Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Erie T200 series thermostats, display is blank, or thermostat will not hold setpoint, or thermostat function buttons do not work. Environment Erie T200 Series Cause Bad or missing thermostat battery. Resolution Replace the bad or missing thermostat battery p/n Energizer 357 or equal. Confirm voltage is between 20 and 32 VAC with 75mA to 1.2A of power is available. If the battery is good and voltage and current is within specification then replace the thermostat. Symptoms Display fades away after 1 minute then goes BLANK. No function with up/down buttons. SETPOINT will default to 70°F (21.1°C) in Heat mode and 76°F (24.4°C) in Cool mode when power is restored. If the thermostat was manufactured before 2000, the default was 75°F (23.8°C) for both Heat and Cool mode. With a good battery, the display will indicate space temperature. There are no functions with the up/down buttons. The last setpoint is maintained when power is restored.

Issue WebClient login screen has the webClient background, but no login fields   Product Line Andover Continuum Environment webClient Cause This typically happens when webclient has been installed prior to IIS, so .Net framework does not get registered with IIS. Resolution The resolution is to run the regiis.exe command as follows: From a DOS Command Prompt (as an admin) For Windows 2000 Professional it is: "c:\WinNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_regiis.exe -i" "c:\WinNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis.exe -i" For Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 it is: "c:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_regiis.exe -i" "c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis.exe -i"   For Webclient 1.94 and above, .Net Framework 4 is used "c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe -i" Once this command is run the normal login prompt will be presented.

Issue The local time inside a Xenta programmable unit is dependent upon server time, time zone, and daylight savings time settings.  Incorrect DST settings result in incorrect times in the controller which causes problems from incorrect start times on HVAC equipment, to incorrect alarm time stamps in alarm queues. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta Programmables version prior to 3.74 Xenta 280, 281, 282, 283, 300, 301, 302, 401, 401:B Cause In 2007, most of the United States and Canada changed when DST is observed to the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.  Because it had never changed prior to that, programmable controllers retained the old settings (first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October). Resolution The issue was resolved with the release of firmware MOT version 3.74.  Upgrading your controllers to 3.74 is a viable solution, however not always cost effective.  There are two ways to work around the issue. Note: For information on how to download firmware to Xenta programmable devices using the Download Wizard please see Download an .MOT file into a Xenta Programmable controller. Configure TAC Xenta Central DST Settings Refer to the TAC Vista Technical Manual Chapter 19.6 In the folders pane, right-click the folder where you want to place the time event object. Point to New, point to Object, and then click Time Event – Object. Type the name. Open the time event object. On the General tab, type a description. On the Time Event Settings tab, set a suitable repeat interval, for example, first Monday in each week. Click OK. In the folders pane, right-click the folder where you want to place the Central Daylight Settings – Xenta object. Point to New, point to Object, and then click Central Daylight Settings – Xenta. Type the name. Open the Central Daylight Settings – Xenta object. Two options are available. You can use Windows start and end times for the daylight saving time or specify your own start and end times. If you want to specify your own start and end times: Clear the Use Windows settings check box. In the Daylight saving starts box, set the start time for the daylight saving time. In the Daylight saving ends box, set the end time for the daylight saving time. In the Update schedule box, browse to the time event object that triggers the push to the TAC Xenta devices. Click Select. Click OK. Note: You must select Manual DST Mode and Central DST for each controller in the system for a global change to take effect. Manually set DST Settings for each controller The DST Xenta object is not available in all versions of Vista.  If that is not an option, DST settings on each controller can be manually set for the start day and stop day.  Unfortunately, time settings do not allow for designations of "first Sunday" or "last Sunday," only calendar dates.  So each controller will have to be edited each year to maintain correct time settings. In order to facilitate this, this utility:  ODXentaTimezoneChanger was created.  It must be used each year to update the settings, but it will allow you to change all time settings on all controllers in a Vista database simultaneously, greatly reducing the time it takes to correct a system. NOTE: If the Lonworks network has not been properly commissioned & downloaded the tree will not properly communicate with the Vista Server. Check your network tree for asterisks to see if any downloads are required.

