Issue The automation server password policy is grayed out making it unavailable to make configuration changes. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium   Cause When an Automation Server is attached to an Enterprise Server, all of the password policy configurations are inherited from the enterprise server. Therefore the AS settings cannot be changed.  Resolution The password policies of the Automation Server must be administered from the ES when it is connected to an Enterprise Server.   In order to make changes to the password policy settings in the Automation Server directly, it must be detached from the Enterprise Server. Note: For EBO V 1.9.X and lower, the password policy settings can be located under Control Panel > Security and Communication > Security settings area. For EBO 2.0.X and higher, the password policy settings can be located under Control Panel > Security and Communication > Password policy.

Issue 3rd party Modbus RTU devices go offline or have unstable value transfer after upgrading to version 1.7.1 or above Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Detected in version 1.7.1 or above. Automation Server Modbus RTU (RS485) interface Cause The performance of the Modbus RTU interface was improved in version 1.6 and further in version 1.7. This improved performance can make the Modbus Master in SmartStruxure too fast for some third party Modbus RTU devices, and they may be unable to handle the faster polling rates the newer software can provide. Resolution In the Modbus Master Network there are various settings that can be changed to allow it to compensate for slower devices. The settings in this screen shot shows example settings that may be suitable for slower devices or problem networks.   Increasing the Transmit Guard bits from the default of 2 allows more time after one packet before the next packet will start transmitting on the bus. This is useful both for slow responding devices, devices that take longer to turn off their Transmit driver as well as networks that have a high capacitance due to poor cable selection. The Receive timeout (ms) is the length of time the master will wait to receive a response. Decreasing this from the default of 2000 mS (2 Seconds) can often improve network communications, by not waiting too long for a device that may not be responding or offline will improve the overall network operation. By default there is 0 delay between polling the points, by introducing a delay in the Point Poll Delay (ms)  it allows slower devices to handle the data polls from the interface. This is a key setting for slower devices that cannot keep up with the faster polling from the latest Automation Servers and most 3rd party devices will require a value greater than 0. The Silence Characters do not usually need changing in an upgrade, but they can be used to help with poor installations where there is high capacitance in the cabling or poor grounding, this can often be used with lower baud rates on problem sites. The default Poll Duty Cycle is usually appropriate for most installations and is not affected by the upgrades, but can be adjusted if required to match 3rd party devices. In V3.x the same settings apply and the screenshot now looks like this:

Issue The ETL job configuration tool freezes when running the load sources task under the mappings tab. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Extract Transform Load Administration Tool (ETL) Power Manager for SmartStruxure EcoStruxure Web Services (EWS) Enterprise Server Automation Server Cause The ETL default HTTP query size is set to 10 which in some cases can impact the performance of the tool. Resolution Make sure that you read through Energy Expert (Power Manager for SmartStruxure): Best Practices. This article will provide a lot of tips to avoid issues or improve system performance. ETL locks up while loading sources Adjust the HTTP query size to a higher value. This will reduce the number of queries between ETL and the SBO Server. Close ETL. Go to the location where ETL is installed. The default path is C:\Program Files\Schneider Electric\ETL X.X (SBO to PME). Under the Jobs folder there is a project file named "JOB_ETLProjectName.xml". Open this XML file with a text editor. Search for the setting called "ContainerQueryBatchSize". It is set to 10 by default, change it to 100 and save the job. Open the ETL user interface again and try running the Load Sources task. The folder count at the bottom of the screen will increase slower then before because each call is gathering ten times as much data. Note: If the ETL tool locks up again with the query size set to 100, try other values until it is able to complete the task such as 50, 25, etc. ETL takes a very long time to load sources When dealing with very large systems it can take hours for ETL to search through the entire database for all trends. To help reduce the searching time filters can be created to restrict what is exposed to EWS. Go to the System folder EcoStruxure Web Services > EWS Server Configuration. Click on the Filter Hardware Folder tab. Under the "Filter Hardware Folder by Path" section, click on the green addition symbol. In the pop up window, name the path filter and click create. Select the newly created filter path and click on the edit symbol. Enter the path of the folder or item in the database that you want to exclude from EWS. Click Okay. Note: All filter paths created here will NOT be searched by the ETL tool. Save changes. Once the ETL tool has loaded sources and the project has been created, the EWS filters may be removed.

Issue Setting up the override value to show the damper feedback on an i2/B3 866-v Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment i2/B3 866-V Plain English Script Cause Activate the damper position feature in the 866-V. Resolution SBO: See this video on creating a program that calculates damper feedback position.  Also reference the article How to show damper feedback for an i2/b3 866-V which describes what needs to be done to show damper position and calibrate the damper. Sample objects, code and images showing configuration are supplied.   Continuum: There is a description in the 866-V installation manual on how to activate the damper position feature, but there are some additional pieces of information that this article has been created to address. This was initially to just get the feature working as mentioned in the next section below. Getting the damper feedback operational: Once the end stops are determined initially during the Learn process, the controller can then determine the position of the damper. Create a PE program to set the DamperOutput LCDState = Disabled and back to Enabled in the next line. This will run through its stroke to determine the end stops. ‘Example program named "damperstate" Fall thru, auto start ‘a 2 line program to initialize the stops Line 1 Set damper LCDstate to disabled goto 2 Line 2 Set damper LCDstate to enabled stop To run from the command line Run damperstate Note that the Feedback will not start working until the Damper has gone full stroke in both directions. This will take several minutes. Set the damper point to on or –on depending on the position so it will move Print Damper OverrideValue from a command line or display it on a listview of the damper output after adding the overridevalue column Self Calibration - The LCDState toggle actually activates the "self calibrate" process. It doesn't just enable the feature. It is necessary to know this because you will need to activate the self calibration again whenever the damper is manually moved using the red actuator clutch release button. Using the clutch can cause the damper position to be reported incorrectly. Periodic re-calibration should be as a part of normal procedure for the controller. Once the clutch is used, the damper position will still report, but the value may be incorrect. Re-calibrate recommendation- Use a PE program that recalibrates the damper (i.e. LCDState as mentioned in Section A) on manual command by the service technician on a power cycle or at the end of an occupancy period. Note: For controlling the Damper motor output create an Infinity Output point of type Triac on Channel 1. It can then be opened / Closed like any other Triac output with the use of On, -On or Off commands

