WineMaster Connect: Revolutionizing Wine Cellar Air Conditioners

WineMaster's Journey with WineMaster Connect

In the world of wine enthusiasts, maintaining the perfect conditions for storing and aging wine is of utmost importance. This is where WineMaster, a leading manufacturer of wine cellar air conditioners, has been excelling since 1998. To further enhance their product range and offer a new level of innovation, WineMaster embarked on a transformative journey of connecting their air conditioners. This ambitious project, named WineMaster Connect, aimed to revolutionize the wine cellar experience for customers, technicians, R&D departments and sales staff. Through a partnership with JME-Electronic, a trusted Microchip Design Partner, WineMaster successfully developed the electronic components required for this groundbreaking connectivity.

The Need for Transformation

With a reputation for manufacturing high-quality French-designed wine cellar air conditioners, WineMaster had established itself as the European leader in the industry. However, to maintain this position and meet the evolving needs of their customers, WineMaster recognized the importance of connecting their air conditioners. This modernization effort aimed to achieve four primary goals:

• For the customer:
  WineMaster aimed to offer a new user experience through a mobile application, providing access to new services such as alerts, performance contracts and diagnostic assistance. Additionally, intelligent functions like energy optimization and simulation of real cellars would enhance the overall user experience.
• For the technician:
  WineMaster sought to provide relevant information and state-of-the-art monitoring for rapid and reliable diagnosis during installation or maintenance.
• For the WineMaster R&D department:
  Continuous monitoring of products over time, improved product development through analysis of operating data, early fault detection using predictive solutions and energy efficiency enhancements through AI algorithms were key objectives.
• For sales staff:
  WineMaster aimed to globally monitor wine cellar installations, enabling better market targeting and meeting customer expectations with an advanced product range.

JME-Electronic: The Solution Provider

JME-Electronic, a renowned electronic development company based in Husseren-Wesserling, played a crucial role in the WineMaster Connect project. As an official partner of Microchip Technology, a world leader in microcontrollers, since 2009 JME-Electronic brought their expertise in electronic development to the table. With a track record of successful projects and a strong recommendation, JME-Electronic was the perfect fit for WineMaster's ambitious connectivity goals.

The Solution: Electronic Components and Software Integration

The solution developed for WineMaster Connect consisted of four main elements:

1. Electronic Boards in Air Conditioners: Each air conditioner was equipped with an integrated electronic board to measure power consumption, five temperatures, and relative humidity.
2. Main Control Unit: An electronic board acquired and transmitted data from the air conditioners to the cloud. This unit served as the central hub for data collection and transmission.
3. Data Processing and Interaction Software Platform: A platform was developed to monitor the operation of installed air conditioners, manage technical events and provide insights to the WineMaster team.
4. Mobile Applications: Two mobile applications were created—one for owners of connected wine cellars, offering remote control and monitoring features, and another for technicians, providing installation, diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities.
5. Test and control bench: for mass production, to load embedded program, for the IOT configuration and automatic sensor calibration.

The electronic components were designed to seamlessly integrate into existing and new WineMaster air conditioner models. This integration not only added new functionalities, such as additional measurements and data transmission, but also enabled remote optimization of operation.  JME-Electronic utilized several pivotal components from Microchip in the design, ensuring robustness and efficiency. These included the following:

For the electronic board integrated in the air conditioner:

• PIC18F16Q40: PIC18-Q40 is a compact, high performance PIC18 product family for real-time control and sensor applications. Equipped with a 12-bit ADC with Computation, 8-bit DACs, 16-bit PWMs, Direct Memory Access, Configurable Logic Cells and multiple communication interfaces.
• MCP6004: a quad general-purpose op-amp offering rail-to-rail input and output over the 1.8 to 6V operating range

For the IOT electronic board:

• 48LM01: an SRAM with internal nonvolatile data backup which retains content even after power disruptions
• MCP6002: a double general-purpose op-amp offering rail-to-rail input and output over the 1.8 to 6V operating range
• LAN8740AI: a low-power ethernet PHY with energy efficient ethernet capabilities
• PIC32MZ2048EFH064: a high-performance 32-bit microcontroller running up to 252 MHz with up to 2 MB Flash
• SST26VF064B: a Serial Quad I/O flash device utilizing a 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface to boost performance while maintaining the compact form factor of standard serial flash devices

In addition, ORRYX Embedded developed the cyclone stack used for the applications software.

The Power of Data: What Is What (WIW) Platform

Since the advent of Industry 4.0, JME-Electronique has surrounded itself with a cloud partner: the WIW. Together, they have founded the Alliance Solutions Globales 4.0 with the automaker Selmoni. Thanks to this alliance, JME-Electronique is able to offer end-to-end 4.0 services with all the necessary competencies.

This is how to harness the potential of the data collected from thousands of air conditioners worldwide. JME-Electronic leveraged the What Is What (WIW) data processing platform. This platform, supplied by the WIW, allowed for big data processing and analysis of vital signals collected from various scenarios. By analyzing this data, WineMaster could detect anomalies, identify performance drops at an early stage, develop control models for significant energy consumption reduction and improve their products based on precise data.

The WIW platform also facilitated interaction with Gescom, a system for managing customer subscriptions and the distributor/installer community. Through mobile applications, end-users and technicians gained access to tools and summary information, ensuring the preservation of valuable wine cellar contents.

Benefits for Customers, Installers and WineMaster

The implementation of WineMaster Connect brought a wide range of benefits to different stakeholders:

Customers experienced an enhanced user experience with real-time feedback, intelligent services, energy consumption control and state-of-the-art technical support. The mobile application provided convenience and peace of mind for wine enthusiasts.

Installers benefited from relevant information, rapid diagnostics and ease of implementation. The enhanced monitoring capabilities allowed for efficient installation and maintenance processes.

For the WineMaster R&D Department, continuous monitoring of products, analysis of operating data and predictive solutions enabled product improvements and greater energy efficiency. This transformation also facilitated the acquisition of new skills within the organization.

Sales staff gained a global overview of wine cellar installations, enabling them to better target the market and meet customer expectations with an advanced product range.

Recognitions and Future Possibilities

The WineMaster Connect project received recognition and support from various entities. It was selected as a finalist for the "Grand Est" Transformation Industrie prize, a part of the Grand Est region's Business Act initiative. Additionally, the project received support from Grand'Enov+ (governmental cell for innovation) and innovation feasibility aid from BPI (Public Bank of Investment). These accolades reflect the project's innovative nature and the positive impact it has had on the wine cellar industry.

Looking ahead, WineMaster plans to enrich its services further, reinforcing the premium character of its products. The connectivity aspect opens up possibilities for future enhancements, ensuring WineMaster remains at the forefront of innovation in the wine cellar air conditioning industry.

Conclusion

WineMaster Connect, powered by Microchip's electronic components, and entirely developed by a Microchip Design Partner has transformed the wine cellar experience for customers, installers and the WineMaster team. Through the integration of electronic boards, data processing platforms and mobile applications, WineMaster has achieved greater control, efficiency and customer satisfaction. This successful partnership showcases the strength of connecting traditional products and leveraging data-driven insights to drive innovation in the wine industry. With WineMaster Connect, wine enthusiasts can now enjoy an enhanced wine cellar experience like never before.