Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Points from a SmartStruxure Lite MPM display the question mark character (?) instead of the correct engineering unit when brought into Building Operation via BACnet. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WorkSation SmartStruxure Lite MPM with firmware version 2.5.8 or earlier Cause The question mark (?) placeholder for units is used when Building Operation reads a BACnet unit id that we do not have a translation for to Building Operation units. In MPM firmware version 2.5.8 and earlier, units are translated as vendor proprietary, in firmware version 2.7 and later the units are translated to standard BACnet units. Resolution Upgrade the MPM firmware to Version 2.7x or later. MPM firmware can be downloaded from the https://ecoxpert.se.com/building-expert/discover#tab/documents . Please note that firmware is on a secure area of the site that is only accessible to certified SmartStruxure Lite engineers.   I M P O R T A N T   Also, any thermostat where the communication module is replaced must be re-addressed and re-discovered, additionally all related Widgets will have to be re-linked to the new object(s). If you are not sure which module you have on your SE7000P units do the following... a) Remove the cover. b) look at the part number, the new extended profile modules are 051-0132

Issue When an Automation Server backup is restored, the programs or IO's linked to a time schedule does not show their correct states Environment Automation Server Backplane Function Block Time Schedule Cause More than one AS has been fitted onto the same backplane and this e.g. causes the Function Block program to malfunction. The result of this is that the FB program does not reflect the correct state of the time schedule binding, when a backup is restored.               Resolution The installation of multiple AS's onto the same backplane is not allowed.  Do not install more than one AS on a backplane. If you do, they will both try to drive the IO bus and will collide in doing so. This causes the Task Scheduler to lock up in the AS. Results will be unpredictable! To overcome this issue, make sure only one AS is fitted on the same backplane, and "warm-start" the AS.

Issue Lost Entitlement ID when you want to rehost/return/modify existing license. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista 5 Cause When a rehost/return/modify of an existing license is required, the Entitlement ID is required. Resolution Contact support and provide the current Host ID (PC MAC address) /Dongle ID used, alternatively the current license file or Fulfillment ID. The directory that the License file is located in can be found using the License Setting tool. Support will then provide the Entitlement ID for license in question.  The Entitlement can also be found providing the original Purchase Order ID to the order entry department at 1-888-444-1311 if in the continental US.

Issue Shortly after a successful backup to flash the exclamation point appears again on the controller's icon in the Continuum explorer indicating that a backup to flash is needed. Environment CyberStation bCX9640 bCX4040 CX9680 ACX5740 ACX5720 Cause PE program changing configuration attributes. A setpoint changes value. Resolution Any changes to a configuration attribute will cause the database in the controller to be marked as needing backup up to flash. Also, if an object is configured as a setpoint, changing its value causes the database to be marked as needing backup to flash. Find and modify any PE programs that change configuration attributes (i.e. description, format)  and/or setpoint values.

Issue Does Continuum support multiple object trend reports? How can I display a report that shows the trend data for multiple objects. Environment Continuum CyberStation BACnet TrendLogs Cause While trend data for a single BACnet point can be reported from the TrendLog object by selecting View Report from the Data page of the TrendLog object editor, it is usually necessary to display comparative trend data from multiple points. Resolution Since BACnet points themselves do not store trend data the way Infinity points do, BACnet requires that another object, the TrendLog object, be used to store this data in the controller.  The trend data for a single object can be viewed by selecting View Report from the Data page of the TrendLog object editor to which the point is attached.  Continuum Report objects can be used to view BACnet trend data. Unlike Infinity points, BACnet points are not added to the Report objects member list  since BACnet points contains no trend data.  Instead the TrendLog object which has been configured for, and to which the BACnet point has been attached, is added to the Continuum Report TrendLog member list. Multiple TrendLog objects can be added to the member list of a Continuum Report. The member list is the Trend Log window found on the Filter page of the Report object editor.   The configuration of the Report object editor should be as follows. Data Source: Current Value Report Type:  SnapShot of Trend Log buffer contents. Chart Type:  Text (data schedule)  or Trend (graph)

Issue Cannot import lon Lon Device template. Field stays red after browsing in the correct XIF file. Import button does still grayed out after browsing the correct XIF file. Environment StruxureWare Building Operation 1.3 and earlier Cause There is a problem with some regional settings. We have seen this using Turkish regional settings so far but the are probably other languages that will also cause the issue. Resolution Stop Workstation Open control panel Go to Regional and Language Options Change standards and formats to English. Click ok Start workstation again and import the file. Add your devices Close workstation Open Regional and Language settings and change back to your language Open workstation