Issue When viewing a graphic (or other object requiring a Java plugin) in Google Chrome you get the message "This plug-in is not supported" where the graphic should have been shown Environment Webstation Xenta Server I/A Series G3 version 3.8.xx or earlier Cause Google Chrome has disabled Java in version 42 and above Resolution 1: Open Google Chrome 2: In the address field, enter the following: chrome://flags/#enable-npapi 3: Click on "Enable" to enable the feature so it looks like this 4: Click on relaunch to restart Chrome   More information from Java's web site

Issue When printing access control cards, there is a need to print the a card number bar code on the card as well as photo's, names, text, logos etc. Environment Continuum Access Control systems, all versions. All Security and Integrated Workstations (with SEC or INT in the part number). Photo badging option (append -B to the part number). Cause As well as a photographs, text, numbers and graphics, barcodes may be added to the card design using the EPI Designer software. To use card badging the system requires that the Continuum Security Key (Dongle) has the badging option enabled (-B in the part number), otherwise the "Create/ Edit Badge" option will not be available to select. Resolution From the EPI Designer menu select the "Draw", "Bar Code" option and the following screen will be displayed allowing the barcode to be configured: The configuration page above allows the type of barcode to be defined, the Personnel "Field Name" to be linked to the code as well as other barcode options shown. Custom fields can also be used.

Issue A message that can be intercepted by a guard at a monitoring station. When you configure your access control system to accept PINs, I/NET has the ability to detect PIN entries When you configure your access control system to accept PINs, I/NET has the ability to detect PIN entries made under duress conditions. For example, if an employee is being forced to provide an unauthorized individual access into a secure area, the employee can substitute the final digit of their PIN with a digit that indicates a duress condition. In this case, I/NET will allow access but will also silently generate a duress message that can be intercepted by a guard at a monitoring station. Product Line TAC INET Environment TAC I/NET Seven with Access Control using a pin pad. Cause Duress entrance causes a security guard to be notified that there is a situation to be resolved. Resolution Duress detection is active anytime a door is operating in a mode that requires the entry of a PIN. I/NET supports selectable duress schemes that you can assign on a per-tenant basis. The following duress schemes are available: Default — I/NET's default duress scheme detects when an individual substitutes their PIN with a substitute number. The default duress last pin is 9. The duress code is the user's PIN number with the last digit changed. For example, 12345 becomes 12349. Add n (where n is a value from 1 to 9) — I/NET detects when an individual substitutes a digit of their PIN with a predetermined digit. For more information on this sensitive topic, contact Product Support to begin a conversation about Duress Notification in I/NET.

Issue Can 2 comm ports be enabled when using the RTU Xdriver? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum 9680 99xx 9640 4040 Xdriver Modbus RTU Cause At times it is necessary to have multiple ports enabled for Xdrivers Resolution The ability to enable 2 comm ports using Xdrivers can be done, but is not recommended by the Xdriver developers or supported by PSS. The RTU Xdriver is poll on demand. This type of driver can request a lot of data and starve the CPU on the controller which then makes the polling irregular. If 2 ports are being used then there are typically more devices being added and therefore more points increasing the requests and demand on the controller's CPU. Use one program to control the polling on both ports. Two programs attempting to control the polling asynchronously will cause communication issues.

Issue What should I set the Access Server System variable to on Continuum access controllers? Environment CX9200, CX99xx, ACX57xx or CX9702 controller with an ACX780 or ACX700 controller. Access Server, AccessServer Cause Below are the different configurations and what their different AccessServer system variable settings mean. Unlike Infinity when changing the setting in the controllers the controller does not reset. It is best if you set the AccessServer setting to the ACC Net ID of the Primary Access server workstation. This will keep the Access Control system operational should there be any distribution problems. Resolution CX9200, CX99xx,  or CX9702 controller with an ACX780 or ACX700 controller. The CX can stay at the default of it’s own ACC Net ID. In the above configuration the AccessServer variable in the CX is ignored. The AccessServer variable in the ACX controller can be one of the following: AccessServer value set to 0 in the ACX (Default setting).This means that access validation of personnel records will only be done locally in the ACX. If the person is not found in the ACX or the person is denied access locally in the ACX the person will not get in. AccessServer in the ACX controller set to the ACC Net ID of the Primary Access Server workstation (valid values are 191-253). This means that access validation of personnel records will be done locally in the ACX first. If the person is not found in the ACX or if the person is denied access the controller will double check at the workstation to verify whether or not the person is supposed to have access. If the person is also denied access at the workstation then the person will not get in. If the AccessServer value in the ACX controller is set to the ACC Net ID of the parent CX controller it has no effect and is ignored. CX99xxor CX9680 controller with AC1 modules  or ACX57xx. The CX can stay at the default of it’s own ACC Net ID.  AccessServer value set to the CX’s own ACC Net ID (Default). This means that access validation of personnel records will only be done locally in the CX. If the person is not found in the CX or the person is denied access locally in the CX the person will not get in. AccessServer value set to the ACC Net ID of the Primary Access Server workstation (valid values are 191-253). This means that access validation of personnel records will be done locally in the CX first. If the person is not found in the CX or if the person is denied access the controller will double check at the workstation to verify whether or not the person is supposed to have access. If the person is also denied access at the workstation then the person will not get in. AccessServer value set to 0. This is not a valid setting for a CX controller.

