Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue TAC Menta, using a dot in the application file name causes the MTA file to grow. Environment Menta Cause Using a dot, or period, in the application file name. Resolution Make sure to not have any dot in the application file name, except for the extension .MTA

Issue When starting SIGNAL, a pop-up window declares "Sorry this program has not been enabled". But the security plug is installed in the computer’s parallel printer port (LPT1). Environment Windows XP with SP2 Cause The HASP security plug driver that is included with the Signal-XP software is not compatible with Windows XP-sp2. Resolution Follow these steps: Ensure that the serial number on the security plug matches the serial number on the Installation Diskette #1. The first 4 digits of the serial number are a data code and DO NOT need to match. The last 4 digits MUST match. This applies to all versions of SIGNAL. If it’s SIGNAL for Windows XP (version 5.0), the drivers for the security plug need to be updated. See Technical Alert TA06-03 for details in updating the drivers. If it’s SIGNAL for Windows 95/98 (version 4.4.1 or earlier), try the following:      Disconnect any printer.      Modify LPT1, in Windows and/or the computer’s BIOS, and make it bi-directional.      Use the Plug Testing utility program (16Bit Plugtest.zip) available from The Exchange Download Center to validate the security plug. If it’s defective, a new security plug can be ordered.

Issue How to migrate a SIGNAL for Windows 95/98 (version 4.4.1 or earlier) database to a new SIGNAL for Windows XP (version 5.0) installation. Environment SIGNAL for Windows 95/98 version 4.4.1 or earlier SIGNAL for Windows XP version 5.0 Cause Data on the existing database is crucial and don't want to lose any data during the transfer process from SIGNAL for Windows 95/98 to SIGNAL Windows XP. Resolution Perform a backup of the SIGNAL for Windows 95/98 system. When prompted, select to backup only DATA and BITMAP files. DO NOT SELECT executable files. The executable files are specific to the SIGNAL version for Windows 95/98. If this backup is restored to a SIGNAL for Windows XP computer, the executable files will not work on that operating system. If the only backup available contains the executable files, then restore the backup to the SIGNAL for Windows XP computer. Now, perform a new backup containing only the data and bitmap files. Once completed, delete the SIGNAL folder and the signal.ini and bit.ini files from the x:\WINDOWS directory. Re-install SIGNAL for Windows XP from the installation diskettes. Then, restore the backup containing only DATA and BITMAP files.

Issue When starting SIGNAL for Windows XP, an error message appears stating "Can't run 16 bit Windows program, insufficient memory". This occurs when the SIGNAL program "Startup Type" is set for Automatic. Environment SIGNAL for Windows XP Cause Multiple versions of SIGNAL for Windows XP are trying to run simultaneously. The “active” user profile, as well as, the “All Users” profile are both trying to start SIGNAL. Resolution When it is required to have SIGNAL startup automatically for ALL users, either make the entry for each user profile or only make the entry in the “All Users” profile.

Issue SIGNAL (any version) is installed on new computer hardware that has higher video resolutions. Now, the Monitor program's graphics are not aligned. Environment SIGNAL (all version) PC with high resolution graphic card Cause The new PC screen resolution is not set at the recommended resolution. Resolution All versions of SIGNAL support two video resolutions: 640 x 480, and 800 x 600. Shutdown SIGNAL and use Windows to modify the computer's video resolution to one of these two settings.

Issue When starting Niagara R2 Workplace Pro, a window appears stating: "Error occurred during initialization of VM. Could not reserve enough space for object heap" Environment Niagara R2 Workplace Pro Cause The RAM spaces is not enough when it's trying to allocate to it. Resolution If this error occurs on a Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 platform, read Technical Bulletin TB06-11. If this error occurs on a Windows XP Professional service pack 2 (32-bit) platform, change the setting in /nre/lib/nre.properties to half of the maximum physical memory installed in the computer.  If the error continues to appear, an increase to 1 Gigabyte of RAM is recommended.

Issue On a MNL-800 controller, are resistors required on the universal inputs when wired for pulse counting? Environment MNL-800 controller Cause Knowing the resistor requirement helps implementing pulse count using universal inputs. Resolution UI1 does not require an external resistor. If using UI2 through UI8 as a pulse input, an external 10K resistor to +5.1 V is required.

Issue TAC Vista Remote Workstation 5.x won't start. Environment TAC Vista 5 Remote Workstation Cause .NET Framework is required. Resolution For TAC Vista Workstation to run you have to install .NET Frameworks Redistributable version 2.0 on the PC. You can download .Net frameworks 2.0 from Microsoft.

