Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue For unknown reason, BCX4040 goes offline with solid CPU light, and failed to ping, Webpage can't be accessed, Environment BCX4040 Cyberstation 1.80 and above Cause Not clear what cause this issue, Not all the BCX4040 with solid CPU light can be recovered. Resolution Press "reset" button on PCB board for a long time, at least over 10 seconds, if the CPU light goes off, it is possible to recover the BCX4040 Press "IP Reset" on PCB board for over 60 seconds, Maybe not bring the controller into factory default setting Ping the BCX4040, if success, go to the next steps Start Continuum, and bring BCX4040 online, then downlaod, According to the steps above, I have recovered at least 4 BCX4040 and AX5720/5740.

Issue Getting a “500: Internal Server Error” when clicking on hyperlink in G3 station. The following error is also displayed in the Application Director window: javax.baja.naming.SyntaxException: Illegal char '?' in body: /ord?file:^gfx_Lib/www/nav.htm javax.baja.naming.SyntaxException: Illegal char '?' in body: /ord?file:^gfx_Lib/www/Top.htm Note:  The last part of the file path after "file:" will be different based on your station's file structure.   Environment Niagara G3, version 3.8.37 Cause A second “/” mark was being added to the hyperlinks’ paths in the htm file.  In this case, hyperlinks in the Top.htm file are the culprit. The Hyperlinks read: To date, Tridium has not determined how the second slash gets added.   Resolution The solution is to find out which htm file contains the error and correct it. Use WorkBench’s Text File Editor to examine the htm file to find the error.  - Open the station’s Files folder  - Right-click on the htm file and select “Text File Editor” - Once the htm file is found that contain the error, remove all second slashes.      Change <a href="/ord/?...     To          <a href="/ord?... (removed the second “/”) - Save changes and reopen page in new browser Note: There may be a need to clear all caches.   

Issue If the conversion line on an input is more complex than a single line of script, can a function be used? Environment BACnet b3 Controller Analog input conversions / scaling. Script programming, functions Cause The code required to scale an input is more complex than a single line of code. Resolution It is not possible to use a Script Function in the conversion line of an input point, however quite complex formulas can still be entered that scale the ElecValue when the point is evaluated. The format of an input point conversion line is still:     ElecValue / 1000   The automatic scaling table is also available in the b3 inputs for linear conversions

Issue After restoring a backup set to an AS, MSTP communication is lost and no BACnet folder appears under the System Hardware folder. Environment AS System Time Backup Restore Cause System time was not set in the AS prior to restoring the backup. Resolution Set system time prior to restoring the backup. The BACnet folder may be restored if the AS system time is set subsequent to restoring the backup and the AS is warmstarted.

Issue At times it is necessary to monitor an external variable to trigger action in SmartStuxure Lite Environment Smart Struxure Lite Smart Struxure Continuum AS MPM Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 Cause Need the ability to trigger actions from an external variable to run a lua script Resolution Use a lua script in your MPM that copies the value of ME.PG#_ENABLE.value to an Analog/binary value. This value can then be seen from the AS or BCX through bacnet and you can have the AS or BCX do different functions depending on that value

Issue Is R2 or G3 compatible with JAVA 8? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment R2 G3 Cause Oracle released Java 8 Resolution At the time of the creation of this article (February 17, 2015) no versions of R2  have been tested with Java 8 and therefore Java 8 is not supported until further notice.  As of March 15, 2015, Tridium has now tested the latest maintenance builds of G3 releases 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8 and found that they appear to work properly with Java 8 update 31.

Issue @TriggeredTimeStamp does not always report the last time an object transitioned to an off-normal state. Environment Alarms Substitution Codes Event Notifications. Cause Both the Normal and the Reset alarm states represent conditions where the alarmed object has assumed an acceptable value and is not in alarm Reset = The object has returned to a normal state but the return to normal notification has not been acknowledged. Normal = The object has returned to a normal state and the return to normal notification has been acknowledged. The TriggeredTimeStamp value is updated only when the object transitions from a Reset Alarm State to an Alarm Alarm state. The TriggeredTimeStamp value is not updated when the object transitions from an Alarm Alarm State to a Reset Alarm state. If an object goes into alarm and that alarm event is never again acknowleged, the Triggered Time Stamp will continue to reflect that initial alarm transition time regardless of how many times the object goes into and out of an alarm state. Resolution In order to get the Triggered Time Stamp to update, the notification must be acknowleged so that the alarm can return to a Normal state (rather than Alarm State = Reset) before it transitions to Alarm. 