Issue When logging on to the Report Manager or Report Builder to manage, create or install custom report packs, the following error is shown: User does not have required permissions. Verify that sufficient permissions have been granted and Windows User Account Control (UAC) restrictions have been addressed Environment WebReports Cause This is a known issue with Microsoft Reporting Services when User Account Control (UAC) is enabled on the server. By default the local administrators are only given the role of "Content Manager", which does not allow for all operations. The easy solution is to disable UAC, but below is the solution for how to solve it without disabling UAC. For further reference, refer to the following discussion. Resolution 1. Launch Internet Explorer as administrator (right click the shortcut and click "Run as administrator"). 2. Open the Report Manager on the local server using "localhost" in the URL. E.g. if the URL is normally http://server_name/Reports_SQLEXPRESS you need to enter http://localhost/Reports_SQLEXPRESS 3. Click "Folder Settings" 4. Click "Edit" next to the "BUILTIN\Administrators" 5. Check all the options and click "Apply"

Issue During initial setup, the incorrect ethernet IP address or subnet mask was entered.  Now when rebooting the UNC, I cannot reconnect to it using the I/A Series R2 Admin Tool.  How can the incorrect information be changed? Environment UNC-520 or UNC-410 Cause Network connectivity cannot be established if the IP address or subnet mask was entered incorrectly.  Likewise, if an invalid subnet mask is entered, the UNC may not boot completely (or at all). Resolution The following information is provided in more detail in the section "Determining Network Settings", subsection "JACE-4/5" of chapter 3 of the Niagara Networking & Connectivity Guide.  This document is provided with and installed with the I/A Series (Niagara) R2 software. Required hardware: Serial Cable Terminal Emulator software on computer (such as "Hyperterminal" or "Putty") Procedure: Configure the Terminal Emulator to run at 9600 baud, 8 bits, one stop bit, no parity, hardware flow control Jumper the upper two pins of the Console "MODE" connector,  located in the upper right corner of the UNC-520 circuit board (See photo at right). Connect the terminal emulator via a UNCC-405 serial cable to port COM1 on the UNC and power-cycle the UNC. Wait for the UNC to complete its bootup process (do not break out of the boot process). Check the displayed information to determine what IP address and subnet mask was entered. Power cycle the UNC and when the console display shows "Press any key to stop auto-boot"., press the space bar. Follow the procedure in the section "Determining Network Settings", subsection "JACE-4/5" of Chapter 3 of the Niagara Networking and Connectivity Guide for the procedure to step through the settings changing them if necessary.  Please note that the figure 3-8 may not include all lines of information shown for your UNC. If the serial console is showing any errors after you have verified the IP address / Subnet mask entries, please provide product support with a text copy of the serial console output showing the error messages.

Issue How many characters can an object in Vista have? Environment Vista 5.1.6 and newer Cause When naming an object, all letters and digits are allowed. Additionally, the following characters may be used: (space) [ ] _ : / Up to 40 characters in length can be used. Resolution When naming an object, all letters and digits are allowed. Additionally, the following characters may be used: (space) [ ] _ : / Up to 40 characters in length can be used.  Examples of prohibited characters are: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - ; < = > ? @ \ ^ ` { } | ¦ .(period/fullstop)

Issue Using the keypad on the stat to set the comm address may result in duplicate Device Instance IDs on a BACnet network. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Viconics Cause Find New BACnet Device does not result in new Viconics stat added to the system. This is due to the default assignment ID scheme used by Viconics. It is resulting in a duplicate Device ID on the BACnet network. Resolution By default, the Device Instance ID (called the Device Node ID in Continuum) is generated using the first two digits of the model of the thermostat + the comm (MAC) address assigned to the stat. Example: For a VT7200C5000 thermostats with MAC address 115, the default Device Instance would be 72115. The problem is that when installing the same model stats on multiple MSTP networks on the same BACnet system, this scheme can easily result in duplicate Device Instance IDs. The resolution is to change the duplicates or use a scheme to assign unique IDs manually to all the stats on a system. Any number between 1 and 4194303 (between 1 and 3FFFFF in Hex) is accepted by the thermostat. One scheme would be to use the BACnet Network ID and append the MAC address to it. Since each BACnet Network ID must be unique across the entire system, and the MAC address on each BACnet Network must be unique, this assures the combination is unique across the system. For example, if you have a bCX with an MSTP bus on comm2 that has a BACnet Network ID - Comm2 of 2765 and a stat with a MAC address of 9, assign it the Device Instance ID 2765009. A BACnet Explorer that provides write access to the Device Instance ID is required to change the default Device Instance ID. See Changing the BACnet device instance of the SE7000 series room controllers for a link to the Viconics VT7000 BACnet Configurator utility. For additional support on the above utility contact Viconics Support at 1-800-563-5660.

