The TapHome “Intesis Air Conditioners” template is a Modbus TCP integration designed around the Intesis (HMS Networks) Modbus AC interface family. Its register map aligns 1:1 with the Panasonic PA-AC-MBS-1 (order code INMBSPAN001I100) for Panasonic Etherea indoor units, while the base registers (H:0–H:26) also work on the Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG and Samsung variants of the same gateway family.

The template exposes 32 devices spanning every major control function: on/off, operating mode, fan speed, vertical and horizontal vane positions, a thermostat with current and desired temperature, External Sensor Temperature for the Virtual Temperature mechanism, compressor diagnostics, ECONAVI presence sensing, Demand Response (DRM) levels, min/max setpoint readback, error-code reporting, and Panasonic’s Today/Yesterday/Total energy history.

Hardware connection#

System architecture

A single PA-AC-MBS-1 / INMBSPAN001I100 interface is dedicated to one indoor unit and is powered directly from the AC unit (no external power supply needed). Up to 63 interfaces can share one EIA-485 bus, each with its own Modbus slave address. The gateway sits between the Panasonic indoor-unit CN-CNT socket and the Modbus RTU master — in this integration, TapHome acts as the master.

Template transport — Modbus TCP via RTU converter

The XML template declares Modbus TCP (ModbusTcpCCU with IpAddress + SlaveId), while the PA-AC-MBS-1 hardware is Modbus RTU only (EIA-485, 9600 bps default, 8N2, slave address 1–63). A Modbus TCP ↔ RTU converter is therefore required between the TapHome core and the Intesis gateway. Known-working converters:

• ComWinTop CWT-MB300E — wired Ethernet to RS-485
• USR-IOT USR-W630 — Wi-Fi to RS-485, industrial
• Elfin-EW11 — compact Wi-Fi to RS-485

The Panasonic VRF variant INMBSPAN016O000 (order code PA-AC-MBS, up to 16 indoor units per gateway) supports Modbus TCP natively in parallel with RTU. Users with ECOi/PACi VRF installations can connect TapHome directly to it without a converter.

Connection to the AC indoor unit

1. Disconnect mains power from the AC unit.
2. Open the indoor-unit front cover to access the electronic circuit.
3. Locate the socket labelled CN-CNT on the indoor PCB.
4. Plug the supplied Intesis cable (1.5 m / 4.9 ft fixed length — do not modify) into CN-CNT on one end and into the CN-CNT connector on the INMBSPAN001I100 on the other end. Keep the cable clear of power/ground wiring.
5. The interface can be mounted inside or outside the indoor unit (DIN rail EN60715 TH35 or wall).
6. Connect the EIA-485 terminal block (A/B) to the RS-485 side of the Modbus TCP ↔ RTU converter.
7. Reconnect mains power.

RS-485 (EIA-485) bus wiring

Use the 2-pole plug-in terminal block on the PA-AC-MBS-1. Respect polarity:

• A+ on PA-AC-MBS-1 → A+/D+ on the Modbus TCP/RTU converter
• B− on PA-AC-MBS-1 → B-/D- on the converter
• Ground the shield on the converter side only (single-point grounding)

Bus rules:

• Topology: linear only — loop and star are not allowed on EIA-485
• Maximum bus length: 1,200 m (3,937 ft)
• 120 Ω termination required at each end of the bus — the PA-AC-MBS-1 includes an internal 120 Ω resistor enabled via DIP switch SW4-P4
• Fail-safe biasing must be supplied by the Modbus master (most industrial converters provide it)
• Up to 63 Intesis interfaces on the same bus

The CN-CNT cable length (1.5 m) must not be modified. Keep it away from power/ground wires and do not bundle it with them — proximity to mains wiring can degrade communication with the indoor unit.

Configuration#

DIP switch layout

The PA-AC-MBS-1 has three DIP-switch banks on the board. All DIP changes require a power cycle to take effect.

SW1 — AC indoor-unit features

SW3 — Modbus slave address (1–63) + part of baud rate

• Positions P1–P6: binary-coded Modbus slave address. Default = 1 (P1 ON, rest OFF).
• Positions P7–P8: together with SW4-P3 select the baud rate.

