Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Modbus values are not not working reliably and are not updating as expected. Product Line Andover Continuum, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Xenta controllers 511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731 and 913 Cause The amount of Modbus points being polled is excessive for the controller. Resolution The product data sheets indicates no limit to the Modbus points but only 31 Modbus devices over RS-485. With a practical install, a limit of 300-400 Modbus points per Xenta server  would be applicable. If you exceed this level, communications become slower than acceptable. Network performance can be affected when a large number of connection objects are in use ( direct transfers between Modbus and other protocols). There is no documented limitation, but the recommendation is not to exceed 300 connection objects per Xenta Server. Connection polling period should also be considered with a large amount of connection objects.

Issue TAC Vista installations prior to TAC Vista 5.0.1 cannot be upgraded to TAC Vista 5.1.9  version directly. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Server TAC Vista Workstation Cause When upgrading Vista to 5.1.9, certain steps need to be followed to ensure that the process works properly. Resolution Note: If upgrading from an older version of Vista where the LNS port is at the root level of the system tree, instead of underneath the Vista Server, then you will need to follow the steps in Graphics binding were broken after a Vista upgrade to 4.5 from an earlier version to fix the binding paths of root level objects. TAC Vista installations between 4.3.0 and 5.0.0 must follow these upgrade steps in order: Upgrade to a version between 5.0.1 and 5.1.6 Upgrade to version 5.1.9   TAC Vista installations prior to 4.3.0 must follow these upgrade steps in order: Upgrade to a version between 4.3.0 and 5.0.0 Upgrade to a version between 5.0.1 and 5.1.6 Upgrade to version 5.1.9   Note: In a situation with multiple databases on a computer, make sure all are upgraded in this manner. After the upgrades have been carried out make sure the master server is started first followed by the slave servers.

Issue TAC 200 OTP User Guide TAC 239W DHW User Guide Environment TAC 200 OTP TAC200 OTP TAC239W TAC 239 W Cause Information required regarding the TAC200 OTP Optimiser/Compensator Controller. Information required regarding the TAC239 W DHW Controller. Resolution Download here the TAC200 OTP guide. Product Part Number: 200-1005-000 Download here the TAC239 W guide. Product Part Number: 239-1010-800

Issue Check the host and intermediate certificates with a CA certificate to verify the authentication chain before importing them into EBO servers. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Enterprise Central Enterprise Server Automation Server Edge Server Cause Certificates are provided and can be assigned incorrectly or to the incorrect server; therefore, they do not function as expected. Resolution Verify you have the following: Host certificate in PEM file format Intermediate Certificates in one pem file, not including Certificate Authority (CA) cert CA Certificate where Issuer and Subject Name are the same, indicating it is self-signed. OpenSSL is installed on the computer with the files. Use OpenSSL installed with EBO or install as mentioned in Ensuring the SSL Host Certificate and key file are a matching pair Use this command:  openssl verify -CAfile ca.pem -untrusted intermediate.pem server.pem​ The explanation of the command is as follows: openssl verify: This initiates the certificate verification process. -CAfile ca.pem: Specifies the path to the PEM file containing the trusted CA (Certificate Authority) certificate. -untrusted intermediate.pem: Indicates the path to the PEM file containing the intermediate certificates. They are marked as untrusted because the system does not directly trust them, but their validity will be checked against the CA certificate. server.pem: Specifies the path to the PEM file containing the host server certificate you want to verify. The expected responses are:  server.pem: OK: Verification successful, indicating the server certificate is valid and its chain of trust is established. Error messages: If any errors occur during verification, they'll be displayed in the output. Common errors include certificate expiration, invalid signatures, or missing intermediate certificates Additional information: Ensure the file paths are correct and the certificates are in PEM format Ensure the host and intermediate certificates are installed on the server device and the CA Certificate on the client device. If you encounter issues, double-check the validity of the file permissions and certificates. For more detailed output, add the -verbose option to the command. To check expiration dates, use  openssl x509 -in server.pem -noout -dates