Issue Performing Load Sources in the EcoStruxure ETL tool causes errors with the following headers:   There was no endpoint listening at http://localhost:8080/EcoStruxure/DataExchange that could accept the message. This is often caused by an incorrect address or SOAP action. See InnerException, if present, for more details. The HTTP request is unauthorized with client authentication scheme 'Digest'. The authentication header received from the server was 'Digest realm="ews@SxWBM",qop="auth",nonce="AEEE5A9347E49ECADC753B5AA17EECE0",OPAQUE="5B4718"'. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Energy Expert (formally Power Manager) Enterprise Server Automation Server Cause The EBO EWS Extract Task settings are incorrect in regards to the EcoStruxure ES or AS that it is trying to access.    There was no endpoint listening at... This error is due to the use of the incorrect port numbers in the EWS Web Service URL.   The HTTP request is unauthorized with client authentication scheme 'Digest'... This error is due to the use of the incorrect admin Username and/or Password.  Resolution The settings of EBO EWS Extract Task need to be verified and corrected.    Click on the Tasks tab in the ETL tool and select the "EWS Extract Task". The extract task settings will be displayed on the right side of the screen.                                                                               Verify that the port number in Web Service URL address corresponds to the port number being used by the ES or AS  Verify that a valid Username and Password has been entered into the EWS Web Service User Name and Web Service Password fields. 

Issue How do I change the Baud Rate of a field bus (either Infinet or Bacnet MSTP) if there is either an Infilink or B-link on the network? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infinet BACnet Cause The Infilink and B-link must have their baud rate set manually. Resolution All Infinet or Bacnet B3 controllers autobaud on initial startup or when the fieldbus commport is changed from the parent controller's commport editor. The Infilink and B-link must have their baud rate set manually. The proper procedure to change the fieldbus baud rate is to first go to the commport editor and change the fieldbus baud rate. At this point a message is sent to all field bus controllers to change their baud rate. They will all change immediately, however the Infilink and B-link have not yet changed, so the bus will now be in a confused state and there will be offline issues. The next step is to go to the Infilink or B-link repeater and manually change the baud rate to the new setting. At this point the network should work normally, however if the procedure is not followed there may be network issues where you have some controllers that are running at different baud rates causing the network to be totally shut down. If this is the case the way to resolve the issue is to make sure the Infilink or B-link repeater is set to the desired baud rate and power down or reset those controllers on the network so that they will all synch up to the correct Baud Rate upon power up. ** Changing many controllers A method that may help when needing to change the baud rate of many controllers is to bypass the b-link Connect segment 1 of the b-link directly to the BCX comm port and change the baud rate Reconnect the B-link and verify the controllers are now online, repeat the baud change if necessary. Repeat this process for each segment You may still have some isolated controllers that need to be powered off/on. Related: BACnet bCX MSTP network loses communication when a b-Link is added or removed

Issue Is a certain version of Technician Tool Mobile Application compatible with all versions of StruxureWare Building Operation? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Technician Tool Automation Server Enterprise Server Cause The Technician Tool will always be backwards compatible, meaning that the latest version of the tool will work with any version of SBO. Older versions of the Technician Tool may not work with a newer version of SBO. Resolution Please note: Mobile experience to be replaced with EcoStruxure™ Building Operation v2.0 WebStation. For further information, please refer to Notice of Withdrawal of the Building Operation Technician Tool Always use the latest version of Technician Tool Mobile Application when possible, as that will work with all SBO versions.

Issue When attempting to access the dashboard URL via the web browser or in SBO Workstation, the following message is displayed. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Energy Expert Environment Power Manager 1.2 and newer Power Manager Expert 8.1 and newer Building Operation Workstation Cause A Power Manager 1.2 or newer system running a permanent license allows the user to a log into the Management Console, manual authentication URL, and through the EWS interface in SmartStruxure Workstation. After upgrading to the latest version of Power Manager this access no longer works. The Ports match in License Manager and FlexNet and this site has previously worked. The cause to this issue is that the URL being used has changed starting in PME 8.1. Resolution This issue is due to a change made in the dashboards URL starting in Power Manager 1.2 / Power Manager Expert 8.1. The URL needs to be changed by replacing "Web" with "Dashboards" in the URL found in the EWS link settings or when logging in directly with a web browser.    Example: http://XXXX/SystemDataService/Auth/LogOnWithMultiuseAuthToken?RedirectUrl=http%3a%2f%2fFS2%2fWeb%2f%3fDisplayEmbedded%3dTrue&multiuseAuthToken=11324... http://XXXX/SystemDataService/Auth/LogOnWithMultiuseAuthToken?RedirectUrl=http%3a%2f%2fFS2%2fDashboards%2f%3fDisplayEmbedded%3dTrue&multiuseAuthToken=11324...   Also in the newer versions of Power Manager, there is a limit regarding what can be accessed in PME when using a Power Manager license. In Power Manager 1.2 and on you can access: /Reporter /Dashboards /Trends /HierarchyManager /RateEditor and use the integration toolkit to get into SBO if necessary. Power Manager is now known as EcoStruxure Energy Expert.

