Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue What is the part number for a flying lead temp sensor for Continuum? Environment Measuring air temperature in fan coil applications or exhaust ducts Cause On site or inability to find the HVAC Sensor Catalogue Resolution STD550 The 550 is intended for measuring air temperature in fan coil applications or exhaust ducts. The sensor, which are made of stainless steel, is delivered with a 2m (6.5 ft.) cable, PVC sheathed overall. Mounting details such as screw and clamp are included with the product. Description Duct Temperature Sensor STD550 Order Code 5123058400 Part Number STD550 For Continuum Systems   HVAC Sensor Catalog in pdf format

Issue iClass Reader consolidation Environment Electronic Access Control Continuum & I/Net readers Cause HID has discontinued some of the iClass readers. Resolution The following 2 links cover the parts obsoleted and their replacements: PA-000336: Schneider Electric Part Numbers PA-00172: HID Part Numbers

Issue Liebert CRAC units will store multiple binary alarm points in one 8 bit Modbus register. How can I read each bit and set values for each alarm point in Continuum? Environment CyberStation Modbus RTU Xdriver Liebert CRAC Units bCX and CX controllers Cause Liebert CRAC units will store multiple binary alarm points in one 8 bit Modbus register. How can I read each bit and set values for each alarm point in Continuum? Resolution Using a PE program you can efficiently poll one register and update multiple alarm points in Continuum. The attached program polls the Modbus Xdriver to get the value of an xdriver point just once and then sets the value to the local numeric ReadRegister###.  The individual bits of the ReadRegister### are then written to the alarm points. This reduces the number of polling requests to the xDriver for the same point A dump file for the points referenced in the program is also included in the attachment.

Issue How to configure a Pinpoint button to open a PDF file. Environment CyberStation Cause How does one open a PDF from Pinpoint? Resolution Use an active button control. See attached screenshot for an example of launching the file c:\3.pdf with Adobe Reader X

Issue Access Control power supplies in UK are not available globally. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum ACX57 CX9702 PSU Power supply Continuum enclosures Cause Power supplies for access control systems (for powering of door locks/maglocks etc) should be purchased locally. Resolution All of the globally available enclosures are detailed in the Enclosure Family Datasheet. This includes ones suitable for Netcontrollers, ACX's, bCX's, i2 and VAV controllers. Power supplies for access control systems (for powering of door locks/maglocks etc) should be purchased locally to suit the site applications. Product Support Services does not keep records of the equipment that may have been purchased locally. e.g. in the UK a company called Dantech is used for Enclosures and power supplies, please contact them directly if PSU connection details are required. Dantech electronic engineering 3 Galliford Road Industrial Estate Heybridge Maldon Essex CM9 4XD Tel: +44(0)1621856850 NOTE: The Dantech PSUs often include FR contacts (Fire Relay) that need to be powered by 12Vdc to enable the supply.

Issue What NEMA or IP rating is a specific product? Environment All devices Cause Is a product protected against water and access by foreign objects? Resolution The Degrees Of Protection document details both the IP rating and NEMA Enclosure charts. The IP rating is made up of 2 digits, the first is the level of protection to foreign objects, the second is the level of protection to water. If a product does not specify any rating for water ingress in it's datasheet then the the second digit will be 0. The first digit relates to the size of a foreign object that can be inserted into the product. Typically many Buildings products will not allow the insertion of a finger (12.5mm approx' 1/2") and offer no water protection, so they would be rated as IP20, however it would be IP10 should they have holes of up to 50mm (approx' 2").

