Building Automation Knowledge Base

Notifications

Community

Notifications

Categories
Forums
Knowledge Center
Blogs
Ideas
Events & Webinars

Share Your Feedback – Help Us Improve Search on Community!
Please take a few minutes to participate in our Search Feedback Survey. Your insights will help us deliver the results you need faster and more accurately.
Click here to take the survey

Building Automation Knowledge Base

Schneider Electric Building Automation Knowledge Base is a self-service resource to answer all your questions about EcoStruxure Building suite, Andover Continuum, Satchwell, TAC…

Search in

Invite a Co-worker

Send a co-worker an invite to the portal.Just enter their email address and we'll connect them to register. After joining, they will belong to the same company.

Send Invite Cancel

Related Forums

Intelligent Devices Forum

Previous Next

Invite a Colleague

Found this content useful? Share it with a Colleague!

Invite a Colleague

Label: "tac ia series"

View in: "Building Automation Knowledge Base" | Community

1688 Posts | First Used: 2018-09-06

Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue MNB-1000 BACnet MS/TP communications do not auto-baud (synchronize). Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB-1000 Firmware 1.2 and above Cause I/A Series MNB controllers with firmware 1.2 and above support baud rate synchronization (auto-baud) for BACnet MS/TP communications. This auto-baud feature is available if the device is configured for BACnet MS/TP communications only. If the MNB-1000 BACnet Ethernet (or BACnet IP) communications are enabled, even though this is not being used in normal operation, it will cause the auto-baud to be disabled. Resolution 1. Disable the BACnet Ethernet (or BACnet IP) communications on the MNB-1000. Use a compatible RS-232 to RS-485 converter or the Roam IA to access the MNB-1000 via BACnet MS/TP communications. 2. Set the baud rate of the MNB-1000 MS/TP port to a fixed speed that matches the configured baud rate of the RS-485 port of the Jace. - Connect to the MNB-1000 using the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool. - Go to the MNB-1000 device properties, MS/TP tab, and set the baud rate of the MNB-1000 MS/TP port. See the example below.

Issue What new features are planned for inclusion in future product releases? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices, Satchwell BAS & Sigma, Satchwell MicroNet, TAC IA Series, TAC INET, TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Access Expert, EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment All product ranges Cause Information required on future Product Marketing plans. Resolution This document is no longer published on the Download Center by Product Management. For further information on the future product planning please contact the Product Manager for the specific product in your region. Americas: Americas.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com EMEA: EMEA.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com Asia Pacific & India: AsiaPac.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com

Issue How to use the Telnet command to troubleshoot network connectivity and check for blocked network ports. Product Line TAC INET, TAC Vista, Andover Continuum, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC IA Series, Field Devices, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Other, Pelco, EcoStruxure Building Expert, Access Expert, Security Expert Environment TCP/IP Communication Command Prompt Telnet Command Cause Suspect certain network ports are blocked and need to verify Resolution Note:- Telnet operates using the TCP protocol. UDP connectivity cannot be tested using Telnet. Open Windows Command Prompt Enter :telnet <address_of_remote_server> <port_number>" - telnet 192.168.1.2 443 Result if Port open: blank window with blinking cursor Result if Port closed: error message displayed similar to "Connecting To 192.168.1.2…Could not open connection to the host, on port xx: Connect failed" The example above test for connectivity against the remote server that has the IP address of 192.168.1.2 over port 443

Issue A correct IP, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway addresses are required for the MNB-1000 to communicate properly via BACnet/IP but what about BACnet Ethernet? BACnet IP requires a valid IP address to be routed in a TCP/IP network. please read the example below in the resolution BACnet Ethernet requires a valid six-byte MAC address assigned by the manufacturer and only operates within layer 2 of the OSI model. It is non-routable protocol Example of Ethernet address: 00:00:AC:56:78:90 Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB 1000 Cause BACnet IP is a requirement and needs information on configuring the settings to enable communications. Resolution MNB-1000 controllers must have a valid IP address, Subnet Mask address, and Default Gateway address for the communication ports to function properly if BACnet/IP is enabled. If 0.0.0.0 is used, the communications ports may be disabled and no longer communicate after the controller is reset. In the event that 0.0.0.0 was entered and the communications port is disabled, there is currently no field workaround or way to repair it. The controllers will have to be returned to the factory for repair. Never enter an invalid IP, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway address for new installations. Review and update current installations. To connect to the MNB-1000 for the first time it will require an Ethernet connection. When you select the BACnet IP tab and enable IP the default IP address from the factory is a valid address of 10.1.10.2 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Default example: IP address 10.1.10.2 Subnet mask 255.255.255.0 Gateway 0.0.0.0 (If you do not have a default gateway IP address then enter 0.0.0.0 in the default gateway section)

