Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue How to calculate the input value for a Lookup table for a resistive AI device. Product Line Satchwell Sigma Software Environment Lookup Tables Cause A lookup table needs to be created for an additional resistive AI device. An existing lookup table does not exist. Resolution The following parameters are needed, the device's datasheet will normally provide this information. The resistance of the device at a known value e.g temperature or a feedback potentiometer. The following calculation is then used. lookup table input value = R1*250 / R1+14700    (Where R1 is the resistance value) The output value in the lookup table will be the known value (e.g temperature or a feedback potentiometer) for the resistance used in the calculation above. Example: Resistance = 5905 ohms at 17'C Table input = 5905*250 / 5905+14700 = 71.6452 and Table output = 17.0 The more samples taken, greater the accuracy. Input values need to be entered with at least 3 decimal figures.

Issue Get error message "Could not open or load translation table" when trying to save a Menta file after having edit it in StruxureWare Building Operation. Environment StruxureWare Building Operation version 1.2. Cause Error in the installation of the German Language pack. Resolution Reinstall the language pack.

Issue Is it possible to connect eComission SmartX controller mobile application to a SmartX controller with no WiFi available in the building and BLE(Bluetooth) not turned on in the SmartX controller. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation eCommisioning Tool Building Operation Room Controller (RPC) Building Operation Multi-purpose Controller (MPC)   Cause The eCommission SmartX controllers mobile application supports device connection through BACnet Wi-Fi and wireless Bluetooth connection. Resolution Install eCommission SmartX controllers on a computer, connect to the SmartX controller using an IP cable connected directly from the computer to the SmartX controller and enable Bluetooth on the SmartX controller.   Disconnect IP cable from the SmartX controller if there is one connected. Restart the SmartX controller, since it can’t reach the DHCP server it will get an IP address in the range of 169.254.x.x. Make sure the computer IP address is in the same IP range as the SmartX controller. Connect the IP cable directly from the computer to port 2 in the SmartX controller. Start eComission SmartX controller mobile application and connect to the SmartX controller. For details please see the video.

Issue The calectro smoke detektor has too long pipe to fit Environment Calectro Smoke detektor Venturi pipe Cause The Venturi pipe is long, but also possible to cut Resolution You can cut the Venturi pipe to size but you must only cut it from the end that does not have the sleeve. See Installation instruction for more information.  

Issue How can two Niagara G3 stations run simultaneously on a computer? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara G3 PC Cause To run two stations simultaneously on a PC, you must set up two ports to be different: The http port and the Fox port. Resolution Open the second station offline via My File System – Sys Home - Stations. Go to Services – Web Services – Properties – Http Port. Change it from 80 to 8080. In the offline station, go to Drivers – Niagara Network – Properties. Expand the Fox Service and change the Port to 1912. Be sure to save the changes and the bog file. Go to Platform – Application Director. Start the second station that you just edited offline. You should see the new ports under "Details."  Go to File - Open Station. Enter the IP address, but change the port to 1912. You should now be able to go to the Niagara Network and discover one station from the other on the same IP.

Issue How to display the degrees symbol (°) in WorkPlace Tech. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment WorkPlace Tech Cause Helpful to add a suffix for temperature engineering units. Instead of typing "degrees" or "deg". Resolution In the Constant Object properties (double click or right click - Set Value), click in the Suffix Text field.    Desktop PC: If you have a desktop PC with a full keyboard, press and hold the Alt key and type the number 248 on the numeric keypad. Note: The number keys above the keyboard will not work. Notebook PC: The numeric keypad on a notebook PC is overlaid on the letter keys (M, J, K, L, U, I, O, 7, 8, 9), and requires that the Fn key is held down while using this secondary purpose. The Fn key may be colored blue to match the number keypad keys. Press and hold both the Alt and Fn keys and type the number 248 (KU8). Release the Alt key (and Fn key on the laptop). A small circle ° (the symbol for degrees) should appear. Type an upper case F for Fahrenheit or C for Celsius. Click OK.   Other ASCII symbols are defined at asciitable.com or lookuptables.com.

