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Label: "andover continuum"

View in: "Building Automation Knowledge Base" | Community

2208 Posts | First Used: 2018-09-06

Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue In the datasheet some controllers have a software real time clock, others list a real time clock Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinet and BACnet MS/TP field controllers Cause Clarification on the operation of the 2 types of controller clock Resolution The current range of controllers have 2 different clock types, all Ethernet level controllers and the larger i2 and b3 controllers have a Real Time Clock (RTC) chip fitted with quartz crystal control for very accurate time keeping, also the controllers onboard battery will permanently keep the clock running. Some of the lower cost controllers do not have a RTC chip fitted but the controllers software operating system will update the clock every second. If the controller is not running (powered off) the clock will not update, however when a controller is connected back onto the network (Infinet or MS/TP) it will be synchronized back to the bCX or CX level controller time. So if the controller is to be ever used in a stand alone mode, it is recommended to use one with a Real Time Clock fitted. For comparison to the clocks used on the Infinity range of controllers see How do our field controllers keep their own internal time?

Issue How to export personnel records to a .CSV file in Continuum Environment Continuum Explorer Cause -none- Resolution 1. In Continuum Explorer, right-click on the Personnel folder, and select View. This will open the PersonnelClassDefault Listview that will contain all personnel records 2. In the listview, select Object > Export All. The Open dialog box will appear. 3. Create or select a folder on the hard drive and indicate a file name (*.csv), then click Open. If the file is newly created, it will ask you ant to create it. Select Yes. The CSV file will be created. 4. Have a look at the video tutorial: http://community.se.com/videos/1562

Issue If primary access server is not online, how do the access controllers know to send the events to the secondary access server? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation 1.74 and higher CX99xx ACX57xx ACx7xx Cause On a LAN system, customer lost access events for 3 hours when primary access server was offline. Once back online the events showed up. The secondary access server was never setup. Since the controllers did not know about the secondary access server, they buffered the access events until the primary was back online. Resolution On a LAN system make sure you set up both primary and secondary access servers and make sure all access controllers are online when you do the Teach. When you do a teach, each controller creates a list of the workstations and other controllers. When you click the primary access server checkbox in the workstation editor and hit apply, CyberStation automatically pops up the Teach dialog box. When the Teach is done the primary access server attribute gets turned on in the above list in each controller that is on-line. The same thing happens when you set the secondary access server checkbox. Note: The same process occurs, in reverse, if you deselect the access server checkbox in the workstation editor. Remember to note any offline controllers when you do a teach. Once the controllers are online do another teach - otherwise, if you are teaching the controllers about the primary and/or secondary access servers for the first time, the offline controllers will not know where to send access events. See also Access events buffered in Controller are not delivered to Cyberstation.

Issue Can a program a controller to cycle an output based on a cardholder presenting an access card at a cardreader without having the cardholder actually open the door. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Netcontroller II CX9680 AC-1 AC1-Plus Plain English Cause When silencing an audible intrusion alarm using an access card, typically the person silencing the alarm must have access permissions at the door. This is so an audit trail can be maintained for alarm silencing events. Resolution In order to test the authority of the card holder that is silencing an audible alarm and to provide and audit trail for such events, the PE code typically must evaluate a valid access event. Since a valid access event is not completed until the door has been opened as indicated by the door switch input, this means that opening the door must be a part of the alarm silencing procedure. IMPORTANT UPDATE In more recent versions of ACX57xx and CX9680 a new flag attribute (ValidAttempt) has been added that makes it possible to detect a valid attempt independent of the valid access flag. See New Door attribute 'Valid Attempt' added in Cyberstation 2.0

Issue Is there an IE table size limit? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Import Export Limits Cause Using IE is the most efficient way to pass data around a Continuum system, when the tables are full the system will revert to a Point to Point method. Resolution The limits are 255 in the Infinet controllers and 65535 in the CX level controller. In the CX level controllers, this is for communication to the Infinet network and any peer to peer communication between CX's. Also see the object limit for the Infinet i1 and i2 controllers that can be found in How many user defined objects can be created in a controller?.

Issue Multiple duplicate email alarms are being delivered Getting multiple email notifications out of 1 event Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation 1.8x Cause duplicate alarms being delivered Resolution Enable Enhanced alarm logging and delivery Shut down ALL workstations Launch Continuum database initialization Select with Server or Stand Alone depending on your database configuration Select Enhanced Alarm Logging and Enhanced Alarm Delivery Update database When database update is complete, launch Continuum workstations Also see Alarm Forward and Log settings with enhanced alarm logging causes unnecessary network traffic

Issue When looking at the waveforms on an Infinet bus some waves appear at an amplitude of 5 volts while other waves have a 3 volt amplitude. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment RS485 Infinet transceivers Pico scope Oscilloscope Cause Generation I controllers such as CX9900 and i1 and earlier versions of Infinet controllers are manufactured with a 4.5 volt transceivers. Generation II controllers such as the CX9680, i2 and b3 controllers are manufactured with a 3.5 volt transceivers. Resolution It is perfectly fine to wire an Infinet bus that contains both first and second generation controllers. For more information on RS485 see General Information on RS-485 Communication.

