Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Requirements / specifications on cables used in a LonWorks network Environment LonWorks Cable Wire Guide LonMark Cause There are special requirements on cables used for LonWorks networks between Lon devices. Resolution LonMark organisation is recommending cables according to their specification. An example of this is the Belden LonWorks cable guide. Also, Echelon has a Wiring Guideline and Users Guide.

Issue StruxureWare Building Operation uses the old PI-Modbus-300 protocol Environment StruxureWare Building Operation using Modbus protocol Cause Does StruxureWare Building Operation use the MODICON protocol with the reference PI-MBus-300? Resolution Modicon was purchased by Groupe Schneider (which eventually became Schneider Electric) in 1996, way before Schneider Electric bought TAC. The PI that referred to is just a prefix of the technical document describing the Modbus communication protocol. The 300 is the version of the protocol. StruxureWare Building Operation supports a subset of the Modbus protocol. StruxureWare Building Operation does not support all Functions defined by the document specified. Modicon is still the only one that does.

Issue StruxureWare Building Operation AS status data Environment StruxureWare Building Operation AS Automation Server Cause AS Information program such as CpuUsage, MemUsage, ProductID, Partnumber, Serial, SWversion, and much more. Resolution The attached file can be imported into a AS (with any or the releases 1.1.x  through the current release 1.5.x). It will create two graphics that supply a wealth of operational information. Screenshots are shown below:   After import into your AS, look for System View folder. Open to view the two ProgramInfo and SystemInfo tabs. Please note that you can also see the CPU% and memory usage of the AS by using Building Operation Workstation, highlight the AS, go to the Properties tab and in Basic, the stats are listed.

Issue What sensors can be used in Clean Rooms  What sensors can be used outdoors for temperature measurement What sensor can be used in a swimming pool What sensor would be explosive proof What color is the wall sensor and are custom colors available Environment Building Automation System such as I/NET, Vista, or Continuum at a site containing a clean room, swimming pool, or outdoors Cause Questions concerning the uses of Schneider Electric sensors in Clean Room applications Questions concerning temperature sensors for Outdoor installations Questions concerning temperature sensors for swimming pools Questions concerning explosion proof sensors* Questions concerning color and custom colors for sensors Resolution All the Schneider Electric temperature sensors found in the HVAC Sensor Catalogue as well as on iPortal provide high accuracy and can be mounted on the wall, in ducts, or in a J-Box. Appendix A provides the accuracy for each of the temperature sensors. Color: STR series wall sensors are: Front Cover: White NCS S-0500 N Core Plate: White NCS S-0500 N and Gray NCS S-2500 N Base Plate: Gray NCS S 1502-R Manufacturing in custom colors in not available. One option could possibly to have the sensors locally custom finished to meet customer's requirements. While there is not a direct cross reference to RAL colors, our engineering team has found the closest alternates. Please see the attached pdf. Clean Room: Depending on the specified limits of the clean room, the variety of sensors offered by Schneider Electric are possible solutions. Thing you may want to research are the standards required for the site. Clean rooms are a controlled environment where products are manufactured. It is a room in which the concentration of airborne particles is controlled to specified limits. Eliminating sub-micron airborne contamination is really a process of control. These contaminants are generated by people, process, facilities and equipment and must be continually removed from the air. The level to which these particles need to be removed depends upon the standards required. The most frequently used standard is the ISO 14644 Standards, which were first formed from the US Federal Standard 209E Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes in Cleanrooms and Clean Zones.  