Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue The ProView for LON (MNL-PROV-xxx) display wizard is unable to install a customer-defined logo using Niagara R2. Environment Niagara R2 ProView Cause The Distech display wizard for Niagara R2 is unable to perform this function. Distech has no plans to correct it. Resolution The Distech wizard for Niagara G3 was tested and found to perform this function correctly. So, use this wizard to install a customer-defined logo into ProView.

Issue A large WorkPlace Tech database containing more than 250 SNVTs, for a MNL-800, compiled and saved with no issues. However, errors occur when downloading it to the controller. Environment WorkPlace Tech MNL-800 Cause Exceed the maximum number of 250 SNVTs, which MNL-800 support. Resolution The MNL-800 has a maximum capacity for 250 SNVTs. WorkPlace Tech allows more than 250 SNVTs to be added to the application and it will save and compile. However, it will not download successfully. Ensure the application contains no more than 250 SNVTs (including the default nci SNVTs) and number them 0-249.

Issue An "Internal Server Error 500" message appears when attempting to access a Niagara G3 ENC station via a web browser. Environment Niagara G3 ENC station Web browser Cause Typically, this issue is caused by the Module Content Filter Level in the ENC being set to "RUNTIME". In order for an ENC to host Web Services, the ENC needs to have the Module Content Filter Level set to "UI+RUNTIME". Resolution Use the Commissioning Wizard in the Platform Administration section of the ENC's Platform to set the Module Content Filter Level to "UI+RUNTIME". In some cases, the error message persists even after re-commissioning per the above instructions. To correct this problem, go to the Software Manager in the ENC's Platform, highlight all the modules that are marked "Up To Date", and re-install them.

Issue Can ASD bus wiring be used for LON communications in a retrofit situation? Environment ASD bus wiring LON network retrofit Cause The communications protocols for RS-485 and LON are two totally different and opposing specifications. Resolution No, ASD bus wiring cannot be used in conjunction with an existing LON network. Any deviations from LON standards result in unsatisfactory performance. Not adhering 100% to the published best practices guides for LON bus wiring will result in no end to problems with the installation.

Issue There is an adapter which allows for connection between the USB port of a laptop or computer to Micronet via a MicroNet 2000 MN-Sx sensor. Environment MicroNet 2000 software (MN-CI, MN Flow Balance) MicroNet 2000 controller with attached sensor (MN-S, MN-SO, MN-SDK) Cause Computer without a serial port Resolution This connection requires the use of both part numbers MN-CIM (MicroNet Controller Interface Module) and UC232A (USB to Serial Adapter). The UC232A adapter can be attained from B&B Electronics. (NOTE: MN-CIM is obsolete as of December, 2011. See Product Announcement PA-000164. There is no functional replacement available) Steps: Load the UC232A driver Select unused Com port in setup (can not conflict with any other ports being used) Reboot computer

Issue Unable to connect to a Niagara R2 UNC-520.  The IP address was incorrectly set.  How can the IP address be found and changed if there's no access via the Ethernet port? Environment UNC-520 or UNC-410 Cause Incorrect entry of the IP Address or subnet mask can cause the UNC appear unresponsive to the WorkPlace Pro software. Resolution There are two methods available to determine the IP and subnet mask entered into the UNC. The first method requires having access to the computer used to change the IP address.  Look at the file "ipchanges.txt" located in the "\Niagara\r2.301.522\nre\user" folder. It will contain the date, time, user name, original IP, new IP, and controller name (i.e. 9:54 16-Dec-2008 CST: tac 10.159.34.123 -> 10.1.146.128 on J404-29764). The second method requires the use of a terminal program, a UNCC-405 to adapt RS232 to RJ45, and a CBL-RJ45 cable (a standard ethernet cable no longer than seven feet will do).  The HyperTerminal program is used to directly connect to a UNC-520 to verify and to make changes to its IP address in order to make it accessible.  HyperTerminal makes it possible to view the UNC's configuration and execute commands. The steps needed to directly connect to a UNC-520 using HyperTerminal are listed in chapter 2 of the Niagara Networking & Connectivity Guide.  After connecting to the UNC, use the procedure "Determining an IP address of a JACE-4/5" in the section "Determining Network Settings" of Chapter 3 of the same manual to display or change the IP address or subnet mask.  Failure to enter the subnet mask properly can prevent the UNC from being seen by WorkPlace Pro.