Issue Not clear to as to which alarms can be sent out to SNMP traps. The cx controller the SNMP Alarming option is enabled on? Subnet controllers? Other cx controllers without the options enabled? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX1 with SNMP alarming enabled CX99xx with SNMP alarming enabled CX9680 with SNMP alarming enabled ACX57xx with SNMP alarming enabled Cause The documentation and ordering information is not clear as to what the SNMP Alarming option enables the controller to do. Resolution The SNMP Alarming option enables the controller to sent out its own alarms and the alarms of its attached Infinet controllers to SNMP traps. It will not enable that controller to do the same for other CX controllers on the network. For all alarms to be sent to SNMP traps, you will need to enable the SNMP Alarming option for each CX controller. Also see the articles below for more information on SNMP options and configuration. Options: SNMP Flashing options for Netcontrollers and BCXs Configuration: Where can I get information on SNMP Alarming?

Issue Need sample PE program for control of access to a storage cage gate by forklift operators where the gate is required to stay open (up) until the forklift operator cards at the reader a second time on his/her way out of the cage. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Net Controller II Continuum ACX 2 Controller Continuum ACX 4 Controller Cause Continuum PE programming guidelines Resolution This sample program was provided as proof of concept only and not intended as a complete solution to the use case. Object : StorageCageControl Type : InfinityProgram LastChange : 1/29/2020 11:29:14 AM DeviceId : PSS\ACX2.10 Alias : StorageCageContr CreateTime : 1/29/2020 9:59:56 AM CreatedBy : Root\Acc TimeLocked : 1/29/2020 11:29:14 AM InstanceId : 7003/7002 ByteCode : 'SAMPLE program for controlling access to a Storage Cage gate 1/29/2020 AM 'Program is LOOPING/AUTOSTART ' 'DESCRIPTION 'On valid access to the cage by forklift operator, program will unlock the gate using the ' PermanentUnlock property to keep it unlocked until the forklift operator indicates the gate 'can be closed by presenting his/her card at the card reader. ' 'REQUIREMENTS '1. ACX2 or NC2 controller only, program wont work in NC1 or old ACX7xx as they don't support the PermanentUnlock flag '2. Set the StrikeTime attribute of the door controlling the gate to ZERO '3. Create GateLeftOpenALM InfinityNumeric, and attach to an alarm (Optional) Numeric CloseTimeOut Line Init CloseTimeOut = 15 'Notify gate may have been left open after CloseTimeOut minutes. Goto WaitToOpen Line WaitToOpen GateLeftOpenALM = False If CageGate ValidAccess then CageGate PermanentUnlock = True Goto WaitToClose Endif Line WaitToClose If CageGate ValidAccess then CageGate PermanentUnlock = False Goto WaitToOpen Endif If TM >= CloseTimeOut then GateLeftOpenALM = True 'Gate may have been accidentally left open Line E 'oops, runtime error, wait a bit then try again If TS > 30 then Goto Init EndByteCode Status : Active EndObject

Issue What are the PinOuts for the RS-232 Connection of the older 1st Generation CX controllers to connect through Hyper terminal. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Hyper Terminal Continuum CX Gen 1 CX9900 Continuum CX Gen 1 CX9940 Continuum CX Gen 1 CX9400 Continuum CX Gen 1 CX9410 Continuum CX Gen 1 CX9200 Cause Need to direct connect to a first-generation controller to configure its IP address and ACC Net ID. Resolution The Hyper Terminal cable needs to have the below pinouts. RJ Connector - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 Pin RS-232 PC Controller Comm3 Pin 1 - DTR - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 6 - DSR Pin 2 - CTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 7 - RTS Pin 3 - CXD - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 1 - CXD Pin 4 - RTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 8 - CTS Pin 5 - GND - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 5 - GND Pin 6 - RD - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 3 - TD Pin 7 - DSR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 4 - DSR Pin 8 - TD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pin 2 - RD On the RJ connector for the controller's comm3, Pin 1 is the furthest to the left with the insert clip facing away from you and the gold teeth facing you (download drawing). For the CX9200 and CMX controllers download the pinouts here. Download Command Terminal Reference Guide here

Issue Is there a way to translate Cyberstation to a language other than English and use different SQL collation sequences and code page? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Cause Standard Cyberstation installation installs the SQL using Code Page 850 1.x Strict compatibility. Resolution The link below is to the Language Translation support guides. These provide detail on how to translate the Continuum Cyberstation user interface to a different language. It also details in Chapter 3 how to use a different SQL sort order. This would allow the use of different character sets for use in personal names Language Translation Support Guide V1.81 Language Translation Support Guide V1.94 Also, there is an additional Continuum Language Support document available in MSWord format Here. For Arabic specifically, additional MSWord Document Here. There are freelancers that can be of assistance to help with your site. Upwork is a site with potentially low-cost translators. NOTE - No testing has been done with Continuum v2.0 due to a lack of demand for translation See Andover Continuum v2.0 Language Translation

Issue When graphics are updating, a PI Live Data error pops up randomly or values may not always update Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause PI Live Data is a timeout error. Pinpoint is having a difficult time accessing the data from the location it is being requested. Resolution There are a number of reasons this error can occur. Try the following steps to narrow down the issue. Review the polling settings using Continuum Graphics (Pinpoint) update interval and polling speed Verify that the points that have been linked in Pinpoint are currently assigned to points that exist in an online controller. Too many points that have been changed and that are no longer linked can cause Pinpoint to timeout. Ensure that if pages are setup to navigate from one to the other that pages are not remaining open since this will multiply the number of values being requested. Run acctrace to determine what other processes are running on the Cyberstation at the time of the crash Remove SmartStruxure if it's installed on the same PC and see if the issue goes away.

