Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issues Need a report of cards/ users that has not accessed the facilities in some specified time. Product Line Security Expert Environment Security Expert Cause A customer requires a report for all users/ cardholders that has not accessed any door (Entry/ exit) for a certain amount of time Resolution Current Security Expert Software, v4.2.259.19 and v4.3.285.21, do not have this feature. An enhancement request is pending. The request number is QC#186

Issue What is the unit load of a TC900 thermostat and what are the bias and termination requirements when used with a SmartX Server. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices Environment TC907-3A4LMA TC907-3A4DLMSA TC907-4FMSA TC907-3A4DPMSA TC907-3A4DPMSA-24 TC903-3A4LMA TC903-3A4DLMSA TC903-4FMSA TC903-3A4DPMSA TC903-3A4DPMSA-24 SmartX Server Cause Documentation does not state the RS-485 transceiver type for the TC900 range, making it unclear how many devices can exist under a SmartX servers RS-485 serial port ComA or ComB. Resolution Use the Worksheet for Configuration of RS-485 Bus with generic RS-485 devices on Webhelp to determine the appropriate Modbus configuration. The answers to the transceiver interface attributes below can be applied to complete the worksheet. Q1 Failsafe Receiver : The TC900 uses an RS-485 transceiver with an integrated idle-state failsafe receiver. Q2 Data Transmission Speed : TC900 thermostats can be configured to communicate at 4800, 9600, 19200 or 38400 bps. Q4 Isolated Interface : The TC900 does not provide an isolated RS-485 interface. Q6a Measured Resistance : With no electrical connections to the TC900, the measured resistance between the RS-485 low-side (-) signal and the communications common is 8.2K ohms. Based on this the unit load of the TC900 is 1.46 (12.000/8,200) Bias requirements and number of devices If there are only TC900 devices on the RS-485 bus then Generic RS-485 Network Device configuration 1 applies, configuration becomes very simple and no node or distance reductions are called for. The failsafe receivers can typically operate with no added bias resistors. Connect a 120 ohm termination resistor across the + and - data lines at the head end of the bus (typically at the SmartX server). Connect another 120 ohm termination resistor across the + and - data lines on the last node at the far end of the bus. Connect the shield drain wire to earth ground terminal rail in the panel with the SmartX server. This is the only ground connection of the shield for the complete cable segment. Connect the RET/Shield terminal (see the figure below) on the SmartX server to the ground rail in the panel using a 12 AWG (3.31 mm²) to 18 AWG (0.82 mm²) wire. Since the TC900 has a unit load of 1.4 the maximum number of devices that can be placed under each comm port using this configuration is 21 (31.5 / 1.46 = 21.5) Also check out the SmartStruxure-RS485-Controller Unit Load Quick-Help video on the Exchange. Note:  Adding an RS-485 Repeater at this point provides another 32 Units Loads to the Network which can be continued up to the Architectural Maximum defined for the hosting controller.

Issue After doing a save to database from a controller an attempt to reload the controller results in "Invalid Handle ID" or "Object not found in database" for every object in the controller. Environment CyberStation CX9xxx controller. Cause Bad object instance ID in the database. In the Continuum database each object in a controller contains the instance id of its owner controller in the ObjectIdHi field of its instance ID, this is illustrated in the screen shot below, Num1 is an InfinityNumeric created in the controller named NC2.42. You can see that the ObjectIdLo of NC2.42 becomes the ObjectIdHi of Num1 Somehow during the process of reloading a CX9200 via HyperTerminal followed by a save to database, all the objects end up with the wrong controller id in their ObjectIdHi resulting in the aforementioned error on reload. Resolution Put CyberStation in offline edit mode. Send the controller to ASCII file. Delete the controller. Import the file created in step 2 to re-create the controller and its objects. Put CyberStation online Reload the controller.

Issue Are the V211T, V222, V292 valves suitable in a system containing 28% bio ethanol? Environment V211T V222 V292 Cause Application requirement on content. Resolution With a content of only 28%, the valves should work just fine. Cast iron is not ideal, but it works fine. Stem packing materials are EPDM and teflon, and they will also work fine with this content.

