Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Can the ACWebProxyServer and XML Automation Server pop-up windows be closed or hidden from view?  Environment WebClient Server Cause The user wants to close or hide these pop-up windows. Resolution The ACWebProxyServer and XML Automation Server applets are an integral part of the WebClient Server and are required for WebClient to run properly. There is no way to hide them from view other than to minimize to the taskbar.

Issue Since the actuator M6B is no longer available in our portfolio, a replacement actuator is requested. Environment M6B VTRM Cause Replacing the obsolete M6B actuator. Resolution There is no replacement actuator for the M6B in the Schneider Electric portfolio. However, the manufacturer ESBE (http://www.esbe.se/) should still have the M6B in their portfolio in both 0-10V and 4-20mA versions. No cross reference to their part numbers are currently available.

Issue When an alarm is sent to an email alarm handler, no email is received. No email system alarms are indicated in Vista. An entry in the b0warlog.txt is created and will look like this: "Mon May 21 10:40:27 2012 alrdisp  >> Error while instantiating MAPI server: -2147221164" Environment Vista 5.x.x Windows 7 Norton 360 Cause It has been found that if using Norton 360 antivirus software, this prevents the mail handler file "tacalarmmailer.exe" from being installed. To check to see if this is the case, check for this file under the Vista 5.x.x default directory. For Windows 7 and Windows XP the default path is C:\Program Files\Schneider Electric\TAC Vista 5.x.x. Resolution Check for the file "tacalarmmailer.exe" in the TAC Vista installation folder, if this file is not installed the easiest solution is to disable the Norton 360 and reinstall Vista.

Issue The limits on how many AI/AO/BI/BO/RI/RO, Function Block number, Constant number, public signal number...etc.. one can create in one Functional Block Application? Environment StruxureWare Building Operation site with Functional Block Application Cause What are the limits on how many AI/AO/BI/BO/RI/RO, Function Block number, Constant number, public signal number...etc.. one can create in one Functional Block Application? Resolution There are no limits about how many blocks that could be created, but the Function Block parser has a memory limit. When this limit is exceeded an error text is prompted to the user. There is no way to tell if a site is getting close to that limit.  

Issue Replacement stuffing boxes for V392 Environment V392 Spare stuffing boxes: DN15 type V: 0804343005 DN15 type X: 0804362005 (glycol) DN20-50 type T: 0802064005 DN20-50 type Q: 0804724005 (glycol) Cause Replacement parts for obsolete valve V392 Resolution Spare stuffing boxes for DN15 was withdrawn in 20101231. For DN20-50, they will be withdrawn in 20141231. Please contact your Orders Dept for more details and availability.

Issue Loytec NIC does not work Windows can not find driver for my Loytec NIC Environment Loytec NIC TAC Vista LOYTEC Network Interface Software Cause You have to install the LOYTEC Network Interface Software from Loytec. This will install the necessary drivers and the Lconfig that you need. Resolution Go to loytec.com Search for "LOYTEC Network Interface Software" Download and install, follow the instructions given.

Issue The ERR-block in Menta indicate that one or several switches on I/O modules are on manual control but they are not. Environment TAC Vista Tac Xenta 400 with I/O modules Cause When this problem occur it is very unlikely that is a software issue, therefore the I/O module need to be replaced. Resolution Replace the I/O module.