Issue WorkPlace Tech revision 5.7.7 installed on a Windows Server 2003, 64-bit machine, receives the following error: Environment WorkPlace Tech Tool version 5.7.7 Windows 2003 Server, 32 bit or 64-bit Windows 2008 Server, 32 bit or 64 bit (multiple processors) Cause WorkPlace Tech Tool (WPT) is not supported on computers with Windows Server operating systems, nor on computers with 64-bit operating systems. Resolution Install on an approved hardware platform, per the Installation Instructions.

Issue When opening a dashboard graphic, the system operates very slowly.  Navigation to other links with the Dashboard displayed, and clicking on a linked graphic does not display immediately.  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation 3.2.3 and higher Building Operation Automation Server Bundles (AS-B) Building Operation WebStation  Cause Typically when a large number of stored values (100,000 per trend log) is needed to be displayed within the Dashboard widget (e.g., Period Chart) with a significant number of trend logs to be displayed (five or more) in the Dashboard, this will put excessive load on the AS-B and hence stops any or all navigation thereafter.   Dashboard widgets typically continue to read data required to be displayed after closing (or navigating away). This is to keep those logs cached for a few minutes after the dashboard is closed, so if the same logs are loaded again, then the data is available. Any calculations are always done on the client, regardless of whether a chart, dashboard, or trend list is shown. The same is also true for WorkStation. Resolution Below are some considerations to look at improving the overall performance when dealing with this issue: Reducing the number of storage records from 100,000 to something more reasonable for the dashboard to display (5,000 - 8,000) Having these logs stored on the Enterprise Server and Dashboard operated from the Enterprise Server.    If large storage is necessary, then create or use different logs for display within the Dashboards widgets.  If the intention is always to show calculated values, use log processor trend logs. Log Processing Trend Log. These can be pre-calculated and thus contain only a fraction of the full source log's data amount. Upgrade to the later version (EBO 2023) as many optimizations have been made for Dashboards since 3.2.        

Issue Vista to I/NET Integration Tips Product Line TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment I2V Integration I/NET XBuilder Xenta 913 Xenta 527 Cause An input in I/NET can only be controlled from an outside source if it is in "Test" or "Manual," so outputs must be used. Resolution When integrating with an I/NET system using a Xenta 5/7/9xx, all I/NET points must be defined as either AO or DO, regardless of the direction of information flow. To get data from an I/NET system (into Lon, BACnet, or Modbus) use the AO attribute "value" or DO attribute "value." To get data into an I/NET system (from Lon, BACnet or Modbus) use the AO attribute "value" or DO attribute "control."

Issue After creating the MSTP network under the BACnet interface and changing the MAC address from its default of 0 (zero) to a different value, learning b3 devices and finding third party BACnet devices resulted in a very unstable MSTP network with issues such as devices going offline etc. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server - AS Cause The b3s are NOT designed to use MAC id zero even though it is a valid device ID per the BACnet protocol, in versions of SmartStruxure prior to 1.5 if the MAC address of the MSTP network was changed to something other than zero the learn process would assign MAC id 0 to one of the b3s in the network which in turn would cause the b3 not to communicate properly and could even bring down the MSTP network all together. Resolution In SmartStruxure versions prior to 1.5 DO NOT change the MAC id of the MSTP network from its default of zero. If the ID was changed and one of the b3s took id zero, remove then proceed as follows: Power down the b3 with MAC id 0. Change the MAC id of the MSTP network in the AS back to zero. Warm start the AS Power up the b3 (make sure it is connected to the MSTP) on power up the b3 will detect that ID 0 is now in use and will clear its own id and stay off the network. Perform a b3 learn, the b3 should automatically be assigned an ID other than zero.

