Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Two different new batteries were installed into a DMS-350A. Neither of them has charged to the point of indicating GOOD. The voltage on the battery clips with the battery installed reads 4.5 Vdc. Why doesn't the battery charge? Environment DMS-350A Cause Poor connection between the battery and battery holder. Resolution Clean the battery holder contacts and bend them for a better connection.

Issue In a Niagara R2 station, a particular folder has a very high number of links. The completed links in this folder show tags with "??" instead of the usual letters. Environment Niagara R2 Cause The "??" tag names indicate that the available letter tags have all been used up. Resolution They start at "a" and go to "z" then re-start with "aa" and finish at "zz". If there are additional links, the tags display "??".  This is a display only limitation and will not cause any performance issues.

Issue The help menu in Niagara G3 fails to load.  After pressing the "Load Help" button, the "Building Help Database" pop-up "blinks" and nothing happens. Environment Niagara G3 Cause This issue is typically caused by some non-standard jar files being placed in the c:\Niagara\ \modules directory. Resolution Ensure there are no sub-directories, or files other than valid .jar files, in the modules directory of the Niagara installation. Custom jar files or other files in the modules directory must be moved somewhere else.

Issue On a Niagara R2 / LON integration, this error appears in the Standard Output Window: {lon} Wrong Nv direction for nvUpdate from {lon}MNV2_16(1/17) for Selector 132. How can this issue be resolved? Environment Niagara R2 LON Cause The error is related to a mismatch between the Lon network management tables within the Niagara R2 UNC station and what is actually in the controllers on the bus. Resolution To view the errors: Run the Lon Utilities Manager (right click on the LonWorks service) Select the local Lon device Select command reports, and sub-command verify. This will compare the UNC’s network management tables to the values within the controllers and show any discrepancies. This issue can occur for many reasons (i.e. controllers that are offline when making changes to the network bindings, a rogue controller out on the bus that has or was not commissioned and had the same domain, subnet, and node as another controller, etc.) To correct the error: Re-commission the local Lon device The re-commission all controllers Perform a bind. This will clear the appropriate tables, recalculate the selectors, and re-write the bindings. This should clear the issues. Run another reports verify to confirm that there are no further errors listed.

Issue In a Niagara G3 ENC, is there a way to view its diagnostic data without Workbench (i.e. CPU usage)? Assume the ENC is not licensed for web access. Environment Niagara G3 ENC Cause Alternative way to view the diagnostic data without Workbench. Resolution In a web browser, type in the following: http://x.x.x.x/ord?spy:/ (where x = IP address of the ENC) After logging in, all the diagnostic and statistical data will be available via a set of links. It's the same information that's also accessible via Workbench.

Issue After performing a backup in WorkPlace Commissioning Tool, where are the backup files located? Environment WorkPlace Commissioning Tool Windows XP Windows Vista Cause Locate the backup files to do a restoration or transfer to another workstation. Resolution In Windows XP, the backup files are located in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Workplace Tech\Backups directory. In Windows Vista, the backup files are located in the C:\ProgramData\WorkPlace Tech\Backups directory.

Issue Is there a way to allow users station access, through a browser or JDE, in Niagara R2, without having to first sign-on without a user name and password? Environment Niagara R2 Cause Enable "Public Access" feature to bypass sign on.  Resolution Yes. Starting with Niagara release 2.3, a “public access” feature was added. The public access feature allows for configuration of a station to permit GxPage access without being prompted to enter a user name and password. When this feature is used, the “Sign On” dialog box is skipped and the GxPage is displayed as if user was already signed on. See “Niagara Web Solutions Guide” for detailed setup information.

Issue In Niagara R2, some GxPages and control objects are going to be duplicated many times. Each page and object will have many links. Is there a quick way of linking objects instead of the time intensive way of manually linking each individually? Environment Niagara  R2 Cause Graphics programming tip Resolution The Bundle container along with composites are used to expose control logic properties to a GxPage.  The properties, to be linked, would be composited for both the control objects and Gxpages.  Composite involves assigning the same name to both the GxPage object property and the control object property that are being linked.  Once composited objects properties have been named, it is simply a matter of clicking on the “Match” button in the Link Properties screen to complete the link. Objects with the same name are then automatically linked. The procedure for linking objects using Bundles and Composites can be located in Niagara Standard Programming Reference document. Note that only native Niagara objects should be placed in bundles.  Shadow objects should not be in bundles.