Issue The following error is generated during the SQL Configuration step for 1.8 Reports Server Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment WebReports Installer Cause This can happen for various reasons: Possible cause 1 The Microsoft .NET Framework installation is damaged after installing Microsoft SQL Server. Possible cause 2 In one of the steps during SQL installation, we have to configure NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. If user fails to change this and move ahead with default user then create database step would fail. Possible cause 3 The operating system is not using English as its selected language. Resolution Solution 1 Quit the WebReports Installer Package Remove/reinstall or repair .NET Framework 4.5 (Available from Microsoft .NET download site or direct download - WebInstaller - OfflineInstaller) Repeat the installation of WebReports Solution 2 Set the SQL server service log on properties to "Local System" (NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM) Restart the SQL server service Repeat the installation of WebReports Solution 3 Replace the WebReports OS with an English version of Windows. 

Issue What address to use to email/SMS alarms from a SmartStruxure Server, Xenta controller, or Vista to a cell phone Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Xenta Servers Xenta 511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Vista Server Automation Server Enterprise Server Email, SMS, Text Alarms Cause Vista and SmartStruxure are only capable of sending out SMTP email alarms; however, it can accomplish a "paging" or SMS functionality by sending emails to mobile providers' default email addresses. Resolution For the following services use: T-Mobile 0123456789@tmomail.net Virgin Mobile 0123456789@vmobl.com Cingular 0123456789@cingularme.com Sprint 0123456789@messaging.sprintpcs.com Verizon 0123456789@vtext.com Nextel 0123456789@messaging.nextel.com AT&T 0123456789@txt.att.net 0123456789 = the 10 digit cell phone number When setting up the "From" email address in the Server Setup, it needs to have an @xyz.com for example, at the end of the from address to allow the text message to go through. Note that these addresses could change and you should consult your service provider for details.

Issue While Continuum controllers and EcoStruxure controllers do not utilize Power over Ethernet (POE), can plugging in a Continuum or EcoStruxure controller into a POE switch damage either the POE port or the controller? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment PoE Ethernet Cause Controllers must be installed on a subnet served by a POE switch. Resolution According to the IEEE standard, a POE switch shall determine if the connected device is POE capable before turning on the power. The detection if a connected unit is POE capable is done by measuring the resistance between the pair #2 - #3 and pairs #1 - #4. On a POE capable unit the resistance is 25kohm, with some tolerance. If it is lower or higher it is not considered to be POE capable. As there are no Continuum or EcoStruxure ethernet controllers that apply a 25K ohm load, a properly functioning switch port will not enable PoE power and the device will not be damaged. Find information on the PoE standard in the Fundamentals of Power Over Internet (PoE) PDF

Issue Too much LON communications traffic can cause LON communications errors. Product Line TAC IA Series, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment I/A Series MNL 800 Building Operation Automation Server Premium LON Network  I/A Series R2, AX, N4 Jace LON Network Cause Sending output LON SNVT values too frequently or more often than reasonably needed. Resolution There are a series of NCI (configuration) objects that control the transmission and reception of these data values on the LON network. One of four NCI objects (nciSndHeartBeatA, B, C, or D) is assigned to each NVO object in the application program. This value regulates the periodic LON transmission queuing of the NVO object values for each binding. One of four NCI  objects (nciRcvHeartBeatA, B, C, or D) is assigned to each NVI object in the application program. This value regulates the fallback timeout for each NVI object value. If a value is not received via the binding in this time period, the NVI object value will revert to its application-defined default value. In an MNL-800 controller, there are two additional NCI objects that are used to regulate the flow of data onto the LON network. The nciMinOutTime object is used to throttle the transmission of all data values queued to be sent via bindings over the LON network. This NCI object sets the transmission time interval between each NVO value being sent on the network. The important fact here is that the product of the number of bound NVO values times this interval (nciMinOutTime) must be LESS than the shortest nciSndHeartBeatX (X=A, B, C or D) interval. For example, if the Send HeartBeat is set to the default of 120 seconds and there are 60 NVO SNVTs bound from this controller, the nciMinOutTime must be set to a value of fewer than 2 seconds.  The recommendation for setting this SNVT value one half the shortest nciSntHrtBr divided by the number of NVO SNVTs bound from the controller.   The nciMinPropTm object is used to regulate the transmission queuing of changing bound NVO object values. This timer acts as a time-based filter to prevent a rapidly changing NVO value, such as a constantly changing temperature, from overwhelming the communication capacity of the LON network. Typically this value is set to a value of 1 to 5 seconds. Additional information can be found in Chapter 6 of the WorkPlace Tech Tool 4.0 Engineering Guide (F-27254). BACKGROUND: This section is provided to give the reader a basic understanding of bound LON communications, as applied to LON controllers in general. Data communications across a LON network is accomplished by using a LON Network management tool to create a binding between a device with a data source (NVO object) and one or more devices with data receivers (NVI objects) in other LON controllers. The device containing the data source will send the bound data value at a periodic rate, as defined by the associated SendHeartBeat NCI object, and whenever the value of that object changes. If the NVI object does not receive a value from the sender (bound NVO object) within a specified time period, as defined by the associated ReceiveHeartBeat NCI object, the NVI object will use a local fallback value until such time as it receives a new value via the binding.

Issue StatusBackup "State" system variable is not able to be manually changed and attempting to set this variable to Enabled produces a script error instead of resetting the flash circuit breaker. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation v1.8 and below. b3/i2 Controllers Cause Feature to reset flash circuit breaker was not implemented in the earlier versions of Building Operation Resolution A new feature to reset the flash circuit breaker was implemented in Building Operation v1.9 to address this issue. The b3 BACnet Device Memory on-line help topic shows how this is manually reset from the WorkStation in the Device menu.