Issue b3 i2 going offline and logging multiple 0x1408s in its error log. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment b3 Controllers i2 Controllers Cause Excessive traffic on the network causes controller to run out of message buffers. Every time a controller receives a communication packet it has to allocate a block of memory (a buffer) to place the packet until it can be processed. Under normal network conditions the packets are processed at a rate that exceeds the rate at which they are coming in, in some cases typically associated with network configuration issues or malfunctioning nodes on the network, (i.e. broadcast storms) the firmware in the controller is unable to keep up with the amount of packets being received which exhausts message buffers available and renders the controller unable to communicate properly. In many cases the condition is temporary and does not result in a major problem, it is not unusual to see sporadic 0x1408s in the error log but when the condition persists for longer periods it will have an impact on the ability of the controller to communicate properly on the network. Resolution Use LAN captures to identify and remove the root cause of the excessive traffic.  Take steps to reduce the occurrence of many concurrent trend data requests being made of the b3 i2 controller such as staggering trend collection times, varying log-intervals or configuring some logs as COV (interval = 0).   Adjust the configuration to collect fewer trend records more frequently. 

Issue Infinet/MSTP was running fine until a device was added or replaced, after wiring in the new device it brings down the Infinet/MSTP field bus when powered up, disconnecting the new device from the bus makes the bus resume operation. When the new device is connected the green (RD) LED goes solid instead of blinking and all communications to all devices on the bus stops, in some cases the master controller will reset. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infinet devices i2s MSTP devices b3s Cause Power lines reversed. Continuum field devices (i1s, i2s and b3s) have their RS-485 communication lines connected to ground via an isolator as seen in the diagram below, if the LIVE and GND lines are inverted then LIVE is connected to the 485 communication lines instead of GND. This will make the field bus electrically unable to communicate and in some scenarios can even cause hardware damage. Resolution When powering 24VAC  devices off the same transformer make sure to continue the wiring chain LIVE to LIVE and GND to GND.

Issue How to create a Binary Input or Digital Input on a MPM controller Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment SmartStruxure Lite Multi-Purpose Manager (MPM) Cause When a Binary Input is created, the object does not work. There is no documentation on how to create a Binary Input Resolution In order to use a Binary Input, both the BI object and the corresponding Analog Input AI object must be added from the object list. For example, if you need to use BI3 with a dry contact, you will also need to add AI3 and toggle its "input type" to Ohms, then save the object. You also need to keep the object in the object list. With regards to “Input type” for the Binary Inputs: (the "input type" property is in the AI object) -When set in Volts, anything >= 2VDC will be considered a 1 status.                                    anything < 2VDC will be conspired a 0 status. -When set in Ohms, anything < 10kOhm will be considered a 1 status.                                      anything >= 10KOhm will be considered a 0 status. Note: When "Input type" is set to ohms, a dry contact must be used for the BI to work properly. BO1 and BO2 of the MPM can be used for example, but not the relays of the TE2 as they are not dry contacts by design.

Issue How to transfer data from TAC Vista to EBO(EcoStruxure Building Operation) as a temporarily solution while a transition between TAC Vista and EBO is done?    Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista SmartStruxure Solution EcoStruxure Web Services TAC Vista SmartStruxure Interface 1.5 Cause If EBO need data from TAC Vista during a transition period the TAC Vista SmartStruxure interface can be used.   Resolution Please see the video or follow the instructions below:   On the Vista server(s) install the TAC Vista SmartStruxure Interface first. Refer to TAC Vista to SmartStruxure Interface will not connect when TAC Vista and SmartStruxure are installed on the same machine if there are any issues installing or getting the two programs to communicate when on the same PC. In StruxureWare Workstation, on the Enterprise server object or the Automation server object right click and create new interface, and select the EcoStruxure Web Service interface in Workstation. Click next. In the Server, enter the IP address of Vista server. If it is local, just use localhost. Enter the username and password of Vista Server. Pay attention that only the user in the default System user group can be used. Don't try to create other System group. And all the letters in the password field need to be in capital letters. This is a defect that will be addressed in the next release of TAC Vista to SmartStruxure interface. Please be selective with the port that you are using. If the Vista to SmartStruxure Interface program is on the same PC as the Enterprise server than a different port other than 80 or 443 will have to be used. Please refer to TAC Vista to SmartStruxure Interface will not connect when TAC Vista and SmartStruxure are installed on the same machine if the two softwares need to be on the same machine. Click Create. The next step is to Host TAC Vista objects into SmartStruxure. Refer to How to host TAC Vista objects using Web Services in StruxureWare Building Operation for the guide of how to host Vista objects into SmartStruxure. NOTE: There is a defect for Version 1.0 of TAC Vista to SmartStruxure interface under Non-English operation system. The EcoStruxure Web Services interface will not come online in SmartStruxure. Refer to TAC Vista to SmartStruxure Interface does not connect in non-English Operation System for solution.

