Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue How many logical networks can be created on a Continuum system? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum system Cause Information on the total number of logical network supported on a Continuum system Resolution The number of logical networks that can be created in Continuum is theoretically infinite. The only limitations would be DB size (2GB for MSDE and 4GB for SQLExpress) on a standalone setup, hard drive space on LAN setup and/or any DB size constraints. The restriction would also be that each logical network would not be able to share data with controllers on the other logical networks, however Cyberstation would be able to communicate to all of them.

Issue When communication is lost to an AC1 module, the doors lock down even if they are unlocked by schedule. Environment AC1 module Cause The doors will attempt to default to a secure position. Resolution When you lose communications to AC1 modules they will automatically fail to a secure position.

Issue Do I have to install the Continuum Reports "add-on" for versions 1.7 or higher? Environment Continuum Reports Cause Continuum supplies many Report templates that include attractive bar-chart templates, pie-chart templates, and trend templates - giving Reports a customized "look and feel." To use these templates (and thus, reports in general) you must import them during the Continuum installation process, in version 1.7 or higher. Resolution It is not necessary to install report add-ons for versions 1.7 or higher because this is done during the installation procedure. In the Database Initialization dialog, check the Create/Update Graphical Report Settings checkbox. (For more information, please see the Continuum Installation Guide, 30-3001-720.) If you do not check this checkbox then reports are not available.

Issue Changing BACnet Port for Continuum Cyberstation Environment Continuum Cyberstation BACnet controllers Cause Changing the BACnet Port number that Continuum Cyberstation communicates on Resolution By default Continuum Cyberstation communicates on port 47808 in hexadecimal that is BAC0. The BACnet controllers BCX & B4920 have the ability to have their default ports changed. If you change the BACnet port of a BACnet master and want to communicate with the Continuum workstation, you'll need to make a registry change in each workstation. Changing the Continuum Workstation BACnet port This key location is different in 32-bit and 64-bit systems. In 32-bit; the key to change is located in the registry at the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings". In 64-bit; the key location is now under the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings\" key. Once you're at that path you'll notice a key named "Cyberstation Port" .The value is stored in hexadecimal, so to change it make sure that you enter your new value in hexadecimal. After changing the value in the registry, the Continuum Cyberstation will need to be restarted. Changing the BCX or B4920 BACnet port To change the port on the BACnet controllers either BCX or B4920, open the configuration page in Internet Explorer by putting in the IP address and edit the port settings to the port number that you are changing to. This number will be in regular decimal format. Once changed make sure you save your change and commit the changes to the controller which will restart the controller. Changing the Continuum Workstation BACnet port example. Open the registry editor from Start\Run and enter regedit from the workstation. and explore down to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings and open the Cyberstation Port key and enter BAC1 which is hex for 47809. If you have the Continuum Cyberstation running you'll need to restart the Cyberstation Once restarted, open the continuum explorer and select the Root and right click and select find new BACnet devices. The controller you have changed will appear as will all of its MSTP devices. Changing the port on a BACnet master controller example. To change the BCX/B4920 BACnet port to 47809 which is BAC1 in hexadecimal. Then log onto the configuration page of the BCX and change the BACnet Port Number -UDP, notice it is displayed in hex but on the controller configuration page you'll change the number using regular decimal. We'll change this to 47809, apply our changes and then on the left hand side select commit and apply on the commit page, which will restart the controller and the new port changes will be in effect. NOTE: If you already have BACnet network established, first delete my whole BACnet side, since after making port changes you don't want other controllers making an attempt to communicate with the previous port number in its known routing table.  IMPORTANT: Anytime you edit a registry, make sure you have backed up the registry and have a contingency plan in case you edit or delete some that that you should not have.  

