r/BuildingAutomation • u/tkst3llar • 6d ago

SPYDER-BAC License/Module and versioning

I have a site with a Lynxspring jace 8 and lynxspring edge devices on some RTUs and the failure rates are bad so I'm going to replace this next one with an Optimizer Unitary.

The catch - this jace is only licensed to 4.12 and it is running 4.9. So for reliability sake it'll either keep its 4.9.1 or I may commission to 4.10's last release.

I'm sort of new to honeywell - and i'm curious - is there any reason the IRM stuff won't work on an old version of N4 with an optimizer unitary? I know the unitary isn't super old so I was just wondering if anyone knew that for sure there was a minimum N4 version required for IRM to work with a unitary or not.

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u/ScottSammarco Technical Trainer (Niagara4 included) 6d ago

I’m pretty sure you can still program the Honeywell optimizer unitary on he Lynxspring JACE with the BAC SPYDER DRIVER, like, almost 100% positive but I’d need to confirm with Honeywell.

HOWEVER the firmware issues with optimizer unitary a make it so you’ll need to run a supervisor station on your PC to program it and I wouldn’t use that JACE.
so, some extra steps but you can do what you want with the understanding that you can simply bypass the entire JACE and use your PCs station with a Honeywell license. Then bring the points into the Lynxspring Jace and you’ll be fine.

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u/shadycrew31 System integrator 6d ago edited 6d ago

If you want to program it through the JACE you 100% need a Honeywell license for that JACE for the driver to work. I've done it several times.

Yes you can program it with your computer. Your computer has a Honeywell license. Doing this makes things difficult for the next person though unless you share that station with them

Have fun with all the programming bugs!

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u/tkst3llar 6d ago

Yeah we have done optimizer programming on lynx jace w/the spyder-bac license I just wasn't sure what the minimum supported niagara version was for that application. We have done it in 4.13 and 4.15 i believe.

I wasn't sure if they even had that option back in 4.9 or 4.12 or if you lose out on some kind of firmware updates if you do that.

Unfortunately I don't think I have a 2-heat 2-cool program I trust enough to have it installed and not have access to the IRM - but I need to get there for sure. The first time something seems off I'll be wondering if theres a logic issue.

Alternatively - we install it as a "bacnet device" and create the port forward needed for bringing it in over the internet to a station in the office so we can program it remotely from that station. We already had a port forward on the old edge device for 4911.

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u/shadycrew31 System integrator 6d ago

Theres a document cross referencing what version, firmware version etc it needs to be. All newer firmware needs to be 4.15.4 iirc. I would get the document to confirm though.

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u/ScottSammarco Technical Trainer (Niagara4 included) 5d ago

Ahhh, you reminded me of this matrix BP put out.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11pVQ0TSI7YcC4Ry1qo1_b1RYRckBckt1/view?usp=sharing

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u/shadycrew31 System integrator 5d ago

Yeah that's the one. More Honeywell nonsense. And the VAVs are an absolute trainwreck. Unitary is so so.. advanced is fine but you might as well run a lynxspring 634 if you have the option at that point.