Issue In BAS and Sigma, what batteries and PSU cards can be used in a x96 controller.? Product Line Satchwell Sigma Environment S-x96-STD S-x96-BAT Sigma BAS Cause What batteries and PSU cards can be used in a x96 Controller or BAS controller? Resolution See TPA-LOND-08-0017.02 S-ARM7-BAT is the Sigma UNC PCB Battery Spare for the ARM7 CPU Board. The battery itself is a Ni-MH 2-Button Cell, 2.4v, 80mAh. S-V53-BAT is the Sigma UNC PCB Battery Spare for the V53/V25 CPU Board. The battery itself is a Ni-MH 3-Button Cell, 3.6v, 150mAh. S-X96-BAT is the Sigma UNCx96 Hi-Capacity Battery for the x96 products. The battery itself is a Ni-MH D-Cell pack, 10.8v, 5Ah (12-Hour). S-X96-STD is the Sigma UNCx96 Standard Capacity Battery for the x96 products. The battery itself is Ni-MH AA-Cell pack, 10.8v, 1500mAh (1.2-Hour) Due to UK legislation in 2006 NiCad batteries could not be used and changes were made where NiMh batteries are used instead 2016-01-22: - Confirmed both the S-X96-STD and the S-X96-BAT battery packs are currently available. Note: Schneider sales do not understand dashes, so when asking for price and availability you need to remove the dashes or they will not find the parts. Specification Sales need Price provided by sales S-X96-STD SX96STD £ 198.05 S-X96-BAT SX96BAT £ 541.19 General Rules for battery replacement and PSU card replacement/modification are: 11/2008 to present - The controller was originally shipped with the NIMH battery and PSU card suitable for charging the NiMH battery. These PSU cards are suitable for charging both NiMH and NiCad batteries. 04/2004 to 10/2008 x96 BAS/V53 PSU cards - The PSU card have to be replaced to fully charge NiMH batteries. 1999 to 03/2004 x96 BAS/V53 PSU cards - The PSU card have to be replaced to fully charge NiMH batteries. Pre 1999 BAS PSU cards - 2 resistors are required, the TPA explains how. The resistors are shipped with the NiMh battery. Note: If upgrading to Sigma then the Upgrade kit S-x96-UPKIT should be used which includes a new PSU card.

Issue The Conversion Settings guideline is not documented. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum Conversion Tool Infinet i2 BACnet B3 Cause Lack of information on "Conversion" column in Conversion Settings for B3 and I2 Resolution The Conversion column has the highest priority in the setting. If a formula exists then the setting below will not affect the Value.   Example The ElecValue is set to 10 for the following examples. 1. The Conversion field is empty, the ElecValue = 10 which corresponds to 100 on the Engineering scale. The Input Value = 100. 2. The Conversion field is set to ElecValue, and the ElecValue = 10. The Input Value = 10. 3. The Conversion field is set to ElecValue - 7. The Input Value = 3.  

Issue Straight S-Cable and angle (L-shaped) S-Cable difference Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server Automation Server Power Supply Automation Server I/O Modules Cause The description in the datasheets / installation instructions may not be sufficient to understand the difference(s) between the two types of S-Cables. Resolution January 2013 Update - The straight connector S-Cable has been discontinued. Refer to Product Announcement PA-00238 for details. The straight S-Cable (part number SXWSCABLE10001) and the angle or L-shaped S-Cable (part number SXWSCABLE10002) works the same in terms of functionality. Both are 1.5 meters in length. The difference is whether the connectors is a straight out type or an angled type. This will probably affect the installation. See the images below Straight type Angle or L-shaped * Note: The straight S-Cable is currently not available and all existing and coming orders for straight S-cable (SXWSCABLE10001) will be replaced with the L-shaped S-cable (SXWSCABLE10002) until further notice. Refer to TPA-SBO-12-0004 01 for details.

Issue Controller Error Log shows error code 5128. Environment Error Log Error Code NetController BCX ACX Cause An Infinity Controller is dropping offline. Resolution Controller error code 5128 (0x00001408) is an indication that the controllers network comm buffer is out of memory.  Normally the network transceiver will shut down when this happens to protect the controller.  This is generally an indication that the controllers comm buffer is being overtaxed.  This can happen when there is a data storm present on the network. 

Issue In a web graphic hosted on a Xenta Server, clicking to change a value displays the dialog momentarily, then it immediately disappears. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta server Cause The Java version is too new or too old. Resolution Make sure The java versions installed have been tested against the installed Xenta version. A Compatibility Matrix can be found on The Exchange Download Center. Or see Software and Firmware compatibility matrix for older versions of the traditional product lines. If the wrong versions are installed, download the correct version and install it.

Issue Unifact Pro - Master and Slave controller ratio Unifact Pro - Number of controllers on a LAN Environment Unifact Pro Cause What is the Master to Slave controller ratio of Unifact Pro controllers on a LAN? What is the maximum number of Unifact Pro controllers on a LAN? Download here the Unifact Pro Datasheet Resolution There is 1 master to a maximum of 3 slaves. A single Unifact Pro LAN can support up to 80 controllers. Note: A S-Link sensor wired to the master can be shared by up to 3 slave controllers. If fan speed control is used then S-Link sensors cannot be used on the slaves.

