Carel HecU and RHEC Manager I Have No Idea But Let's Go Through IT Together Episode 529 Audio

Carel HECO/pRack Simulator Chaos: CO₂ Store Startup, Firmware Headaches & High-Pressure Valve Settings

In this episode of the Advanced Refrigeration Podcast, hosts Brett Wetsel and Kevin Kompus roast the brutal heat and then jump into a messy CO₂ startup at a Jewel-Osco—made worse by electricians missing neutrals on case circuits. From there, they wander into hands-on “FAFO” mode using Carel’s RHEC Manager to simulate HECO/pRack controllers, repeatedly running into freezes, blank screens, and the key gotcha: you can’t open or simulate a program unless the firmware version and required binary/CT-CD files match, and the firmware isn’t visible inside the downloaded variable list. They poke through CO₂ transcritical menus (HPV/receiver/flash tank pressures, valve behaviors, safeties), discuss tuning KP/KI on a pulse-width valve to stop it from slamming shut, and complain about proprietary MultiMAX/Pico programming, limited support, and confusing compressor staging logic, teasing a follow-up on laptop connections and navigation.