Issue Changing ElecTypes on points on a Continuum BACnet controller after the system is saved into the BACnet side can cause major database mismatch problems, COV failures, deletion of EventEnrollment points and graphic points. (Updated 10/27/08) Environment Continuum BACnet Cause Continuum delete the defaults BACnet object type "AnalogValue" in the database and create a new BinaryValue or vice versa. Resolution In a continuum BACnet system, the Continuum BACnet controller creates a BACnet point for every Continuum point that is created on the Infinity side. For instance if you create an InfinityNumeric it defaults as a BACnet object type "AnalogValue" and creates that point in that class in the controller. If that controller is then saved into the BACnet side through Cyberstation it will create that point in the Continuum database under the AnalogValue class. If you then program other controllers to use that point, a COV subscription will be created to the controller owning that point. If you later remember that you wanted this point to be a digital point so you change the BACnet object Type to a BinaryValue. What then happens is the controller changes the class the point belongs to in the BACnet side. When the controller is saved into the BACnet side, Continuum will delete the AnalogValue Bacnet point in the database and create a new BinaryValue point in it's place with a new Object ID in the Continuum database. This creates several problems. The first issue will be that any COV subscriptions for this point will now fail, because the Plain English program that was referencing the point will still try to subscribe to the AnalogValue point, but it is now a BinaryValue point. Data Sharing will stop. The second issue will be that the Save on the BACnet side will find a duplicate point in a different class and it will delete the older AnalogValue point and create a new BinaryValue point. During this process it will also create this point in the BACnet database with the "Full Name" of the object the same as it's Alias. Because the system needs to keep the Infinity side and BACnet side in sync, it will replace the full name on the infinity point with the Alias. Further issues such as this point being used in a graphic, an EventEnrollment, a report, etc.. Will be deleted from these objects because it is now a different point and will have to be reattached to these objects. To avoid these issues You should first disable the BACnet preference "Automatically save new BACnet devices to Database". This will stop automatic database synchronization on the BACnet side when you are creating, deleting and changing points during the site commissioning and programming. Secondly you should create points with the correct BACnet object type before referencing them in a data sharing program. Third you should only save the points into the BACnet side after you have completed the correct point configurations in all classes (Inputs, outputs, numerics, etc). Finally, if after the system configuration and programming is completed, if you need to change a BACnet object type, you should first delete the point from the BACnet side of the database, change and save the point back to the controller, and then recompile any Plain English programs in any other controllers that were referencing that point for a COV subscription. The controller can then be saved back into the BACnet side. If that BACnet point was used in a graphic, or an EventEnrollment it will also need to be reattached.

Issue There is an error message on the LCD display of the old style Infinet controllers. What do these errors mean? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinet Controller Cause Information on the error code received on the LCD display. Resolution Infinet controller is displaying error 1 on its LCD display. This message indicates that the controller received a bad packet of data on the Infinet. If the problem persists follow troubleshooting instructions. Verify Infinet cable connections, approved twisted shielded pair cable, less than 4000 feet of network cable between Infilink repeaters, no more than 31 controllers between Infilink repeaters. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Check the baud rate switch on the Infilink repeater module, although the Infinet controllers auto baud, the Infilink baud rate must be manually switched. Break down the network in segments to identify the bad controller or network segment. A binary search is recommended. (i.e. break the network in half, if this resolves the problem add half of the deleted back on, if it does not resolve the problem cut the remaining network in half, etc.). Once the offending segment has been identified, troubleshoot to the cable segment or controller level Infinet controller is displaying error 2 on its LCD display. This message means that it could not pass a token to another controller on the Infinet. If the problem persists follow troubleshooting instructions. (No response to the Infinet token pass) Verify Infinet cable connections, approved twisted shielded pair cable, less than 4000 feet of network cable between Infilink repeaters, no more than 31 controllers between Infilink repeaters. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Check the baud rate switch on the Infilink repeater module, although the Infinet controllers auto baud, the Infilink baud rate must be manually switched. Break down the network in segments to identify the bad controller or network segment. A binary search is recommended. (i.e. break the network in half, if this resolves the problem add half of the deleted back on, if it does not resolve the problem cut the remaining network in half, etc.). Once the offending segment has been identified, troubleshoot to the cable segment or controller level Infinet controller is displaying an error 3 on its LCD display. This means that the input reference voltage is out of range on the analog inputs. Verify that inputs coming from external transducers are not exceeding the voltage input range, either 5 or 10 volts depending on model, if so use a voltage divider on the input. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Power down the Infinet controller and restart while connected to network. This will eliminate this unit having a duplicate ID on the network and it will also run the power up diags. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Infinet controller is displaying an error 4 on its LCD display. This means that the analog output reference voltage is out of range. Verify that inputs coming from external transducers are not exceeding the voltage input range, either 5 or 10 volts depending on model, if so use a voltage divider on the input. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Power down the Infinet controller and restart while connected to network. This will eliminate this unit having a duplicate ID on the network and it will also run the power up diags. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Infinet controller is displaying an error 5 on its LCD display. This indicates the controller underwent a reset of power down and retained memory ( warm start). If there is not reason for this to occur power outages etc., then troubleshoot the problem. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Measure the AC power at the controller, Verify it is within specification (nominal +/- 20%). Typically 24 VAC power that is daisy chained will drop the voltage along the connections leaving the power below the acceptable level even if the transformer is sized correctly. Verify that any outputs that are driving inductive loads such as relays, actuators, or valves, have a varistor across the coil n the field device. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it.