Issue Is the MSC-LIM-1 compatible with any DMS revision 9 Microsmart controllers? Environment Microsmart controllers revision 9, 10, & 11 Cause Need for a local controller connection Resolution No, it is only compatible with revision 10 & 11 Microsmart controllers. The earlier version (pre 08/96) of the MSC-LIM could only access Level 10 controllers addressed less than 99. To access controllers addressed higher than 99, the device had to be factory upgraded to 11.0A. The latest (and currently available) MSC-LIM (formally the MSC-LIM-1) is compatible with level 10 and 11 Microsmart controllers addressed up to 124.

Issue How can the password (PSWRD) be reset back to the factory default value of “0” on the Viconics VT7200x5x18, VT7300x5x18, & VT7600x5x18 series thermostats? Environment Viconics VT7x00 and SE7x00 thermostats Cause unknown password Resolution There's no way to restore the password back to “0”.  An error code will be displayed when an incorrect password is used. Contact Product Support Services with this error code and a temporary password will be given to allow the ability to create a new password.

Issue In a Niagara G3 / GCM integration, each time a (GCM) point discovery is performed, the total station resource count increases substantially. Environment Niagara G3 GCM drive (tacGcm) Cause Driver defect Resolution Although the "resources.category.component" value increases after a point discovery, it is only a temporary value.  This erroneous value does not affect the operation of the ENC-520 or the Niagara station running on it. To restore an accurate reading to this value, reboot the ENC.

Issue Will BACnet links created with Link Builder work without a Niagara R2 UNC or Niagara G3 ENC on the trunk? Environment WorkPlace Tech 5.x Cause BACnet programming query Resolution Yes, Link Builder creates links that are peer-to-peer.  It does not require a UNC or ENC to function.

Issue On a computer, when booting up WorkPlace Tech, this error message appears:  "License date is newer than computer date". Environment WorkPlace Tech Cause Date change on host pc operating system prior to licensing date Resolution WorkPlace Tech keeps track of the time and date it was last accessed to prevent back dating to defeat the license. To regain access, run the Purchase WorkPlace Tech software icon, purchase the next available renewal and send the renewal file to Customer Care to obtain the unlock code.

Issue After adding an ASD driver to a Niagara G3 station off-line, there are no device objects in the tacASD palette. Environment Niagara G3 Cause Not documented Resolution After adding the ASDNetwork to a station, right click on the ASDNetwork and use the ASD Device Manager to add devices.  With the ASD Device Manager open click the "NEW" button at the bottom of the screen and a "NEW" window will be displayed to define the device type, number of devices to add and a starting address.

Issue The WorkPlace Commissioning Tool cannot see MSTP controllers under a MNB-1000. Environment WorkPlace Tech 5.x Cause Procedural error Resolution In the Tools menu, Select Configure Communication. Click on the BACnet radio button. Click on the Advanced button. Check the Browse Setting: Global. Click OK.

Issue SIGNAL software is connected serially to a Network 8000 LCM. The upload function in Project Manager fails. What are the communication settings in SIGNAL for this type of interface? Environment SIGNAL - all versions Cause Communication setting error Resolution There are three possible address settings when adding a "Panel" to a Network 8000 gateway record: NETxx:GCMxx:LOCAL (connect to any GCM) NETxx:GCMxx:LCMx (connect to any LCM across the network) NETxx:LCMxx:LOCAL (direct serial connection to a LCM) In this case, modify the address field to match the format listed in 'C)'. Refer to page 7 of the SIGNAL Network 8000 Interface Supplement (F-26225).

Issue How can the Niagara G3 ENC platform be accessed if the user name and password have been forgotten? Environment Niagara G3 ENC Cause Forgot username and password for the Niagara G3 ENC. Resolution To connect via the serial port of the ENC you will need a UNCC-405, an Ethernet cable 7' or less, and Hyperterminal (or another terminal program). In the upper right corner of the ENC-520 is a block of four pins marked J4 Mode. Using one of the bias jumpers from the board, temporarily short the front two pins. Using the UNCC-405 and short Ethernet cable connect the laptop to serial port one of the ENC. Open HyperTerminal and configure a connection as 57600, 8, none, 1, no flow control. Reboot the ENC. When this appears: "Press ESC to restore factory default username and password...", go ahead and press the ESC key. Enter "y" when prompted to force the platform user name and password back to "tac" and "niagara". After using WorkBench to verify the user and password have been changed, remove the jumper and disconnect the serial connection.

