Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Upon presenting valid credentials at the door and physically entering thru it, the event reported for the transaction is "Valid Access No Entry" instead of the normal Valid Access event. The door is properly configured with a door switch but the controller does not see the door switch open. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum CX Gen 1 Continuum Net Controller II Cause For unknown reasons the door's entry and exit IOU are set to the same value, typically the GUI will not allow such invalid configuration. Resolution Edit the door and set the Exit IOU to zero (for a single-sided door) or to the appropriate IOU number associated with the AC1/AC1Plus on the exit side of the door. 

Issue How to Lockdown your facilities using Continuum area/door lockdown functionality. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation CX9680 ACX5740/20 Cause Need a fast and efficient way to lock down multiple areas in one operation when a threat is perceived at a site. Resolution The Continuum Physical Access Control System supports an advanced feature that allows for quickly locking down parts of or an entire building or campus via the areas/doors that are under physical access control by the Continuum system. This functionality is available in second-generation access controllers such as the CX9680 (NC2) and the CX5720/5740(ACX2) In Continuum, lockdown of an area or door means that access to the area/door via the physical access control system is restricted in such a way that prevents the movement of individuals into the locked-down area/door as well as keeping individuals from leaving the area/door under locked down. Locking down an area automatically locks down all doors associated with the area; Continuum also allows doors to be locked down individually. When a door/area is locked down, all credential access attempts and exit requests are denied. The only way to gain access into the locked-down door/area is by the use of a credential that has been designated with ‘Executive Privilege’ in the system. Note though, that a person with executive privilege may gain access into a locked-down area/door via the credential reader but if the mode of egress from the area is via Exit Request then such person would not be able to exit the door thru the normal exit request mechanism as there is no way for the person to indicate her ‘executive’ privilege by any means other than presenting the proper credentials (card or PIN) at a reader. This document outlines several methods of implementing area lockdown for a building or campus such as a school, the methods outlined in the document are provided for illustration purposes only and are not to be taken as a complete solution but rather as general guidelines. On legacy controllers that do not support the Area Lockdown feature (CX99xx, ACX7xx), we can still secure the doors by setting their state to disabled which prevents the doors from processing credential access attempts as well as Request to Exit, please note that in this case, NO ONE (including executive privilege personnel) will be able to gain access to the door until it is re-enabled How to Lockdown your facilities using Continuum area lockdown outlines several methods of implementing area lockdown for a building or campus such as a school, the methods outlined in the document are provided for illustration purposes only and are not to be taken as a complete solution but rather as general guidelines.

Warning Hazard of Electric Shock: Remove all power from all devices before removing any covers or doors of the system. Disconnect power at the device and at the power source. Electrostatic Discharge Required: Always discharge static electricity from your person by touching metal prior to handling any hardware. Failure to do so may result in damage to devices. Issue ACX5740 controller randomly re-boots and restore from flash, the controller does not attempt warm start but instead jumps directly to cool start.  Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum ACX 2 Controller Continuum ACX 4 Controller Continuum Net Controller II Cause Door striker creating an electrical spike that can travel back down the output wiring to the controller. When this happens, it generally will not damage any of the hardware in the controller but it could cause it to reset or cause its memory to get scrambled. The fact that the controller does not attempt warm start but instead skips directly to cool start is a strong indication that memory corruption is taking place, on startup, the controller verifies RAM memory is intact and will not attempt warm start otherwise. Resolution Install Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV ) to add voltage suppression to the controller's output driving the door striker. (Put the MOVs at the end device and not the controller end)   Another option is to add an isolation relay to keep the electrical noise from reaching the controller's output. 

Issue Selecting the appropriate IO system on a Continuum Net Controller (NC1 or NC2) Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CX9900 CX9940 CX9680 Cause Controller configuration Resolution Continuum Net Controllers can support three different IO systems, ACC-LON, LonMark XDriver and the legacy LBus. Only one IO system can be selected, the controller must be re-started after the selection is made. The document Selecting IO system in Continuum NetController has instructions on selecting the desired IO system for the controller.

Issue AS-P that has infinet devices connected to it, crashes during the Spring time-change of daylight savings. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Andover Continuum, infinet devices Cause Infinet schedules are sent down to the controller on a weekly basis. Having changed from default to be on Sunday between the time of 2:00 AM and 2:59 AM causes issues during daylight savings time "spring forward" due to that hour time span not existing. This causes the AS-P to crash. Resolution If you have schedules being download differently from the default time interval, ensure that they are not being done on Sundays, between the time of 2:00 AM and 2:59 AM. If they are, update them forward or back an hour to avoid further issues.