Issue How can you tell the difference between a I2/B3xxx -V and a I2/B3xxx controller through Continuum Explorer? Environment I2/B3xxx I2/B3xxx -V Cause Determine the version of a controller remotely through Continuum Explorer Resolution In Continuum Explorer, right click to edit a I2/B3xxx -V controller Select the runtime tab Looking at the version of the controller is the way to distinguish between the different Models. The I2/B3xxx -V will have a version number similar to 3.501027 A regular I2/B3xxx will have a number similar to 3.300006. Notice the location of the 1 in the -V version number. The -V models will have the 1 in the location as above while the non -V model will not.

Issue Continuum single user system database backup with SQL 2005 Express. Environment Continuum Cyberstation single user (SU) Cause Method to backup system database. Resolution Continuum single user system database backup with SQL 2005 Express. Using SQL Express Management tool Right Click on the Continuumdb> Tasks>Backup Add a Destination where you want the .bak file to be located Click Ok Using sqlcmd With the limited release version of Continuum 1.82 and future 1.9x releases SQL 2005 Express will be the database platform that is used for Single User configurations. Some of you may remember backing up databases in earlier versions of SQL from the windows command line and recall having to create a backup device in order to perform the backup operation. This is the case for backing up a database in the SQL 2005 Express version as well.  Open up the Windows command line and type in CD\ and press enter. This puts us at the root of the drive. Log on to the SQL 2005 server, by typing sqlcmd -Syourmachinename\sqlexpress and press enter. You should see 1> at this point. If you do not see the 1> prompt at this point, a few things could be going on. Make sure you type in your computer name without spaces following the -S switch. Another problem could be that your user logon doesn't have admin privileges. You need to have admin privileges to backup the database.  Once at the 1> create a backup device. Type EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'disk', 'MyDBbackup','c:\myTest.bak' and press enter, which should bring you to the 2> prompt At the 2> type in GO And press enter. This will create a device that we can now use to backup the database. The device should only need to be created once. Now that we have a device named MyDBbackup (you can name yours differently) and are at the 1> again, type in BACKUP database continuumdb TO MyDBbackup with init press enter and you should be at the 2> now type in GO You should have a backup of your database at the root of c:\ named mytest.bak It would be a wise idea to write down the name of the device you have created, since you can use the same device again.  Using the windows task scheduler, you can setup a task to backup your database automatically at the times you've specified in the task scheduler is an easy thing to do.

Issue LED on card reader on ACX57xx (ACX2) flickers when it supposed to be solid green Environment ACX57XX Some reader types from HID (such as I-class reader). Cause ACX57XX has new system variables added to get the status of reader connection to controller.(Rdr1Connected ~ Rdr8Connected). In order to check the Status, ACX57xx checks the voltage presence on the LED channel of each reader port. This function causes the LED of some reader types to flicker at a high frequency. Resolution Set the Rdr1Connected ~ Rdr8Connected system variables to Disabled to keep the LED from flickering.