Issue A Niagara R2 / BACnet integration station, running on a computer, can interfere with the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool. Environment WorkPlace Tech  Commissioning Tool (WPT CT), any revision I/A series R2 / BACnet integration station running on the same pc as the WPT CT Cause Communications port or driver conflict between WorkPlace Tech  Commissioning Tool  and the I/A series R2 / BACnet integration station. Resolution A Niagara R2 / BACnet integration station can interfere with the WorkPlace Commissioning Tool (WPCT), by disrupting communications between the WPCT and MNB controllers. One symptom of this interference is that while the WPCT can find some or all of the MNB controllers, their property sheets will not be fully populated with data. In such a case, the WPCT might be displaying data from a default template, rather than live data from the controller. As a best practice, check to be sure that the General tab of the device's Properties sheet is populated before going to any other tab. If the Firmware and Application fields of the General tab have not filled in, then the tool is not communicating with the controller, and the other tabs will contain default data, not current values from the controller. To insure that a Niagara R2 station is not running in the background on the computer follow these steps: Go to the Computer Management by right-clicking on My Computer Select Manage from the pull-down menu. Go to Services and Applications, then Services. Stop the Niagara service. Typically, the Niagara service will be configured to start automatically when the computer is rebooted.

Issue A Network 8000 LNC-100 cannot communicate to LON devices under it even though all the devices can be accessed with WorkPlace Tech or a LON commissioning tool. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment NETWORK 8000 LNC-100 LON devices WorkPlace Tech Cause If the LON network is known to be good and otherwise functioning, this issue indicates a problem with the LON interface in the LNC-100. This is typically caused by accidentally attempting to commission the LNC-100 using LonMaker or other LON commissioning tool. Attempting to commission the LNC-100 will result in its LON interface being set into a network state called HARD - OFFLINE. Resolution The condition can be corrected using the Echelon NODEUTIL program to set the interface network to the required CONFIGURED - ONLINE state. NodeUtil can be downloaded from The Exchange Download Center. After downloading NodeUtil to your computer, open a command prompt window and launch NodeUtil in that window.  After launching NodeUtil, perform the following steps to correct the problem. Press the F key to execute the Find function.  This will browse the connected LON network for all attached LON devices.  In the list of found devices, the LNC-100 will be identified with the program id "C 1 11.0A". Press the G key to execute the Go To Device function.  Enter the device number of the LNC-100 (program ID "C 1 11.0A") as displayed in the list of discovered devices.  The device menu will then be displayed. Press the S key to display the status of the device.  Typically 17 lines of status information are displayed followed by the "Device Status" menu.  Press Y to clear the error status.  The "Device State" line will usually show a state of either Configured, Off-line or Hard, Off-line. Press the  M key to change the device mode and state. After selecting the M command, the list of mode options is displayed.   Press the S key to select the State menu. The list of State options will be displayed.  Press the C key to set the device to the Configured state. A status message will be displayed followed by the DEVICE prompt. Press the M key again to display the Mode options then press N to set the device into the OnLine mode. A status message will be displayed followed by the DEVICE prompt. Press the S key again and verify that the Device State is now Configured, On-line. Press the D key to display the domain address table of the LNC-100.  One or two lines of device domain address information will display.  If two domain addresses were defined in the SYS: SIM block of the device, two lines of information will display, otherwise only one line will display.  Verify that the address information (Subnet, Node and Domain ID) are as set in the SYS: SIM block. The data entered for Domain0, Subnet0 and Node0 will be displayed on the Index 0 line. The data entered for Domain1, Subnet1 and Node1 will be displayed on the Index 1 line. Press the E key to exit the Device level and press the E key a second time to exit the program.

Issue The Wonderware Temporary License is out of date. How can a new one be obtained? Environment WonderWare Cause Since Schneider Electric (Rockford) is no longer a Wonderware OEM software distributor, demo licenses can no longer be provided. Resolution The 30-day temporary Wonderware demo mode license is available to the Wonderware SI selling the Wonderware software.