Issue InfinityProgram that sets the value of a local string object from the value of a remote string object frequently gets disabled. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation CX9900 CX9702 CX9640 CX9680 ACX5720 ACX5740 i2 field devices Cause Passing string objects between controllers does not use the system's Import/Export system, strings are passed by point to point operation which can produce large amounts of traffic on the Infinet field bus. The program will disable if not properly written to account for events in the field bus that will knock controllers offline (i.e. field bus reconfigurations) Resolution Care must be taken when writing the program to 1. Fetch the string value at a reasonable interval instead of in every scan 2. Keep the program from disabling due to communication errors, bus reconfigurations etc, typically an error line (E:) is added to the problem to handle errors graciously. If possible transfer the value via a numeric point so that the I/E system is used as opposed to point to point.

Issue Does Continuum have an interface to the KNX/EIB protocol? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment KNX Xdriver Cause There is a need to interface to a 3rd party device/system via the KNX protocol. Resolution There is no KNX Xdriver formerly listed for download on the Schneider Electric Exchange. However a Beta KNX Xdriver has been developed for a number of select sites and can be obtained via PSS or your local Customer Care Centre (CCC) There are also third party gateways available in the market that may be able to help with this connectivity. They can provide an interface from KNX to another protocol that Continuum supports natively such as BACnet.     Schneider Electric Wiser for KNX Loytec Universal Gateway

Issue How can the format of a custom card be determined/understood Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Access Control AC1 AC1Plus ACX Cause The format of access cards is unknown. Resolution The document Understanding custom card formats in Continuum describes how to determine the custom format of proximity cards.  

Warning Electrostatic Discharge Required: Always discharge static electricity from your person by touching metal prior to handling any hardware. Failure to do so may result in damage to devices. Issue How to drive the IO on the DM-20 using an external pull up resistor and voltage source. Product Line Andover Continuum, Security Expert Environment Continuum CX Gen 1 Continuum Net Controller II Continuum DM-20 IO Module Security Expert Controller (SP-AC1) Cause DM-20 IO does not have built-in pull-up resistors.  In order to be able to drive the IO without the DIO-20, external pull up resistors must be used. Resolution Attach a 10K resistor between the + termination of the 24VDC at the bottom left corner of the DM-20 and the termination at the female connector corresponding to the input/output to be driven.   In1, in the screenshot above, can be driven by removing and inserting the other end of the resistor into the input termination. Out5, in the screenshot above, a voltage meter is used, when the output is turned ON/OFF from the software, the voltage across the resistor will change from GROUND to 24VDC  

Issue Faulty operation of BMS equipment due to electrical interference from other equipment can be difficult and costly to identify and fix.  Guidance is required for the best installation practices to minimize the source of the interference and to protect against it when it occurs. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC IA Series, TAC Vista Environment All electrical equipment Cause Poor installation can cause equipment to generate high and low-frequency electromagnetic interference that can disrupt the operation of other systems. Resolution Schneider Electric has produced a document Practical Installation Guidelines which discusses the theory and offers practical guidelines to protect against and minimize the generation of, electromagnetic interference.

Issue What utility in Windows XP can disable items in Startup? Environment Windows XP Cause Items that run on startup can sometimes make the boot up process for a PC very slow. Depending on which applications have been added to start automatically on startup, it can also cause problems if things load in the incorrect order. Resolution Click the Start button in Windows XP Select Run Type msconfig and click OK.

Issue How to find the IP address information on a PC? Environment Windows Operating Systems Cause Need to identify the IP address of the workstation (PC). Resolution For a Windows 95/98 PC, go to a DOS screen and run WINIPCFG. For a Windows NT / XP / Windows7 / Server 2008 PC, run a CMD window and run IPCONFIG.

Issue Change an IP address on Windows 8 to a static address. Product Line Other Environment Windows 8 Cause Changing the IP address of a PC is often done to ensure it resides on the same subnet and network as the system or devices it is trying to communicate with. Resolution From the Start Menu (Tiles), open the Charms bar by moving the mouse to the right bottom corner of the screen or press the Windows Key + C and click on Search. Highlight Settings. In the Search box type Network to search for any network related options From the list options choose Network and Sharing Center. From the View Your Active Networks section, select Local Area Connection. Go to Properties. Result: The Local Area Connection Properties screen appears. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties. Result: The Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties screen appears. Click Use the following IP address. Complete the configuration fields as shown below. This part of the configuration requires attention to detail, because one error will prevent you from getting on the network. Be sure you have this information at hand when you start to configure the TCP/IP protocol: IP Address: x.x.x.x Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 Default gateway: x.x.x.x  Enter these numbers in the appropriate fields and click OK. Continue to click OK or Close as appropriate until you return to the Network Connections screen. The Local Area Connection icon text should now say "Enabled". To test the new IP address: Open a command prompt in Windows 8 Swipe to show apps screen Scroll down and locate Windows system section heading Under Windows system, press or click on Command Prompt (a new Command Prompt window will open up on the Desktop.) You then can type in IPCONFIG then hit Enter and look for the new IPV4 address. You can also try to type in PING (IP ADDRESS) that should reply with the new IPV4 address if set correctly.

