Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Since the Forta M500B actuator is no longer available in our portfolio, a replacement is requested. Environment TAC Forta M500B M400 M800 Cause Replacing old, obsolete actuator. Resolution Depending on valve size and required force, Forta M400 or M800 are the recommended replacement actuators.

Issue How do we specify the amount of memory (base or extended) when ordering a UNC-520-2 or ENC-520-2? Environment UNC-520-2 or ENC-520-2 Cause Customer request Resolution All UNC-520-2 and ENC-520-2 controllers shipped since April, 2010 have been shipped with extended memory.  

Issue When an object is created in a controller, Continuum throws an "Unable to insert row in Database Table" error. Environment SQL Continuum CyberStation ContinuumDb Cause New database user created with restricted permissions Resolution When Continuum DB initialization creates the Andover97 user in SQL, it grants essential database access permissions to the user.  Restricting these permissions can impair routine functions in Continuum.

Issue Encountered a 'Drop failed' error when adding a component to the ENC station database Environment I/A Series Enterprise Network Controller (ENC) Cause The module which the component belongs to has not been installed in the ENC. Resolution Install the timesync module into the ENC using the following procedure. In Workbench, open the ENC's Platform. Open the Software Manager. Find and select the required module and click on the 'Install' button. This will select the module for installation. Click on the 'Commit' button to start the module installation process.

Issue No offline alarms No system messages Xenta offline Link alarms to event object Environment Vista Xenta Cause You cant directly trigger an alarm object located on another server by "Link alarms to Event object" This alarm object needs to be locally. Resolution You will have to configure a system alarm to trigger an alarm object located locally

Issue Is it possible/suitable to mount the MF20 or MF40 actuator in 90 degrees angle out from the valve VF208W? Environment MF20 MF40 VF208W Cause In some applications/environments it is hard to fit in the actuator on top of the valve due to space limits. Resolution There should be no problem mounting the actuator / linkage in a 90 degree angle out from the valve.

Issue When Actuator M22 / M50 is purchased separately from valve, an adapter is sometimes required to connect valve and actuator. Environment M22 M50 Adapter 100108240 Cause In some applications this adapter is necessary to purchase separately. Resolution The adapter needed is available for ordering. Part no 100108240. Contact t your Orders Dept rep for more details and information.

Issue When you setup a time event object to run a Vista report and save it to the hard drive on the local PC no file is saved, even though you can run the report manually. Environment Vista Reports Cause In the report the path to where the report needs to be saved is incorrect. The report will not create a new directory if the directory does not exist. A error will be logged in the $log folder of the database in the b0warlog.txt file. The text will look like this Tue Jun 26 10:28:46 2012 report  >>could not be saved Report report-report,  hRes=[-2146827284} Resolution Correct the path to were the report is to be saved or create the folder that matches the report save path.

Issue Is the error LED on the ACX781 linked to the errors system variable in the controller? What events constitute and error that would cause the LED to be illuminated? How is the nature of the controller error determined? Can this value (and the error LED) be cleared by setting it back to 0? Environment LCX780 LCX781 Error Light LED Cause The error led is associated with the errors system variable.   Resolution Try using Command Line to set the Errors system variable  to 0 and see if the error led goes away. The most common reason why the error would be non-zero is because there is a program that went disabled.

Issue Does TAC Vista Support for trending based on the COV (Change of Value)? Environment TAC Vista Cause Other BMS systems support COV for trending. Does TAC Vista support the same? Resolution No, TAC Vista do not have any provision to trend based on COV. It is only possible based on time interval.

Issue Digital outputs do not operate correctly after upgrading. Environment Digital Outputs Hysteresis CMD Cause This issue can occur in two ways; A Sigma V53 CPU card has been replaced with an ARM7 processor card, and the digital outputs no longer operate as expected. A firmware upgrade has taken place, and the digital outputs no longer operate as expected. Resolution This issue has been caused by an early version of SigmaX, which switched the "Hysteresis" function in a DO to on. In earlier versions of Sigma this did not cause an issue, as the Hysteresis function did not work. But, in later Sigma firmware versions the Hysteresis function has been corrected, and therefore this problem will be experienced. To correct this issue carry out the following; Start the Sigma client and server. Select the "Display"menu, and then choose "Object Types", then select the CMD option. Starting at the top of the index, work though all folders and locate the CMD objects. For each objects found, edit the object and select the "General" tab, then deselect Hysteresis Control.   Repeat as many times as required to modify all objects. Having completed the editing, download the object to the controller.