Issue The communication with TAC Xenta controllers is slow or inconsistent Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment TAC Xenta LonWorks communication Cause The Non group receiver timer is not properly set. Every device has a timer called Non group receive timer. The Non group receive timer is used to make sure that a re-sent Lon package will not be treated as a new message and to determine when a receiver buffer can be released. It is used in Acknowledged, Repeated and Request/Response transactions, but not in Unacknowledged ones. If this timer is set too low, a re-sent package, like Unacknowledged repeated message, may be treated as new messages, that will be sent on to the application. The communication buffers will not be released until the timer has expired. If the timer is set too long, that may result in the device running out of buffers, and new messages will not be received during this time. If a device has many SNVTs or TACNV’s being transferred there may be a need to increase the value of the Non group receiver timer. The default value for a programmable Xenta device is 768 ms. Resolution Change the Non group receive timer of the Xenta devices. The default value for a programmable TAC Xenta device is 768 ms. The recommended timer values are:   Number of network variables Non group receive timer value < 50 768 ms (default) 50 – 100 1024 ms > 100 1536 ms     The default value for the AS and AS-P  is 8,092 ms. There is no need to change that value.

Issue Existing documentation for showing damper feedback and provide damper calibration is applicable only for Continuum and the same steps will not work in SmartStruxure. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartStruxure i2866-V b3866-V Cause Damper feedback and calibration for these controllers do not work the same in SmartStruxure as they do in Continuum. Resolution The correct damper feedback can be shown, but will require a script program to correctly calculate this and then write this back to an Analog_Value. Unfortunately, it is not possible to bind directly to the "LCD State" attribute to be able to toggle this (and the damper calibration feature) from within a Script Program. For now, toggle this attribute of the Damper Output manually from "enabled" to "disabled" and back. This will set the damper to drive closed fully, then open fully, then to about 75%. After this is calibrated properly the "Override Value" attribute in the Damper Output will update with likely a very large and strange-looking number. To convert this to something usable, multiply this value by 100 to give a percentage open value. See Zip file with XML code and screenshots of the configuration with notes. Either import supplied XML file into b3866-v or create below objects: Create DamperOutput as a multistate output. Assign to channel 1. Create DamperPos AnalogValue. Create Script Program Damper_Position and input code as shown in image. This will be a looping program. Bind DamperOverrideValue to the OverrideValue attribute of the Damper Output and DamperPosition to the DamperPos AnalogValue we created earlier. See image for details. After the points and program is created and the damper calibrated, you should see the DamperPos AnalogValue update with a live representation of the current Damper Position.

Issue In the Xenta Servers, it is possible to set the communication port to RS232 or RS485. In EBO this is not possible on the Automation Server (AS) Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Building Operation Automation Server  Xenta 500 Xenta 700 Xenta 900 Cause The AS serial ports are RS-485, not RS-232. Resolution There are two solutions to consider when Xenta is using an RS-232 connection: If the connected device also has a RS-485 connection switch to that. (Optionally replace the device with one that has RS-485.) Use a RS-232/RS-485 converter. The converter must have automatic data direction detection and control on the RS-485 side, since our Automation Server devices have no RTS signal (to enable the transmitter) available externally.

