Smart HVAC VAV Controller
A modular embedded control system for smart HVAC airflow regulation, combining STM32-based real-time controllers, sensors, actuators, Modbus communication, and supervisory control logic.
Project overview
Brief description
A modular embedded control system for smart HVAC airflow regulation, combining STM32-based real-time controllers, sensors, actuators, Modbus communication, and supervisory control logic.
Role
I designed and implemented the embedded software architecture, firmware framework, communication layers, control logic, and hardware integration approach for a smart HVAC VAV control system.
Full description
I designed and implemented a modular embedded control system for smart HVAC airflow regulation.
The project started as an embedded firmware framework and evolved into a broader system architecture for controlling airflow in a distributed HVAC setup. The goal was to build reliable low-level controllers that could measure environmental and airflow-related parameters, control dampers and actuators, communicate over industrial-style buses, and participate in a higher-level supervisory control system.
I built the firmware around an interrupt-driven, event-oriented architecture suitable for deterministic real-time behavior on STM32 microcontrollers. The runtime was designed to minimize overhead, avoid unnecessary abstractions, and provide predictable execution for timing-sensitive control tasks.
The system integrates multiple hardware interfaces, including I2C, SPI, UART, RS-485, and Modbus RTU. I worked on custom peripheral drivers, sensor acquisition, actuator control, and communication protocols, focusing on reliability and resource efficiency under embedded constraints.
The HVAC control architecture includes modular nodes for airflow balancing, sensor reading, damper positioning, and supervisory coordination. The system is intended to support VAV-style airflow regulation, where individual zones can adjust air volume dynamically while the central control logic maintains overall system stability.
I also designed custom PCB layouts integrating sensors, displays, communication interfaces, and actuator control circuitry. This made the project not only a firmware exercise, but a complete hardware-software engineering effort involving embedded architecture, control logic, electrical design, and system-level integration.
This project demonstrates my ability to work below the usual web application layer: close to hardware, timing constraints, communication protocols, real-world sensors, and physical control systems. It also reflects my broader interest in building practical engineering products, not only software applications.