Issue EL100DatabaseSetup.exe fails to execute correctly and will not build the EasyLobby database on the SQL server   Product Line Andover Continuum Environment SQL 2005 and SQL 2008 – All versions  Cause EasyLobby database creation via the .exe will not complete successfully due to a pathing issue with database file locations. Resolution Run the SQL script that is attached to this article via SQL Management tool. Make sure to double check the two lines near the top of the SQL script that specify the exact filepath(s) where the .mdf and .ldf files are to be created, as that could be unique on any given SQL Server. dbCreateSQLServer.zip Easy Lobby is available as a downloadable .doc: EasyLobby Schneider Electric Solution Guide. For all the add on products for Continuum, please visit this Exchange Extranet. For assistance with Add-On products, email COE.Support@buildings.schneider-electric.com Other add on software is Elevator Control, Reporting Modules for Continuum, Photo Album & Badge Printing App, Automatic Extended Log Archiver, Personnel Data Importer, Area Purge, Video Monitor, and Time Tracker. These products are available for a fee. PSS does not have pricing or availability for the programs. This can be found by contacting your sales representative for your region. Pricing is per machine rather than a site. Time Tracker for example,requires a software license and utilizes a software key, which is connected to the workstation’s printer port or USB dongle. A cookie is sent directly from the factory which updates the dongle used by the computer. Emailed instructions come with the cookie explaining how to install. Again, contact your sales representative to purchase a software license, software key, and activation code. EasyLobby Support: EasyLobby directly supports their software as well as the integration to Continuum. Please forward all EasyLobby support requests directly to them. support@easylobby.com (US) 001-781-455-8558  

Issue Is there a template to help create the custom AccessFormat array? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Creating a Custom Card, Access Format array for non standard Wiegand formats Cause As there is sometimes confusion on the way that the bits are counted from 0 or 1 and how to use a Plain English program to initialize the array an easy way to lay out the data would be useful. Resolution The attached Excel spreadsheet works as a template to enter the Access Format data. Click here to download Format Template.xls. Enter your required Wiegand format bit definition in the box at the top, then this will allow you to define the numbers to go in the AccessFormat array lower left, which automatically fills in the example program on the right. Also see: Setting up a custom Wiegand format access cardfor information on setting up an AccessFormat array. Determining Custom Card formats on Deciphering Custom Card formats. What is the range of Wiegand Card numbers and Site Codes I can use on Continuum? on maximum card numbers.

Issue "Relock upon Door Closure" option is greyed out and feature is not available.  Environment Continuum Access Control Cause The "Relock upon Door Closure" feature is not implemented at this time.  Resolution For this "Relock upon Door Closure" functionality you will need to use Plain English code. The code located here is a sample of how this can be accomplished.

Issue There is a need to be able to calculate and estimate the amount of power being consumed by IOU modules and their readers Environment 99xx 9680 IOUs Cause Power supplies have a wattage limit and adding to many modules can cause the bus to become unstable Resolution To estimate the amount of wattage being consumed by IOU modules, please download the following Excel Spreadsheet. Continuum I/O Module Power

Issue How do points map from a i2 controller and the xP expansion modules to Infinity SX8000? Environment Using Continuum i2 controllers and xP modules on SX8000 Infinity systems. Cause The I/O channels on expansion modules are different from Infinity to Continuum. Resolution You can add an i2 controller to your Infinet networks on Infinity and it will co-exist with the other Infinity controllers. The controller will be seen as a equivalent infinity controller i.e. a i2850 will be seen as a TCX850. Also you will not be able to use any of the additional features that a i2 controller has like the flash memory or the smart sensor connection. For Expansion modules you could however use the xP modules (not including the xP display) the attached spreadsheet that shows how the i2 controllers I/O channels will be seen by the Infinity Controller. Download the spreadsheet here.  

Issue Object level security using SecurityLevel Environment CyberStation Cause Documentation Resolution Click -> Continuum Security Levels explained.

Issue Can the xPBD4 be used with an i2 or b3. Environment xp Expansion Module Cause Is the xPBD4 compatible with an i2 or b3. Resolution No. The following note is from the xP Expansion Datasheet: The xPBA4 and xPBD4 Expansion Modules can only be connected to the bCX1 Controller/Routers and ACX Series Access Controllers. The other xP expansion modules do work with the i2/b3 controllers. See the attached data sheet for more info.

Issue Information is needed to set up the APC Xdriver modbus UPS integration with Continuum Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Windows XP  Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause There are a number of APC devices that support modbus and information is needed to get values into Continuum Resolution The following document, APCConfigExample.zip, is provided as an example and will not address every type of APC device. See Helpful Modbus register Information for helpful information on bring in modbus values.  