Issue When a remote I/O module goes offline the JACE will show an "NA" for the analog inputs but the binary inputs from a remote I/O module still show maintain their last value. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB 1000-15 I/A Series JACE Cause The BIs from a remote I/O module that is offline are going to an "NA" status if viewed from WorkPlace Tech. At the JACE an "NA" received from a BI object will be interpreted as a "fault" and the object will show its last value and turn orange to indicate it is in fault. Resolution When a Remote I/O module is off-line its AI and BI outputs will show as NA in WorkPlace Tech. At the JACE an "NA" received from a BI object will be interpreted as a "fault" and the object will show its last value and turn orange. The BI can be set up to annunciate an alarm based on the fault condition in the JACE if necessary.

Issue When the remote I/O modules (MNB-1000-15) are powered for the first time, the status LED stays blinking red. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB 1000 -15 Cause This is a normal operation. Resolution When the associated MNB-1000 receives a database configured with remote I/O modules, it will initiate communication with the remote I/O modules. If it is successful, then the status LED with turn green.

Issue Following an attempt to update firmware, some MNB MS/TP controllers appear to be in a locked-up condition (ie: the status LED is red and blinking). Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB controllers Cause The device was interrupted before completing the update, which cause the controller to be in bootloader mode. Resolution To perform a successful firmware update it is imperative that once the update has been initiated it must not be interrupted until complete. A successful firmware upgrade must be completed to get the controller out of bootloader mode. However, in most cases when this issue occurs the unit is no longer displayed in the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool device list. Therefore it cannot be selected for an upgrade. To get the unit to show up in the list, it must be added as an MS/TP slave. This is done under the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool menu selection: File – add MS/TP Slave. The network number and the controller's MS/TP physical address must be known. Once defined as a slave it will appear in the list and can be selected for a firmware upgrade. Note: If a controller shows up in MS/TP slave mode and indicates it contains the latest firmware it will be necessary to downgrade it to the previous firmware version to recover the unit and then upgrade to the latest firmware. To downgrade the firmware in an MSTP device open its Device Properties, go to the Firmware tab and click on "Update firmware". On the Update Firmware window check the box next to "Check here to preview or modify the updates to be applied and click "next". On the Update Details window click on the change button and a window with available firmware versions for that controller will be displayed. Select the "bin" file for the previous firmware revision and click on the Open button. Now click on the Start Update button to perform the firmware downgrade. If successful the controller will show up in the WPCT device list and can be upgraded to the latest firmware. If suspect communications are what caused the update failure, it must be remedied prior to attempting another update. Once a successful firmware update has been completed the unit will boot normally. The status LED will be green and it will appear in the Device list.

Issue When browsing the IP network using the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool, third party devices are displayed in addition to the I/A Series BACnet devices but no information is known about those devices. Product Line TAC I/A Series Environment WorkPlaceTech Commissioning Tool 3rd party BACnet IP & MS/TP devices Cause 3rd party BACnet devices are sometimes connected to the IP network without the knowledge of the engineer programming the I/A Series system. Resolution When performing a global browse of the IP network, unknown devices are sometimes displayed in the WorkPlaceTech Commissioning Tool device list display. Since all data columns are not necessarily displayed, some of the device information may not be able to be directly determined. Right-click in the column headers and a menu of available data columns will be displayed. The following columns may be displayed at a minimum to allow identification of the devices on the network as well as the BACnet routing path to those devices: Instance Vendor Model Router Network Address If the device is a BACnet IP device, the "Address" will be displayed as an IP Address and Port. For example the address of a BACnet IP device communicating via port 47821 at IP 10.159.34.238 Address = 10.159.34.238 : 47821 If the device is a BACnet MS/TP device under a BACnet IP device, the address is the MAC address of the device on the MSTP bus and the Router is the address of the BACnet IP router to that device in Hexadecimal numbers. For example, for MSTP device #4 under BACnet IP Router address, 10.159.34.238 : 47821 10 = 0A, 159 = 9F, 34 = 22, 236 = EC and 47821 = BA CD Address = 4 Router = 0A-9F-22-EC-BA-CD If the device provides vendor and model information, that information will be displayed in the appropriate columns.