Issue Supplemental Documentation on the Menta/Function Block PID simple blocks Product Line TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Menta/Function Block editor Cause The document below is intended to clarify some of the more subtle aspects of the Menta/Function Block PID blocks and when/how to use them. Resolution A Brief Overview of PID Control Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control is a generic feedback control loop algorithm. A PID controller calculates the error from the desired setpoint of a measured variable. It then adjusts the control output accordingly to try and minimize this error. Parameters used in the calculation must be tuned according to the system they are employed to control. The three prominent parameters are the proportional, integral, and derivative values. The proportional value affects the change in the output signal based upon the current error from setpoint. The integral value works based on the sum of the most recent errors. The derivative value reacts based on the rate at which the error has been changing. The weighted sum of these three actions is used to adjust the control output. The most typical application used in HVAC controls is actually a proportional-integral control with no derivative influence (PI). Derivative action is very sensitive to measurement noise, and generally considered too complex for the relatively limited benefit to slower, more easily controlled loops.   Three Types of PID Blocks in Menta Menta has three different simple blocks for PID control. They are: PIDI, PIDP, and PIDA (links to Web Help). PIDI PIDI is a PID controller with an incremental output. It is designed to be used together with two digital pulse output (DOPU) blocks in control loops with increase/decrease actuators. Input parameters to the PIDI will influence the operation of the controlled output in the same way as the analog PID blocks. The output, however, will not show a percentage. The end user will only be able to force an “open” or “close” command to the actuator – not set it to a desired percentage. Examples of how to use PIDI are explored later in the document. PIDP PIDP is the newer of the two analog output PID controllers in Menta. Because of this, it can only be used in Xenta controllers with a system program version of 3.6 or later. In Menta, under Options > Device Specification, it may be necessary to set the file to system version 3.6 or later during the programming phase. PIDP differs from PIDA in 4 distinct ways: PIDP will remain in saturation for a longer time than PIDA. The integral portion of the calculation keeps a running sum of previous error adjustments. Because of this, it can “wind up” a stored integral response. There is an anti-wind up mechanism to combat the effect, but PIDA has no wind up at all. In PIDP, a change in the setpoint value will not cause a step change when using PI or PID control. The measured error is not from the setpoint input, but rather from the last sampled measured value. The PID block samples a measured variable any time it is inside the deadzone. The allows for the calculation’s setpoint to equal the edge of the deadzone and have a less dramatic response to exiting the deadzone. The other time it will sample a new measured variable is any time a control coefficient is changed. This is an important distinction to be aware of during tuning operations. It may be useful to force the measured variable equal to setpoint after altering tuning parameters. The tracking of the tracking signal is not instantaneous in PIDP, as opposed to PIDA. Looping back the output to the TSg tracking signal feedback input will not cause the PID to stay synched with an overridden output. Additional logic is needed to switch the Mode to 0 for one program cycle in order to lock in the feedback signal any time it does not equal the output signal. The D-part is not as sensitive to measurement noise in PIDP as in PIDA. PIDA PIDA uses the following equation to calculate its output: where e is the control error, y is the measured value (MV), G is the controller Gain, Ti is the integral time, Td is the derivative time and h is the Control Interval (ControlInt), i.e. the time between two successive updates of the controller output signal. While analyzing and understanding this formula is beneficial to fully understanding the PID simple block, do not get too mired in the details. This document will help to demystify input parameters to make the PID work in a number of situations. For the purpose of this document, a PIDA will be assumed for all applications.   Inputs to the PIDA Block MV Measured value is the process variable for the PID controller. It is an input value of type Real. Examples of this would be a room temperature, a return air CO2 level, or a hot water differential pressure. SP Setpoint is the desired value of the measured value. It is an input value of type Real. It could be a static value (Operator “Real const”), adjustable from the front end (Simple Block “PVR”), a stepping value, or a modulating value. If the setpoint is likely to change often, it is recommended to use the PIDA block as opposed to PIDP. Mod The mode input to the PID block will control its action and enable or disable the control output. It is an input value of type Integer. There are four possible modes: Mode = 0 Web Help lists this mode as, “Off, controller stopped.” A more accurate description would be, “The value present at the TSg input will pass through to the output.” If the looped back output value is not changing, then the PID output will freeze. Mode = 1 Normal control. A new output value will be calculated on every Control Interval. Mode = 2 Controller output forced to UMax. This could be used on a hot water valve when freeze protection is enabled. Mode = 3 Controller output forced to UMin. This typically represents the “off” position of a PID. G Gain is the proportional parameter of the PID control. It is an input value of type Real. It is represented by the following equation: To arrive at an appropriate default value for Gain, three parameters must be considered: UMax, UMin, and proportional band. In typical applications, UMin and UMax will be 0% and 100%, respectively. This is because most valve or damper actuators are going to control between 0-100%. For the following examples, this will be assumed, but do not discount the effect it will have on default Gain parameters if these values change (such as in a cascade control application). Appropriate default parameters are merely in the same mathematical order of magnitude as the final tuned value. Rarely will the default parameter result in perfect operation of the control loop. It is only intended to get close enough to provide decently steady control until proper tuning can take place. It is usually easier to think in terms of proportional band than proportional Gain. Consider a room temperature. What would be an appropriate band around the setpoint to maintain? Perhaps ±5°F. If ±5°F is selected, that would result in a 10°F proportional band. Plug that into the equation along with the assumed UMin and UMax values: This would result in a default Gain of 10. It is important to remember that Gain is a unit-less value. A Gain of 10 is neither large nor small – merely relative to the process variable and anticipated error from setpoint. Consider a PID controlling an outside air damper to maintain an outside air flow of 1000cfm. Would a proportional band of 10cfm make sense in this situation? Probably not. A more appropriate value might be a band of 500cfm. Plug this into the same equation as before: In the case of air flow control, because the process variable and anticipated error from setpoint are so much larger than in temperature control, a more appropriate default Gain would be 0.2. In a third situation, consider a PID controlling static air pressure in a supply duct by modulating a variable speed fan. A proportional band of 500”wc would not make sense. A band of 0.8”wc might be more appropriate. In the instance of static air pressure, a default Gain of 125 would be suitable. Comparing these three situations with Gains of 0.2, 10, and 125, they will all have relatively similar speeds in the control loop. Just by glancing at these values alone, it cannot be said that any of them are “bigger” or “faster” than the others without a more in depth mathematical analysis. In addition to the value of the Gain, the sign is also important. Positive values represent reverse acting PIDs like a hot water valve where the signal to the valve will decrease as the room temperature increases. Negative values represent direct acting PIDs like a chilled water valve where the signal to the valve will increase as the room temperature increases. To avoid confusion at the front end, and reduce the possibility that end users will accidentally reverse the action of a PID, it is best practice to always use a positive value PVR to represent the value of the Gain. Then use an Expression absolute value operator “ABS()” to remove any sign and apply a negative value when necessary. Using this method, the Gain from the front end will always appear as a positive value and no consideration for the proper action of the PID will need to be taken after the programming phase is complete. Ti Ti is the integral time, or the integral portion of the PID control. It is an input value of type Real. Adding integral control to a straight proportional algorithm helps to avoid “controlling to an offset.” It is theoretically possible that a chilled water valve at 40% is exactly the amount of chilled water required to maintain a supply air temperature of 58°F, even if the setpoint is 55°F. If the error in the signal never changes, then the proportional algorithm will not change the output signal. And an offset has been achieved and will now be maintained indefinitely. Integral time will eliminate this possibility. Every Control Interval that the temperature remains above the setpoint, integral control will add a little more to the control output. This will cause the measured variable to always approach the setpoint. Because this value does have units (seconds) it is possible to compare one integral time value to the next. Ti is inversely proportional to the integral effect in the formulation of the next control output. In general, the smaller the Ti value, the more integral control will affect the control output. A value of 50 seconds would have a very large impact on the output. A value of 2500 seconds would hardly affect the control output at all. The exception to this rule is that a value of 0 seconds will disable integral control. Typical default values fall anywhere between 250-1000 seconds. Some PID solutions may be susceptible to “integral wind up” where the internal calculation desires and integral response beyond the output limits. When the control signal reverses, the integral wind up must be reversed before the output sees the change. In the PIDA algorithm, integral wind up is not a concern. Td Derivative time is also measured in seconds and represents the D portion of the PID. It is an input value of type Real. Derivative control is generally considered too complex and sensitive to measurement noise to be of sufficient benefit to HVAC control. A Simple Block “PVR” set to a value of 0 seconds will disable derivative control, but allow the tuner to add derivative control if desired. DZ Dead zone refers to the amount above and below the desired setpoint that will result in no change to the control output. It is an input value of type Real. This differs from the concept of a proportional band in that it is not centered around the value. While a proportional band of 10°F represents ±5°F around setpoint, a dead zone of 10°F would represent ±10°F around setpoint. A dead zone is helpful to reduce “hunting” of the control output where it repeatedly rises and falls when a steady output would cause the control variable to steady out. Typical values depend on the process variable. For a supply air temperature, anywhere from 0.25°F to 0.5°F would suffice. For outside air flow, anywhere from 50cfm to 100cfm might be appropriate. In a supply air static pressure control loop, limiting the dead zone to 0.1”wc would suffice. TSg TSg is short for tracking signal. It is an input value of type Real. The internal equation uses this as the value of the previous control signal. It should be looped back to the PID from the output signal. This might be directly from the output of the PID, or it may be after some external logic. The TSg input can be used in another way as well. When the PID is in Mode 0, the TSg value passes directly through to the output signal. By setting the PID to Mode 0 for the first second of a control period, initial positions other than UMin or UMax can be achieved. It can also be used to keep a PID in synch with an output that has been overridden by the front end. If the PID is controlling a physical output AO, then the output of the AO should be looped back to the PID.   Configuration Parameters of the PIDA Block ControlInt The Control Interval represents the number of seconds in between each successive calculation of outputs. If this value is set to 0 seconds, then the Control Interval will match the cycle time of the application. The Control Interval should be thought of in terms of how long a change in the control output will take before the impact is realized on the measured variable. Consider three scenarios: Scenario 1: A variable speed drive modulates a pump speed to maintain chilled water differential pressure. Because water is incompressible, a change in the pump speed results in an almost immediate change in the pressure. A Control Interval of 1 second is appropriate in this scenario. Scenario 2: A chilled water valve modulates to maintain a supply air temperature setpoint. The supply air temperature sensor is a few feet down the duct from the chilled water coil. A PID controller moves the chilled water valve from 0% to 10%. How long will it take before the supply air temperature starts to fall? Granted, there are several X factors in this equation, but a good guess might be around 20 seconds. A Control Interval of 20 seconds is appropriate in this scenario. Scenario 3: A supply air temperature setpoint modulates to maintain a large auditorium's temperature setpoint in a classic cascade control configuration. A chilled water valve then modulates to maintain the supply air temperature setpoint. Room temperature dictates that the supply air temperature setpoint should drop from 60°F to 55°F. How long will it take before this change in setpoint causes the room temperature to fall? It may take a full minute, perhaps even several minutes before that change has an affect at the room temperature sensor. A Control Interval of 80 seconds, while seeming very slow, is perfectly appropriate here. Correctly configured Control Intervals will allow one change in position to have an effect on the measured variable before a second (or third, or fourth...) change is made. A proper Control Interval will stop the valve from overshooting unnecessarily. UMin UMin is the minimum possible output of a PID controller. In most applications (valve and damper actuators) this will be set to 0%. In the case of a cascade control supply air setpoint PID, it might be set to 50°F. If the hardware output has a minimum position (say on an outside air damper), it is best to accomplish this with secondary logic as opposed to using the PID UMin. Otherwise if the PID is made public to the front end, the user will never see this value drop to 0, even if the control output is at 0. UMax UMax is the maximum possible output of a PID controller. In most applications (valve and damper actuators) this will be set to 100%. In the case of a cascade control supply air setpoint PID, it might be set to 90°F. StrokeTime The name Stroke Time refers to the manufacturer specified stroke time of a physical actuator. By setting the PID to the same stroke time as the valve it is controlling, it is guaranteed not to “wind up” faster than it is possible for the valve to react. Whenever possible, set the stroke time to match the physical stroke time of the actuator it is controlling. However, stroke time can be thought of in another way. It is used to calculate DuMax, the maximum rate of change of the controller output during one Control Interval. In the case of a chilled water valve that modulates between 0% and 100% with a Control Interval of 20 seconds, see how a stroke time of 180 seconds affects the DuMax: A stroke time of 0 seconds will not limit the rate of change at all in the controller. Based on the error and the Gain, it could potentially jump the full 100% stroke at once. By setting the stroke time to 180 seconds, the amount that the control signal can move every 20 seconds is now limited to 11.11%. It is not proper practice to employ stroke time as a tuning mechanism of a PID. It should be set prior to and independent from the tuning process.   Output of a PIDA Block The output of a PIDA block will usually control a hardware output from a Xenta controller. Because of this, it is typically connected to a Menta Simple Block “AO.” In Function Block it may be output to an analog value or hardware output.   Output of a PIDI Block A PIDI controls a floating actuator using two Simple Block “DOPU” digital pulse outputs. The PIDI will output a value between -1 and 1, which the DOPU block converts into the appropriate pulse lengths. Inverting the decrease signal will pulse the actuator closed when the output of the PIDI is negative.   The downside to PIDI control is that there is no percentage value to report to the front end about the position of the actuator. This is why use of the PIDI is somewhat rare. The same control can be accomplished using a PIDA with some external logic to pulse the floating actuator open and closed. Using a “virtual feedback” signal to mathematically monitor the assumed position of the floating actuator allows the end-user to view a percentage open signal for the actuator. It also allows them to override the Not-Connected AO to a certain position and have the floating actuator travel to that position just as an analog output would. The following example converts a Not-Connected AO from a PIDA into pulse output DOs from the controller. Public Signals and Public Constants All of the parameters that go into the operation of a PID need to be considered when tuning its operation. Eventually, one will come to the question of what parameters need to be made available from the front end. While some thoughts might end up on the well-meaning, under-trained end-user who could potentially wreak havoc by adjusting values, it is more important to consider the startup technician. If a value is not public from the front end, then a download must be performed to make any changes to any values. By making every parameters public by default (and only selectively removing certain parameters during exceptions) less time will be spent in the field during start up. After the PIDs have been tuned, it is always possible to remove certain values from being public. The exceptions are UMin and UMax, which when controlling a valve or a damper are almost always 0% and 100%. If desired, these can usually be hard-coded into the PID with little consideration. However, they can also be made available from the front end with little or no ill effects. Floating, PID, or Cascade Control There are three main control loop algorithms to consider when programming. Which one best suits the application is really a factor of the control loop speed. Consider the three options: Floating Floating control (also called bump control) involves making small, measured adjustments to the control signal on specified intervals. This is usually the best option any time a variable speed drive is involved. This is because these drives typically control supply fan static pressure or hot/cold water pump differential pressure. Both of these are very fast control loops. A slight change in the speed of the drive results in an almost instantaneous change in the measured variable. Floating control reacts more gradually to these quick changes. It compares the measured variable to the setpoint, and if it is too high, it bumps the control signal down a little bit. If the measured variable is too low, it bumps the control signal up a little bit. PIDs can (and often have been) used successfully to control very fast control loops. However, they are typically tuned to closely resemble floating control – low Control Interval, very little proportional control, very high integral control. In the end, it may be easier for a technician to understand and adjust “1% every 5 seconds” than “a Gain of 125 and an integral time of 175 seconds.” The other advantage to floating control is its adaptability. When tuning a PID, it is tuned to one exact set of circumstances – a certain load on the building, a certain volume of piping, etc. If enough of those conditions change by enough, the PID can be sent into oscillations. Floating control will not be affected by these changes. Consider a PID tuned to control a chilled water pump, which maintains differential pressure during the winter when loads are low. During the summer, a manual valve is opened to provide cooling to the athletics storage shed that was unoccupied all winter. This will increase both the demand for cooling and the volume of the pipe. This could potentially render the PID useless. However, a floating control will not react any differently. It will simply increase and decrease the speed as needed. See an example of floating control: The downside to floating control is that there is no proportional control. It will not take a bigger step size when the error is high. To combat this, and especially to aid during startup of equipment, this floating control macro utilizes two different step sizes – one for when error is low, and one for when error is high. By setting the threshold sufficiently high, this will cause more rapid acceleration during startup, and then quickly revert back to normal control during normal operation. This same code will also work relatively well for any size or nature of supply fan or supply pump. Minor adjustment of the parameters may be needed, but it will give a very decent starting point. PID PID control is for control loops of moderate speed. It can be thought of as the "valves and dampers" control method. A chilled water valve modulating to control supply air temperature or a damper modulating to control outside air flow are two examples of when PID control is appropriate. It is a source of debate whether PID control is appropriate in different situations. Some attest that a PID loop can be tuned to accurately control in any situation, including those where this document recommends either floating or cascade control. While this is certainly true, just because a PID can be used, does not mean that it is always the most appropriate solution, or that it will continue to work even as conditions change. Cascade Control Cascade control is used in very slow control loops. It is called cascade because two PIDs are used in a cascading arrangement – the output of the first is the setpoint of the second. An example of when to use cascade control is to modulate a chilled water valve to maintain the space temperature in a very large gym or auditorium. A small change in the chilled water valve position could take a very long time to have an effect at the sensor. If a regular PID is used, it is likely that the PID will wind up all the way to 100% output before the sensor ever experiences the first adjustment's effect. Then it will stay at 100% until it over-cools the space and starts decreasing the call for cooling. The same thing will happen on the reverse side as it modulates all the way to 0% and under-cools the space. And the cycle will continue indefinitely. In this cascade configuration, the supply air temperature setpoint is modulated based on the room temperature and setpoint. The chilled water valve PID then maintains the supply temperature. This will allow control that is more accurate and prevent the oscillation sometimes seen by inappropriate use of a single PID.   Putting It Into Practice There are college courses devoted entirely to the subject of PID control. The subjects covered in this document have barely scratched the surface of the topic. The intent is to give the average Menta/Function Block programmer and field technician the information needed to get a system up and running in as little time as possible with the most satisfied customer possible. Understanding when and why to use PID control will increase accuracy and efficiency of control loops and decrease wasteful overshoot, hunting, and oscillation. Tuning efforts will also be accelerated when the default parameters only require minor tweaking instead of calculation and trial and error. Using the hints and tips suggested will allow not only for proper programming techniques, but also for creation of macro libraries that can be reused and shared to improve effectiveness across business units.