ISO 14644 is a document that establishes standard classes of air cleanliness for airborne particulate levels in cleanrooms and clean zones. Strict rules and procedures are followed to prevent contamination of the manufactured product. The only way to control contamination is to control the total environment. Air flow rates and direction, pressurization, temperature, humidity and specialized filtration all need to be tightly controlled. Outdoor:  Schneider Electrics selection of Outdoor Temperature Sensors are the STO100, 200, 500, & 600. These outdoor sensors are intended for outdoor wall mounting. Variants are available for Vista, I/NET, Continuum and Satchwell systems. The body has a 20mm conduit entry and the product is supplied with a conduit gland. Range -40 to +90 °C Accuracy See Appendix A: Table A, C, F in the attached HVAC Sensor Catalog.pdf Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO100 Order Code 5141100010 Part Number STO100 System Vista, Xenta Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO200 Order Code 5123246000 Part Number STO200 System I/NET Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO500 Order Code 5141104010 Part Number STO500 System Continuum Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO600 Order Code 5126060000 Part Number STO600 System Satchwell Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO600D Order Code 5126000000 Part Number STO600D System Drayton Outdoor Temperature Transmitters STO300 The STO300 transmitter is supplied as a complete unit, comprising a sensing element and an amplifier mounted in a housing which is resistant to ultraviolet light. The transmitter is intended for mounting on an outside wall, on the north side where possible. The transmitter is connected over a 2-wire cable, which serves both as power supply and signal transmission. The reading of the measured signal is made over an external load resistance. Outdoor Temperature Sensor STO300 -50/50 Order Code 006920501 Part Number STO300 -50/50 System All Note for each of these outdoor sensors, find the Description, the Order Code, Part Number, and the System it works with for the iBAS (intelligent Building Automation System) Please note the difference in Weatherproof and Outdoor. I put a lot of these outdoor sensors in at a university in Texas, and always installed in places that were a little protected. I found that under porches, up under the eves and out of the sun, or along a loading dock out of the rain and ice gave me accurate readings. Swimming Pool: In the piping system of a swimming pool is a corrosive environment with steadily harmful and gradually destructive minerals and chlorine in the water which present a challenge finding sensors able to withstand for extended periods of time. Schneider Electric makes several immersion temperature sensors. Beginning on page 12 of the above HVAC Catalogue, there is a variety of immersion sensors for the different iBMS lines.  One example is the STP660 is a Temperature Sensor for the European market, and intended for immersion mounting in pipe or the circulating systems. The stainless steel probe is a good solution but remember,  if the sensor is to be installed in pool water that contains chlorine, the best bet is to use a stainless steel pocket. I suppose it all depends on if sensor is in pipe associated with the secondary pool side of the system or the heating side of the system. If the sensor head is in an area exposed to Chlorine, then there may be an issue.  Chlorine may attack the solder connections of the wired joints inside the sensor. In the old days products from Satchwell used to produce special sensors for such applications where the wire connections were varnished in order to prevent corrosion. I think at the end of the day, our sensor would have a similar life expectancy to other devices in the plant that were no designed for use in such corrosive atmospheres. Explosion proof sensors: Schneider Electric does not manufacture explosion proof sensors. We do not partner with another manufacturer who provides such sensors. The closest is an 3rd party explosion proof enclosure with one of our available sensors. Our sensors are designed for building installations and if in extreme environments, we suggest enclosures.  

