Building Automation Knowledge Base

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. Issue The SLO Label shows an incorrect value range for kL. Product Line Field Devices Environment SpaceLogic SLO series Lux sensor Cause The label on the SLO shows the incorrect value range for kL. Resolution SLO: The product specification sheet states the Ranges for the jumper as: - 0 to 500 lx and 0 to 20 kLx The range to 500 lx can be seen on the circuit board. The product’s label shows 0 – 4kL The manufacturer has confirmed the label is incorrect the value should be 500 lx, New labels will be used in production from August 2022.   SLR: The tense delivery situation during the pandemic, especially for electronic components, has forced the manufacturer to make technical changes to the SLR in order to stay able to continue to deliver reliably. The range has extended from 0.4 to 0.5 kLux. These changes are incorporated in the corresponding instructions, provided with the devices. New labels will show the extended range.

Issue SysmanSMS stops sending SMS from Vista Environment SysmanSMS Vista   Cause It is not uncommon that anti-virus software perceives perfectly clean files as viruses. This is a growing problem as the amount of viruses are continuously growing, and the likeliness that they may share similarities in the code with a SysmanSMS file thereby increases.   Resolution Check if the terminal is running an antivirus, and look in its quarantine. Recent updates to some antivirus applications incorrectly identify parts of the Sysman application as a risk. Investigate the antivirus' quarantine folder and note the files and paths which they originally came from. Restore the quarantined files either using the antivirus' restore feature, or manually return them to their original locations. Restart the Sysman services In Windows services, restart TAC Vista Server and Workstation  

Issue Xenta 102-B nviManOverride allows for flow or percentage overrides. But since this controller is intended to be used along with a Belimo flow controller/actuator, how do these modes of operation differ? Environment Xenta 102-B Cause Flow control is not actually an option for this controller. Flow values will be interpreted as desired percentages of airflow. Resolution nviManOverride.state = HVO_PERCENT, nviManOverride.percent = 35% The controller fixes the Airflow output (Y1) at 35% (3.5V) nviManOverride.state= HVO_FLOW_VALUE All of the flow values are actually being treated as percentages ... there is no way to set it to a desired flow. (nviManOverride.flow X nciNomFlow / 100) is limited to 0-100% and sent to the Airflow output (Y1). Emergency Override can override these setting, as can setting the controller to slave mode (the overrides would have to be performed on the master controller in that setting). The way to release these states is to set the nviManOverride.state to any value other than HVO_PERCENT or HVO_FLOW_VALUE. Those are the only two values accounted for in the logic.

Issue Vista Workstation crashes when the content of a column in any View (Alarms, Events, Search Results etc.) exceeds 259 characters. Environment Vista 5.1.7 Cause In the unlikely event that the content of a column in a Vista View exceeds a limit of 259 characters, Vista Workstation crashes and must be restarted.  Vista Server is not affected. The problem was discovered while doing a search for TGML graphics, with the property "Bindings" selected.  The search returns one graphic on each row and all the bindings for that graphic are displayed in the property column on that row.  Resolution Upgrade to Vista 5.1.8, when available.  The issue is fixed by truncating the contents of any View column to 259 characters. The issue is highly unlikely to occur in normal use.  In the case of the Bindings search, the workaround is to use the "Change Reference" tool instead

Issue SevenTrends custom report - portions of the printed report are blank Environment   SevenTrends Report Cause The links between your database tables may not be correct or you may be sorting the wrong tables. Resolution The links between your database tables may not be correct. Check your links. You may be sorting the wrong tables. Make sure you are sorting the tables that have the correct information.

Issue How long will a UNC-520 hold the date & time if AC power and the backup battery are disconnected? How long will a UNC-520 hold the date & time if AC power is disconnected but the backup battery remains connected? Environment UNC-520 Universal Network Controller Cause UNC-520 provide real-time clock and need to maintain the information during power failures. Resolution Approximately one hour. This is done by a 1200 µF 10 Vdc capacitor that backs up the real-time clock chip. Over one month.

Issue ZBuilder will not open on certain commissioned Xenta 121s in Lonmaker. It will open on others in the same network. Environment ZBuilder LonMaker Cause Incorrect or corrupted configuration parameters prevent the ZBuilder plug-in from opening on specific Xenta 121s. Resolution Right-click on the device in LonMaker and choose Browse Take a screen capture of the various settings that will need to be re-entered Re-commission the Xenta 121 controller with default values (this will erase any configurations that have been made) ZBuilder will now work correctly. Re-enter any previously configured parameters

Issue How do I reset the view of the System Plug-In  to the original look. Environment System Plug-In Cause They folder pane has been modified and now the default layout is required. Resolution A reset to default will be required to get the original settings These steps will reset the view to default Open the System Plug-In Under the file menu select Default Settings A message will appear that "The command requires a restart to take effect." Shut down the System Plug-In Restart the System Plug-In  with the original default setting is applied

