greenBOX 9.16: Multi-Fan Control, Facility Integration, and Expanded Testing

Ecogate has released greenBOX software version 9.16.xx for on-demand dust, mist, and fume collection. The release brings together multi-fan control, connections to building and factory controls, and faster downloads of operating data. Ecogate is also expanding how it tests the software, using a simulator that can model systems much larger than a physical lab can hold.

greenBOX 9.16 software update. Illustrative product composite; the controller screen shows an earlier software build.

Multi-fan control and building-control connections have been supported since version 9.15.7. Version 9.16 continues that work and speeds up data downloads. Here is what these capabilities mean for a facility and the people who operate it.

Connect greenBOX to building and factory controls

Dust collection often needs to work with a facility’s other controls. At a college, that may mean connecting workshop ventilation to the Building Automation System (BAS). In a factory, it may mean exchanging information with a programmable logic controller (PLC) or process control system.

Examples of Ecogate’s facility-integration applications include Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus, GlaxoSmithKline manufacturing and research facilities in the UK, and production plants such as Andersen Windows. Connections to Building Automation Systems (BAS) at colleges serve collection systems across welding, woodworking, art, and laboratory facilities.

The connection lets the building or factory controls read greenBOX settings and operating data, and send supported commands to the gates. The greenBOX continues to control the collection equipment. Communication uses Modbus RTU over RS-485, a wired industrial connection. It provides access to specific data and commands, not every greenBOX setting.

This connection is now a standard software feature. To set it up, enable “Higher Level Control System Communication” in the greenBOX interface and select an unused Modbus port. That port must be reserved for the facility’s controls; it cannot also connect gates or fan drives. The controls team must also set the greenBOX address used for communication.

Ecogate’s Modbus-Master Tester checks communication with a greenBOX. This is an engineering test screen; displayed values are illustrative.

Choose the right fan arrangement

Different facilities need different fan arrangements. The greenBOX supports three main approaches:

• Cascading fans: one fan runs when little extraction is needed. As more workstations start using the system, additional fans start to provide more airflow.

• Fans in series or parallel: greenBOX controls multiple fans arranged to meet the project’s airflow and pressure requirements.

• Lead and backup fans: if a running fan, motor, or drive develops a fault, greenBOX transfers operation to an available backup unit.

The software supports up to 16 fans or drives in one system and up to 32 per greenBOX controller. The usable capacity depends on the controller, available ports, connected equipment, and system design.

A variable frequency drive (VFD) controls a fan motor’s speed. In Optimized Cascading Fans mode, each fan has its own compatible drive, such as Ecogate’s Power Master VFD. As fans join the group, greenBOX adjusts the running drives to the same frequency. This lets it control the group together instead of adjusting only the last fan that started.

In cascading and lead/backup modes, greenBOX changes the lead fan each day to spread operating time across the equipment. A backup arrangement also needs a gravity-operated backfeed valve at each fan inlet to stop air flowing backward through an idle fan. During commissioning, the team must test the fault response and confirm that the backup fan is working correctly.

greenBOX Cascading Fans screen with three connected VFDs. The displayed operating values are examples, not measured savings or performance results.

Download monitored data easier

Customer feedback led to a practical improvement in version 9.16: faster downloads of recorded operating data. Maintenance and engineering teams can get the records they need sooner when reviewing performance or investigating a problem.

The existing export functions provide system measurements, VFD power and calculated savings, and workstation utilization. Those records were available before this release. Version 9.16 improves download usability by allowing data to be downloaded on a month-by-month basis for the current and previous twelve months. This replaces the single large annual file, which was difficult to manage.

greenBOX Data Export interface.

How Ecogate tests larger systems with the greenBOX Simulator

A physical test setup can only hold so much equipment. To test larger installations, Ecogate’s engineers built the greenBOX Simulator using Claude Code. It models hundreds of workstations, dozens of VFDs, and several generations of Ecogate gates without requiring all that hardware in the lab.

Engineers can change how many workstations are running and simulate equipment failures. They then check how the greenBOX software responds. This helps them find problems across a wider range of operating conditions before a software update reaches a customer.

Ecogate also uses AI-assisted programming to develop other engineering tools. These include the Modbus-Master Tester shown earlier in this article, which checks communication with a greenBOX, and production software used to configure and test Ecogate Interface boards.

The simulator expands what engineers can test in software. Physical equipment testing and commissioning at the installation remain essential.

Plan an update for your installation

The September 2026 Adelie greenBOX update described multi-fan control and building-control communication as work in progress. The October release confirms that they are available. These features apply to the current Adelie controller platform.

Before updating, check the controller model, installed software, fan drives, and available communication ports. Use the Ecogate documentation to plan the setup. After installation, have the controls and ventilation teams test normal operation, alarms, and the response to equipment faults.

Contact Ecogate if you would like help checking compatibility or planning multi-fan control or a connection to your building or factory controls.