Issue It is normal for a BACnet network port's Poll Service 'Busy Time' property to be greater than 100%? Eg: Product Line I/A Series Environment G3 BACnet Cause The Poll Service is a common component for typical field bus drivers including BACnet. The Niagara Ax Drivers Guide defines the Poll Service's Busy Time property as: Displays a percentage of time spent by the poll thread actually polling points, across all poll buckets. Includes (in parentheses) a ratio of “(time spent polling/total time since statistics were restarted)”. Given a small amount of time is spent transitioning between poll buckets, and with the thread sleeping to evenly space out polling messages, it is unlikely to ever see Busy Time reach exactly 100%. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling. Resolution In the case of the Poll Service for a BACnet network port, because two threads are used for polling, it is possible to see a Busy Time approaching 200%. In this case, divide the Busy Time in half to get an average busy time for each thread. In the case of the Poll Service for a Bacnet network port, because two threads are used for polling, it is possible to see a Busy Time approaching 200%. In this case, divide the Busy Time in half to get an average busy time for each thread. actually polling. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling. to evenly space out polling messages, it is unlikely to ever see Busy Time reach exactly 100%. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling to evenly space out polling messages, it is unlikely to ever see Busy Time reach exactly 100%. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling. Given a small amount of time is spent transitioning between poll buckets, and with the thread sleeping to evenly space out polling messages, it is unlikely to ever see Busy Time reach exactly 100%. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling. Includes (in parentheses) a ratio of “(time spent polling/total time since statistics were restarted)”. Given a small amount of time is spent transitioning between poll buckets, and with the thread sleeping to evenly space out polling messages, it is unlikely to ever see Busy Time reach exactly 100%. However, any percentage above 95% indicates that the poll thread is basically spending all of its time actually polling.

Issue Can a graphical indicator be placed on a Niagara AX or N4 view to indicate when a point is overridden, analog or binary? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series AX graphics I/A Series N4 graphics Cause By default, the StatusEffect setting is turned off (None). Change StatusEffect to Color to enable the graphical indicator. Resolution In the properties of the BoundLabel, set the StatusEffect attribute to Color (default is None). This will cause the object to turn purple (the default color) when it is overridden.

Issue Procedure for balancing a parallel fan VAV box with supply side flow sensing, using the WorkPlace Flow Balance Tool (WFBT). Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB VAV Cause Request from field Resolution In summary, the procedure is to complete the balancing process with the fan disabled then enable the fan and use the verify functions to check operation with the parallel fan running. Perform all steps of the flow balance procedure as usual up through and including the maximum flow balancing and minimum flow balancing. For the first pass at balancing the reheat minimum flow, use the fan control on the screen to turn the fan ON then set the minimum flow setpoint to 0. Verify that the flow as measured by the pressure sensor goes to zero. Measure the total flow manually using the flow hood and adjust the fan speed so that the required airflow is obtained. The easiest way to do this is to take the first set of readings from all the diffusers then adjust the fan speed as needed and then recheck the sum of the new readings to confirm the adjustment is correct. Click the "Restart" button to restart the Reheat Min Flow balancing process. Set the parallel fan to OFF and re-enter the desired Reheat Min Flow setpoint value. Balance the Reheat Min Flow using the normal balance procedure. For reference, see Chapter 5 of the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool and Flow Balance Tool Users Guide (F-27358).

Issue The localhost cannot be opened in the R2 Admin Tool. The error messages: “Cannot open admin session. java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect” is displayed in the popup. The error messages “Niagara service could not be started.” when attempting to start WorkPlace Pro via the console. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2, WorkPlace Pro Cause The WorkPlace Pro PC has AVG software installed. The AVG software stripped out the “niagarad.exe” executable file during the installation of WorkPlace Pro. The Niagara R2 service could not be started without the niagarad.exe file. . Resolution Turn off AVG software and then reinstall the WorkPlace Pro software.

Issue When trying to open the admin tool in Niagara R2 Workplace Pro, the following error message appears: Cannot open admin session Java.net.connect Exception:Connection refused:connect Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 Workplace Pro Cause This error occurs because the local Niagara service is not running. Resolution Open the console of the desired version Type admininstall install /start Now you should be able to log into an Admin tool session.