Issue What is the switching level resistance for a digital input to be seen as 1 in a Xenta 411/412 I/O modules Environment Xenta 411/12 Cause Integrating third party devices with Xenta 411/412 I/O modules. Resolution The switching level resistance for a digital input to be seen as 1 in a Xenta 411/12 is around 2000ohm

Issue The status of a Lon binding states locked.  How can it be changed to bound?    Environment R2, WorkPlace Pro Cause Binding is locked. This can be done at the time the node is learned or a network variable can be locked on the property sheet of the node. Resolution The Network Variable bound to the link will have to be unlocked to change the link to bound. Open the device property sheet that’s associated to the locked link Select the device tab and LonProps tab. Select and expanded the Snvt that’s associated with the locked link Unselect “Locked” and click Apply. Open LonDeviceManager under LonWorkService Highlight the device and select UpLoad Check boxes: “Upload binding info”, “Add links” and “Upload config data” and click Apply - DO NOT check “Lock existing bindings”   The link status now read bound.

Issue Created new bCX and can't see any of the system objects like system variables Environment CyberStation bCX4040 ACX57xx Cause CyberStation failed to fully create the new controller object in the database.   Resolution Delete the newly created controller from the ContinuumExplorer. Restart CyberStation. Create the controller again.

Issue Can individual terminals be purchased for the MNL-10Rxx, MNL-15Rxx, or MNL-20Rxx controller? Environment MNL controllers; MNL-10Rxx, MNL-15Rxx, or MNL-20Rxx Cause Replacement parts ... Resolution The individual terminals are not setup in the system for purchase.  The MNL-10Rxx, MNL-15Rxx, or MNL-20Rxx controller base assemblies are available for purchase under the following part numbers (MNL-BASE-100, MNL-BASE-150, MNL-BASE-200).

Issue The MZ20A actuator stops controlling, and the Analogue Output remains at zero volts. Environment MZ20A MZ20A-R Actuators Surface Mount Cause If the controller power and battery switches are switched off, then when the power is switched back on, the Analogue Output remains at zero volts. Resolution To prevent is issue from occurring, it will be necessary to install a 2K2 ohm resistor between each channel and the common zero volt rail, as shown in the picture below.   Add the 2K2 Ohm resistors to the channels controlling the MZ20A actuators. These resistors do not need to be a close tolerance; a Carbon Film ¼ watt 5% is acceptable, (RS Stock No.135-881 or similar). Note – The MZ20A, are the only actuators that we are aware of that require this modification, therefore if the actuator is changed to another type, the resistor should be removed again.

Issue  Temporary groups can't get a PM time, only AM Environment I/NET Cause The time are using US settings AM/PM on for example a European PC Windows don't use AM/PM Resolution Enter Control Panel and choose Regional and Language Settings On first tab click Customize Choose tab "Time"  Set AM and PM symbol to AM and PM Click OK Restart I/NET IO server and try again.

Issue The Sigma Log configurations are not visible in the configuration window. Environment Sigma Logging Configuration LogCNF.rec Cause The LogCNF.rec file has not been upgraded when the site was upgraded to Sigma 4.05 SEB. Resolution Shutdown the Sigma client and server. Copy a backup of  the LogCNF.rec file to  the C:\Sigma\Data\Server???\ folder. Where ??? is the server number. Run C:\Sigma\BinUtils\SigUpgrade.exe Restart the Sigma server and client and check the log configuration.

Issue Requested Clients window shows a remote client as being off-line. Environment Sigma Clients Remote Requested Clients Off-line Cause Sigma defect 3174 - The remote client status as shown in the "Registered Clients" window, may be incorrect. This is caused by the remote client being started before the local client.. Resolution This issue has been corrected in Sigma release 4.05 SEB, upgrade the site to this release or later. If an upgrade is not possible then Shut down Sigma and re-start the local client first.

Issue Jace 8000 versus Jace 9000 WiFi specifications Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Jace 8000 I/A Series N4 Jace 9000 Cause Defining WiFi feature differences Resolution The JACE 9000 includes a WiFi 5 radio supporting Bluetooth 5.2LE that is currently disabled.   Below is a table of the differences between the JACE 8000 and JACE 9000 WiFi:   Feature JACE 8000 WiFi JACE 9000 WiFi WiFi Standard WiFi 4 (802.11n) WiFi 5 (802.11ac) Switch Type Hardware Switch Software Switch Modes Off, Access Point (WAP), or Client Off, Access Point (WAP), or Client Security WPAPSK / WPA2PSK supported WPAPSK / WPA2PSK supported Bluetooth Not Supported Yet Bluetooth 5.2 LE WiFi Disabled at Factory Depending on SKU Depending on SKU   SKU Details: JACE 8000: JACE-8000-CSE-001 US JACE-8000-CSE-002 WW JACE-8000-CSE-003 NON WIFI JACE-8000-CSE-004 China JACE 9000: JACE-9000-CSE-001 US, CA JACE-9000-CSE-002 WW JACE-9000-CSE-003 NON WiFi JACE-9000-CSE-004 China JACE-9000-CSE-005 EU The JACE 9000 includes a button behind the door that can be configured as "Access Point Controlled" mode, enabling the use of an inactivity time limit for access point availability.  Selecting this mode activates a configurable time limit property for inactivity and the use of the Wi-Fi button to toggle on or off the Access Point availability.   This is similar to the hardware switch of the JACE 8000.    Figures Figure 1 shows the front panel of the New JACE 9000 WiFi Figure 1.1 shows the JACE 8000 hardware switch indication Figure 1.2 shows the JACE 9000 software switch indication  Figure 1 - Front of JACE 9000 panel – WiFi LED and button location   Figure 1.1 - JACE 8000 hardware switch indication   Figure 1.2 - JACE 9000 software switch indication   NOTE: WiFi will not be supported in Jace 8000 with N4.15 release. Blackberry QNX chipset support has been dropped in the Jace 8000. Details and Summary 

