OT Modern AC remote has temp sensor???

[John Doe]

Does anyone know how an air-conditioner remote control that apparently
uses an LED to communicate (like a TV remote control) can send its
temperature sensor information to the main air conditioner unit? If It
Has to be pointed towards the air-conditioner to send information, how
can it regularly transmit the temperature at the remote control
location to the air-conditioner unit? I am sure they do not expect the
user to always have the remote pointed towards the air-conditioner, and
in the owners manual it says nothing about doing that.

Thanks.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Does anyone know how an air-conditioner remote control that apparently
uses an LED to communicate (like a TV remote control) can send its
temperature sensor information to the main air conditioner unit? If It
Has to be pointed towards the air-conditioner to send information, how
can it regularly transmit the temperature at the remote control
location to the air-conditioner unit? I am sure they do not expect the
user to always have the remote pointed towards the air-conditioner, and
in the owners manual it says nothing about doing that.

Thanks.

The temperature sensor would be in the A/C unit, not the remote.

The remote only changes the setpoint (which is retained in the main
unit).


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[David L. Jones]

Does anyone know how an air-conditioner remote control that apparently
uses an LED to communicate (like a TV remote control) can send its
temperature sensor information to the main air conditioner unit? If It
Has to be pointed towards the air-conditioner to send information, how
can it regularly transmit the temperature at the remote control
location to the air-conditioner unit? I am sure they do not expect the
user to always have the remote pointed towards the air-conditioner, and
in the owners manual it says nothing about doing that.

The remote doesn't have a sensor, the sensor is in the air-con unit or
another sensor within the room.
The remote only sets the temperature setting in the aircon.
Also, many remotes that retain and display such info can also get "out of
sync" with the aircon unit. i.e. it's possible to change the settings on the
remote's LCD screen (while not pointed at the aircon) but these settings
don't get updated to the aircon unit until the aircon actually receives the
next valid command - rather annoying some times.

Dave.

 

[John Doe]

The temperature sensor would be in the A/C unit, not the remote.

The remote only changes the setpoint (which is retained in the
main unit).

I agree, the way it is written at Lowe's website does not make sense.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=205395-
70213-FAC107S1A&lpage=none

"Remote thermostat allows the unit to sense temperature where you are
at with the remote control"

 

[Sylvia Else]

Does anyone know how an air-conditioner remote control that apparently
uses an LED to communicate (like a TV remote control) can send its
temperature sensor information to the main air conditioner unit? If It
Has to be pointed towards the air-conditioner to send information, how
can it regularly transmit the temperature at the remote control
location to the air-conditioner unit? I am sure they do not expect the
user to always have the remote pointed towards the air-conditioner, and
in the owners manual it says nothing about doing that.

Thanks.

It appears that *some* of the Frigidaire models do indeed have a
temperature sensor in the remote, and their instruction manuals state
that when used in that mode, the remote has to be left pointed at the
air conditioner.

See, for example,

ftp://ftp.electrolux-na.com/ProdInfo_PDF/Edison/220201d011en.pdf

I think Lowes are mistaken in saying that FAC107S1A has that feature.

Sylvia.

 

[Baron]

John Doe Inscribed thus:

I agree, the way it is written at Lowe's website does not make sense.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=205395-
70213-FAC107S1A&lpage=none

"Remote thermostat allows the unit to sense temperature where you are
at with the remote control"

The temperature sensor is in the remote handset. It sends the
temperature at the handset location to the AC when you press the set
button. The AC then compares that to the originally set setpoint and
adjusts the output accordingly.

 

[John Doe]

John Doe Inscribed thus:

The temperature sensor is in the remote handset. It sends the
temperature at the handset location to the AC when you press the
set button. The AC then compares that to the originally set
setpoint and adjusts the output accordingly.

What the ****? In order for the temperature sensor at the remote to
be used for controlling the air conditioner, the remote would have
to periodically and automatically transmit the sensed temperature to
the air conditioner.

 

[John Doe]

"Sylvia Else" wrote ...

Remember that ad copy and even user manuals are not written
by the sharpest tools in the shed. If they had any technical
background they would likely be doing something more productive.

Who cares?

What a coincidence, Richard, doing some research just yesterday,
stumbled over some of your notable and worthless/pointless replies
then too.

 

[GregS]

Got to be quite the couch potato to need a remote on the A/C ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Well I can see taking it around the house and controlling temp in the room your in.
I might eventually add another thermostat "downstairs" where its usually colder.

Downstairs=underground dugout=basement.

greg

 

[krw]

I remember basements ;-)

So do I. :-(

Since I have central A/C (actually two 5-"ton" units) I've considered
thermostatically controlling vents.

I have 2-1/2T and 3T heat pumps. The 2-1/2T is off for the winter.
It's intended for the upstairs (2 bedrooms at either end of the
house) and I can't get it balanced with the main unit downstairs,
so it stays off.

 

[GregS]

I remember basements ;-)

Since I have central A/C (actually two 5-"ton" units) I've considered
thermostatically controlling vents.