Issue Certain animations in graphics may cause StruxureWare Building Operation to inadvertently close. Crash Report A problem occurred in this application Exception message: NO_MODIFICATION_ALLOWED_ERR: An attempt is made to modify an object where modifications are not allowed. Environment StruxureWare Building Operation 1.0 Cause Creating a graphic animation page without specifying the visibility will cause the graphic to close the StruxureWare Building Operation program.  Resolution In the image below, showing the Graphics Editor in SmartStruxure, this is a simple graphic page with one Ellipse which alternates between hidden and visible depending on the state of a single digital value being True or False. The red arrow shows that we are viewing the Source code for the graphics page. The blue arrow is pointing out the Appearance and the Visibility being selected. The green line in the source code shows the text which is inserted upon selecting the visibility the blue arrow refers to. The key is, failure to select the visibility, which inputs the Visibility="Visible" causes StruxureWare to close without notice and produces the Crash Report shown in the Issue. Download this Graphics Test Folder, which includes the Graphic, and the Digital Value for import to your Graphics Folder Note: Close or Crash does not occur in StruxureWare releases greater than 1.0.0.173

Issue When using the STR-350/351 as an I/O module in Menta (Options > Device Specification > IO Expansion and Wall Module Table) some programming consideration must be made to keep the occupancy and setpoint in sync between the stat and the program. Both STRIN and STROUT Menta simple blocks should be used for the most robust synchronization. Environment STR-350/351 as an I/O Module Menta Cause The STR-350 takes roughly 30 seconds to recover from a power failure. The Xenta is much faster than that resulting in reading an invalid setpoint from the STR-350 on a power cycle. By storing the last known setpoint in a DELR block with the "backup" option set, the setpoint will be restored (provided the power has not been off longer than 3 days, in which case it would default back to the initial value of the backed up value). Resolution Click the pictures of the Menta macro below to download the source file. Occupancy To control occupancy from the programmable controller time schedule, the occupancy must be sent to the STR-350. In order to allow for local override commands from the stat, the occupancy must be read in from the STR-350. By allowing the programmable controller to control both the schedule and the override, the stat stays in synch with the program. Setpoint The setpoint requires a little bit of extra programming to account for a power failure. The stat will report invalid setpoints for the first 30 seconds, which will cause it to come back in an undesired state. By letting the programmable hold onto the last known setpoint, and write it back to the stat on power up, there is no change in the setpoint after a power loss. Looping the setpoint in/out from the stat keeps everything in synch with the program, including stat adjustments. Note: This code protects against unwanted behavior following a power failure. A download the Xenta base unit will not trigger the Reset block protection and will cause the stat to go outside the bounds of, and then be limited by, either the high or low setpoint limit. Precaution should be taken following a download to manually reset the setpoint to the desired value. Additional logic for controlling the setpoint remotely could be incorporated into this code. If these macros are going to be used with a STR-350/351 set in degrees Celsius; make sure to change all initial values within the setpoint range. If the initial values are outside of the setpoint range, then the setpoint will always default back to the last known value.

Issue Failing communications when Xenta 555/731, VisiSat, StruxureWare Building Operations automation server/enterprise server connected to MicroNet ARCnet system through an MNMi. Product Line Satchwell MicroNet, TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Xenta 555 or Xenta 731 communicating to a MicroNet ARCnet LAN VisiSat communicating to a MicroNet ARCnet LAN StruxureWare Building Operations automation server/enterprise server communicating to a MicroNet ARCnet LAN Cause MicroNet Mi bit switches not set correctly. Resolution Cold Starting a MicroNet Mi Caution: The cold start procedure clears all configuration data from the non-volatile EEPROM of the device and reloads default settings. A cold start is performed using bit switch S1, as shown in the following diagram. To perform a cold start: Energise the device and verify that the RUN LED flashes at about once per second. Unplug any connections to 9 pin plug 3 and 9 pin plug 4. Set all switches to the off position. Place bit switch 8 in ON position and then return to OFF position. You will not see anything change. Place only switch 1 in the ON position. The remaining switches must be in the OFF position. Place bit switch 8 in ON position and then return to OFF position. You should see the RUN, WINK and MODEM LEDs remain lit for about 1.5 seconds, then the RUN LED should flash at about once per second. Switch 1 only must be ON for direct connection to Xenta 555. Note: This is different from the cold-start procedure for a controller, which requires you simply to toggle switch 8. See data sheet DS10217A for more information.

Issue Instructions and programming example for using SNVT_Switch as an input or output in Menta Product Line TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Menta Function Block Cause The attached programming example is intended to clarify how to properly use SNVT_Switch in Menta. SNVT_Switch is a structured SNVT with two attributes, or members, State and Value. Programmatically this will be one SNVT in the device template, but it will be programmed as two separate analog points in Menta. These two public blocks will have different names in Menta, but they will share the same SNVT name with the exception of one of the points being the state member, and the other being the value member. It is important to remember that these points must always be programmed as analog points in Menta. AI's for input points, and AO's for output points. The state attribute is intended to be used for a binary on-off signal, but also contain the value -1 for Invalid value. The value attribute is intended to be used as a 0-100% signal. This SNVT is typically used in the market for starting and stopping a VFD drive and sending a speed reference with the same SNVT. The 0,1 value on the state member will start and stop the drive, and the value member will send a 0-100% speed signal. Resolution Please see the attached Menta macro as a guide to using SNVT_Switch in Menta. This example shows you SNVT_Switch as an input and as an output to the Xenta controller. To use this macro please follow these steps: Download the attached macro from above. Unzip the file and extract the SNVT_Switch.MTA from the archive to the local hard drive. Open Menta Right-click in Menta and click Load Macro Browse to the SNVT_Switch.MTA on the local hard drive and open it. It should import into the Menta file that is open.