Issue Documentation on memory usage for the 7910 and 7920 DPUs Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET site Cause Documentation on memory usage for the 7910 and 7920 DPUs Resolution Yes. TCON 237 pages 9-4 through 9-6 refers to INET 2000, 2.xx systems. Tech tips 039 and 035 were written for older I/NET systems.

Issue Sending the results of a Listview to a Report.   Product Line Andover Continuum   Environment CyberStation   Cause Available options are not commonly known   Resolution There are two ways to display the contents of a Listview in a Report.   The first method is to create a Report and set its data source to 'Listview'.  Then in the filter tab add the desired Listview as a filter. Please note that only ONE list view can be added. When the Report executes it populates data from the Listview object.   The second method is to create an HTML Report template Then the HTML Report in the Listview's Report Template field In this case the report can be invoked right from the Listview

Issue Eaton IP BACnet Lighting Panels are successfully discovered via the Find BACnet Devices but then go offline with error "Communications failure due to routing device not available" Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation Cause IP BACnet level Eaton devices configured with network number other than zero Resolution Set the network number to zero for all Eaton lighting panels. Then they will stay online.

Issue The Continuum icon in the system tray does not respond to a right click when attempting to logon to Cyberstation  via a remote desktop connection. Restarting the Cyberstation application will temporarily correct this issue. This problem is usually found when multiple remote machines are accessing the same Cyberstation workstation via Remote Desktop. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Microsoft Windows 10 Cause Windows Remote Desktop behavior can be affected when several RDU hosts whose screen resolutions are not the same and connecting to a remote workstation.  Resolution Ensure the various machines accessing Continuum Cyberstation over Windows Remote Desktop use the same windows resolution aspect ratio.

Issue The alarms in the UNCs stop archiving to the Enterprise Server database. The process was working before and nothing was changed. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series R2 using the Cloudscape database Cause The size of the Cloudscape database has grown too large. This may cause issues with the system. Resolution Reduce the size of the Cloudscape database by deleting older alarms and logs. Refer to this document for details on how you can delete old alarms and logs. For details on the CloudscapeAdmin utility mentioned in the document, refer to How to remove data for all logs prior to a specific date in a Niagara R2 Enterprise Server.   Switch to using a SQL database instead of the default Cloudscape database if there is a requirement to keep old alarms and logs for a longer period.   There isn't a known limit where the size of the Cloudscape database can grow before the possibility of problems starting to occur. It is different for each site. As a guideline, it is recommended that SQL database be used if the size of the Cloudscape database has to be greater than 2GB.

Issue DBCreate backup access denied using Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard & Microsoft SQL 2008 R2 'Cannot open backup device ' C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\20120919'. Operating System Error 5( Access is denied). [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver] [SQL Server] BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally' Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET loaded on Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard & Microsoft SQL 2008 R2 Cause The cause is insufficient rights to perform this function based upon a local policy of not allowing users to see the 'C' drive. Resolution Although when Using a Network Administrator account or Administrator for the local machine, you cannot open backup to either the local machine 'C' drive or a network share, you should be able to backup to a thumb drive.  Go to local disk properties - security tab Users do not have permissions to modify or write to the 'C' drive. Windows UAC may over ride the administrator permissions. Check your permissions and make sure you have rights to a folder and perform the backup. Refer to How to Troubleshoot on DBCreate for more issues about DBCreate.  

Issue Previously the BACnet Device Id of the controller would default to the devices serial number, this is no longer possible due to the maximum BACnet Device Id being 4,194,303. Serial numbers greater than 800xxx can give an error 'Device Node id is out of range' (1 to 4,194,303) Environment Continuum BACnet Controllers Cause Concern about what the default BACnet Id will be set to a value higher than what is supported or to a value that has already been set to a previous controller. Will this conflict with existing controllers on a site when adding new controllers when all are using the default BACnet Device Id? Resolution There is an internal calculation done that uses the Serial number as a seed to then calculate the BACnet Device Id so that it falls within the 4,194,303 max. This calculated value will be unique to every other Continuum BACnet Devices default BACnet Device Id so you should be fine when newer controllers are being added to existing sites. If you want to ensure there are no address conflicts though you may want to set the value yourself when commissioning the controllers through creating the Device object manually and setting the BACnet Device Id at that time or if the device is already configured delete it from the BACnet side and then edit it from the Infinity side and enter a new and unique device id, then perform a find BACnet devices to bring the device back on the BACnet side with its new device id.