Issue Is it possible to view an Xenta server webpage from webstation without having to log in? Environment TAC Vista Webstation 5.1.X Cause A customer may wish to have a seamless integration of the Xenta server in Vista and in Vista webstation. In workstation it is not necessary to log in to the Xenta server when viewing pages from the Xenta server. Resolution Vista's webserver is unable to serve login details to webstation so at little work-around is required. Create a hyperlink in Workstation. Right-click in Workstation and select New-->Object-->Hyperlink. Create an HTML document which redirects to the desired Xenta server webpage. In a folder that Vista has access to create a new text document and name it redirect.html. Open the file in notepad (or similar) and write HTML code to redirect to the xenta server's web page. An example of this follows where a page called TimeObjectPage1.html is to be viewed in Vista: <.head> <.meta HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" content="0; url=https://xx.xx.xx.xx/www/index/index.html?UID=user,PW=password Replace with a valid user who has access to the page you wish to view. Replace with the user's password. Save the file. Edit the hyperlink in Workstation Right-click on the hyperlink object and select Properties. Under URL enter the path to the HTML document e.g. C:\Users\...\redirect.html Click OK.   Launch webstation and confirm that the hyperlink works.       In order to access a specific graphics page in a Xenta server without having to log in, do the following 1. Browse the Xenta server with a FTP client to check the exact path of the graphic 2. Create the URL like this: https://IP_address/www/info/path_to_graphic?UID=root,PW=root      Note that upper and lower case is important      In this example, if the IP address is 1.2.3.4 and the graphic is located in Navigation->Floor 1->Overview the URL will be like this:      https://1.2.3.4/www/info/Navigation/Floor+1/Overview.html?UID=root,PW=root

Issue Spare parts availability for Controlli MVL56 (Forta M700) Environment Controlli MVL56 Forta M700 Cause Replacement parts   Resolution Due to the spring return design of this actuator, no spare parts are available, with the possible exception of the PCBA. Any repairs should be done by the factory for safety reasons. However, MVL56 is a Controlli product and they should be contacted directly for further details. If the M700 fails after the warranty then a new actuator is required, the MG900 SR is a lower cost alternative to the M700.

Issue Can more than one MS41-7153 actuator be paralleled when being driven by a MNB series controller? Environment MNB series controller Several MS41-7153 actuators controlled by a common signal. Cause Series of parallel dampers are to be controlled by the same control signal. Resolution Yes several MS41-7153 actuators can be driven by the analog output from a MNB series controller. There are two acceptable methods of providing parallel control. 1. Control the first actuator using either the voltage output or current output from the controller and cascade control from the feedback AO of one actuator into the AI of the next actuator.  The AO of the last actuator should be routed back to the controller to provide feedback confirmation of the damper operation.  In this way should any damper fail, the feedback will indicate that one (or more) of the actuators did not drive to the desired position.  Using this method there is theoretically no limit to the number of actuators that could be driven from one controller AO output.  When controlling a series of actuators in this manner, you must make sure that the power to the actuators are phased correctly, especially if using more than one transformer.   2. Alternate method for use with four or less actuators.  Up to four actuators may be driven using the 4-20 ma drive from the controller.  The 500 ohm resistor should be connected across the actuator wired closest to the controller.  When using this method, and more than two actuators are being parallel controlled, the resistance of the parallel resistor may need to be increased slightly or the drive signal may need to be increased by as much as 2.5% to make up for the parallel resistance effect of the 80 k-ohm input impedance of the actuators.

Issue How does the Test mode work on the B-Link-F repeaters.   Environment B-Link-F Cause Need to know to what extent the test mode assesses fiber signal quality. Resolution Test Mode on the B-Link-F repeaters is a simple test that forces the Light source on at the Test B-Link so that the installer can verify the that the light is being received by the non Test B-Link.  In test mode the TD Led illuminates to indicate that the light source is on.  The RD Led on the non test B-Link-F indicates that the light has passed through the fiber and is seen.   The Test mode is used to test connectivity only and does not evaluate the integrity of the light signal. 

Issue The STS safety feature for Forta actuators is obsolete since a few years. Environment Forta STS M700 MG900 Cause With the Forta STS battery safety feature no longer available, a replacement actuator with similar safety function is requested. Resolution Depending on torque requirements, the Forta M700 and Forta MG900 spring return actuators are available. Just make sure the correct closing direction (stem up/stem down) is defined when ordering these actuators.