Issue Are MNL controllers RoHS compliant? Environment MNL Controllers Cause Restrict dangerous substances commonly used in electronic and electronic equipment. Resolution All controller final assemblies will be RoHS compliant by the end of the 1st quarter of 2010.

Issue Are MNB controllers RoHS compliant? Environment MNB controllers Cause Restrict dangerous substances commonly used in electronic and electronic equipment. Resolution All controller final assemblies will be RoHS compliant by the end of the 1st quarter of 2010.

Issue How can the selected object be easily viewed after performing a "Find Object" or "Find Reference" in WorkPlace Tech? Environment WorkPlace Tech Cause Enable "Center Selection on Zoom" in WorkPlace Tech. Resolution In WorkPlace Tech, choose Tools - Visio Options. Select the "General" tab. Check the box for "Center Selection on Zoom" and click OK. Now, after choosing "Find Object" or "Find Reference" the selected object will appear in the center of the window.

Issue A Niagara G3 ENS locks up & stops communicating with all ENCs. All stations are running version 3.3.22. The "sysInfo" spy page shows the correct time, but clock ticks show an extremely large value. A station restart cures the issue for about 6-8 weeks. Environment Niagara G3 ENS Cause A known software error in version 3.3.22, which cause the engine timing to fail. Resolution This is a known issue with versions 3.3.24 and earlier. Tridium describes it on their website - http://www.niagara-central.com. Search for Issue #11404. It has been fixed in versions 3.3.25 and later. If it's not possible to upgrade versions, then the ENS must be restarted every 49 days (or more).

Issue In Niagara G3, how can a button on a graphic be created that will open a Schedule Editor? Environment Niagara G3 kitPx palette Schedule Editor Cause To open Schedule Editor with a click of a button, create a hyperlink button in the graphic and link to the schedule object. Resolution Perform the following steps: In the kitPx palette, drag a hyperlink button into the graphic In the Properties of the hyperlink button, click the "..." button to the right of the "hyperlink" field. The hyperlink window appears. In the hyperlink window, click the down arrow next to the open folder icon, and select Component Chooser. In the select Ord window, navigate to the desired schedule object. Click on the object, then click OK In the hyperlink window, click on the (Default View). The list will expand. Click on Scheduler. In the hyperlink window, click OK In the Properties window, click OK In Runtime mode, click on the newly created button. The Schedule Editor will now appear.

Issue In a Niagara G3, when going from graphic to graphic via the IE browser a gray or white screen will be displayed and the browser will lock up. The number of screens viewable before this happens is random. Environment Niagara G3 Internet Explorer Cause The G3 Niagara software was designed to function using the standard JRE. Therefore, it will be necessary to disable a setting in the Java control panel if this symptom is experienced. Resolution Go to Control Panel and click on Java to open the Java Control Panel. Click on the Advanced tab and then expand the Java Plug-in setting. Uncheck the box for "Enable next generation Java Plug-in (requires browser restart)" and click on Apply. Note: In rare cases with very large graphics files the Java Console could show the following error: "java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space". If this is experienced it is possible to adjust the Heap space. Go to the Control Panel and click on Java to open the Java Control Panel. Click on the Java tab and click on the "view..." button to display the Java Runtime Environment Settings. For the Java version enabled you will need to add parameters to the "Runtime parameters". In the single case where this was necessary the Runtime parameters used were "-Xms128m -Xmx256m". After adjusting the Java Heap, clear out the wbapplet cache. Go to Windows Explorer - Local Disk C: - Documents and Settings - Your Admin folder Right click on the "niagara" folder and delete it. This folder and its subfolders and files will be recreated the next time you open the browser.

Issue When releasing an override in a UNC station, the object with a "command priority" barnacle is not functioning properly in the controller.  It should go to level 0 control but it is going to level 16 where a constant is connected. Environment UNC station Cause Constants connected to Command Priority inputs during normal operation. Resolution As stated in the WorkPlace Tech Tool 5.7 Engineering Guide Supplement page 114 "do not leave constants connected to Command Priority inputs during normal operation". When the priority array is written via BACnet at a priority level corresponding to a Command Priority object input that is connected to a constant value, the controller responds to the BACnet service with a “property-error: write-access-denied” and does not write the value to the priority array, application RAM, or EEPROM.