Issue A "Save Error" message that says "Not enough quota is available to process this command" is displayed when trying to save graphics.  Environment SmartStruxure Workstation  Cause The error message indicates that there not enough virtual memory (VM) available.  Resolution Close some applications and try again. If the error message is still being displayed, try increasing the virtual PC’s memory. Windows XP: 1. Open “Control Panel” and click on “Systems” 2. Select the “Advanced” tab 3. Under the “Performance” header, click on the “Settings” button and then “Advanced” tab. 4. Click on the “Change” button under “Virtual memory” 5. Increase the size of the virtual memory and click OK to save. Since Virtual Memory is dynamic in Windows 7, this error message is not common to a Windows 7 operating system. However, if running a lot of apps or the system has minimum requirement, it is possible that you can see it here. The following are steps to increase the VM for Windows 7. Windows 7: 1. Open Control Panel and click on Systems 2. Select the “Advance systems settings” 3. Under the “Performance” header, click on the “Settings” button and then “Advanced” tab. 4. Click on the “Change” button under “Virtual memory” 5. Increase the size of the virtual memory and click OK to save. VM uses the hard drive for storage.  

Issue  Evaluating Signal Levels on RS-485 Field Bus with an Oscilloscope. Environment Infinet Field Bus MSTP Field Bus Cause Documentation Resolution See  Evaluating Signal Levels on RS-485 Field Bus with an Oscilloscope.pdf

Issue Using Webstation from outside of the Local Area Network Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Webstation Cause Customer wishes to use Webstation to access the system over the internet Resolution Inform the local IT department that the PC or Automation Server will need a public IP address in order to be accessed from outside of the Local Area Network. If the device has an IP address of 10.xxx.xxx.xxx it is an internal IP address and will not be visible from outside of the local IP domain. NOTE:  When the device is available on the Internet, this will allow anyone with internet access and a correct password to access the system.

Warning Issue UNC-520 heartbeat LED had no activity but the UNC appears to be running without issues.  Environment I/A Series Universal Network Controller - UNC-520 Cause The UNC CPU idle is at 0% which resulted in the UNC heartbeat LED not having any activity (always off).  In this case,  this is caused by changing the ControlEngineService executionFrequencies to faster values and objects' executionParameters frequency set to faster or fastest. The station is using large amount of CPU resources.  Resolution To correct this make the following adjustments:  In the ControlEngineService properties, Config tab, change the executionFrequencies back to the default values of fastest at 500ms, faster at 1s, normal at 2s and slower at 5s.    Change the objects' executionParameters frequencies back to the default setting of normal. You can used the AdminTool object to perform a search and replace and changed all the executionParameters frequencies to normal.  There may be a need to change these values from the default values to optimize the UNC performance. Refer to the Niagara Capacities Engineering Notes for details. You should contact Product Support if you are unsure of these settings. 

Issue Is there any thermic actuator that can be used with the VZ*19 valves? Environment VZ219 VZ319 VZ419 MZ20A MZ20B Cause In some applications, a thermic actuator is requested Resolution Unfortunately, the only available actuators for VZ*19 valves are the MZ20A (24V, 0-10V modulating control) and MZ20B (24V and 230V, 3 Point floating control)