SW4 — Temperature magnitude, baud rate, termination

The factory default for SW4-P1 is OFF = decicelsius (×10). TapHome temperature devices in this template expect raw Celsius values, so readings such as 220 instead of 22 °C indicate the DIP is still at its factory position. Set SW4-P1 to ON to switch the gateway to Celsius ×1 (integer °C) before integrating with TapHome, or apply a ÷10 formula in a virtual device for each temperature register (H:4, H:5, H:22, H:24, H:25, H:66). Fahrenheit (SW4-P2 ON) is not supported by this template.

Baud rate (SW3-P7/P8 + SW4-P3)

Gateway overview — LED and terminals

On the front of the interface:

• AC Unit connection (CN-CNT) — top side, goes to the indoor unit
• LED indicator — operational status (see table below)
• SW1 — AC features (next to the AC-unit connector)
• SW3, SW4 — Modbus and extra settings (bottom edge)
• EIA-485 port — 2-pole screw terminal A/B (bottom right)

LED indicator states

Intesis MAPS configuration software

All settings exposed via DIP switches can alternatively be written through Intesis MAPS — a free commissioning tool from HMS Networks. MAPS is also used to update gateway firmware and to scan for connected indoor units on the multi-unit VRF variants. The PA-AC-MBS-1 covered by this template does not require MAPS for basic use; the DIP switches are sufficient for slave address and baud rate.

TapHome module configuration

In TapHome, configure the module with:

• IP address of the Modbus TCP ↔ RTU converter (or the INMBSPAN016O000 VRF gateway when used natively)
• Slave ID matching SW3 on the Intesis interface (default 1)

If the converter maps multiple RTU slaves behind a single TCP IP, use the converter’s own slave-address translation feature (not the TapHome Slave ID) to select the correct interface on the bus.

Device capabilities#

The template exposes 32 devices covering the full Panasonic Etherea register set. The base registers (H:0 through H:26, plus H:9 Operation Time) are part of the shared Intesis Modbus AC base layout and work across all brand variants (Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG, Samsung). Registers from H:38 upwards are Panasonic Etherea-specific and will typically read 0 or −32768 on non-Panasonic gateways.

Power and operating mode

• Power (H:0) — switches the indoor unit on or off. Base register, works across all Intesis AC brands.
• Mode (H:1) — Auto, Heat, Dry, Fan, Cool. Base register, cross-brand.
• Heat 8/10 C Mode (H:56) — Panasonic low-temperature heating (5–8 °C range) for holiday/frost protection. Panasonic Etherea only.
• Powerful (H:38) — short-term boost for maximum heating/cooling output. Panasonic Etherea only.
• Quiet (H:39) — low-noise operation, reduces outdoor-unit fan speed. Panasonic Etherea only.
• ECO Mode (H:57) — ECONAVI energy-saving selector with three states (Off / Econavi / Auto Comfort). Auto Comfort requires 2013 PKE series or newer.
• Demand Response (H:58) — DRM level selector (Normal / Comp OFF — DRM1 / 50 % — DRM2 / 75 % — DRM3). Panasonic Etherea only.

Thermostat and temperature references

• Thermostat Setpoint (H:4 desired + H:5 current) — modelled as a TapHome thermostat: the current reference temperature comes from H:5 (typically return-air or remote-sensor reading) and the desired setpoint from H:4. Setpoint range is unified 16–30 °C on Panasonic; on Daikin DK-AC-MBS-1 it is 18–32 °C in cooling and 16–30 °C in heating.
• Current Max Setpoint (H:24, read-only) — upper limit currently enforced by the indoor unit (default 30 °C). Base register.
• Current Min Setpoint (H:25, read-only) — lower limit currently enforced (default 16 °C). Base register.
• External Sensor Temperature (H:22) — feeds a room sensor value into the gateway to activate the Virtual Temperature mechanism. When set, the gateway computes the effective setpoint as SAC = Su − (Tu − TAC) (Panasonic formula), where Su is the Modbus-side setpoint, Tu is the external temperature reference and TAC is the indoor-unit reference (H:5). Leaving H:22 at the default −32768 disables the mechanism. When Virtual Temperature is active the Panasonic remote controller can no longer change the setpoint.
• Return Path Temperature (H:66, read-only) — temperature on the AC return-air path. Panasonic Etherea only.