...Jim Thompson

Seems like the GREEN thing to do for Arizona would be to dig in.

greg

 

[Baron]

John Doe Inscribed thus:

I'm talking about my AC unit. Not the Lowes one ! On the basis that mine
is similar.

What the ****? In order for the temperature sensor at the remote to
be used for controlling the air conditioner, the remote would have
to periodically and automatically transmit the sensed temperature to
the air conditioner.

I doesn't send anything continuously ! You press the set button or the
up/down buttons or Off/On ones.

 

[krw]

John Doe Inscribed thus:


I'm talking about my AC unit. Not the Lowes one ! On the basis that mine
is similar.


I doesn't send anything continuously ! You press the set button or the
up/down buttons or Off/On ones.

Then it's not the "temperature sensor", right?

 

[linnix]

John Doe Inscribed thus:


I'm talking about my AC unit. Not the Lowes one ! On the basis that mine
is similar.


I doesn't send anything continuously ! You press the set button or the
up/down buttons or Off/On ones.

There are more than one way to skin the cat and to transmit
wirelessly. It just depends on how much costs they want to add to
it. I have IR remote control on A/C and RF temperature/clock (for
indoor/outdoor temp.). There is no reason why they can't combine the
two in one unit. The temperature/clock can transmit RF through
external wall, and no need to point to anything.

 

[krw]

I vaguely remember "stairs". Our house is 3650 sq.ft. on one level.

Balancing upstairs always seems to be problematic for heating. My #2
daughter had the same problem before they moved to a single-level
house.

It was no problem in the VT house. I "balanced" it by shutting
most of the flaps on the (hydronic) baseboard radiators upstairs.
There were two separated bedrooms off the great room upstairs so
there was enough convection to keep them warm. I like bedrooms
cooler anyhow.

I think the solution might be adding a duct and a directional fan
between floors.

The great room _is_ a huge duct. That's the problem. The heat
goes upstairs. If I turn on the upstairs heat pump I'll just make
it warmer, doing little to off-load the main heat pump [*]. The
master suite is downstairs so our bedroom isn't a problem.

[*] The downstairs heat pump works well enough heating the whole
house, except that on cold nights the heat pump has a 100% duty
cycle.

 

[Bob Engelhardt]

The temperature sensor is in the remote handset. It sends the
temperature at the handset location to the AC when you press the set
button. The AC then compares that to the originally set setpoint and
adjusts the output accordingly.

The AC has to have some feedback, to know when the room has cooled to
where you want it. If the handset isn't sending the current
temperature, how does the AC know how long to run?

One way that I can imagine is that the AC has a thermostat of its own,
which it biases from the remote's reading. E.g., if the remote sends a
signal saying "Its 75 here, cool to 70" (cool by 5 degrees), then the AC
sets the target to be 5 degrees cooler than it currently is.

Bob

 

[Baron]

Then it's not the "temperature sensor", right?

The AC has an attached room sensor if that is what you mean.

The handset only measures the temperature at its location. !
When you press the set button it sends that reading to the AC which then
uses that as the setpoint. Using the up/down buttons causes the
setpoint to shift up or down. There is no display on the handset only
five buttons.

 

[krw]

The AC has an attached room sensor if that is what you mean.

And the "remote" does not (you said it did).

The handset only measures the temperature at its location. !

Why would it measure the temperature at its location?

When you press the set button it sends that reading to the AC which then
uses that as the setpoint. Using the up/down buttons causes the
setpoint to shift up or down. There is no display on the handset only
five buttons.

Are you *SURE* it doesn't just remember the last setting? Why
would you want to send the *same* temperature to the AC? Why would
you want a remote on an AC? ...but that's a more fundamental
question.

 

[Charlie E.]

If I were flush with money I'd do that.

Digging around here can be very difficult. Clay (caleche) just below
the surface, ~5' in thickness, usually mixed with slate in knots and
bunches. You need a jackhammer to break it up.

My present location is volcanic and igneous rock mix... equally
difficult to dig in.

...Jim Thompson

It can be pretty difficult here, too. I was talking to a guy about
putting in a small block wall, and found he was the guy who had put in
the wall around the perimeter of the development. When bidding the
contract, they were told that the soil was uniform and easy. In fact,
it is in the debris field from a mountain pass. It is composed of 1
part sand, one part dirt, two parts gravel, three parts stones, and 4
parts boulders.As they dug out the foundation, they found rocks
anywhere from 3" to 4' in the path of that wall. It took weeks just
to did that foundation for a 6' garden wall, because they had to go
back and back fill all the places that the rocks came out of!

Charlie

 

[Baron]

And the "remote" does not (you said it did).


Why would it measure the temperature at its location?


Are you *SURE* it doesn't just remember the last setting? Why
would you want to send the *same* temperature to the AC? Why would
you want a remote on an AC? ...but that's a more fundamental
question.

Considering that there is no display on the remote I couldn't say.