Issue Upgrading  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Cause Guidelines for upgrading to higher releases Resolution Non-Sequential Upgrades: Versions 1.9.1 and Newer Starting in version 1.9.1, non-sequential upgrades can be performed from versions 1.5.X and newer. Please refer to the "Upgrading" section of the Release Notes for the software version you are upgrading to. The "Upgrading" section will direct you to prior release notes that you need to read through before upgrading and point out items with limited runtime compatibility during the upgrade process.  NOTE: If upgrading a system at 1.5/1.6/1.7/1.8 with LON devices, please be aware that there are special steps that must be taken to prepare the database for upgrade. These steps can be found in the Release Notes as well.  Sequential Upgrades: Versions 1.8.1 and Older For versions 1.8.1 and older, the upgrade process is sequential. In other words 1.2.0, 1.3.0, 1.4.0, 1.4.0.4020, 1.5.0, 1.6.1 The upgrade process can be found in the System Upgrade Reference Guide. The primary released versions were 1.0.0.161 1.1.0.362 1.2.0.767 1.3.0.938 1.3.0.10100 SP1 1.3.0.20011 SP2 1.4.0.4020 1.4.1.68 1.5.0.532 1.6.0.250 (RC) 1.6.1.5000 1.7.0.255 (RC) 1.7.1.89 The minimum upgrade path would be: 1.0.0.161 Official Release 1.1.0.362 Official Release 1.2.0.767 Official Release 1.2.0.2207 1.3.0.938 Official Release 1.3.0.10100 1.4.0.4020 1.4.1.68 Official Release 1.5.0.532 Official Release* 1.6.1.5000 Official Release 1.7.1.89 Official Release Note: On one site, the AS would not upgrade from 1.5.0.532 to 1.6.1.5000. Going to the 1.6 RC resolved the issue.   1. In order to upgrade to 1.5 the site must be at 1.4.0.4020 or higher. Some sites may be still running at 1.4.0.818, which was the original 1.4.0 release. Although this is not officially supported and will not be tested, it is likely to experience the same upgrade as one from 1.4.0.4020. 2. An upgrade from 1.4.0.4020 to 1.5 will NOT offer any runtime compatibility, while an upgrade from 1.4.1 to 1.5 will offer runtime compatibility. Consequently, for a site to maximize its operational status through the upgrade, we have two different upgrade scenarios as described below. a. 1.4.0 to 1.5 – this process flow is designed to allow as much of the plant as possible to continue to operate through the entire upgrade. For the first three steps of the process the Enterprise Server will continue to aggregate the alarms from all of the 1.4.0 Automation Server. Once the halfway mark is reached the Enterprise Server can be upgraded and will begin to aggregate the alarms from the 1.5.0 Automation Server.              i. Upgrade one WorkStation in order to be able to communicate directly to any of the 1.5 Automation Server that are upgraded in b below.             ii. Upgrade 50% of the Automation Server             iii. Upgrade Enterprise Server and all but one WorkStation             iv. Upgrade the remaining Automation Server             v. Upgrade the remaining WorkStation b. 1.4.1 to 1.5 - In this process, we can take advantage of the support for runtime compatibility and the Enterprise Server will receive alarms from both the 1.4.1 and the 1.5 Automation Server.             i. Upgrade Enterprise Server and all but one WorkStation which can be used to talk directly to unupgraded Automation Server if configuration changes are needed             ii. Upgrade Automation Server             iii. Upgrade final WorkStation Note: some sites have experienced issues with the ES restart after upgrade because of the .Net Framework 4.5 upgrade and port 80 usage. Adjusting this port to an available port resolves the problem. The conversion log may indicate an upgrade warning similar to warning shown below, this warning can be safely ignored, and furthermore the upgrade program corrects the problem in the 1.5 database.           :02:11  WARNING:      Property PFE202_PF601.SI in (~/BACnet/Application/ELE/GRAPHIQUES/ECLUSES CD S4/PORTES_CE_S4) is not defined in the new system, skip           PFE202_PF601.SI. <script src="chrome://dce.addin/content/content_javascript.js"> </script>

Issue Replacement for discontinued I/A Series hardware UNC-410, UNC-520, ENC-410 & ENC-520 Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series R2 Universal Network Controllers UNC-410 and UNC-520 I/A Series G3 Enterprise Network Controllers ENC-410 and ENC-520 Cause Due to component availability, the following UNC/ENC parts have been discontinued as of 1st December 2013.  Resolution Discontinued UNC/ENC controllers can be replaced with the JACE 603, JACE 645 controllers series. The JACE 603 and JACE 645 are the first network controllers that can run either R2 or G3 Niagara applications when a corresponding license is installed.  New sites and expansions – these Network Controller parts come with the same metal box enclosure as the products they replace: Retrofit applications – these Network Controller parts are a replacement board that fits into an existing UNC/ENC enclosure: Refer to PA-00251 for details.  *Note - The parts for new sites and expansions are not available for all regions. Contact your local Schneider Electric sales representative if you have any questions.  * Updated May 2015 The parts TRD-RB-603-R2 and TRD-RB-645-R2 are not longer available. See below for the equivalent parts. TRD-RB-603-R2 > TRD-RB-603 + TRD-R2-RB-6XX TRD-RB-645-R2 > TRD-RB-645 + TRD-R2-RB-6XX _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ * Updated March 2019 The JACE-603 and JACE-645 has been discontinued as of June 2018.  The recommended replacements are the EcoStruxure Building Operation AS-P or the I/A Series JACE-8000. Refer to PA-00592 I/A Series JACE 600 End of Commercialization. 