Issue What should be considered when analyzing the performance of a Modbus TCP/IP implementation? Environment Modbus TCP/IP implementation Cause Check the performance level of Modbus TCP/IP implementation for possible improvement. Resolution Determining if a Netcontroller will handle the load of a specific Modbus TCP/IP implementation must take into account many different factors. A lot depends upon the 3rd party device, the network utilization of the IP network, the number of devices/points being polled and the speed/polling rate of the devices on the RS485 network. The Modbus TCP/IP xdriver behaves as a client and polls for information in a round robin basis. The more data it has to poll the longer it will take. The organization of the Modbus Addresses is also important. For example: If 12 registers are at consecutive address locations i.e. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, then 1 data packet is required to retrieve all this information. If only a few registers are at consecutive locations i.e. 1, 2, 3, 8, 21, 22, 23, 30, 40, 65, 66, 67 then 6 data packets are required to retrieve this information. If the registers are all in separate locations i.e. 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 then 10 data packets, one for each address is required. The third example would take 10 times longer than the 1st to poll the address information. If address locations in the 3rd party device cannot be altered then it may be more efficient to create additional xdriver points to effectively 'fill the gaps' so as to reduce the number of data packets. It is recommended to carry out a bench test with the devices in order to analyze the configuration. This would allow for adjustments of the requests or adding additional hardware to poll the amount of required information. Field Example: Using a Modbus TCP/IP xdriver to poll a number of Powerlogic metering devices. Considering 30 EGX's/ECC's involved, plus two Powerlink 3000 panels, using 33 IP addresses. Each EGX/ECC has from 10-20 Modbus devices attached on the RS485 side. Each metering device will be polled for about 12 registers. In this example, we would be polling about 4000-5000 register points via Modbus TCP/IP with a NetController2. In this particular scenario, it was determined that 2 Netcontroller IIs would be needed to handle the amount of polling required at the expected performance level.

Issue ACWPPServerProxy applet is constantly flashing on webClient Environment ACWPPServerProxy applet webClient Loopback Cause This typically happens on a Stand Alone configuration on Windows. Resolution The solution is to add the loopback address onto the IIS server by taking the following steps. Open IIS Manager Expand Web Sites> Right Click on Default Web Site and select Properties Click the Advanced button to the right of the IP address field Click the Add button and enter the IP: 127.0.0.1 and the port: 80, Click OK, OK Stop and Start IIS Launch Webclient and the ACWPPServerProxy applet will no longer flash. Restart the webclient PC If you are using Windows 7, Vista or Windows Server 2008 the IIS interface is different. Open IIS Manager (the non 6.0 version) from Administrative Tools Expand Sites> Left click on Default Web Site In the far right column called Actions, locate the Bindings link Select Bindings and click the Add button then enter 127.0.0.1 into the IP address field (leave other defaults) Click Ok, Close With Default Web site still selection select "Restart" Under the Actions column to restart IIS Launch Webclient and the ACWPPServerProxy applet will no longer flash. Restart the webclient PC

Issue Do 3rd party BACnet MSTP devices count as nodes on a BCX controller that is node limited? Environment BCX controller Third-party BACnet MSTP devices Cause Knowing the information will ensure there is not more node than the BCX controller specifies. Resolution Yes they do count as nodes. If you do go over the node count you will see operational problems with the BCX BACnet controller. The BCX controller will scan lock when it tries to perform a time sync to the MSTP network. Modbus nodes communicating via xDriver are not part of the node count.

Issue What Andover Continuum Controllers support the TCP protocol in lieu of UDP? Environment Continuum Controllers Cause Require the controller to support TCP protocol. Resolution The only Andover Continuum Controllers that support the TCP protocol in lieu of UDP is the CX9702,BCX9640 and the ACX II models 5720, 5740.