Issue An offline edit in PCS deploys successfully. When viewed in Workstation, the Automation Server is online, but all b3s are offline. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartStruxure 1.50 PCS AS 1.5 BACnet interface Cause The b3s have a BACnet Device ID which is different from that assigned to b3s in PCS. The BACnet device ID can not be modified in PCS after it has been assigned. Resolution It is best to modify the BACnet Device ID in Continuum: Use a BCX4040. Connect with b3 devices one by one or together Bring b3s online in Continuum Workstation Modify the BACnet Device ID for each b3 to the BACnet Device ID assigned in PCS Go back to SBO Workstation. b3s should be online.

Issue Trend log values from two or more M-bus meters under a Xenta Server are intermittently mixed up, also when viewing a trend log page in the Xenta Server's web interface. Values from meter 1 are (sometimes) logged in meter 2's trend log and/or vice versa. Environment Xenta 913 Xenta 701 Xenta 711 Xenta 721 Xenta 731 M-bus meter Cause When secondary addressing is used for the meters, there is an extra telegram sent from the Xenta Server before asking for the actual values/data. The M-bus meters then replies to this telegram so that the Xenta Server knows which secondary address belongs to which meter. In some cases (only seen with a few meters) these addresses seems to be intermittently mixed up and this will cause the issue described above.  Resolution Use primary addressing for the M-bus meters.

Issue Replaced a Niagara R2 UNC with a Jace-645 embedded with R2.  LON communications was stable at first but now it is intermittent.  Environment Niagara G3 - AX version 3.6.47 or higher Niagara R2 version 535 Cause The intermittent LON communications issue was identified and a supporting jar file in R2-535 needs to be upgraded. Resolution Replace the lonworks jar file with this updated version:   lonworks-2.301.535c

Issue After about 30 minutes of communicating fine they will go off line in the AS. Environment BACnet, AS v1.41 Cause Time sync service running on the Lynxspring JACEs Resolution Restarting the Lynxspring controllers temporarily resolves the offline problem. Turning OFF the time sync service running on the Lynxspring JACEs permanently resolved the offline problem. 

Issue BACnet points are not updating in the UNC after the replacement of a BACnet device. Environment Niagara R2, UNC 520 Cause Tech replaced a drive from one manufacturer with a drive from a different manufacturer. The BACnet device object in the UNC was reused. Since the replacement drive was not the same model or manufacturer as the one being replaced, the BACnet points between the two devices are different. The points in the replacement device do not match the points in the reused BACnet device object in the UNC. Resolution The solution would be to delete the BACnet device object in the UNC, discover the replacement device and learn it into the UNC.

Issue Issues with port 80 after  WebReport installed on same machine as ES Environment ES WebReport Cause Port 80 conflict Resolution If you installed everything on the same machine and you didn't change the port on the ES you need to make some changes to avoid port 80 contention First change the ES port from 80 to something else like 8080    Open StruxureWare Building Operation Software Administrator    Change the default port from 80 to 8080    Stop and Restart the Service    Open StruxureWare Building Operation Workstation    Be sure to log in using @localhost:8080 instead of @localhost:80 Then you need to reconfigure WebReport to let I know the ES is using port 8080, this is normally specified during installation, there is an utility that lets you change it very easily which can be downloaded from the community.  

Issue Cannot get the SE8300 Series stat to function in the auto mode in a 2 pipe heating application. Environment SE8300 Series Room Controllers Cause The wrong terminals were being used on the SE8300 stat. A 2 pipe heating configuration was being used. When configured for a 2 pipe application, terminals 9 and 11 are used regardless of if it’s a heating only or cooling only application. In this instance terminals 10 and 12 were used. These are the correct terminals for heating in a 4 pipe system, but terminals 10 and 12 are not in a 2 pipe system. Resolution Correct the wiring issue. Remove control wiring from terminals 10 and 12 and wire to terminal 9 and 11.