Issue When trying to open WorkPlace Tech Editor the following error is shown in a pop-up window. The following error occurred while trying to launch the WorkPlace Tech Ribbon Bar: The add-in could not be installed. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC IA Series Environment Building Operation Workstation (Workplace Tech Editor) I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Cause An installation of the Visio Ribbon has not closed correctly from previous use of WorkPlace Tech Editor or standalone WorkPlace Tech. Resolution Open the Add and Remove function in Windows Select "Program and Feature" Look for an instance of the SE.WorkStation.IA.VisioRibbon when no WorkPlace Tech Editor is running. Right-click and uninstall. Open Workstation and launch WorkPlace Tech Editor There are other conditions that can cause the ribbon not to run as well. They are detailed in other articles Similar Error Message Regarding Ribbon Bar Unable to Load Ribbon

Issue Getting "An unknown error occurred in the WP4NewProject add-on to Workplace Tech Tool" when trying to download to a device with WorkPlace Tech. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Microsoft Visio (versions noted) Cause Need to enable automation events in Visio. Resolution Below are two options to enable the automation events in Vision 2007 and one option to enable the automation events in Visio 2010 and newer In WorkPlace Tech with Visio 2007: Go to File menu Select Options. The Visio Options window appears Select Security tab Check the "Enable Automation Events" Click OK Inside Visio 2007: Select Tools and Options. Tools and Options window appears In the Options window, select the Security tab Check the "Enable Automation Events" Click OK In WorkPlace Tech with Visio 2010 through Visio 2021 Go to File menu Select Visio Options. Options window appears Select Advanced from the menu on the left side of the window In the main part of the window, scroll to the "General" section Check the "Enable Automation Events" Click OK NOTE: This change does not take effect until the WorkPlace Tech Tool or Visio software has been closed and restarted.

Issue Connected to a remote site network via WorkPlace Tech and a VPN connection, but unable to see the sites BACnet devices. No I/A Series MNB-1000s, or any 3rd Party BACnet devices, are found in Workplace Tech or the Commissioning Tool. Product Line TAC I/A Series Environment MNB-1000 WorkPlace Tech (all versions) Cause The VPN does place the connecting WorkPlace Tech PC on the site network, but the BACnet/IP (MNB-1000 and 3rd Party) devices are on a different subnet then the subnet assigned to the WorkPlace Tech PC. Resolution When BACnet/IP devices are on different subnets, BBMD must be used in order for the BACnet/IP devices to communicate across IP subnets. Only one BACnet/IP device can be enabled as BBMD per subnet. Setup the MNB-1000 as a BBMD device using the Commissioning Tool Open Device Properties of the MNB-1000 controller and select the IP tab. For Device Type select BBMD and save change. Setup WorkPlace Tech to connect to the BBMD device Select Tool from the WPT Select Configure Communication… Select BACnet and click on Change Select IP and click next Select Access a remote internetwork. For Host BBMD Address, enter the IP address of the MNB-1000 which was setup as a BBMD device. Click the Finish button to save changes. You should now be able to see and connect to the I/A Series and 3rd Party BACnet devices using WorkPlace Tech.

Issue Downloaded the WPT (WorkPlace Tech Tool) software. How do I get a serial number so that I can complete the licensing form displayed with the "Purchase WorkPlace tech Software" program? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment WorkPlace Tech Tool 5.x.x Cause The WPT license generator program requires a "WIBS serial number" so that the license request can be generated. If the field is left blank, the program will not allow the license request to be generated. Resolution The serial number is provided on purchased CDs so as to provide a method of tracing the manufactured CDs. To license the downloaded version of the Workplace Tech Tool software, you must enter an 8 digit serial number. It is suggested, although not required, that you enter the current date as the serial number. When using the date as the serial number, enter the four digit year followed by the two digit month followed by the two digit day, i.e., in the format YYYYMMDD. For example, 20230203.