Issue What will happen with the EBO license when used with cloned Virtual Machines in a fail-over scenario to another host? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause Even if the Virtual Machines are "cloned" the licensing will show as "Damaged" Since Virtual Machines don't have unique hardware and the software images can be identical, another identifier called UMN3 (Unique Machine Number 3) is provided by the Virtual Machine. This is, as the name indicates, unique for each Virtual Machine. Without this feature, it could be possible to cheat the licensing system and run many instances of software without a license being purchased for each instance.   See the following technical description of the virtual machine image identifier (VMID) that provides the UMN3   A hash of the universally unique ID (UUID or SMBIOS3) that the hypervisor issues whenever a virtual machine is created or cloned. SMBIOS is commonly virtualized by hypervisor providers such as VMware and Microsoft. In addition, virtualization management systems such as VMware’s VMotion ensure that all virtual machines being managed have a unique SMBIOS value. Resolution If Virtual machines are being utilized to provide a fail-over or "hot swap" of the EBO Server then licenses need to be purchased for each Virtual Machine, just as if two physical computers were used. Each Virtual Machine will require its own License Server installation and have the required licenses activated.

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 Services for assistance. Issue Time synchronisation is often an issue on large BMS installations. A central time signal is normally required to make sure all controllers, terminals or workstations have the correct time. If there is no internet connection available then the time has to be synchronised from a central source. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC Vista Environment Sigma Continuum Vista SmartStruxure Windows XP Windows 7 Server 2003 Server 2008 R2 Cause No internet connection available to synchronise the system time. Resolution Important The methods below contain steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. If using Windows XP, please use the following link - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314054 If using Server or Windows 7 OS, please use the following link - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816042 This has been tested for Time updates to an AS by simply using the PC IP address as the primary NTP Time Server. If the firewall is turned on you also need to make sure UDP 123 is open. Please note that Windows will add a dispersion to the time that may cause issues with time synchronization, please see Automation Servers ignore time sync message sent from Windows NTP server that uses local internal clock for details.

Issue Is there any way to get calibration certificates for the Kamstrup meters and auxiliary equipment associated to the meters? Environment Kamstrup Heat meters cool meters flow meters Cause To fulfill the requirements of some standards, calibration certificates on the equipment may be required.  Resolution All new meters are delivered with approval and initial verification according to the standard for heat meters EN1434, and the European Measuring Instrument Directive MID. This warrants that each meter is within the Class and MPE stated by the standard. Kamstrup can provide certified calibration results for individual meters upon request. Please order these certificates through your regular Orders channels, and please confirm the meters/sensors serial number by filling in the Order form that can be downloaded here. Temperature sensors, calculator and flow part has each their own certificate, and can be replaced individually if broken or damaged. Please make sure to state serial number for each part when requesting the certificate(s).  

Issue SmartStruxure with BACnet interface, points from BACnet devices are displayed in a graphic, list view etc, initially everything works fine and the point's value updates normally but after sometime of operation (days or weeks) the value stops updating. Value maybe shown as 0.00 or ... or with a green circle or red X that indicates a bad variable. Environment Automation Server Enterprise Server BACnet interface B3 Third party BACnet devices Cause Software defect in version 1.3 (including SP1) and below. Resolution Please note that if 1.3 SP1 has not been applied it MUST be applied before installing the hot fix. Contact Technical Support to obtain hot fix 1.3.0.11403 Provide site details Apply the hotfix