Issue Some helpful basic IP commands. Product Line Other Environment Computer with IP NIC or Network Cause Need for basic IP configuration or IP address Resolution Go to start, click run and type in "cmd". This takes you to the command prompt. Type in: "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" to see if your device is online and its response time. Make sure you put the space between "ping" and "xxx". "ipconfig" and hit enter to get the info of the computer you are currently using. You'll get the IP address, subnet mask and the gateway. "ipconfig/all" and hit enter to get more info on the machine your using. It will give you all the above and then some including the DNS server addresses. "tracert xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" and hit enter and you can see the servers that you are going through to get to your destination. This can be used when connecting to a Loytec or a iLon and the IP address is being presented to the L-IP or iLon is unknown. Connecting through a firewall/gateway/NAT server, you are not presenting the PC's address - when you do the tracert you will go through your gateway and the next address will be the IP you are presenting- Use this in the iLon as the LNS server address.

Issue Unable to open graphics that are on a shared network drive Product Line INet, Continuum, Access Expert, Security Expert Environment Windows 10 Chrome Windows IE Cause A registry setting is overridden or needs to be reset that was not previously not there. Resolution This is a Microsoft Issue. Here is a link that describes the resolution: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/mapped-drives-not-available-from-elevated-command

Issue Useful listview dump files for checking and monitoring systems, including BACnet find and offline problems Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Listviews BACnet check Alarm Events, Access Events Error Events COV increment check Cause Useful listviews for monitoring and debugging a Continuum site Resolution Useful Listview dump files Once the .dmp file is imported in to Continuum, the listviews will be found at the top of the Listview files on the root. Run the listview and the go to "Object/Export to a .CSV file if a copy of the results is required. The BACnet Check devices listview is helpful if "find New BACnet" device fails to find the device. The device may have been previously discovered on a different network and not deleted correctly. Also, duplicated BACnet devices can be checked, this can cause majors problems with controllers going offline and flooding various networks with data.

Issue Need to replace a failed PDU v3.3.  The only replacement available is firmware 1.7.  Will this work? Environment AC256 CIU ACNET PDU Cause A PDU v3.3 has failed. Resolution A CIU III requires PDU Version 3.0 or higher.  Recommend changing out the firmware chip. Version 1.7 firmware on an ACNET controller will result in impaired controller performance, specifically rotating drum programs will throw an interpreter error.

Issue AC256 Master controller repeatedly displays Test Mode. Environment AC256+ AC8+ Cause LED card is not plugged into the CIU board. Resolution In order for an AC256 Plus master controller to pass its system startup test, the indicator light panel must be plugged into the CIU board.

Issue Need to test the AC8 power supply for failure.  Environment AC8 Power Supply Cause AC8 has performance issues or is displaying hardware related errors. Resolution Pins on the CIU connector at the power supply are numbered 1 through 12 beginning with the left most pin. The following pin voltages should be measured with respect to pin 10. Pin 6 = between +11 to +13 vdc Pin 7 = between -11 to -14 vdc Pin 8 = between +7.6 to 8.4 vdc Pin 11 = between +6.84 to +7.56 vdc Pin 12 = between +6.84 to +7.56 vdc The following pin voltages should be measured with respect to each other Pin 4 and pin 5 = between +23 to +26 vdc

Issue When I try to reload a backup into an AC256 controller I get several Bad Reload Block errors with a hexadecimal code. Environment AC256 AC8 AC256Plus AC8Plus Cause Poor serial connection. Corrupt backup file Insufficient line delay parameter. Resolution Bad reload blocks errors when reloading an AC256 dump file can occur for several reasons.  Poor serial connection: Try reloading from a laptop PC directly at the CIU to eliminate the serial cable run from the equation. Corrupt backup file: When a Bad Reload Block error occurs the first portion of the failed line is displayed.  View the backup file in Notepad.  Do a search for the code that was displayed with the error. In the terminal emulation application (Hyperterminal, ProComm etc)  Increase the line delay parameter for sending text two or three milliseconds.