC units from the Domestic and Mr Slim series. To confirm compatibility you will need the model number of the Internal AC unit and this chart. If the model number isn't shown please contact us for clarification.

The two KNX models (ME-AC-KNX-1-V2 and ME-AC-KNX-1i) offer the same connection to the internal unit however the model ME-AC-KNX-1i has 4 binary inputs which can be used to connect other devices to the system such as window contacts or keypads.

Central Control - VRF Systems

If it is a large system or multiple AC units are being installed in each room a City Multi VRF System may be specified. This system has a central controller which is used to control AC units in groups, create schedules and view energy consumption data. There are various models including AE-200E, EW-50E and the legacy AG150, G-50A and GB-50A. 

It is possible to interface directly to the any of these controllers which is much easier than connecting to each individual indoor unit.  It also save commisiong time as only one device needs to be installed, addressed and programmed. Two models are available - IB-KNX-MIT-15 which can control 15 groups and IB-KNX-MIT-100 which can control 100 groups. A group is one zone of AC and is made up of one or more internal units. 

Even in a system with a central controller it is possible to control the AC units locally using the ME-AC-KNX-1-V2 or ME-AC-KNX-1i. For this to work remote control must be enabled on the Mitsubishi central controller and all units in the group need to be connected with the wired remote control bus.

Level of Control

Both types of interface offer a similar level of control including:

• On/Off

• Change Setpoint

• Provide Room Temperature

• Change Mode (Auto,Heat,Cool,Dry,Fan)

• Set Fan Speed

• Set Vane direction/Angle

• Fault Codes and Status

When interfacing to other products or systems, it is important to ensure that all AC commissioning and handover has been completed before taking control. This guarantees that any issues with either system can be clearly identified and removes confusion over who is responsible for any control problems.

Intesis also have interfaces to control systems from other AC manufacturers including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Daikin, Samsung, Toshiba, Fujitsu, LG and Panasonic.