Issue Can I use a uninterruptible power supply for controllers? UPS Environment site requiring constant power supply or unstable power from grid and need to take into account power supplies Cause Can I use the CX99-PSU-BATT for an ACX5720 controller? If not, then what can I use if the customer wants a UPS for each controller. Should I use a big UPS for the system and supply the controllers from it?   Resolution The CX99-PSU-BATT is 70VA 120/240VAC and really designed for the CX9900 PSU. It is suggested to get one of our APC UPS and run the proper voltage transformer to the ACX5720. The ACX 57xx series is rated with a 24VAC 90VA or 12-28VDC 50W on the power supply which I recommend due to devices which connect to this controller and require power. i.e. door readers UPS or uninterruptible power supplies are available from APC by Schneider Electric.  Background The power drawn by computing equipment is expressed in Watts or Volt-Amps (VA). The power in Watts is the real power drawn by the equipment. Volt-Amps is called the "apparent power" and is the product of the voltage applied to the equipment times the current drawn by the equipment. Both Watt and VA ratings have a use and purpose. The Watt rating determines the actual power purchased from the utility company and the heat loading generated by the equipment. The VA rating is used for sizing wiring and circuit breakers. The VA and Watt ratings for some types of electrical loads, like incandescent light bulbs, are identical. However, for computer equipment the Watt and VA ratings can differ significantly, with the VA rating always being equal to or larger than the Watt rating. The ratio of the Watt to VA rating is called the "Power Factor" and is expressed either as a number (i.e. 0.7) or a percentage (i.e. 70%). The power rating of the UPS UPS have both Watt ratings and VA ratings. Neither the Watt nor the VA rating of a UPS may be exceeded. In most cases, UPS manufacturers only publish the VA rating of the UPS. However, it is a standard in the industry that the Watt rating is approximately 60% of the VA rating, this being the typical power factor of common loads. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the Watt rating of the UPS is 60% of the published VA rating. How to avoid sizing errors Using APC sizing guidelines or and APC Configuration can help avoid these problems, as the load power values are verified. Equipment nameplate ratings are often in VA, which makes it difficult to know the Watt ratings. If using equipment nameplate ratings for sizing, a user might configure a system which appears to be correctly sized based on VA ratings but actually exceeds the UPS Watt rating. By sizing the VA rating of a load to be no greater than 60% of the VA rating of the UPS, it is impossible to exceed the Watt rating of the UPS. Therefore, unless you have high certainty of the Watt ratings of the loads, the safest approach is to keep the sum of the load nameplate ratings below 60% of the UPS VA rating. Note that this conservative sizing approach will typically give rise to an oversized UPS and a larger run time than expected. If optimization of the system and an accurate run time are required, use APC sizing and Worldwide Web configuration tools.  

Issue Invalid parameter values. Product Line TAC Vista Environment NL220 LonMaker Vista LNS Cause The NS #44 error is a generic, catch all error. Most likely a parameter was changed in the device template and issued a Build (or a Build and Load) instead of a Build All (or Build All and Load). It can also indicate that NodeBuilder has received a bad parameter. This error often occurs when a device template has been changed. Whenever the device template is modified, the project must be rebuilt. Resolution If a change is made to the domain table entry in the reset clause, this error will occur. It's not really an error in this case. NodeBuilder will issue a reset command before putting it online. If the subnet / node address changes after the reset, NodeBuilder will no longer be able to talk to the node since the subnet / node address of the node will have changed. It will be using the wrong subnet / node address. For more information or help contact Echelon support here.

Issue While attempting to carry out certain operations on a device, you receive an Echelon error telling you that the device is in the wrong state for this operation. Environment Vista LonMaker NL220 Echelon Cause The node was in the wrong state for the attempted operation. To resolve this error, try setting the State property of the nodes AppDevice object to lcaStateCnfgOnline. Resolution Many operations will fail if the device is not in the expected state. For example, an applicationless device cannot be commissioned. If the device is applicationless, load the application image into the device (right-click the device, point to Commissioning, and then click Load on the shortcut menu). If the device is unconfigured, commission it (right-click the device, point to Commissioning, and then click Commission on the shortcut menu). A device in the wrong state is generally indicative of a hardware and/or software problem. In one case, an I/O module right out of the box failed to commission in the LonMaker drawing.  After going through a few replacement modules, the LonMaker drawing was found to be the problem.  Creating a new LonMaker drawing took care of the problem. One possible work around which sometimes works is to delete the I/O module from the LonMaker drawing and then copy and paste another working I/O module that is working. The device is in the wrong state for this operation. (Subsystem: NS, #86)