Issue What is the maximum number of devices that can be placed on the MS/TP trunk of the ENC-520, UNC-520 and MNB-1000? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 Niagara G3 UNC-520 ENC-520 MNB-1000 Cause Unit Load is a measure of the electrical loading of an EIA-485 (MS/TP) network. An EIA-485 network may have 32 unit loads. One unit load consists of one full-load transceiver, two half-load transceivers, four quarter-load transceivers, or eight eighth-load transceivers. Resolution All MNB-xxxx, UNC-xxx, and ENC-xxx devices use quarter load transceivers, which mean that a MS/TP network comprised solely of MNB devices can have up to 128 total devices (1 router plus 127 controllers). The maximum number of BACnet devices allowed per MS/TP trunk, if all devices are quarter-load transceiver, is 127 plus the ENC/UNC or MNB-1000 controller. Note: 32 unit loads times 4 transceivers per unit load equals 128 maximum transceivers per network (32 X 4 = 128). UNC/ENC Resource Limit Although the 128 BACnet devices is the stated maximum for a MS/TP trunk, this maximum is normally not achieved. This is because the number of MS/TP devices that can be placed on a MS/TP bus is limited by the resource limit of the UNC/ENC controller. A shortage of resources will limit the devices on an MS/TP network to a number less than the physical limit. Exceeding the resource limit will negatively affect the UNC/ENC-520s, possibly causing poor performance and resets (of the UNC/ENCs). Reference Appendix A of BACnet Wiring and Networking Practices Guide for additional information.

Issue My Server has a 100,000 alarms and a lot of old trend data. How can I delete them quickly? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series R2 Niagara Cause The APP folder under the station holds all alarm and trended data. When this folder gets too big, i.e. >500 MB the Server functionality can slow down while working with this large database file. Resolution Stop the Server station Rename the existing APP folder to something other than APP Restart the Server station. When the Server station restarts it will check for the presence of a folder called APP and when none is found it will create a new one and use that one to archive alarms and trend data.

Issue Customer wants a customizable permanently installed touch-screen display instead of a computer and web based graphics for display of points from their network of I/A Series BACnet controllers. They would like to accomplish this without having to create shadow objects in a UNC or ENC. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MNB family of controllers Optional ENC or UNC Cause Customer does not want to deploy computers that would be easily stolen but instead wants to have permanently installed touch-screen displays. Resolution The LoyTec LVIS-ME212 or LVIS-ME215 touch panels can be directly connected to any BACnet-IP or BACnet-MS/TP network and can be linked to any BACnet object on the interconnected BACnet networks including those objects accessible over attached BACnet routers such as an ENC or MNB-1000. Available through the Schneider Electric iPortal online ordering system as LOY-LVIS-ME212 and LOY-LVIS-ME215

Building Automation Knowledge Base

Improve your search experience:

Related Forums

Intelligent Devices Forum

MNB-1000 BACnet MS/TP communications does not auto-baud

Offer Creation Roadmap

Using Telnet to test connectivity

Requirements for the MNB-1000 to communicate properly via BACnet Ethernet

Indication a remote I/O module (MNB-1000-15) is offline when used with a Tridium JACE

The status LED stays blinking red on I/O modules (MNB-1000-15)

I/A Series MNB MS/TP controllers appear to be in a locked up condition (ie: the status LED is red and blinking).

How do I find the IP address of a third party BACnet device?

It is normal for a BACnet network port's Poll Service 'Busy Time' property to be greater than 100%?

Graphical indicator for a Niagara AX or N4 BACnet object to show when a point is overridden.

Procedure for balancing a parallel fan VAV box with supply side flow sensing, using the WorkPlace Flow Balance Tool (WFBT).

The localhost cannot be opened in the Admin Tool. The error messages: "Cannot open admin session. java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect" is displayed i...

Cannot open admin session Java.net.connect Exception:Connection refused:connect

WorkPlace Tech Editor WorkPlace Tech Ribbon Bar: The add-in could not be installed

Getting "An unknown error occurred in the WP4NewProject add-on to Workplace Tech Tool" when trying to download to a device with WorkPlace Tech.

Cannot see a remote I/A Series BACnet/IP network while connected over a VPN connection.

Generate a serial number for a downloaded copy of the WorkPlace Tech Tool software

Maximum number of devices on the MS/TP trunk of ENC-520, UNC-520 and MNB-1000

Quickly delete 100,000 alarms and a lot of old trend data

Is there a touch-screen display that can be used to display BACnet objects directly from other I/A Series BACnet controllers?

Ask our Experts

Email Us

Building Automation Knowledge Base

Related Forums

Ask our Experts

Email Us

Welcome!