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue Finding the correct procedure for migrating Infinet controllers from a Continuum controller fieldbus to an AS-P. Product Line Andover Continuum,EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum Cyberstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium (1.9 onwards) Building Operation Automation Server Bundled (1.9 onwards) Cause The wrong procedure has been followed which is not the approved and tested procedure to be used when migrating Infinet controllers from Continuum to EBO.  Resolution Procedure for Converting / Transitioning the Infinet Bus Prior to migrating the Infinet Using the conversion tool and other engineering efforts, create the AS-P database for all Infinet devices, Infinet, Interface items, etc. in either a live AS-P or in the PCT. At the site From Continuum CyberStation,  the following must be completed to each Infinet controller that you are moving to an AS-P. Upgrade all Infinet devices that are going to be converted to the latest firmware version.  Firmware upgrading capability will not be available in EBO until a future release. Clear the memory of all Infinet devices involved before relocated to the AS-P com port by editing the controller object and selecting Runtime > Reset. If the conversion was done on the PCT, deploy the AS-P. Verify that the AS-P firmware is 1.9.0.73 or higher. Disconnect Infinet bus from the Continuum controller com port(s). Move the Infinet bus (busses) to the corresponding RS485 port(s) on the AS-P. Confirm that the Infinet devices are all showing online under the AS-P Download the Infinet devices. * Backup all Infinet devices to flash memory.   *  If the Infinet devices share data with other Infinet devices then it may be necessary to repeat this step in order to establish the complete Import/Export table. PLEASE NOTE The above steps are important! If not followed, offline and bus problems can occur. There may be a desire to skip the rest of the controllers, but the steps must be followed The likelihood is high that there will be substantial difficulties in getting the i2 controllers online and in a stable state to accept the download files. All of the Infinet controllers must be reset in Continuum before moving the bus to the AS-P.  The controllers should then be backup up to flash memory to ensure that they do not revert to their Continuum configuration following a cold start. If problems occur that make it necessary to abort the migration process and return the controllers to the Continuum system, all of the Infinet controller must have their memory cleared before re-attaching the bus on the comm port of the original Continuum controller.  For those controllers which have not established communications under the AS-P, this will mean performing a hard reset at the Infinet controller hardware. At no time should the Infinet bus be connected to the both the AS-P and the Continuum controller at the same time as this  confuses the Infinet controllers causes communications issues that will take some time to resolve. Please also see the "Infinet under the hood" community post Continuum Conversion Tool NOTES V3.0.x and v3.1.x Conversion Tools should not be used. The Workaround is to use the 2.0 Conversion Tool then upgrade. (The Conversion tool was fixed by v3.1.2.6000 (CP5)) V3.2.x onwards the Conversion Tool operates correctly v4.0.3 has an issue converting Infinet controllers, 4.01 or 4.02 should be used instead Now fixed in v4.0.3.5005 CP3 see Known Issues 