Issue After a controller firmware uprev all the doors stop processing card swipes, when a cardholder presents the access card, the door does not unlock nor any type of access event (valid or invalid) is sent by the controller. Environment ACX5720 ACX5740 Cause The error log will show errors 0x2804 (Vref out of tolerance) and 0x4433 (DEVICE_ERR_COMMSEQ) 0x4433 is an error that indicates communications between the Texas Instrument MSP430 processor that reads the card swipes and the main ColdFire processor is out of sync. The root cause of the problem is under investigation per defect QC466 Resolution After the uprev when the controller is in the described state follow the steps below to recover... -From the controller's web page configuration, clear the database backup, commit the changes and re-start the controller. -After the controller has re-started, remove the battery's connector from the socket then power down the controller. -Wait a minute -Power up the controller then once online perform a reload from CyberStation and then a backup to flash. -Re-connect the battery.

Issue Door configured not to send forced entries access event but forced open alarms keep coming in the alarm viewer Environment CyberStation CX9900 CX9702 CX9680 ACX5740 ACX5720 ACX7xxx Cause The filtering options in the door only filter out the access events, to stop the alarm from triggering modify the expression alarm algorithm. Resolution To have the doors send forced open alarms ONLY when configured to send the forced entry access event modify the expression in the Door Forced Open alarm enrollment as follows: ForcedEntry = True and RecordValHist = True

Issue What are the FIPS-PIV reader outputs supported by Continuum? Environment CyberStation CX9680 ACX5720 ACX5740 Cause Questions on configuring a FIPS-PIV reader to work with Continuum. Resolution Continuum FIPS-PIV enabled controllers (9680, 5720 and 5740) require a minimum 75 bit Wiegand output from a FIPS-PIV readers. Typically card readers can be configured to select the FIPS PIV output format sent by the reader. The following output formats are supported: Built-in Formats: Wiegand 75-bit Agency + System + Credential + Expiration Date Wiegand 200-bit 200-bit FASC-N (No Expiration Date) All other formats are considered FIPS-PIV Custom Card format and must be specified by the user via the FIPS-PIV Custom Format System variable. Custom Format Examples: 200-bit FASC-N with embedded expiration date 245-bit FASC-N with appended expiration date Custom Medium-Assurance Format Examples: 200-bit FASC-N with embedded HMAC 107-bit: 75-bit PIV + 32-bit HMAC 32-bit HMAC + 200-bit FASC-N

Issue IO Modules must be added to a NetController that cannot be powered down. Environment IO Modules Cause NetController cannot be powered down in order to install new IO Modules. Resolution There are two methods that may be used when replacing or adding IO modules. Method 1 -- Power down NetController. Turn off the power supply. Disconnect the batteries. Replace or add the IO module. Turn the power supply on. Reconnect the batteries. Reload the NetController. Method 2 -- Remove power from the IO bus only. Turn the power supply off. From the Continuum Workstation, navigate to the appropriate controller. In the Command Line field in Continuum Explorer, type the following command -- Set IOUPower to Off Replace or add the IO module Turn the power supply on.

Issue How are the existing Areas manually assigned to a Personnel object affected when that Personnel is referenced to a Personnel Template that has existing Areas set to InheritFromTemplate. Environment Continuum Access Control Cause An existing site had manually assigned Areas to Personnel and wants to consolidate common Areas for groups of Personnel by using Personnel Templates with pre-defined Areas. It was unclear what would happen to existing Area assignments once the Template was assigned to the Personnel. Resolution If you have manually assigned Areas to a Personnel and then attach a template, the AreaLinks in the Template will "compliment" the Areas you already had assigned to your Personnel. It will add any additional Areas in the Template. As well, if you update your Template and add new Areas to it, these get pushed to all Personnel that are linked to that Template. If you delete Areas from the Template then this gets pushed out as well, unless the Personnel already had the Area assigned manually - in which case they retain access to it. I guess the simplest way to think of it is that the relationship is like a binary OR operation. Area Assigned = "Manually Added" OR "Defined in RefTemplate"