Issue Maximum Limits for SmartStruxure Lite Design (Scalability, Capacity) Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment SmartStruxure Lite Multi-Purpose Manager (MPM) Cause What are the maximum number of communication between managers and end device Resolution Guidelines: number of end devices per node Wired ● 6 wired inputs (Ohms / Volts, Analog or Digital) ● 6 wired outputs (4 analog 0-12VDC, 2 digital) The analog output ports has a maximum nominal load of 50mA each. ● Need more? Modbus I/O extenders, SEC-TE, etc. Wireless devices ● In theory: almost unlimited (no physical constraints) ● In practice: limited by range and strength of wireless signal     ● EnOcean: Rule of thumb is within room (up to 75ft in building – line of sight)     ● ZigBee: Rule of thumb is within room (up to 150ft in building – line of sight)     Limited by application     ● Frequency of transmission     ● Efficient handling of data queues Guidelines: number of end devices per node BACnet - with the current basic client capabilities, the maximum number of devices supported on a single BACnet network is 1000. Modbus      Limitations for ModBus connectivity per MPM is 31 devices but depends on polling rate and amount of points:         ● Using pre-defined objects, polling rate is 30s / device         ● Using Lua script, polling rate variable ZigBee or EnOcean for the end devices? ZigBee ● Longer range ● Reliability built-in the protocol (ack, retries, …) ● Requires a battery ● Multiple channels available (possible to isolate networks / groups) EnOcean ● Self-powered (no battery) ● Easy to deploy ● Lower range ● Reliability must be ensured at the application level ● No retries ● ZigBee coordinator is a device that sets up the network, is aware of all the nodes within its network. Every ZigBee network must contain a network coordinator. ● ZigBee router can act as an intermediate router, passing on data from other devices. ● ZigBee end-device is part of the network, but doesn’t re-route information to neighbors. How many devices can I use? ZigBee ● A ZigBee network should not have more than 75 ZigBee devices in total (coordinator, router and end devices); ● A ZigBee network should not have more than 24 ZigBee routers (+1 coordinator) ● A ZigBee node (coordinator or router) should not control more than 10 peripheral end devices. EnOcean ● Using pre-built objects: ● 4 Thermostats ● 20 Switches ● 20 Relays ● The maximum number of devices added to each MPM is 49 ●The maximum number of EnOcean devices added to each MPM is 49 ●The maximum number of EnOcean devices with the same EEP added to each MPM is 49 .This only applies to firmware 2.13.1 and later, the limit for previous firmware is 20. An Exception is the following limits for devices/widgets per MPM: 20 EnOcean Switches 20 EnOcean Relays 4 EnOcean Thermostats The AV and BV variables The MPM-UN controller comes with 100 AV's and 100 BV's. MPM has capacity for up to 700 AV's and 700 BV's. After the initial 100 are consumed, add Value Banks of 100 for each AV and BV. Value Banks will be added as sub-devices under the main MPM.  Maximum data Points: MPMs can have up to 750 data points per monitor. What is the maximum size for background graphics? The maximum size of a background picture (in dashboard or section map) is 2Mbyte with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 (Width x Height). For analog inputs with a signal range in Ohms has no reading limit. You just need to configure the table in the AIC object assigned to referred input.

Issue Are there drawing templates available for AS’s, modules, RPC etc for use in BMS wiring diagrams. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation equipment Cause Need for CAD drawings of PS, AS, or I/O Modules Resolution Drawings in AutoCAD format (DWG, DXF) are available on the EcoXpert Extranet. DXF files are able to be imported into Visio.

Issue Despite using valid credentials at the Web Client login screen, the attempt fails with no error being shown and the user is dumped back to the login screen once more. These login failure events can be seen in Windows Logs with the error 'Too many connections' Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Schneider Electric Security Expert Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Server Security Expert Web Client Security Expert SOAP Service Cause When the SOAP service attempts to connect to Security Expert it performs an Operator login to the Data Service, pulls/pushes the information it needs, and then closes the connection. If all concurrent Operator Logins are already in use (with Thick Client connections for example) SOAP will not be allowed to log in, and any services requiring the SOAP connection will not work. The specific operators that are consuming the licenses can be seen once again in Windows Logs Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Schneider Electric Security Expert An Operator Logging on is shown as a 'New Operator Logon' Event (Concurrent Client + 1) Operator Log in An Operator Logging off is shown as a 'Remove Operator by Disconnect' Event (Concurrent Client - 1). Operator Log off Resolution If all the Client Connections are being consumed with Thick Client logins etc, then reduce the number of connections that are logged in at any given time or purchase an additional concurrent client license SX-CLNT so there is always one free for SOAP to use. Note:  SOAP will only use one concurrent connection even if it has multiple services connected to it, so you would not need multiple client licenses if you had Web Client, Data Sync, and EWS, for example.

Issue SmartSensor Display blank with i2/B3-920s controllers Environment SmartSensor, 10K OHM (Type 3) Thermistor for Andover Continuum, LCD, 4-button (on/off, up/down, Celsius/Fahrenheit), blank cover (no logo) with i2/B3-920s controllers Smart Sensor Part number - TTS-SD-LCD-1 Smart Sensor, Lcd Display, 10K OHM (Type 3) Thermistor For Continuum TTS-SD-LCD-1 Infinity Smart Sensor 6-Button Keypad TTS-SD-LCD-4-2 Infinity Smart Sensor 4-Button Keypad Accurate, reliable 10K Type III Thermistor • LCD display • Programmable Keypad • Built-In service port to be used with the RoamIO-2 Service Tool • Powered directly from an i2 or b3 Field Controller Cause Connect new version SmartSensor to i2/b3-920 and write PE Program to display any character. This will render a blank SmartSensor display. Resolution New controller revision of software is expected to correct the SmartSensor with LCD display . i1 controller are still awaiting a change to the smart sensors (21 July 2014) Update Sept 2015 Firmware versions 4.500076 (b3920) and 3.300009(i2920) include this fix. Smart Sensor also modified for use with i1