Issue The XML Automation Server application on the WebClient Server does not open when a remote WebClient browser tries to access WebClient. WebClient does work from the browser on the WebClient server itself but can't be accessed from another PC. The XM Automation Server keeps closing by itself. Environment WebClient Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 Cause DCOM Permissions have not been set properly to allow access to these WebClient components. Resolution Confirm that DCOM permissions have been set properly. Follow the steps detailed in the section "Configuring DCOM Default Security Settings" starting on page 100 in the WebClient Installation Guide, paying particular attention to the NETWORK SERVICE account. Please see the link below for the relevant section from the WebClient v1.94 Installation Guide. DCOM Permissions excerpt from 30-3001-835 webClient Planning and Installation Guide

Issue CX level controller was once online and now appears as offline Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Netcontroller CX ACX BCX Cause From time to time issues will be reported that controllers are offline at the IP level. Resolution Troubleshooting steps to perform:   From one of the existing sites Cyberstations perform a ping of the controller. If there are responses, verify that the response is from the controller and not another device. Verification of the response can be done via Wireshark capture if the CX appears to be responding. If there are responses to the ping, then attempt to open up the web-configuration page for second generation controllers. Verify the site’s Cyberstation is online itself. (Right-Click/edit the workstation and view the Comm Status. It will be either Online or Offline.) With CyberStation installed on technician’s laptop with the same version as the site version. Plug an Ethernet cable into the same hub the controller is plugged into. Connect to the site database with the local laptop's CyberStation and start Continuum. Check the controller in Continuum Explorer to see if it shows offline to the local laptop's CyberStation. If the controller is online to the local laptop's Cyberstation, then it is clearly a site network issue. At that point we will need to make sure all the IP address info is correct; there is no port blocking, subnet masks, gateways etc… Standard network troubleshooting. If the controller shows offline to the local laptop's CyberStation, then look at the CPU lights on the controller for activity. Watch the link light, CPU, IO bus lights if there is IO modules, etc… If those look abnormal and you have a smart phone it will be worthwhile to try and get a video of them to send into support for review. If there is no link light then try disconnecting the Ethernet cable from the NETWORK SWITCH and plug it back in to check if it brings the controller back online. If that does not bring the controller back online try disconnecting the Ethernet cable from the CONTROLLER and then immediately put it back and check if the controller comes back online. If all of the above fail then the next step will be to power cycle the controller to try and bring it back online. If communications cannot be established, contact support and open up a case for additional troubleshooting to determine if the controller needs to be sent to repair. If communications is restored and further investigation is required, please retrieve the following information and open a case with support for review. Controller error log Controller offline listview exported to CSV A Wireshark LAN capture at the controller level with peak traffic occurring Additional information may be requested including a controller core dump. This is a very intensive process. Support will supply the Core Dump Utility if needed.   Please click HERE for a copy of these instructions in PDF format.

Issue On an upgrade or other circumstances, the Continuum.mnu points to C:\program Files instead of C:\program files (x86) on a 64 bit PC. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Windows 7 64 bit Windows 2008 64 bit Cause On an upgrade or other circumstances, the Continuum.mnu file points to C:\program Files instead of C:\program files (x86) and doesn't find the files being used. Resolution Under certain circumstances the Continuum.mnu file doesn't point to the correct folder. All of the buttons in the file point to C:\program Files instead of  C:\program files (x86). Use the following file to copy to each of the PCs that the menus are not working. The path of the Continuum.mnu is c:\program files\continuum\userprofile\continuum.mnu . This can be changed per Cyber by editing the Workstation in Cyberstation then clicking the preferences tab. The path for the entry can be edited. The Continuum.mnu that can be download from the web site has the default  (x86) paths in it. Continuum x86 Mnu file download Make a copy of the existing Continuum.mnu (Copy of Continuum.mnu) Delete the existing Continuum.mnu Download the file from the link above to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Continuum\UserProfile\continuum.mnu Restart cyber *** The path within the Continuum.mnu files must be correct and the path to the Continuum.mnu must reference the .mnu file with the path that you need