Issue Step-by-step instructions for calibrating airflow on a Xenta 102-AX (or I/NET MR-VAV-AX) using the M/STAT. Test and air balance procedure for balancing airflow Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Xenta 102-AX MR-VAV-AX M/STAT Cause The preferred method for calibrating airflow in Xenta 102-AX or MR-VAV-AX is through the plug-in.  However, this is not always an option, especially when the responsibility for calibrating is given to a third party test and balance company.  Pocket references exist for navigating through the M/STAT menu, but there aren't clear step-by-step instructions to tell exactly how to perform the calibration. Resolution Click here to download this document in Microsoft Word format Connect M/STAT Plug the M/STAT into the jack on the thermostat. The initial display shows the set temperature.   Enter Password Press the Service button. This prompts you to enter the service mode password. Default password is 183. Use the +/- keys to set each digit and the enter key to submit. If the password is incorrect, the display will blink. Airflow Parameters If the password is correct, the first menu option – Unit Parameters (UP) – is displayed. Hit the select button down twice until Airflow Parameters (AP) is displayed. Press enter. Cooling Low Flow Setpoint The first option is Cooling Low Flow Setpoint (CLF). Press enter to view the setpoint (divided by 1000). Record this value. Press the service key to escape out of the menu. Cooling High Flow Setpoint Navigate to Cooling High Flow Setpoint (CHF). Press enter to view the value (divided by 1000). Record this value. Press the service key to escape out of the menu. Reset Factory Calibration Navigate to Factory Calibration Settings (FCS) and press enter. Use the change keys to display “YES” and press the enter key. This will set the box back to default settings. This is a good idea to do prior to every calibration. Press the service key to escape out of the menu. Calibrate Low Airflow Navigate to Calibrate Low Airflow (CPL). Press enter and the current airflow is displayed. Wait for the airflow to reach the CLF and level out. Once the value is steady at setpoint, press the enter key only once. The display does not change. Enter Actual Low Airflow Measure the actual airflow. Use the change keys to set the display value to the measured value. Press the enter key. Choose One or Two-Point Now Calibrate High Airflow (CPH) is displayed. If one-point (offset only) calibration is desired, press the service key to escape out of this mode and calibration is complete. If two-point (gain and offset) calibration is desired, press enter to continue to the next step. Calibrate High Airflow The current airflow is displayed again. Wait for it to rise to meet the CHF and level out. Once the value is steady at setpoint, press the enter key only once. The display does not change. Enter Actual High Airflow Measure the actual airflow. Use the change keys to set the display value to the measured value. Press the enter key. CPH is displayed again, this time as a general menu item. Escape Service Mode Press the service key to escape out of the menu. If you are finished configuring the box, escape all the way back out of the service menu before disconnecting the M/STAT. Disconnecting in configuration mode can leave the stat displaying “00” or other incorrect numbers.