Issue Understanding and Troubleshooting Modbus Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC IA Series, Other  Environment All Modbus environments. Cause Modicon first introduced Modbus in 1979. Modbus is an open standard,and it is the most widely used in the industrial environment. Modbus is publicly available and,due to its simplicity, many manufacturers use Modbus as a solution for integration in their own products. Many commercial products and systems support the Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP protocols. For further information, visit the Modbus website at http://www.modbus.org. Resolution For a brief understanding on Modbus and how to troubleshoot Modbus, refer to the Modbus Troubleshooting PDF

Issue It is not clear which part of the license system handles the end-user license and which part handles the demo license. Having both TAC Vista and EcoStruxure Building Operation(EBO) installed on the same PC can cause conflicts in the license system. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation   Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server   Cause If an EcoStruxure installation is only used for engineering and therefore will only have demo licenses activated, you don't need to install the license server. The service "FLEXnet Licensing Service" is installed by any EcoStruxure software package, and that is the service that will handle the activation of demo licenses. Resolution If you will only use demo licenses on a PC and/or also have TAC Vista installed on the same PC, only install the license administrator and not the license server.   It is also possible to run TAC Vista and EBO using the same License server, please see Lesson Learned SmartStruxure license and TAC Vista license on the same PC

Issue During the installation of WebReports, the installer crashes when clicking "Continue" in the "Reporting Agent" step. "StruxureWare Building Operation has stopped working" Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment WebReports Cause There is an issue with the installer when FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) algorithms are enforced. Resolution Open the local group policy editor (Start > run > gpedit.msc) Navigate to "Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options" Locate the following item in the list on the right: "System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing" Edit the item, and select "Disabled" Install WebReports Example of FIPS being enabled

Issue Is it possible when starting Internet Explorer: To log on automatically. To start in Full Screen mode. To show a TGML graphic (without system tree) and without entering a user name and password by a shortcut. Is it possible to hide the 2 toolbars as described below? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WebStation Kiosk Mode Cause For some applications such as Kiosk screens, these features are needed Resolution Automatic logon This can be accomplished either by using the "Remember me" checkbox on the logon screen, or by using the guest logon feature. To make WebStation bypass the logon screen, create a user with a username of GUEST and a password of GUEST, give this user limited permissions. For 1.7 and later, the password for the GUEST account when used for WebStation automatic logon, is not compatible with the default password policies. Automatic logon will only happen if the GUEST account password is exactly "GUEST". If policies are not changed the automatic logon will stop working after 90 days. Full Screen mode To make Internet Explorer go directly to full screen mode, you can use the "kiosk mode" switch. Create a shortcut with the command  iexplore.exe -k [insert your URL here] Display TGML Graphic without toolbars Open the graphic you require, using the "Open in a new window" right-click command. Copy the URL and create a shortcut with it. When you open this URL the user is taken directly to the graphic, without toolbars or menus.

Issue Maximum logon attempts: - If the maximum number of failed logon attempts is exceeded, the user is temporarily locked out for an undocumented period. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server (AS, AS-P or AS-B) Building Operation Enterprise server Cause Exceeding the maximum logon attempts configured for the domain. Resolution When the user is locked out the first time, the user needs to wait 1 minute before re-trying. Then the wait time is increased by 1 minute, for each new failed attempt, up to a maximum of 10 minutes. Restarting the server will clear the lock-out.

Issue How fast does the software run in an AS? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server (AS, AS-P or AS-B) Cause Knowledge about application cycle time is important when designing project solutions. Resolution Both Function Block and Script programs run at a speed defined by the specific time task they are linked to, the available tasks are: Task 1 - 100mS Task 2 - 500mS Task 3 - 1 Second Task 4 - 5 Seconds Task 5 - 10 Seconds Programs that are not cyclic or time based can be run from a main or executive sequencing program. The AS cycle speeds are comparable to other Building control systems, but the power of the AS allows many more programs to be run in parallel at higher speeds. See also the WebHelp topic Application Scheduler for more information.