Issue Creating a Listview/Report to show all the personnel objects which have access to a given area.   Product Line Andover Continuum   Environment CyberStation   Cause Reports can be used to do a security audit of which individuals have access to certain Areas in a building.   Resolution Create a Listview object In the class field select AreaLink Add columns for PersonID and AreaID (Add any other column as needed) In the Qualifier tab enter the following qualifier: AreaID Is XXX Id where XXX = full path to area Example: AreaId is Root\AreaFolder\Lobby Id **NOTE Use folder\area aliases ONLY in the qualifier, do not use names. Save and run the Listview.  The Listview should show all Personnel objects that have the Area specified by AreaID in their Area list. To generate actual Report Object from the list view see How to create a Report from a Listview.

Issue A change is made to a public signal in TAC Vista Workstation, which was created in a Xenta Server XBuilder project, changed back to the initial value after performing a download to this Xenta Server. Environment Xenta Servers (Xenta 511, Xenta 515, Xenta 555, Xenta 527, Xenta 701, Xenta 711, Xenta 721, Xenta 731, Xenta 913) XBuilder Tested with Windows Server 2003, Window XP SP3 Cause If a path name is changed of a signal, for example, change the "the site name" folder name to another name, Vista consider this change as a major change, and Workstation will not be able to find the new path of the signal. Therefore, the signal will return to the initial value which is initialized in the Menta object. Resolution Suggestion is making all the infrastructure change at the beginning if you can. If there is a need to change the path, make sure all the initial values are reflect to the current values in Workstation. Then, make the download to the Xenta Server.

Issue When upgrading to a different revision of software in I/NET Seven, there are a few steps that are highly recommended to ensure that the database doesn't get corrupted during the upgrade. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven Cause Performing an upgrade of I/NET Seven software. Resolution Close I/NET Start DB Create and select the Verify Database option. Verify that the database has 0 differences. Select Upgrade Database to force an upgrade Select the Verify Database option again. Now back up the database to the local drive or media and proceed with the upgrade. Once completed, Select Restore database and proceed to where the back up is and restore the database to the system.  Refer to How to Troubleshoot on DBCreate for more issues about DBCreate.

Issue How to find a dongle ID (PSU ID) if it has rubbed off of the dongle. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista IV TAC Dongle Utility Cause The dongle ID (PSU ID) can be found printed on the side of a Vista IV licensing dongle. However, on older dongles, this number can rub off. It is still possible to extract the dongle ID using the TAC Dongle Utility. Resolution Download the TAC Dongle Utility Install TAC Dongle Utility and run the program. Start > Programs > T A C > TAC Tools > TAC DongleUtil Plug in a valid Vista IV end user dongle. Hit Refresh on the Dongle Utility PSU ID is displayed. This is the ID required to add new licensing to an existing dongle. ReadFind a Vista 5 dongle ID for how to find a Vista 5 dongle ID.

Issue Operation of multiple Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controllers from a common Temperature Sensor. Product Line Field Devices Environment Fan Coil Unit installations comprising multiple Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controllers. Stand alone discreet Satchwell CZU Mk 1, Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4 Zonemaster Controllers CZU1201 CZU1202 CZU1203 CZU2201 CZU2202 CZU2203 CZU3201 CZU3202 CZU3203 CZU4201 Cause From time to time the need arises for office partition layouts within a building to be revised in order to reflect changes in occupancy requirements. This can result in the combination of numerous individual controlled spaces into a common controlled space. This in turn may result in the need to revise associated Fan Coil Unit control systems installed in the controlled spaces affected. Such revisions may require multiple Fan Coil Unit control systems to be controlled from a common Temperature Sensor installed in the common controlled space. This form of control may be achieved by adopting the installation method described in the Resolution. Should the common controlled space be of such a size as to benefit from the installation of averaging Temperature Sensors then this may be achieved by installing 4 non-adjustable Temperature Sensors.  The 4 non-adjustable Temperature Sensors should be wired in a series-parallel configuration in order to ensure compatibility with the associated Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller. The series-parallel wiring configuration may be achieved by adopting the installation method described in the Resolution. Resolution 1.  Operation of multiple Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controllers from a common Temperature Sensor.  Multiple Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controllers should not be connected directly to a common Temperature Sensor. Instead the common Temperature Sensor should be connected to a single Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller. The single Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller should then be connected to the associated Fan Coil Unit Heating Coil Control Valve Actuators and / or Cooling Coil Control Valve Actuators. Up to 7 Heating and / or 7 Cooling Control Valve Actuators may be wired to a single Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller in accordance with the method shown here 2.  Averaging Temperature Sensor control. Should the controlled space be of such a size as to benefit from the installation of averaging Temperature Sensors then 4 non-adjustable Temperature Sensors may be wired in series-parallel configuration in order to ensure connection compatibility with the associated Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller. The 4 non-adjustable Temperature Sensors may be wired in series-parallel configuration to a common Satchwell CZU Fan Coil Unit Controller in accordance with the method shown here