Issue Values sent from a 102-AX via SNVT bindings are not making it to the receiving controller. Viewing the outbound SNVT on the 102-AX shows a value, but the inbound SNVT on another controller is invalid or a default value. Product Line TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Xenta 102-AX LNS SNVT bindings LonMaker NL220 Cause The Node Configuration parameters are set with a send heartbeat of 0 seconds, which tells the controller to never send an update on the output SNVT.  All 102-AXs come with a default send heartbeat of 0 seconds, so for them to function in an LNS network where they must send data to another controller, the send heartbeat must be set to something greater than 0 seconds. Resolution Open the Xenta 102-AX device Plug-in Go to the Node Configuration Tab Set the Node Minimum Send Time (SCPTminSendTime) to a non-zero value. The range is 0-6553.4 seconds. nvoSpaceTemp nvoStatOccBtn nvoSetPtOffset nvoLocalOccLatch nvoEmergCmd nvoUnitStatus nvoBoxFlow nvoTerminalLoad nvoEffectSetPt nvoFlowControlPt nvoOccpncyStatus Set the Node Send Heartbeat (SCPTmaxSendTime) to a non-zero value. The range is 0-6553.4 seconds. nvoAirFlow nvoAuxTemp1 nvoAuxTemp2 nvoUnvInput1 nvoUnvInput2 nvoUnvInput3 nvoUnvInput4 nvoCO2sensor nvoFanLoad nvoHeat1Load nvoHeat2Load nvoMotorPositn nvoActualValue nvoOAirFlowRatio nvoAirPressure It is typical to set the Node Minimum Send Time and the Node Send Heartbeat to 60 seconds and the Node Receive Heartbeat to 0 seconds.