Issue Sample Plain English program to set up a door to allow for either keypad OR card validation. Environment Continuum Plain English Infinity NetController Cause Allowing the NetController to respond to a keypad as well as a card reader allows for flexibility in the security solution. Resolution How do I setup a door for keypad OR card validation Create the following InfinityProgram in the NetController for each door. Change each program to the correct door name. NOTE: If using this program, make sure that you do not have validate pin mode selected on the entry reader tab of the door editor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Looping, AutoStart Program 'Change officedoor to the name of your door Watching: IF officedoor\doorfault IS 2 THEN '0 for normal operation 2 if Fault (Tamper) detected officedoor\entrynormmode = 8 'PINMode officedoor\entrynocommmode = 8 'PINMode GOTO Counting ENDIF Counting: IF TS > 5 THEN 'Wait 5 seconds before switching back to SiteMode + CardMode officedoor\entrynormmode = 3 'SiteMode + CardMode officedoor\entrynocommmode = 3 'SiteMode + CardMode GOTO Watching ENDIF --------------------------------------------------------------------- Press the # key once, it will place the door in PINMode (8) for the 5 seconds then back to SiteMode+CardMode (3). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the available EntryNormMode and ExitNormMode values SiteMode = 1 CardMode = 2 GeneralMode = 4 PINMode = 8 If you plan to use more than one add the two numbers together (Example: SiteMode + CardMode + PinMode = 11) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the available DoorFault values 1 = Database of doors, areas, and personnel is not functioning normally 2 = Entry Keypad is being tampered with 4 = Exit Keypad is being tampered with 8 = Entry Card Reader is being tampered with or has failed 16 = Exit Card Reader is being tampered with or has failed --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Test case: I created a person with a valid card and a valid PIN. When I used the card the door would open, after relock I pressed the # and immediately entered the PIN plus the #, the door unlocked. If you have a door switch you could probably use it instead of the 5 second timer this would give you a little more control over the door so that the next person in line (with a card) would not have to wait. CyberStation (v1.52.0.20021120) NetController (v1.520010) AC1 (v22) HID ProxPro with Keypad Note: this works on an ACX(5740/5720) also IMPORTANT: The sample PE program above only sets the EntryNormMode of the door. The program needs to set also the EntryNoCommMode and possibly the EntryNodataMode. If the door is a dual reader door then the corresponding attributes on the exit side of the door must also be set.

Issue Using Roam IO/2 through bluetooth on a PDA Environment Roam IO/2 PDA Cause Using the wrong comm port is a common issue after pairing up your Roam IO/2 with your bluetooth connection. Resolution Using Roam IO/2 through bluetooth on a PDA Once the pairing of the devices is complete as laid out in the instructions of either the infinet or Bacnet Service tool users guide. You'll notice that bluetooth device manager editors differ from vendor to vendor, but basically all have the same functionality. The PDAs will assign two comm ports for each bluetooth device. One for outgoing and one for incoming comm ports. When setting the comm port in the tools/preferences through the Roam IO/2 PPC software, you'll need to set it to the outgoing port that the bluetooth devices manager assigns.

Issue Why does it take three minutes to create a link in Niagara R2 WorkPlace Pro from an Enterprise Server station to a UNC station? Environment Niagara R2 WorkPlace Pro Enterprise Server UNC station Cause Enterprise Server station attempts to connect to all devices in the address book. There will be latency if there are offline or no longer exist UNC devices in the address book. Resolution When engineering a job it is common practice to load the Enterprise Server station into an engineering laptop and create links to UNCs one at a time. This is not a problem as long as the address book entries are removed from the Enterprise Server station that are not online. Upon creating a link, the Enterprise Server station attempts to connect to all devices listed in its address book. This creates a large latency in completing a link if there are multiple devices in the address book that are not able to respond. To create links in this fashion remove all address book entries from the Enterprise server station's address book that are not online.

Issue I/NET CCTV button not working after upgrade. Remoteview installed on same machine. Environment I/NET CCTV DVR Cause What seems to be happening is that the RVctl.dll doesn't get registered in a way that I/NET can understand. You will have to manually re-register the dll. Resolution Go to "Start" - "Run" Type: cmd Hit enter Go to the "ProgramFiles\INET Seven" folder Type: regsvr32 rvctl.dll Hit enter The CCTV button should now be working