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 Sample programs for carpark access control. Environment Continuum Access Control Carpark Access Carspace Counting Cause Want sample code on how to provide Carpark Access Control. Resolution It is possible to do car park control with Continuum Controllers. There are a number of different ways to do this depending on the sites specific requirements. PSS doesn't provide programming for specific projects but we can provide generic examples. *** Note: This sample code is provided as-is to be used as a sample only.   *** To start off, a very simple solution could be:   To have three Areas defined, Outside, CommonCarPark, and EmployeeCarpark. You then create Door objects for the Entry Readers at the entrance to CommonCarPark and EmployeeCarpark. Use a PE Program to Monitor the CommonEntry Entry Reader for ValidAccess and set a pre-alarm flag (Numeric). Have an AlarmEnrollment attached to the pre-alarm flag and set for a specific amount of time (3 minutes). Have another PE Program that monitors the EmployeeEntry Entry Reader for ValidAccess and then re-sets the pre-alarm flag stopping the alarm from being sent. You could use this sample program, with some modifications, to provide you with this functionality. This is a very simple way of doing it that doesn't take into account having more than one car coming in at the same time though...you could expand on this to include using arrays to store the details of the Personnel that have badged and then have a timer associated with that specific Personnel, set both values into an Array and then have another program monitor that Array and compare the time they entered against the current time...if the difference was more than your alarm time then raise an alarm. When that Personnel badges at the EmployeeEntry Reader you remove their entry from the Array. A sample on how to do this is here. This one is a bit more complex than the previous example but it should give some ideas to start with to mold into a solution. There is a WS program as well as a controller program. The controller program does all of the carpark control which uses arrays to store the number of car spaces currently available for each department group (company/tenant) and allows of disallows new cars from that dept depending on available slots. This solution required both a roller door and a gate inside the roller door to create a "mantrap" for the desired control but the same principle could be applied in a simpler design. The WS program was used to provide a solution to the tenants locking themselves out of the carpark when they didn't badge out properly. It uses an object to search though all Personnel to find a specific card number and then resets that Personnel's current Area so they can badge at the anti-passback enabled Door. From memory, this part of it didn't work as well as the carpark access. The code is good just the method of searching through all Personnel was prone to locking up. Depending on the number of Personnel and size of Database it can take a longtime to do the search ... and the program can time out and go to disabled. So there was human intervention needed at various times.  

Issue Requests for information on a wireless access control solution Environment Continuum Schlage Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause Easy access to documentation for the Schlage Wireless Access Control Solution Resolution 09-17-2012 The Security Center of Excellence is pleased to announce the integration between Schlage AD-Series locks and Andover Continuum Netcontroller II and ACX 57XX family of controllers. This integration will provide a cost effective and scalable access control solution. Schlage AD-Series locks combine all of the components typically found around the door such as the door position switch and the request to exit switch into one unit which simplifies installation and saves money. Since they are designed to be modular Schlage AD-Series locks can easily be upgraded in the future to meet changing security and technology requirements. Within Continuum Cyberstation the Schlage locking device will look and function like a normal door and an XDriver at the controller level will provide access to these devices. This solution is ideal for education and healthcare facilities but can also be used in a wide range of other applications. For more information please contact COE@Buildings.Schneider-Electric.com.   Schlage Data Sheet Final.pdf Andover Continuum _ Schlage Integration Offer Final.pdf Andover Continuum _ Schlage Integration Training Final.pdf

Issue How to enable the “Disable Card if Not Used In” feature that shows on the Privileges tab of the Personnel Editor object? The option is greyed out and no values can be entered. Environment Continuum Personnel Editor Cause The feature has not been enabled and there are currently no plans to implement this feature.   Resolution The feature is not implemented. At the time of writing this, the documentation and online help had not been updated to reflect this and are misleading. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although, it is possible to create this functionality through a Plain English program that looks for cards that haven't been used in a certain amount of time and then disables those cards. See these sample programs below. They are not an exact solution but provide the methodology to be used. Dead Report Expire Disable Cards   Depending on how large your Personnel list is will determine how much success you will have with this PE solution. The OpenList command can have issues and lock up if the list being searched takes too much time to go through.