Issue After migrating a TAC Vista export containing TAC Xenta IO modules to SBO, some or all TAC Xenta IO modules are missing the neuron ID's Environment Migration TAC Xenta IO module Cause During the migration, the TAC Xenta IO modules are matched on their name. If the name in TAC Vista differs from the actual name in the associated Menta file, the match can't be made and the properties on the IO modules can not be set. Example of this scenario In TAC Vista   In TAC Menta Resolution 1. Edit the Menta application through TAC Vista Workstation 2. Rename the IO modules in Menta 3. Save to Vista 4. Device gets dirty and need download - download to get rid of the dirty mark 5. Export database in through TAC Vista Workstation 6. Convert to SBO using the Conversion Tool

Issue Advanced Display in "Sealed" or "ProKiosk" mode stops access to some device functions. Unable to escape Sealed or ProKiosk mode as the password is unknown. Environment Advanced Display V1 Advanced Display V2 Cause Sealed (Android version 5 and earlier) or ProKiosk mode (Android version 6 and later) is a feature of Android that is used by the AD-Link application to lock down functionality of the device, ensuring that only the allowed application runs. The user can't use the device for other purposes (games, etc.) or to change the settings. When the AD-Link Application is running and the connection activated "Sealed" or "ProKiosk" mode is enabled. Resolution Open the AD-Link application and press the Disconnect button The "Sealed or "ProKiosk" mode is disabled and full access to the device is enabled. To re-enable the IP over USB connection in order to access a SmartStruxure server via USB press the Connect button in the AD-Link App. Note that this will also activate "Sealed" or "ProKiosk" mode again

Issue Binding to Security Expert values through EWS results in "Type does not exist" error when attempting to save a binding. Environment SmartStruxure Security Expert Cause The value being bound was coming through and mistakenly being created by SBO as an enumerated value which is not supported. The value is actually an integer. Resolution A hotfix has been created to resolve this in SBO 1.9.1.6700.   There is also a workaround that works for previous versions of SBO.   If you update (configure) the value type of the EWS ValueItem property Value with the system.pt.Int32 it will work to do bindings.   1. Open the propertydialog of the EWS ValueItem and click the configuration button of the Value property.    2. Check the Type checkbox which already contains the value type system.pt.Int32. 3. Press Ok and save the change in the dialogproperty. 4. Now it's ok to do bindings with this Value.

Issue When trying to create a mirrored network variable or manually create a SNVT binding the error "Service Not Changeable" is given.  Environment Building Operation Workstation LonWorks Interface Cause If the "Changeable binding type" property of a network variable that is being bound is No, then there are only specific binding types that can be used.    To check the "Changeable binding type" property, right click on the network variable > click Properties > click on the Extended Settings tab.  Resolution Manually creating network variable bindings Make sure that the correct binding profile is chosen which complies with the device template of the controller.  Creating mirrored network variables If the "Service Not Changeable" error is given when creating a mirrored network variables, it is because the default binding profile does not comply with the network variable properties. To change the default binding profile, see WH#11229.

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 Remove Server information shown in WorkStation drop down list Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WorkStation Cause Building Operation WorkStation 'caches' user customization's including the server names / IP addresses that it has previously successfully logged on to. Resolution Two tools are available on the Community that can assist in this process. Refer to the details and instructions for both on the Community. SBO Reset WorkStation Login SBO WorkStation Favorites To manually delete the file containing the servers list (among other information), navigate to and delete the file. The location and file name depends on the installed version of WorkStation. Version 1.3 C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Schneider Electric\Workstation\TAC.ClientUserProfile.bin Version 1.4 and 1.5 C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Schneider Electric StruxureWare\Building Operation\WorkStation\TAC.ClientUserProfile.bin   Versions between 1.6 and 1.9 C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Schneider Electric StruxureWare\Building Operation\WorkStation\SBO.ClientUserProfile.bin Version 2.0 and above When hovering over a server in the drop down list, a trash can appears at the right side that allows the server to be deleted from the list: WorkStation 2.0 and above Alternatively the path to the file is: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Schneider Electric EcoStruxureWare\Building Operation\WorkStation\SBO.ClientUserProfile.bin Next time you run WorkStation again, a new user profile file will be created. Note: All IP addresses will be cleared and you will lose settings such as column widths and similar user customization's.

Issue When modifying the schedule to include extra days when the schedule is on all day, the extra days are not added, or may be added as the wrong day. Environment Webstation Time Schedules All day 1.8.1 Cause This issue is caused by entering the data in the wrong order. Resolution To add multiple "All Day" events to the schedule via the Webstation. Click on the first weekday required. Select the "All day" check box. Select the "On" check box. Select the weekdays required and complete the process by selecting "Ok".