Issue What is the difference between "Enhanced MSTP" and "Standard MSTP" Token Passing in Continuum BACnet? Environment Continuum BACnet Cause It is important to note that Only Continuum BACnet controllers have this feature. Any third party BACnet MSTP controller connected to a Continuum BACnet system will only perform Standard MSTP token Passing. In a network where you have Continuum B3 controllers and third party MSTP controllers and you have enabled Enhanced MSTP, you will have a combination of the two methods. The Continuum B3's will always pass the token back to the BCX, and the 3rd party controllers will always pass the token to the next ID on the MSTP. If you wanted the benefit of Enhanced MSTP on this type of a system, you could intersperse the MSTP ID's of the B3's and the third party so that you would have a more even flow of the token back to the BCX. Resolution Continuum Bacnet Controllers default to "Enhanced MSTP". What this means is that the Ethernet level controller (BCX or B4920) that manages the MSTP network sends out a message to all Continuum B3 controllers which tells them that after they are done with the token on the network, that they should pass it back to the BCX or B4920 instead of sending it to the next B3 down the line. The purpose of this is so that any user interaction with the B3 network such as graphics, listviews, reports, etc.. will be much faster. This Token passing scheme is similar to how Infinet performs. Standard BACnet MSTP token passing is done such that each controller on the MSTP network gets the token equally and this includes the BCX or B4920. So if you had 127 nodes on the network, the BCX controller would only get a chance to talk once after every MSTP controller had a chance to talk. The Continuum BACnet controllers can operate in either mode by setting this feature in the BCX or B4920 Web Configuration page. Each token Passing scheme has some benefits. If there were a lot of user interface type access needed on a system, the Enhanced mode would be preferable for speedy response. If there was very little or no user interaction but there was a lot of data sharing or alarm delivery from the MSTP controllers, the standard token passing would give all the devices on the MSTP network more opportunity to export their data.

Issue Transactions stopped working after an Upgrade. No Transactions or Controller Events in AMT after a Station restore. These are received though, when directly connected to the serial port of the controller. When using direct connect and communication is lost between the controller and I/Net PC, the access control system still functions correctly, but once the communication is restored back to normal none of the buffered messages are seen the I/Net AMT (database). Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven rev 2.13 and above Cause There is a feature called Reliable Tap that was introduced with I/NET Seven release 2.13 that sometimes needs to be reset on the controller in order for these events to be passed through from the controller to the Host PC.  It is also required to be set correctly when using a Direct Connect profile, in this instance the reliable Tap setting is used to ensure buffered messages are stored by the correct TAP (i.e. the onboard TAP which the Host PC is connected too).   Resolution Start I/Net and Connect to the controller that has the issue Select Edit, Controller, Configuration In the Distribution Parameters section (top right), change the selection for Reliable Tap from either “none” to the address of the tap, controller or NPR. Reset the controller by pressing the Red Reset Button or cycling the power. Check the Transactions Window and all the stored events should appear now. If the Reliable Tap feature is NOT required then change this back to 'None" and reset the controller again. Repeat this for any other controller having the same issue.

Issue Issues have been reported with Continuum not starting after a fresh installation, and/or errors popping up when starting Continuum. One of the issues is accdataservices. Environment Installation with anti-virus software and/or firewalls enabled Cause There are many different anti-virus programs on the market and they all work a bit different. If the windows firewall is enabled it may block services within Continuum which does not allow it to start correctly. Resolution Disable any anti-virus programs and disable the Windows firewall while installing Continuum. After installation, enable the anti-virus programs and firewalls if necessary. If using the firewall built into Windows XP, go to the exceptions tab of the firewall editor and add services that are not starting to the exception list.

Issue When upgrading the MNB-1000 firmware from v1.32 to v1.4, the value of property APDU Retries changes to 0. This will cause problems with any MNB-1000 that make BACnet requests. Environment MNB-1000 v1.32 Cause Firmware v1.4 change APDU Retries to 0, which the value needs to be to 2 or 3. Resolution Set the value of APDU Retries to 2 or 3 using WorkPlace Commissioning Tool or any other tool capable of changing that property. To change the APDU retries follow these steps: Open WorkPlace Commissioning Tool Discover MNB-1000 and select its properties Select the Advance Tab Change the APDU retries to 3 Select OK then restart the MNB-1000 Note: If there problems with COV, make sure this property is set to a value of 2 or 3.