Issue National Weather Service Data Showing Stale Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Enterprise Server I/A Series N4 Jace 8000 / 9000 Cause Due to recent changes with the National Weather Service, the current weather information displayed through Niagara is showing as “Stale” when using the NWS Weather Provider in the Niagara Weather Service. Resolution The Current Conditions “Last Update” time may be null or a current date, and the “Observed” time may be null or a date in the past. Current Weather View: Property Sheet:   This issue is being addressed in future releases. In the meantime to manually correct this behavior, make the below manual updates to the BNwsWeatherProvider components in the station: 1. Go to the Property Sheet view on the BNwsWeatherProvider component, click the ‘Slot Details’ button, then click the ‘Hidden Slots’ button to display the hidden slots. 2. Click the Flags for the “Conditions Server” slot which opens the “Configure slot flags” dialog.  Clear the checkbox for the Hidden slot flag, then click the OK button to clear the Hidden slot flag.  3. The “Conditions Server” slot should now display “(none)” in the Flags column.  4. Click the “Slot Details" button to toggle back to the default Property Sheet View.  The “Conditions Server” property is configured with the default value of “www.weather.gov”. 5. Update the “Conditions Server” property to “forecast.weather.gov” and save the change. 6. Invoke the “Update Weather Report” action on the Weather Report component and verify the Current data updates and no longer indicates a Stale status.              

  Issue Is it possible to host the same third party BACnet device on the AS-P private networks on multiple automation servers, which are all connected on the same network? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Cause The design in question is a 3-storey accommodation building which includes 1 x BMS panel/AS-P per level. However, only 1 x Mitsubishi EW-50E BACnet gateway is being provided for the building. Resolution It is possible to host the same 3rd party BACnet device in multiple AS-Ps. Some caution is required, however, because if the user makes changes to an object in that device through one AS-P, that change may not be reflected in other AS-Ps. When viewing runtime variables, such as 'Value' and 'Status Flags', this is not a problem because the EBO server will always get new values from the wire. Where the problem can present itself, is when changes are made to configuration values because these are only updated in an EBO server during an upload operation. For example, if you set the hi-limit and low-limit values in an analog-value object from one AS-P, those values will not be updated in other AS-Ps until you do an upload of that object.   The other place where this problem may present itself is in schedules. An EBO schedule only writes values to a device when that value changes. For example, if you have a schedule configured to change the setpoint to 65 degrees at 5pm, EBO will only write a value of 65 if the current 'local' value is not 65. If this schedule only writes 1 time per day and someone has set the value to 70 from another AS-P, the first AS-P does not realize the value has changed so that schedule will not generate a write request to set the value to 65 (it will stay at 70). However, if you have a program or trend-log monitoring the value, the AS-P will be tracking that value and realize it is not 65 so you will see a write request at the scheduled time.   The system works this way because reading all values of all devices and all objects all the time is simply not practical. As long as the user is aware of how the system is designed, they can avoid these potential issues.   Make sure to use Static IP, so IP do not change, or you get multiple DHCP servers on the same network.   Another alternative is to host the BACnet device in one AS-P only, then using internal bindings to share the data with other AS-Ps.

  Issue Identifying table sizes is useful when managing Security Expert databases Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment EcoStruxure Security Expert Microsoft SQL Server Cause Managing the size of a SQL database is crucial to system performance and archiving so understanding which tables are the largest provides needed data Resolution A report can be run from SQL Server Management Studio(SMSS) on the Security Expert and Security Expert Events databases to provide table sizes. Open SMSS Right-click on the database the report is needed (i.e. Security Expert or Security Expert Events) Select Reports> Standard Reports> Disk Usage by Table Scroll through and observe which tables contain the most data Examples: Security Expert DB Security Expert Events DB Print or Export the report to a file if necessary Print Export to Excel, PDF or Word Right-click on the data results and select Export Note: The disk usage built-in report was implemented in SQL 2008 and above.