Issue Can not find Controller Web Server documentation on the web sites. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Custom Web Server pages Infinity Web Server Cause Unable to find Continuum Web Server documentation. Resolution The attached Web Server chapter is extracted from a Plain English programming guide. The Infinity Web Server User Guide is also relevant to Continuum. Also an example program can be seen in How to create custom web pages in the CX controller using Plain English.

Issue Continuum errorlogs from i2 controllers show many 1465 CRC errors for each controller. There is no other information, warnings, or errors logged. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum 1.81 CX9900, 1.52000022 I2, 3.x Cause Some controllers with special firmware contribute to 1465 CRC errors greatly. Resolution Upgrade CX controller to latest firmware version 1.53000026. For more detail about 1465 CRC, refer to What do CRC errors (1465) indicate?

Issue Is there anything that will convert AC256 drum programs to Continuum Plain English programs? Environment Cyberstation Plain English Cause When doing an AC256 to Continuum upgrade, is there a utility to convert drum programs to Continuum Plain English. Resolution Various partners and branches have written their own utility. Product Support does not distribute or support any of these. The results of most are underwhelming - PE code that looks "drum-ish" and often involves enough clean up that is better when PE is done from scratch. Alternatively, a request for improved or other utilities can be made on the Exchange Community.

Issue What is the accuracy of RTC? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Site with controllers using the RTC Crystal Quartz chip (controllers such as the ACX) Cause What is the accuracy of Real Time Clock? Resolution When the controller is powered down, the battery-backed RTC Chip has an accuracy of +/- 1 minute per month. When powered on, the controllers use the RTC chip as a reference point but keep time in software. Experience has shown an accuracy of 1 – 2 seconds per month when controllers are offline and not re-synched from the Network. Since that is typical and not calculated, a conservative number would be +/- 10 seconds per month. When Online,the accuracy is determined by Cyberstation which can itself be synched to an extremely accurate NST Server. I2 and B3 controllers are re-synched once per hour. For Sync time in Cyberstation(s) and Server check Sync time in Cyberstation and Server. For more information see What are the differences between a hardware and a software Real Time Clocks (RTC)?. For how field controllers keep their own internal time check How do our field controllers keep their own internal time?

Issue Replaced an AC1Plus with an AC1 and the reader pattern is incorrect Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum AC1 AC1A Cause The AC1/AC1A module only has 1 LED pattern which is Alternate LED pattern, there is no way to alter this. See Description of LED patterns on access readers, and how to change them for description of LED patterns. Resolution If a different LED pattern is required by the site then use an AC1 plus or an ACX57xx which gives the ability to use an alternate LED pattern. See Description of LED patterns on access readers, and how to change them for configuration.

Issue Viconics stats are only showing as offline in Continuum using the "controller status" notification when being accessed Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Viconics Stats Cause Viconics BACnet stats must be probed in order to return alarms Resolution There are 3 probe types that can be set up in Continuum. Probe, ProbeOnDemand and ProbeOff. These types can be configured in Cyberstation and in the Viconics Stat from Continuum Explorer (Edit>General Tab>ProbeType drop down selection) "Probe Time" can also be adjusted on the Cyberstation (default is 60 seconds) Testing Results Cyberstation Probe Type changed to "Probe", Probe Time=60 seconds. Viconics stat set to it's default of "Probe Off" Remove mstp connector result: no alarm until the Viconics stat is opened (This probes the device) Cyberstation Probe Type changed to "Probe", Probe Time=60 seconds. Viconic stat set to "Probe" Remove mstp connector result: alarm comes in automatically after 60 seconds Probe Type and Probe Time Definitions (Continuum Help) Consider and these options and their affects on the system when making a selection Probe - Probing occurs at the interval specified in Probe Time. The default is 60 seconds. The advantage of this is that CyberStation detects a device going offline regardless of whether or not CyberStation is attempting communications with the device. The disadvantage is excess probe traffic for devices. ProbeOnDemand - Probing does not occur unless a communications transaction with the target device fails. Once a transaction fails then probing occurs at the interval specified in Probe Time until the device comes back online. The advantage is that additional requests to the controller fail immediately. The disadvantage if that node failure is not detected until a CyberStation application needs to communicate with a controller. ProbeOff - Probing does not occur. The advantage is that there is never probe traffic to the device. The disadvantage is that each request to the device fails only after the transaction times out. Also see the following article related to Viconics stats and performance: Problems and cautions when communicating with TAC (Viconics) Bacnet communicating thermostats

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