Fan and airflow

• Fan Speed (H:2) — Auto plus 5 manual steps (Low → High). Units with fewer available steps silently ignore the unused values. Base register, cross-brand (fan-step count differs per brand — Daikin gateways expose 6 manual speeds plus a Fan Stop code).
• Vertical Vane Position (H:3) — Auto, Up, three intermediate positions, Down, Swing. Base register.
• Horizontal Vane Position (H:26) — Auto, Left, three intermediate positions, Right. Requires SW1-P2 ON on the PA-AC-MBS-1 (indoor unit must have horizontal vanes). Base register on brands that support horizontal vanes.

Diagnostics and runtime

• Error Code (H:11, read-only) — manufacturer error code. 0 = no error, 65535 (−1) = gateway-to-AC communication error, other values follow the manufacturer table (Panasonic uses H/F codes such as 8209 = H11 indoor/outdoor communication error; Daikin gateways return A/C/E/H/J/L/P/U codes).
• Compressor Status (H:53, read-only) — Off, To Off (ramping down), To On (ramping up), On. Panasonic only.
• Compressor On Time (H:54) — cumulative hours the outdoor compressor has run (0–65 535 h, writable to reset or preset). Panasonic only.
• Unit Operation Time (H:9) — cumulative hours the indoor unit has run (counts only while On). Base register.
• Under-voltage Count (H:55) — running counter of supply under-voltage events (0–300), writable to reset. Panasonic only.
• Human Activity (H:59, read-only) — ECONAVI PIR presence flag. Polarity is inverted: 0 = presence detected (default), 1 = no presence. Users who prefer conventional polarity can wrap this in a virtual inverted sensor. Panasonic only.
• Operation Current (H:62, read-only, mA) — instantaneous current drawn by the AC system. Panasonic Etherea 2013 PKE+ only.
• Power Consumption (H:61, read-only, W) — instantaneous power of the full AC system (outdoor + indoor combined), not per indoor unit. Panasonic Etherea 2013 PKE+ only.

Energy history (Panasonic Etherea only)

Panasonic Etherea gateways expose three 32-bit energy counters split across register pairs. The template exposes each half separately:

To obtain the full 32-bit Wh value, build a TapHome virtual device with the formula (MSW × 65536) + LSW for each pair.

Three additional date registers anchor the energy history to a calendar:

• Today — Year (H:78), default 2000 — writable
• Today — Month (H:79), default 1 — writable
• Today — Day (H:80), default 0 — writable

Writing the correct date once is required for the Yesterday/Today rollover to work correctly; the gateway has no real-time clock of its own.

Additional capabilities

The PA-AC-MBS-1 hardware exposes several registers that the current TapHome template does not yet implement. These are natively supported by the gateway and can be added in a future template update:

• Window Contact (H:6, R/W) and Open Window switch-off timeout (H:13, R/W) — signal a window-open condition to pause the AC for energy saving.
• Gateway Disablement (H:7, R/W, NVM) and AC Remote Control Disablement (H:8, R/W, NVM) — administrative locks for the gateway and the physical Panasonic remote controller.
• AC Unit Alarm Status (H:10, R) — simple alarm flag complementing the detailed Error Code on H:11.
• Real Temperature Setpoint (H:23, R) — the actual setpoint currently applied to the indoor unit; useful for monitoring Virtual Temperature calculations.
• Auto Mode (H:37, R) — shows which concrete mode (Heat/Dry/Fan/Cool) Auto has selected.
• Outdoor Intake Temperature (H:60, R) and Input Reference Temperature (H:65, R) — additional temperature references, useful for diagnostics and COP estimation.
• Power Consumption — Slow (H:63, R) — same quantity as H:61 with a slower update rate, more stable for logging.
• Block Periodic Sendings (H:97, R/W, FW 2.3+) — disables periodic pushes from the gateway.
• Modbus diagnostic readbacks — H:14 (baud-rate mirror), H:15 (slave address), H:21 (max fan speeds supported by the unit).
• Autochangeover / Limited Setpoint (H:1150–H:1156, R/W) — full machine-mode block for gateway-side setpoint policies and thresholds.