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 for assistance. Issue Create a report of all expired cards Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Controller Cause A custom report and its configuration are needed to find all expired cards at the site Resolution This video demonstrates how to create and configure a report to find all expired cards in a system   Create a User Report: 1. In Security Expert Client, go to Reports|Setup|User and Add a new (or use an existing) report. 2. Configure the desired Report Type and Sorting 3. Go to the Columns tab, click the Add button and select Columns.  Make sure to have: -Expiration date of badge AND/OR Expiry date 4. Save your report   Please note: The "Expiration date of badge" column pulls the date from Users|Users|Extended Tab|Expiration date of badge. The "Expiry date" column pulls the date from Users|Users|General Tab|User expiry date/time section's End date.   Customize the User Report's layout: 1. Go to Reports|Setup|User| General Tab| Default user report filter and click the "Edit in report view" button 2. Right-click "Expiration date of badge" (or "Expiry date") column and select the Filter Editor 3. Change the "And" condition (in red) to "Or" 4. Change Equals to DateTime Operators: Is Yesterday 5. Click "+" sign in green circle to a line and repeat changes 5 more times for the following: - Is Earlier This Week - Is Last Week - Is Earlier this Month - Is Earlier This Year - Is Prior This Year 6. Click Save Report Layout

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

Issue In EBO there is no build in way to view b3 array element value. In Continuum there is a command line that allows printing array elements by specifying the array index. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation ASP, ASB, AS b3 BACnet devices Infinet i2 device Cause The Infinet i2 device object array values can be viewed as WebHelp. This option is not available with b3 BACnet controllers. Resolution A workaround is to use a Script program to expose the array element value. See Sample Script Program to expose b3 array element value.

Issue Valve Datasheet & Catalogue Actuator Datasheet & Catalogue Sensor Datasheet & Catalogue Field Device Datasheet & Catalogue Peripheral Datasheet & Catalogue HVAC Control Devices Selection Tool Environment Actuator Valve Sensor Field Device Peripheral HVAC Control Device Selection Tool Cause Need for valve and actuator information. Need for sensor information. Resolution For European and American Field Device and Valve datasheets/technical publications and catalogues click here to go to the website and select which range that is required. Or the EMEA  sensor catalogue  or the valve and actuator catalogues can be download from the Download Center For the Sensor selection tool click here. For the Heat Meter selection tool click here. For the Cross Reference selection tool click here. 

Issue How do points map from a i2 controller and the xP expansion modules to Infinity SX8000? Environment Using Continuum i2 controllers and xP modules on SX8000 Infinity systems. Cause The I/O channels on expansion modules are different from Infinity to Continuum. Resolution You can add an i2 controller to your Infinet networks on Infinity and it will co-exist with the other Infinity controllers. The controller will be seen as a equivalent infinity controller i.e. a i2850 will be seen as a TCX850. Also you will not be able to use any of the additional features that a i2 controller has like the flash memory or the smart sensor connection. For Expansion modules you could however use the xP modules (not including the xP display) the attached spreadsheet that shows how the i2 controllers I/O channels will be seen by the Infinity Controller. Download the spreadsheet here.  

Issue Unable to login to Webstation when it is embedded in an iframe on a webpage even though the security setting Enable WebStation to be embedded into another website is set. Clicking Log on after entering credentials just makes the login page reload. Security Setting "Enable WebStation to be embedded into another website" security setting   Webstation login page in iframe Webstation might even go into a login loop if the Guest account is activated and Webstation logs in automatically to this account: Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Webstation Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Cause The Webstation login functionality relies on HTTPS redirect to function properly when it is embedded in an iframe. Error message in the browser developer tool console says: Blocked autofocusing on a <input> element in a cross-origin subframe. Resolution Webstation needs to redirect web clients to HTTPS. There is a setting in Security Manager that controls this. Follow the steps below to activate the redirect: Login to Workstation and go to Control Panel and then Security Settings. Check Redirect web clients to HTTPS and save the change.