Issue A PCS deploy fails and an error message comes up with the text "Xif nnn could not be found" Environment Project Configuration Server (PCS) StruxureWare Building Operation 1.5 and newer Cause An import originating from a live system that has LON network containing network variables on the local node becomes a potential risk in PCS, but will import correctly as long as no local node variables are deleted. There is not currently support for dynamic update of changes on the local node in PCS. Resolution Leave an import containing Local Node variables unchanged, if importing to PCS

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue When viewing a meter consumption report, the values shown in the report does not match the values in the extended trendlog in SmartStruxure Environment SmartStruxure 1.5 and below Web Reports Cause Generally this will happen if the meter is reset and that time the last value of that meter will set a BaseValue. To calculate the total consumption of the meter we are adding the BaseValue to the offset. This means that the value shown will be the logged value + the offset. In some cases however you would want to completely reset the log and just show the same values that are represented in the extended trendlog. It has been identified, that a defect causing a trend logging a 0 after each restart triggers this reset. Request the latest hotfix for 1.5 from Product Support in order to avoid this happening in the future.   Note: This issue (Defect #26360) has been fixed in 1.6.1 release. Resolution 1. Open "SQL Management Studio" and connect to the database "StruxureWareReportsDB" 2. Locate the log you want to reset using this query: SELECT * FROM tbLoggedEntities 3. Note the ID of the log you want to reset 4. Reset the log using the following query, replacing xxxx with the ID of the log DECLARE @id INT SET @id = xxxx UPDATE tbLoggedEntities SET BaseValue = 0 WHERE ID = @id UPDATE tbLogTimeValues SET FloatValue = OdometerValue WHERE ParentID = @id ##WARNING## The above script will reset BaseValue to 0 this may impact on any previous Meter Readings.  Please contact Product Support to discuss this if you have concerns before applying this script.

Issue What are the recommended browsers for use with Building Expert? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Building Expert MPM Cause Not all browsers will allow all the functionality of the Building Expert. Resolution Firmware release 2.20.1 is compatible with the following versions of desktop web browsers: Mozilla Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) The latest Firefox ESR versions are available on this web page: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/ Google Chrome

Issue Having communication issues with Schlage PIM devices attached to ACX2's 485 port. Environment ACX57xx Cause Documentation Resolution The ACX57xx RS485 port has 47K resistors on the +/- lines. The 47K on the plus line is pulled up to 3.3v. The one on the minus line is pulled down to ground. They are both 1/16 watt resistors.  

Issue Site has a personnel database with about 10K records, the site is switching to dual credentials and has configured the Personnel Manager to use HIDCorp1000 as the default for card type 2 and xxx as the default for Site Code 2. Problem is when going to change the personnel the Card Type 2 field still comes up with Infinity37 and Site Code 2 of 0 instead of the configured defaults. Environment CyberStation Cause Any existing personnel in the database will come up with Infinity37 for the card number 2 and 0 for the site code 2 as those were the values populated in the SQL database for those fields when the system was configured for only one credential. When creating NEW personnel objects the fields show the configured default values. Resolution When creating NEW personnel objects the fields show the configured default values.

Issue Unable to display Traditional Chinese characters in Workbench graphics and Alarm Portal Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 version 3.7 and 3.8 Cause There was change between I/A Series G3 version 3.6 and 3.7. A lexicon tool was added so that the user could use a default set of lexicons (modules). This is a change in the implantation of lexicons in I/A Series G3. The issue was that the default lexicon module for (zh) did not include the font parameters causing the software to not know how to display the Unicode characters. Resolution The I/A Series  lexicon tool can be used to build and enhance the module by the user for deployment on sites. In addition, the I/A Series G3 still supports the use of the previous mechanism that used lexicon files. The lexicon file basically overrides the default module.  Copy the lexicon zh folder from I/A Series G3 3.6 (\niagara\niagara-3.6.xxx\lexicon\) Create a lexicon folder under '\niagara\niagara-3.7.xxx\' in I/A Series 3.7 (or 3.8) and add zh folder copied in step1. Exit the Alarm Portal, stop the station and close Workbench. Update the system.properties file (see below) which is located in '\niagara\niagara-3.7.xxx\lib\'. Change the field to 'niagara,lang=zh' and save.  # This system property is used to override the the default locale. # If not specified, then the VM will attempt to use a default based # on the current operating system settings. This value should map # to a lexicon directory. niagara.lang=zh Launch Workbench and Alarm Portal and verify that the issue has been resolved.