Issue A Niagara R2 Enterprise Server station is extremely slow in starting, and there are hundreds of alarms. Is there a way to delete all the alarms? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 Enterprise Server Cause Storing unwanted various alarms can cause the station to boot slow. Resolution The alarms can be deleted in two ways. The first method is to delete the app folder under the station directory. The entire historical content of the station will be deleted. This includes archived trends, alarms, and events. Follow the steps below to delete the app folder. Deleting the app folder to clear the contents of the database only applies to a Cloudscape installation. Open windows explorer and navigate to Niagara\station\[station name]\app Delete or move the app folder Restart the station The second method, is to use the appdb/queryForm servlet to selectively remove data from each table including alarms. This is done by using a web browser. Depending on the size of the database this method may take a substantial amount of time. Follow the steps below to delete data from the database by using SQL queries. Open a web browser and navigate to http://[ipaddress]/appdb/queryForm In the form, enter the following query - delete from event.eventhistory This will delete all history data in this table. For further information refer to the SQL_Tutorial\QueryExamples_10_6_04.pdf

Issue There is a need to get logging details for troubleshooting video integration issues in Continuum. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Windows XP Windows Vista Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause There is an issue with the video integration and there are specific instructions to enable video troubleshooting in Continuum. Resolution Continuum versions 1.9x and above contain a helpful tool for troubleshooting video integration issues To enable video logging, follow these instructions: Shut down Continuum on the Cyberstation you will use to create the log file Using Windows notepad, edit the file log4net.config located in C:\Program Files\Continuum At the bottom of the file locate the following text:  <root> <level value ="WARN"  /> Change WARN to DEBUG (Ex. level value ="WARN" ---> level value ="DEBUG" ) From the pull down menu, File> Save and close the file         4.Start Continuum and test one isolated procedure at a time (Ex. video isn't displaying on alarm)         5. Email the video.log file from the C:\Program Files\Continuum folder to the support engineer for analysis Note: Make a copy of the video.log file ( to save the file ) and then delete the original. A new video.log file is created each time Continuum is started with the level value="DEBUG" set Video log changes for 1.92/1.93/1.94 The instructions to enable the video.log are the same as for 1.91, however the results have been broken into a number of different files VideoAdmin.log - used for configuration  AccVideoRecordingServc.log - used for camera learn VideoLayout.log - used for video layout  AlarmView.log - used for video alarms Easiest way to see what file was written to is to sort the Windows folder by the Type column and check the txt file(log) dates Note: In Microsoft Vista or Windows Server 2008, if account control is not disabled the video log files may get written to "C:\users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Continuum" Caution: Once the debugging process has been completed, go back into the log4net.config file and edit the file. Change the DEBUG to WARN (Ex. level value ="DEBUG" ---> level value ="WARN") From the pull down menu, File> Save and close the file This will stop the files from growing too large.

Issue CXR5805 CXT5605 and CZT5305 Climatronic Controller display flashing. Environment Satchwell CXR5805 CXT5605 CZT5305 Cause Manual Override Switch is set in a mode other than AUTO (Clock symbol) Resolution Reset Manual Override Switch to AUTO (Clock symbol) mode. N.B. Details of this and other Manual Override Switch mode options and associated selection / de-selection may be found in the respective Climatronic User Guides. CXR5805 User Guide may be viewed here. CXT5605 User Guide may be viewed here. CZT5305 User Guide may be viewed here.

Issue ROAMIO2 fails to connect to i2 controller when the controller is connected to Infinet.  But it succeeds to connect to the i2 controller when Infinet is disconnected from the controller. Environment Netcontroller - CX9900, CX9940, CX9702 Infinet controller - i2 controllers Cause When the netcontroller (CX9900, CX9940, CX9702)  version is old , the ROAMIO2 does not communicate well with the Infinet with the CX connected. Resolution Upgrade the Netcontroller OS (firmware) to the latest version.