Issue What is the procedure for using a BCX9640 to replace a CX controller. Environment BCX9640 Comm Port Cause Need to change the Infinet Controller type. Resolution A BCX9640 is not the preferred replacement for a NetController for several reasons, among which are the following..  Can only support one Infinet port (Comm 2). Does not support L-Bus Does not support IO Module control. The process for replacing a NetController with a BCX9640 is as follows. Print a list view off all Infinet Controllers under the NetController.  This list must include the following columns... SerialNum CntrlType InfinetID Create a new BCX9640 with a new ACCID and bring it online. Switch Cyberstation to offline editing mode. Change the serial numbers of all Infinet Controllers under the NetController false serial number (so that the serial number for each Infinet Controller will be available for each new Infinet Controllers created under the BCX9640). With the workstation in Offline mode, manually create all the Infinet Controller object that existed under Comm 2 of the BCX9640.  Use the following information, The same controller model that the Infinet Controller had under the NetController. The same Infinet ID that the Infinet Controller had under the NetController. Drag and drop copy all the points and programs from the original controller to the new controller. Verify that all the points and programs were correctly copied and are intact. Go into the new Infinet Controllers and change their serial numbers to the serial number it had under the NetController. Next go back to online editing. At this point you should see all your infinet controllers come back on line. Finally reload the complete site. It is important to note that any controllers that are referencing points in the relocated controllers will have to have these object references verified and repaired in cases where the references have been lost.

Issue Connecting an ARA 659 Esbe actuator to a Satchwell  CZT 5305 controller. Environment Esbe ARA 659 ARA 600 Series Wiring Cause Confirmation of the actuator wiring connections to the controller. Resolution The actuator is connected as follows; CZT 5305 - Esbe ARA 659 actuator. Terminal 36/37 - 24 volts (Brown wire). Terminal 35 - 0 volts (Blue wire). Terminal 19 - 0-10 volt (Black wire).- Heating actuator. Terminal 20 - 0-10 volt (Black wire).- Cooling actuator. To review the CZT 5305 datasheet please click HERE. To review the ARA 600 series datasheet please click HERE.

Issue What register type should be used for the type called INT64 in the documentation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Modbus PM Energy meter Cause It is not clear what  Modbus register type should be configured for INT64 Resolution For reading the INT64 on this range of power meters the register definition you need to apply is the "64 bit signed swapped".   Note that this register type is not available in Building Operation versions earlier than 1.5. For further information on Modbus Register Types see the Point and Value Configuration EBO Webhelp topic

Issue TAC Vista SQL maintenance repeatedly fails. Not just once or twice, but on every attempt. Microsoft Management Studio View of error Vista Workstation view of error Environment TAC Vista 5.1.7 or newer. Cause The SQL maintenance feature was added to Vista in version 5.1.7, to regularly database defragment the database and prevent the follow-on effects of a fragmented database. This scheduled maintenance can fail for a number of reasons. Resolution Start by  taking a DSS writer server log using TACOS Tweak. Follow the steps below to do this. Goto the TAC Vista installation folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric\TAC Vista 5.1.9 by default on 64-bit machines). Locate TacosTweak and double-click on it. Click on the "Category" drop-down box and select "DSS (Registry)". Locate the "DSS Server - Log Level" entry and increase the log level to "7" by entering the value in the value field and clicking the "Set" button. Locate the "DSS Server - Log file" entry and chose an appropriate path. Launch "TAC Vista Server Setup" and go to the SQL maintenance tab. Locate the "Run SQL Maintenance now" checkbox and check it. Click on "OK" or "Apply". Locate the DSS server log file and open it with a text viewer/editor. Search the log file for the following text "Maintenance Task - Starting" and check that the date time stamp is approximately when the "Run SQL Maintenance now" button was pressed. Examine the file carefully and follow the file line for line from this point until you reach "[ERROR] Fatal error : SQL Exception : Incorrect syntax near '('. NOTE: Contact Product Support Services if you are unable to interpret the log file or see another type of error than that described above. Once confirmed, launch Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and follow the steps below: Locate the "taclogdata" database. Right-click on it and select "Properties"  Locate the "Options" tab and set the compatibilty level to SQL 2008 (or SQL 2005 if that is the installed version). Don't forget to set the DSS Server log level back to "5"!   A tool to simplify this process can be found here. Please note that this is not an official Schneider Electric utility.