Issue Do IOU modules retain their current state when they lose communication with the host NetController? (NC1, NC2) Environment CX9900 CX9400 CX9680 IOU Modules Cause Documentation Resolution Upon losing communication with the NetController, output modules (DO-4. AO-4 etc) start a 260 *** second timer (4 minutes and 20 seconds), if communication is not restored before the time expires the module turns off the outputs as a safety measure. For Digital outputs the outputs will be turned OFF. (Invert attribute is taken into account). For Analog outputs the output value will be set to zero. *** For access control modules (AC1, AC1A, AC1Plus) the timer is 10 seconds to avoid leaving a door unlocked for an extended period of time.

Issue  The Platform Software Manager shows that the History module is installed in the ENC, but a HistoryPointList object cannot be added to the ENC.   The error message “drop failed: java.baja error” is displayed in the Program Director window. Environment Niagara G3 all version, ENC-410, ENC-520 Cause The HistoryPointList object requires that the ENC’s Module Content Filter be set to  ui+runtime. Resolution Set the ENC’s Module Content Filter Level to ui+runtime. 1. Open the ENC’s Platform and click on Set Module Filter 2. Select ui+runtime and then click on Finish. The HistoryPointList object can now be added to the ENC.

Issue The .xif file for MZ09L and MZ18L is not available on the Extranet. Environment MZ09L 8455112000 MZ18L 8455102000 Cause The .xif file for MZ09L and MZ18L is sometimes necessary for use in projects. Resolution The current version (as of  Sept. 10 2012) is available for download here. Both actuators have the same Lonmark profile and the .xif file is common to both.

Warning Hazard of Electric Shock: Remove all power from all devices before removing any covers or doors of the system. Disconnect power at the device and at the power source. Electrostatic Discharge Required: Always discharge static electricity from your person by touching metal prior to handling any hardware. Failure to do so may result in damage to devices. Issue ACX57xx Continuum controller frequently reboots itself, loses configuration and/or stop granting access to doors until reloaded.     In the controller error log frequent and spontaneous re-starts of the controller can be observed without an apparent cause such as power failure for example.     Here is another error log from different controller with same issue, a similar signature can be observed in the following screen shot   Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum ACX 2 Controller Continuum ACX 4 Controller Cause Electrical noise coming from door striker corrupting controller's memory.   Resolution An external Varistor may be installed for Noise Suppression of a Door Strike. Here is a link to a part that may be used for this purpose:   https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bourns-inc./MOV-07D470KTR/13420467?utm_adgroup=General&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax:%20Smart%20Shopping_Product_Zombie%20SKUS&utm_term=&utm_content=General&gclid=Cj0KCQjwteOaBhDuARIsADBqRei7ZmpR8CRYf12zRH1bfTIK7GHk3NC6XStbVoCBrPizkZvEPDlCaFEaAjLFEALw_wcB    The part should be installed at the Door Strike, from the switched 24VDC terminal to the common 24VDC terminal, like this:  

Issue Need information on programming holidays and special dates Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Access Expert Hosted software V3 Resolution Programming Holidays and Special Dates   Overview   Holidays are exceptions to a normally scheduled interval. Feenics has made several fundamental changes to the holidays within the Keep by Feenics System. This article will walk through how the new holiday sets work and how to implement them. The holidays apply globally to all schedules.   Updating    The launch of the new holiday system requires a system upgrade within your instance. This upgrade only needs to occur once and is irreversible. To upgrade, click the "Update Holidays" button.   Note: Before you begin converting holidays, there can be no more than 8 holiday sets in the older system for the update to work.   Once that button is clicked, a warning will pop up letting you know that the process is irreversible. Click OK and your instance will be updated.     ***Note: Customers within an Enterprise instance will need to apply this update to ALL shared instances and the Enterprise instance separately.   Adding Holidays   Holidays are added to the system through the "Add Holiday Duration" button. This will add a holiday interval to the system. Holiday Durations   Holiday Durations are days in the system on which, the schedules should not activate. To add a Holiday, click "Add Holiday Duration", then name the day. This day will prevent all schedules from activating unless added to the "Always Active On" column in a schedule. Holiday durations are limited to 255 per instance.  Display Name: The name of the holiday interval, i.e. Valentine's Day, Halloween, Veterans Day. Start Date: The date the holiday interval begins on. End Date: The date the holiday interval ends on. (If the start and end date match, the holiday will be for that day only). Special Date: This flag inverts the behaviour. If this holiday interval is assigned to a schedule interval (via Holiday Groups), the schedule interval will activate for that day. Holiday Group: This selection allows the user to group holiday intervals into sets.  Tags: As in the rest of keep, tags allow for organization and permissions to be set by these groupings.   Holiday Groups   Holidays can be grouped together by using holiday groups. These groups are edited by selecting the "Edit Holiday Groups" button and modifying the Group Name. Holiday intervals are then added to the group by assigning them in the Holiday Group column of the holiday interval. ***Note: The shared holidays between groups should be in their own group. This will allow the non-shared holidays to be applied to schedules correctly.   Applying Holidays   Holidays apply globally to all schedules. A holiday Group can be added to a schedule interval to tell that interval to ignore that holiday.   ***Note: If a holiday exception is added to a schedule interval, the schedule will activate on the day of the holiday, regardless of the day selection on the schedule interval. Special Dates   Special Dates can be used to activate a schedule interval for a day or group of days regardless of the other intervals within the schedule. To add a special date, open the Holidays page and add the day(s) as a holiday interval, then check the "Special Date" box. Add the special date(s) to a group on its own.

