how to controller old air con by wifi

[ril7979]

Hi all, Our indoor bowls club has air con/heating with Toshiba Control Units and I would like to control the system remotely.

Has anyone with experience any suggestions as to how?



I thought of some kind of unit which minmick a remote controller but we don't have any remotes.

[.:ian:.]

That appears to use a wired communication protocol to control the devices and receive data back. If someone has reversed engineered it, then it is in theory possible to control using something else.

I did a little Google but nothing came up except for ones with IR remotes, which would be much easier!

[LastPoster]

Here's the manual

https://www.toshiba-aircon.co.uk/wp-content/upload...

Some equipment of that era allowed centralised control that you might have been able to adapt using wireless control but it appears not

Looking at the manual you can set the unit to auto restart after power failure. Potentially you could either cut the power to the indoor unit using a wifi operated switch to give you remote start stop or if the indoor unit is fed from the outdoor, then use the switch to cut the interconnecting supply between the two (might be connection number one). Both of these options do run a risk of condensate water not being pumped away and going all over the floor when the unit shuts down, so don't blame me if this happens

[Cristio Nasser]

Do the AC units themselves have an IR remote control option built-in? Most do, even old ones. What is the make/model of the indoor units? Any pics?

If so then Sensibo do exactly this, and work well.
www.sensibo.com

Edited by Cristio Nasser on Wednesday 17th September 03:10

[megaphone]

Is the problem them being left on when the place is empty? If so you could manage the power to the units via a wifi controlled switch or similar.

[alabbasi]

That looks to just be a programmable thermostat that engages the inside and outside units for heating and a/c. If you search Amazon for wifi enabled thermostat, you should get a billion results back.

[ril7979]

Thanks for all your replies

Just spoken to Toshiba, those control units are very old.

Only option is to replace with new.

[ril7979]

Thanks for all your replies

Just spoken to Toshiba, those control units are very old.

Only option is to replace with new.

[LastPoster]

You have beaten me to to in calling Toshiba, but to probably just agree with what they said. It's not a generic controller as per some suggestions made. It's a bespoke controller that will only work with the specific Toshiba AC units it was designed for

[alabbasi]

ril7979 said:

Thanks for all your replies

Just spoken to Toshiba, those control units are very old.

Only option is to replace with new.

I think that it pays to check the wiring to the controller. There's only a very small number of inputs

Power
Common
Heat signal wire
Cool signal wire
Fan signal wire
Maybe one or two others.

Manufacturers will not likely tell you if an aftermarket part will solve your problem for obvious reasons.

[biggiles]

ril7979, how much "control" do you need?

Full control would be pretty tricky, but turning on/off might be trivial.

But for tuppence you could probably fit some smart switches to turn the power on/off to the AC units. Personally I have DIN-rail "smart meter units" which a) tell me how much power is used and b) can switch the circuits on and off.

So you'd be able to remotely turn the heating on for a bowls session, and ensure it's turned off afterwards. (e.g. have a rule every day at midnight to switch it off, in case someone has forgotten).

(This is assuming that they come back to the previous (sensible) setting after power is restored).

[Somebody]

If you only want to remotely turn on and off then it's relatively easy. Use Switchbot with a their hub to remotely press the power button (need wifi connection).

Here's my remote garage opener utilising a spare Switchbot:

[LastPoster]

alabbasi said:

ril7979 said:

Thanks for all your replies

Just spoken to Toshiba, those control units are very old.

Only option is to replace with new.

I think that it pays to check the wiring to the controller. There's only a very small number of inputs

Power
Common
Heat signal wire
Cool signal wire
Fan signal wire
Maybe one or two others.

Manufacturers will not likely tell you if an aftermarket part will solve your problem for obvious reasons.

This controller uses a two core cable only, it works in a similar way to CANBUS on a car. You will not be able to make an aftermarket controller work unless it has been specifically designed to work with the Toshiba equipment of the era.

I m happy if someone can prove me wrong but it would need to be something tangible that will help the OP (who doesn t seem to concerned anyway)