Issue A script program monitors the value of a digital input on an IO module. The input is wired to a switch that, when pushed by an operator, will toggle a digital output ON/OFF to start/stop a piece of equipment. The issue is the program will randomly fail to see the input changing when the operator releases the button too quickly. This happens even though the IOU module detected the input change as indicated by the LED on the input channel of the UI-16 module. Environment Automation Server SXW UI module Script Program Cause In SmartStruxure, Script programs are executed by a task and then go dormant until the task schedules the program to run again. If the input changes and then returns to the value it had the last time the program executed, the change will be missed. Resolution Instead of a digital input, use a counter input and modify the PE Script to toggle the output when the count increments. EXAMPLE: Numeric Input theINPUT Numeric Output theOUTPUT Numeric thePreviousInVal 1: thePreviousInVal = theINPUT goto 2 2: if theINPUT > thePreviousInVal then goto 3 3: if theOUTPUT = off then theOUTPUT = on else theOUTPUT = OFF goto 1

Issue How to have visibility into what a controller sees in its list of peer controllers and Cyberstations following a tech. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment All CX controllers Cause Documentation Resolution If controller is 9900 you can perform a "dump controller" from Hyper Terminal and see the list of peer controllers and CyberStations the controller has been taught. For Second Generation Continuum controllers that do not have a terminal interface you can put a program in the controller to get information about the list. (You can use the program in the 9900 as well.) Click HERE to see a sample PE program. IMPORTANT UPDATE: If the site has more than just a few (3-5) controllers comment out the line in the program that gets the controller names. Also, comment out the line that gets the security flag if there are first generation (9900, 9640) controllers involved.

Issue preventDefault() Javascript function not working on Mouse Up Environment TGML Editor Cause Users want to override the default function showing the StruxureWare Building Operation properties editor by preventing the default action for the Up function. The Building Operation Properties editor is not launched on Mouse Up but on Mouse Click. Resolution Select The TGML Script Add the line "evt.preventDefault();" to the onClick function

Issue Programming an application that requires a setpoint and deadband that operates in the same manner as the WorkPlace Tech Tool Thermostat object. Environment SmartStruxure AS or ES Cause No object exists in the Function Block library that is functionally equivalent to the I/A Series WorkPlace Tech LON/BACnet "Thermostat" object.   Resolution This is only one of several methods by which a differential type thermostat object can implemented in Function Block programming. The following Binary Expression (XPB) function block object can be used to simulate the differential type thermostat. Analog Input A is the "Input" Analog Input B is the "Setpoint" Analog Input C is the "Input Differential" Binary Input d is the "State Feedback"  This feedback link insures that the output state does not change when the input is within the range specified by the input differential The output of this object turns on when the Input value exceeds the Setpoint + 1/2 of the Input differential. The output of this object turns off when the Input value falls below the Setpoint - 1/2 of the Input differential. The xml file can be downloaded from here.

Issue Will the Multi-Purpose Manager (MPM) act as a BACnet IP BBMD?   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Site using BACnet and one or more  SmartStruxe Lite Multi-Purpose Manager (SSL MPM)  Cause Can the MPM act as a BBMD Resolution The MPM cannot act as a BACnet Broadcast Management Device (BBMD), but it can be a foreign device to another BBMD BACnet protocol includes broadcast traffic which does not pass through on-site routers. For BACnet devices to network across a wide area or across multiple separate sites connected by the Internet, it is necessary to register the BACnet devices with a Schneider BBMD using the Foreign Device Registration function in Building Expert. For a Multi-Purpose Manager (MPM) running Building Expert to function as a BACnet device, when being managed remotely over a standard TCP/IP network, it must be configured as a Foreign Device. It must also be registered on an Automation Server (AS) on the remote network that acts as a BBMD. Once done, BACnet devices can send messages to the BBMD, which are translated by the BBMD so they can pass over a standard on-site router. Then BBMD forwards the messages to the appropriate destination MPM controlling the Devices for which the BACnet messages were originally intended. Then the MPM translates the messages received over the network from the BBMD into standard BACnet messages and passes them on to the intended Devices as if they were direct BACnet messages. This Foreign Device Registration feature allows a single user with a StruxureWare Building Operations (StruxureWare Building Operation) terminal to remotely oversee multiple disparate sites simultaneously using BACnet, without having to install expensive direct connections to each site. You must have Firmware release version 2.9 or higher installed on your Manager to use Foreign Device Registration function. Here is the BACnet-Specifications-PIC-Statement.pdf And the  explanation on how to setup the DR-ForeignDeviceRegistration.pdf