Issue The LIB-4-485 converter is no longer available through Schneider Electric Environment MicroNet Satchnet Communications Cause Obsolecence Resolution The LIB-4-485 USB to RS232 converter can no longer be purchased through Schneider Electric. The LIB-4-485 USB to RS232 converter can be purchased directly through B and B Electronics. Click here (1) to be linked to the port powered RS232 to 422/485 converter page.  http://www.bb-elec.com/Products/Serial-Connectivity/Serial-Converters/Port-Powered-RS-232-to-RS-422-485-Converters/485SD9TB.aspx Click here to download the data sheet. B and B Electronics contact details: Westlink Commercial Park, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland Phone:   +353 91 792444 Fax:       +353 91 792445 Customer Service: eorders@bb-elec.com Tech Support: techSupport@bb-elec.com General Inquiries: info@bb-elec.com

Issue LON Network - Cable Transient Suppression Product Line EcoStruxure Building OperationTAC IA Series, TAC Vista Environment LON networks that extend beyond the walls of a single building Cause Surge arrestors dissipate transient energy before the cable can provide a low resistance path to the building ground, preventing potential electrical damage. Resolution Click here to download the white paper on this topic: Cable Transient Suppression It is recommended that a Transient Suppression protection device be installed on the LON communications cable at any point where the cable enters or exits the building. The LON is frequently used to connect a collection of controllers in one building with a collection of controllers in one or more other buildings in a campus. The LON may also extend outside the protection of an office building when servicing communications to roof-top equipment and/or outside monitoring equipment. At any location where the LON cable penetrates and extends outside the building compartment, it is recommended that a gas discharge type lightning arrestor be installed across the LON conductor pair and earth ground as shown below. This should be positioned as close as possible to the wall penetration location. The objective is to keep the cable distance as short as possible before the cable suppression is provided. It is important that a heavy gauge earth ground connection be provided to the gas discharge protector with as short a length as possible. Here we want to dissipate the transient energy as soon as possible before the cable extends on into the facility and provide a low resistance path to the building ground. SA2-U8 Surge Arrestor TAC provides a Model SA2-U8 Surge Arrestor which can be used for this purpose. This SA2-U8 device is a gas discharge arrestor packaged in a small DIN rail mountable enclosure. The SA2-U8 is UL864 listed and is the only device that can be used on TAC UL864 listed system. It must be installed on the LON cable at any entry/exit locations. Other Gas Discharge Suppressors On non-UL864 systems, the SA2-U8 may also be used, or the installer may use any one of a number of available 90V gas discharge tube devices. These are typically tubular shaped components and since you need two tubes (one for each of the two LON conductors) a dual element three lead discharge tube is recommended. The device’s leads may be attached to a standard screw terminal block and mounted in most any size electrical box. A collection of some of the suitable gas discharge devices that could be used is as follows: Manufacturer Part Number Bourns 2026-09-C Epcos B88069X8440B202 Citel BTS-90 SRC Devices PMT-090-14   There are other acceptable part numbers available from each of these manufacturers with variations provided in the lead configuration and lengths while maintaining the same 90V protection rating. Devices To Avoid It is not recommended that you use any semiconductor type (Transzorb / TVS / Diode) protection devices. Their higher speed and lower clamping voltage characteristics is not necessary with the inherent protection offered by the FTT-10 and FT-X1 LON transceivers. Such semiconductor based transient suppression devices frequently add some undesirable capacitance to the network which impedes communication performance and most inject signal clamping at voltage levels much lower than necessary or desirable for the Free Topology FTT-10 and FT-X1 based LON networks. The common mode noise immunity of the FTT LON should be much better than that provided by the typical RS485 network. This should provide more tolerance for electrically noisy environments. However, it has been observed that some semiconductor based network protection units have been used that can drastically degrade communications performance. One such device is the Model 91287 from Atlantic Scientific Corp. which was identified by the manufacturer as a LON System protector. This device clamps the signal at one diode drop below ground level which virtually destroys the LON’s common mode noise tolerance. The presence of one of these devices has been found to be the cause of communications problems in a system operating is an electrically noisy environment. This type of communications impairment may be encountered immediately. In other instances, LON retries may cover the problem and the system may operate for extended period of time before environmental or equipment changes raise noise levels above the tolerable threshold. This threshold is now much worse than RS485 networks. This device, and any similar, should be avoided on any LON systems.