Issue Where can I find Cyberkeywriter2.exe to upgrade my CyberStation key. Environment Cyberkeywriter2.exe CyberStation Cause There are 3 locations from which you can obtain the Cyberkeywriter2 executable file. Resolution Download Cyberkeywriter2 on The Exchange Download Center Cyberstation CD Do a search of the CD for "Cyberkeywriter2.exe" Cyberstation Workstation From Windows Explorer, search for "Cyberkeywriter2.exe"

Issue Adding a BCX1-CR-32-INF controller into Cyberstation and the drop down list does not show this as an option Environment BCX1-CR-32-INF CyberStation Cause In CyberStation when adding a controller to the system the drop down list will only show Model numbers and will not show the part number. Resolution See below for examples: BCX1 Router Only Model Number = 4000 BCX1 Bacnet Version Model Number = 4040 BCX1 Onsite Version Model Number = 4020 BCX1 Infinet Version Model Number = 9640  8Meg Netcontroller Model Number = 9900 4Meg Netcontroller Model Number = 9940 2nd Gen Netcontroller Model Number = 9680 ACX2 (8 Door) Model Number = 5740 ACX2 (4 Door) Model Number = 5720

Issue Run to file fails after an upgrade to versions 1.74 and above. You no longer can write to file using the run command. Environment Cause Enable write to file Resolution Instructions to enable write to file: 1. Create a workstation program named "Test1": (Example) Line Here1 Print "Hello There" Print PowerUpTime Stop Open the configuration and make it a fall thru program IMPORTANT check the "Run on any workstation box" The Run on any workstation required is what was changed from prior versions 2.Create another workstation program (Sample Program) Line There2 Run test1 to "c:\TestPEOut.txt" Goto There3 Line There3 If TS > 9 then Goto There2 Line E Stop

Issue How do I change a CX-9200 or a CX-99xx to a CX-9680 (Netcontroller II) Environment Cyberstation CX-9200 CX-99xx CX-9680 Cause Controller has changed and need to change the controller model number in Cyberstation. Resolution If you are Using Cyberstation V1.74 with SP2, or Cyberstation V1.81 or greater, all you need to do to accomplish this change is to edit the existing controller (CX9200 or CX99xx). In the controller Type dropdown menu, select 9680 and OK the change. When you save the change you will be prompted with a warning that this change is not reversible. Once you OK that, the database will change all the appropriate system objects to be compatible with the Netcontroller II including system variables. The replacement CX9680 can then be reloaded from the Cyberstation and the conversion is complete.

Issue Can a LA-1 L-Bus adapter be used on the Netcontroller II? Environment Netcontroller II (9680) Cause In order to communication on a port other than Comm 4, an LA-1 must be added. Resolution The Netcontroller II (9680) comes with direct L-Bus option already on Comm4 without having to use the LA-1 adapter. However if you would like a different port to support L-Bus instead of Comm 4 the LA-1 can be added to Comm 1. Note: When using L-Bus you will not be able to connect IOU modules.

Issue Why the Netcontroller 9680 can't be connected via Hyperterminal. How to commission the NC2 and ACX2 (5720/5740) Environment Netcontroller 9680 Hyperterminal NC2 ACX2 5720 5740 Cause The Netcontroller 9680, usually called the NC2, does not have a Hyperterminal interface in which to commission the controller. Resolution To commission the NC2 and the ACX2 please follow the directions below. Note: Check with your system administrator for assistance. Disable the DHCP Services on your PC. Disconnect your computer from the network and set your IP address to 169.254.1.2 and your subnet mask to 255.255.0.0. Using a CAT5 cable (straight-through or crossover), connect the PC Ethernet port to the ACX 57xx Ethernet port.  Run your web browser, then go to URL: http://169.254.1.1 to display the Andover Continuum Embedded WebServer page in the ACX 57xx Series controller. Select Controller Configuration from the WebServer page. Log on using the default Andover Continuum user name and password. Enter relevant configuration parameters on the WebServer Configuration web pages. After entering the parameters, click the Commit Changes/Restart Controller button on the WebServer page. (Restore the PC, and connect the controller to the network when it reboots.)

Issue Epi-Builder display of expiration date workaround Environment Epi-Builder Cause The problem lies in the format of the expiration date in the Epi-Builder software. Resolution Epi-Builder display of expiration date workaround. Recently discovered was a minor issue with the display box of the expiration date field on print pre-view and while printing a card with this attribute. There are multiple formats to select from ie.. mm/dd/yyyy or mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss etc... but even though you may have selected just to display the mm/dd/yy. What would be displayed is the format mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss. A simple workaround is to resize the box that houses the attribute when editing the badge layout to only show the desired mm/dd/yyyy.