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 Operator password for SP-C-WEB has been lost and unable to login to the controller. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment SP-C-WEB Cause The SP-C-WEB operator passwords are unable to be recovered. Resolution Default the controller using the jumper to bridge reader port 2 [1] Figure 1. Connecting Wire Link Once the controller is back online set the default admin password. Then restore a previous backup of the sites database containing the site configuration Figure 2. Restoring Database Backup  When the backup is restored the operators are not overwritten so the one you just setup during the commissioning can be used to login to the SP-C-WEB.   [1] SP-C-WEB Security Purpose Web Enabled Controller Installation Manual

Issue 3rd party BACnet device can send a reinitialize device request to an EBO server. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause EBO servers support the "ReinitializeDevice-B" Bacnet device management service. This allows BACnet clients, such as BACnet browsers or operator WorkStations, to initiate ReinitializeDevice requests, i.e. Warm Start or Cold Start. Resolution EBO currently does not support passwords for the ReInitializeDevice service. It is possible to create a whitelist for the EBO server and exclude a 3rd party BACnet device from that list, but this will block all communication with the 3rd party BACnet device.

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 Confirming compatible Modbus data types available for a Sigma IC3 Modbus Product Line Satchwell Sigma Environment Sigma Release 4_05-SEB (Build 3_43_18) Sigma Release 4_05-SP2 (Build 3_42_48) Sigma Release 4_06 (Build 3_44_14) Sigma Release 4_06 SP1 (Build 3_44_16) Sigma Release 4_07 (Build 3_45_48) Sigma Release 4_07-SP1 (Build 3_45_51) Sigma Release 4_07-SP2 (Build 3_45_58) Sigma Release 4_08 (Build 3_46_57) IC3 Modbus Cause The use of 64-bit is not mentioned in documentation Resolution 16-bit registers are supported with all versions of Sigma. From Sigma release 4 05 SEB (Build 3_43_18) 32-bit registers are supported. 62-bit registers are not supported with Sigma IC3.   The ba077 Modbus 32-bit application note provides information on the engineering of 32-bit registers. https://ecoxpert.se.com/search?documentUUID=74eaf0dd-fbd9-4429-9c82-eb205aa9be07&title=BA077%20Modbus%2032%20Bit%20Values%20-%20Satchwell%20-%20Application%20Note Sigma 4.06 IC3 Modbus Firmware and Release Note https://ecoxpert.se.com/search?documentUUID=cb99b073-d9ab-400e-8e67-2f8343447768&title=Sigma%204.06%20IC3-Modbus%20Firmware%20-%20Release%20Notes Sigma IC3 Modbus 1.n.2 firmware is the latest available version https://ecoxpert.se.com/search?documentUUID=02d88785-9d13-4184-b74a-d1a0b5ce7edd&title=Sigma%20IC3%20Modbus%201.n.2%20-%20Firmware    

Issue What are the Low and High level security default passwords for the SMT 1201 controller? Environment SMT 1201 Low security password High security password Cause Customer is unable to access the controller. Resolution The "Default" passwords for the SMT 1201 are as follows; Low level security is "0000" High level security is "12345678" For the controller data sheet please click HERE. If the passwords are not accepted, then please contact Product Support by selecting the "Contact" option.