In 1989, Thomson Technology introduced its first engine generator controller with remote communication, the Model MEC 10/100. Nearly a decade later, the Surrey, British Columbia, company has developed the first of a new family of remote communication products for engine generators and automatic transfer switches.

The MEC 20 engine/generator controller, TSC 800 automatic transfer controller and the CIM communication interface module are designed to combine in a system to provide engine generator set customers with user-friendly, reliable remote communications and control.

Presently the CIM system is being used to link MEC 20 and TSC 800s to the outside world. The system allows communication with the remote terminal units (MEC 20 and TSC 800) via telephone line or a local serial link, according to the company. The telephone line link is very similar to Internet connections on a home computer, as the CIM has a built-in modem that transmits and receives data across the telephone line. The CIM module is connected to a telephone line, and the RTUs are then connected to the CIM via an RJ45 cable.

This arrangement allows the user to phone the site and see information that the RTU's monitor as well as operate RTU control functions. For example, the user can dial up a site and turn engines and generators on and off, control a transfer switch or read line voltages and currents from anywhere in the world. Thomson has developed Win95/98/NT compatible software that will allow the user to communicate with the CIM and MEC 20 units remotely. The CIM module also offers users the ability to communicate via Modbus, which is a popular industrial protocol. This type of remote communication has become more requested in the industry, the company said.

In the near future, Thomson stated that it plans to build on these basic features to support other types of equipment as well as the MEC 20 and TSC 800 units. For example, other makes of power meters or control hardware could be integrated to use the CIM system, the company said. This makes it easier for Thomson Technology to integrate various pieces of equipment into common communication nodes that can be monitored by a single telephone line and possibly a single piece of software. Potentially it will be able to handle many hardware or software protocols from many pieces of equipment in the industry and be able to convert that protocol into a format that can be universally recognized by a single piece of software.