Issue How can an override of a nciMinFlow SNVT be done directly from a container in Niagara R2 WorkPlace Pro? Environment Niagara R2 WorkPlace Pro nciMinFlow SNVT Cause A direct override of a nci is not possible. Resolution However, a change to a nci can be done by doing the following in WorkPlace Pro: Copy and paste the DynamicCmd object from the Local Library\tridiumx\lonworks\conversion folder into the Workspace Link the nciMinFlow property on the VAV shadow object to the Link property on the DynamicCmd object In the Config tab of the DynamicCmd properties, configure the floatConversion properties as follows: 1st dropdown: Volumetric Flow, 2nd dropdown: liters_per_second, 3rd dropdown: cubic_feet_per_minute In the Visual tab, type "MinFlow" in the float box Apply the changes In Monitor mode, right-click on the DynamicCmd object, and select MinFlow Enter the desired value in CFM.  The nciMinFlow SNVT in the VAV controller will update the value

Issue Problems encountered when changing Data Types(Elec Type) with Bacnet Points and using programs to perform COV's on those points Environment bCX Controller CyberStation Cause Data type (elec type) is changed without sending to the bacnet side will create issue. Resolution Changing the Data Type (Elec Type) of a point on the fly can cause issues. Once a point is created on the infinity side and sent to the data base on the bacnet side and a point is referenced from one or the other and a data type (elec type) is changed without sending to the bacnet side can cause issues. One of the issues is that data could quit updating. Another issue and one that is more noticeable is that if a COV subscription is created from one of the points through a program, the program could disable for one and or the data would not be correct or updated. To get an understanding of what goes on under the hood. Lets create a scenario that is a typical setup to see what is really going on. ------------------------------- I have a BCX with a B3 controller and have a point in the bcx named bcxPoint (binary data type). I have a point in the B3 named localPoint(binary data type) and a program named MirrorPrg. localPoint = myNet\MyBCX\bcxPoint Save this program and send to database on the bacnet side. Open the bcxPoint on the infinity side... change the value from 1 to 0 and back and forth while watching the value update on the bacnet side's localPoint. All is well and works as expected. Now change the data type on the bcxPoint to Analog and apply. Change the point form 1 to 0 and back and forth, notice that the point on the B3 localPoint on the bacnet side is not updating. But check the program and it is still running.(But not working) Depending if you have other points in a program that sent a COV notification your program can disable. But for our test, we'll force a COV subscription by adding a blank line to the program and saving, notice the program disables. NOTE: the program will appear to still to be running until a COV notification is sent. This caveat if you think about it makes sense. We subscribe to a COV list, but one of the data types changes without being sent to the bacnet side. On a larger scale lets say you have multiple points in the mirrorPrg and the program disables, not good. In order to correct the issue we described above, we can set the BCX's bcxPoint back to a binary type and perform a send to database on the bacnet side. Open up the program and add a line and then save which recompiles and puts out a new COV subscription. Don't forget to enable the program. The above is a workaround in case you get into trouble. But if you have many points you have changed, I would suggest deleting the controller from the bacnet side and then reloading the controller and the performing a find new bacnet devices. This will ensure that you have all data types straightened out. But to be on the safe side, if you are going to be changing data types of points, I would suggest deleting the point on the infinity side and perform a send to database on the bacnet side. This will get rid of all instances of the point. Then create the point with the correct data type and perform a send to database on the bacnet side and make sure you check all programs referencing the point.

Issue Some SNVT_temp values are not showing the correct value in TAC Vista. They are always a couple of degrees off. The correct value is displaying in LonMaker. Environment SNVT_temp Vista Workstation Cause This can be caused by the gain not being set to the right value in the properties for the object. Resolution The gain should be 0.018. The problem is that with default Windows settings, the gain is only shown with 2 decimals, so it will be presented as 0.02. If you have changed the gain, you have to type in 0.018 even though it will be presented as 0.02. If you want to see all the decimals you have to change the ‘number of digits after decimal’ to 3 in Windows regional and Language settings.  

Issue When saving a Plain English program, Continuum shows error messages and cannot save the PE program. 'Error: Unable to lock an object because it is already locked', or 'Unable to find an object in the database' Environment Continuum system Plain English program Cause FiringOrder attribute of the controller (or the workstation) is editlocked PE is not registered in the FiringOrder attribute of the controller (or the workstation). Resolution When saving a PE program, Continuum gets error of 'Error: Unable to lock an object because it is already locked' followed by 'Error Text Undefined [TBD 0xc2ff1410]'. This happens when the FiringOrder attribute of the controller (or the workstation) is editlocked. Unlocking the FiringOrder (Set CXName\FiringOrder Editlock = False) will fix the problem. When saving a PE program, Continuum gets error of 'Unable to find an object in the database'. This happens when the PE is not registered in the FiringOrder attribute of the controller (or the workstation). In order to Verify, open the program in the PE editor, right click inside the program, select the Firing Order, check if the program is listed on the Member List page. In order to fix the issue, verify the FiringOrder Editlock is false (ie, print CXName FiringOrder Editlock), export the PE program to a dump file, delete the PE program, import the dump file of the PE program back to the controller (or, create a new program and copy the source code from the dump file.).