Issue On attempted creation of new database receive the below errors. Database creation failed. Installation Error! <[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]The database 'ContinuumDB' does not exist. Supply a valid database name. To see available databases, use sys.databases. > Installation Error! <[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Invalid cursor state> Installation Error! <[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Invalid cursor state> Environment Continuum Cyberstation Cause The "DB File Location" in the Database Initialization dialog is not specified properly. Resolution Check where the "Data" folder resides on the SQL server A typical SQL Express install will have this located at "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data" but depending on the type of SQL, Operating System, and if any other instances of SQL - this location could be different. The correct folder contains at least six files:  master.mdf mastlog.ldf model.mdf modellog.ldf tempdb.mdf templog.ldf Type this path location into the "DB File Location" field Re-attempt the Database creation.  

Issue The default LED Output names for Reader Expanders (eg. RD Red R1) do not always match the colour of the LEDs on the card reader Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Controller Security Expert Reader (New version only) Cause The default LED output names/labels don't accurately describe their function. Resolution The "RD Green R1/R2" Outputs represent the reader's LED colour in its "active" state. By default: These outputs are not inverted; (in Programming|Outputs|Options General section, "Invert output" checkbox) When the output is activated, the reader's LED is green; When the output is deactivated, the reader's LED returns to blue; The "RD Red R1/R2" Outputs represent the reader's LED colour in its "resting" state. By default: These outputs are inverted When the output is activated, the reader's LED colour is also green When the output is deactivated, the reader's LED returns to blue To have the Red LED in the active state, you must add the following to the output's command console (found in Programming|Outputs|General Commands section): LEDColour = 1, where 1 is Red.   Here is a list of available colours: 1= Red 2= Amber 3= Orange 4= Yellow 5= Lime 6= Green 7= Mint 8= Turquoise Note: Please refer to AN 270 to identify new from old versions of the reader hardware  

Issue How to identify what ports are being used on a PC. Product Line All product Lines. Environment Any Windows OS Cause Running multiple applications on the same PC without managing TCP/UDP port assignments can lead to conflicts. Resolution TCPView will help you identify all ports and services to each application. Download from Microsoft's website http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897437.aspx Detailed instructions are available at the site.

Issue Direct Connect to Xenta 527-NPR Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Xenta 527 Xenta 527-NPR Cause Newer versions of Xenta 527-NPR with 5.1.0 and 5.1.1 revisions are unable to be directly connected to the system. Resolution Using the FTP connection through IE (Internet Explorer) to connect to the device. Log on using the root username and password Now go to sys/system/hwconfig.cfg Copy out the hwconfig.cfg file and open it with Notepad Modify the part that says serial_A_function="7" and change it to "5" Save this and now copy it back in again. Restart the device Start I/NET and the direct connect through the NPR to the system should be working now. Warning: Reloading the system program (such as performing upgrades) will remove this change.

Issue When doing Xenta server to Xenta server communication, via other projects network, a good troubleshooting technique is to determine if the two Xenta servers are truly communicating to one other over TCP-IP. This is possible via the online status of the imported Xenta server in the project tree. Environment Xenta 511, 527, 555, 701, 711, 721, 731, and 913 Cause Two Xenta servers are set up to communicate to one another, but they are not passing data properly. Troubleshooting step number one should be to determine if the two Xenta servers are online to each other on the TCP-IP Resolution To  check the online / offline status of a Xenta server follow these steps: Login to the web browser of the Xenta server that that is configured to receive data. Navigate to the project tree similar to the image below. 3.  Within the project tree, browse down to the Xenta servers and check the online status as shown here:

Issue The MPM controller does not adjust the clock automatically when Daylight Saving Time (DST) period occurs. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment SmartStruxureLite Multi-Purpose Manage Cause DST settings in the MPM are configured for North America. Canada and United States: Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November Europe: Daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October Resolution In Firmware 2.15, DST properties can be configured in the Controller Configuration Object (CFG1) and/or configuration page. DST start and end configuration on month, week, weekday, hour and offset can be set. If using a firmware version older than 2.15, a script can be used to correct the issue. The script can be found here: Daylight_Saving_Time_DSC.lua