Brand coverage

The 32 registers in this template are a Panasonic superset. Across other Intesis AC brand variants (Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG, Samsung) only the base subset is typically implemented — on non-Panasonic hardware the remaining registers read as 0 or −32768.

The setpoint range on H:4 is brand-dependent: Panasonic Etherea is 16–30 °C unified, while Daikin DK-AC-MBS-1 is 18–32 °C in cooling and 16–30 °C in heating. The template does not enforce any range limits, so users on non-Panasonic hardware should constrain the setpoint in their automations.

Supported AC gateways

Troubleshooting#

No Modbus communication with TapHome

1. Verify the Modbus TCP ↔ RTU converter is reachable — ping the converter’s IP and check that its admin UI is open.
2. Confirm the converter is configured for 9600 bps, 8N2 (the PA-AC-MBS-1 default). Match SW3/SW4 settings on any replacement gateway.
3. Check polarity on the EIA-485 terminal: A+ and B- must match on both sides (Intesis ↔ converter).
4. Ensure 120 Ω termination is active on the last device on the bus — on the PA-AC-MBS-1 turn SW4-P4 ON if it is the end node.
5. Confirm the Slave ID set in TapHome matches SW3 positions P1–P6 on the interface (default 1).

Temperature readings show values around 200–300 instead of 20–30 °C

The PA-AC-MBS-1 factory default is decicelsius (×10). Either set SW4-P1 to ON to switch the gateway to Celsius ×1, or apply a ÷10 divide formula in a TapHome virtual device for each temperature register (H:4, H:5, H:22, H:24, H:25, H:66). A power cycle is required after any DIP change.

LED blinks 200 ms ON / 200 ms OFF (AC unit communication error)

1. Check the CN-CNT cable between the interface and the indoor unit — the supplied 1.5 m cable must not be modified or shortened.
2. Verify the indoor unit is powered.
3. Confirm the gateway cable is routed away from power/ground conductors.
4. Read register H:11 Error Code — 65535 (−1) confirms gateway-to-AC communication loss; any other non-zero value is a Panasonic H/F or Daikin letter-code from the unit itself.

Template values read as 0 or −32768

1. On non-Panasonic gateways (Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG, Samsung) the Panasonic-specific registers (H:38, H:39, H:53–H:59, H:61–H:66, H:72–H:80) are not implemented — they will read as 0 or −32768. Use only the base devices on these brands.
2. −32768 on H:4 Setpoint, H:5 Reference, H:22 External Sensor, H:24 Max, H:25 Min, H:66 Return Path indicates the value has not been initialised yet (gateway just booted or external sensor not in use). This is normal after startup.

Setpoint cannot be changed from the Panasonic remote controller

When External Sensor Temperature (H:22) is set to anything other than −32768, the Panasonic remote controller is locked out and the setpoint is governed entirely by the Virtual Temperature mechanism. Write −32768 to H:22 to release remote-controller control, or accept remote-only operation via TapHome.

Today/Yesterday/Total Energy register values look wrong

Each counter is split across two 16-bit registers (MSW + LSW). Combine them in a virtual device using (MSW × 65536) + LSW before displaying. Also ensure the internal date (H:78 Year, H:79 Month, H:80 Day) has been written once — without a valid date the Today/Yesterday rollover does not track.

Demand Response commands appear to have no effect on non-Panasonic units

Demand Response (H:58), ECO Mode (H:57), Powerful (H:38), Quiet (H:39) and Human Activity (H:59) are Panasonic Etherea-specific. They are not implemented by other Intesis Modbus AC gateways and writes to these registers are silently ignored.