Issue When attempting to perform maximum or minimum Flow Balance on a MNB-V1 controller, ;an error appears: "Invalid flow setpoint values. To balance the selected flow setpoints...." Product Line TAC IA Series Environment MNB-V1 Controller Cause The MNB-V1 is a cooling only controller and does not have the Reheat properly disabled. Resolution Check the date code of the MNB-V1 controller. If it is between 0902 and 0913 see TPA-RKFD-09-0007.01 on The Exchange Download Center for details. If it is outside that date code range contact Product Support Services for assistance.

Issue An obsolete part from the Network 8000 and DMS product lines has failed. Is there an option to repair and/or replace it with a refurbished unit? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment NETWORK 8000 Cause Replacement parts for obsolete parts on the Network 8000 and DMS product lines. Resolution A company has been retained that can repair and/or replace several parts from both product lines. Contact information: Name: ISA Phone: 1-800-430-6013 Web: www.isa-net.com On the home page of their website, select "Energy" at the top of the screen and then click on "Parts". On the new screen, click on "Barber-Colman (Invensys)". On the subsequent screen, click on "Invensys". A list of available parts for both Network 8000 and DMS will result. Availability varies so it is best to contact them by phone.  For additional information, see Product Announcement PA-00164 Network 8000 Availability – REPAIR UPDATE.

Issue In Niagara R2, how can manual commands be issued to Network 8000 GCM/LCM analog and binary points? The LcmAnalogCmd, LcmBinaryCmd, GcmAnalogCmd, and GcmBinaryCmd objects have a manualCmd field.  However, this option does not appear in a web browser. Environment Niagara R2 Cause To use binary and analog commands to control points, connect the objects to an Analog output or Binary object. Resolution Due to an anomaly in these objects, connect to an Analog output or Binary Object and issue a change with it before the option to allow issuing a command to the AnalogCmd or BinaryCmd will be available.

Issue In Niagara G3, can the station's web login page be customized to display a custom logo? Environment Niagara G3 Cause Instruction on displaying a custom logo on the station web login page. Resolution If the WebService of a Niagara G3 station is configured for cookie authentication (the default), the station's login page can be customized to add a custom logo, centered over the login entry field.  Adding a custom logo can be done by performing the following steps: Go to the slot sheet of WebServices under Services in the station and add a new slot. Name the slot "logo", and select Type of "baja" and "Ord". In the property sheet of the WebServices, the new slot logo now can be used to point to an image for display on the login screen. The custom logo will also appear above the "Powered by NiagaraAX" when loading the Web Workbench applet.

Issue In a Niagara R2 UNC or Niagara G3 ENC station running the ASD service, the block output override feature does not get range-checked if the override is initiated from a linked gxText. Environment Niagara R2 Cause Graphic feature defect Resolution Attempting an override using the Block Output object with a time that is greater than 255, generates an error informing the user that the range must be between 0 and 255. If the same override is performed from an attached gxText or graphic, the range is not checked. A value greater than 255 is truncated to a one byte value equal to four minutes. Add descriptive text on the graphic near the override explaining (and warning) that the valid range for an override is 0 to 255.

Issue The ProView for LON Display shows the enumeration definitions for SNVT_tod_event even though the wizard is set up to use SNVT types with different enumerations. Environment Niagara R2 & G3 Proview Cause Display conflict Resolution Although the schedule does not display the desired enumerations, the schedule's "value" is successfully sent to the bound controller. This issue has been observed on both Niagara R2 and G3 platforms. It applies to version 2.62 of the ProView display. Distech Controls, the makers of the display, have been informed of this "display-only" issue. For now, OCCUPIED and UNOCCUPIED are the enumerations that will work.

Issue In a Niagara R2 station, the ProView for LON Display wizard initializes with "Nv Type Lookup Error". Environment Niagara R2 Cause The ProView wizard for R2 displays a dialog box with error  "Nv Type Lookup Error" after the display is commissioned for the first time. The Workplace Pro DOS window will show a java exception as well: OnInit_WeekSchedStep called. Disposal was interrupted: java.lang.InterruptedException Resolution This is a nuisance error that occurs only with the initial commissioning of the display. Clear the program from the display and exit out of the wizard. Re-enter the wizard and begin programming. Subsequent commissioning completes successfully.