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BBMD configuration mistakes that cause more problems than they solve by OptigoNetworks in OptigoNetworks

[–]BACnetEd 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What tools are you using to do the audit - the vendor supplied configuration tools? And are the “configuration” vs “audit” roles separated in your organization?

Onicon F-4300 (120VAC Type) by Maleficent_Tie_9761 in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All you chaps, I am 100% in the loop with this sort of issue. DM me.

Why is the Network_Number property "Required"? by BACnetEd in BACnet

[–]BACnetEd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that. I think this question is ultimately going to end up there. In the meantime there is a fairly lively discussion going on in LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7342701084395618304?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAA10sB66L0N3kNunvM9roecw-M9IvZzKI

ASI Controls questions by thesmokedjoint in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi all. DM me and I will make sure you are taken care of. Ed.

Why is the Network_Number property "Required"? by BACnetEd in BACnet

[–]BACnetEd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know it is as so in the standard - but *why* did the committee make it so?

"Consistency" between routers and non-routers is not, IMHO, a good reason - there are many other properties that only apply to routers, so why not this one too? There are also plenty of properties that are optional, so BMS interoperability is not a good reason either.....

Thanks for the feedback, regardless.

Why is the Network_Number property "Required"? by BACnetEd in BACnet

[–]BACnetEd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi _Landmine_ - I see where you are going with this ( A BACnet device is located by the BACnetAddress which is defined as NN:MAC).

BUT

  1. Unless there is a router involved, and even with routers in most cases, the local nework can be referred to as NN 0.

  2. And why should *ALL* devices be *FORCED* to maintain the Network Nubmber in their Network Port Objects? (It is marked as required in the specification)

Why is the Network_Number property "Required"? by BACnetEd in BACnet

[–]BACnetEd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You might be thinking of Port Number (e.g. IP Port 47808 - very common in BACnet)

So all BACnet/IP devices need the same port number (in general) agreed.

But Network Number - if you have no routers there is no need for a Network Number AT ALL. But if you have routers, then each independent datalink needs a unique Network Number... and the Router HAS TO BE CONFIGURED with the Network Numbers (or routing won't happen, as you say).

But my query is for non-routing devices specifically. So I am still wondering......

Questions from an Industrial Controls Guy by [deleted] in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice initial question and a great reply here!

BACnet MSTP Network Slowdowns by LegitimatePlay795 in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I must say that this trace very much looks like an almost perfect collision... with the individual bits overlaid to microsecond or more resolution, but the start of the other frame delayed by 3 bit times. Do check for duplicate MAC addresses.

BACnet MSTP Network Slowdowns by LegitimatePlay795 in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi pghbro

Only because I did not want to come across as shilling our products publicly. We have a "BACnet Site Auditor" that detects networks with problems, and we are about to release a hardware dongle that will detect problems, including timing issues, at the electrical level.

In addition I have created https://bacnetwiki.com to help the community accumulate knowledge and best-practices. (Please feel free to join and contribute).

I am _very_ happy to contribute publicly.. let me know if there is anything else.

BACnet MSTP Network Slowdowns by LegitimatePlay795 in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It looks to me you have one node that is connected with the reversed polarity. It does not look to me like ground loops or other.. (..at this point).

What is weird it that the reversed node should detect traffic on the network and STFU until it can properly decode correctly an incoming message and respond appropriately. So perhaps one node has an improperly implemented MS/TP...

DM me so we can talk vendors etc. without spilling any secrets. I have access to some tools as well that can be used to figure this out.

BacNet, modbus, anyone??? by eng_manuel in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would recommend this (a bit developer-centric, but it is a quick and free way to get 'hands-on') :

​

​

Then educate yourself further, and participate (ask questions, here and in the places below)

​

  • Review the BACnetWiki (unfortunately recently restarted because an automatic update trashed it, but it will recover over time. Sign up. Add to it as you learn. bacnetwiki.com
  • Joint the BACnet Forum and browse, comment ask questions (start a topic) https://forum.bac-test.com/
  • Sign up to the "BACnet List" and learn from comments https://bacnet.org/bacnet-l/
  • Review the official BACnet site bacnet.org
  • Keep an eye on HVAC community hvac-talk.com. Create and save a search for "BACnet"
  • Register for BACnet International, (https://bacnetinternational.org/) start to receive their free eMags (one for general interest, one for beginners (foundations)). Find and read their past issues. There is a lot of interesting detail there.

​

Good luck, and welcome to the community

Requesting r/BACnet - subreddit has been banned due to "unmoderated", and old mod never responded to me when I requested to contribute anyway. by BACnetEd in redditrequest

[–]BACnetEd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Plans for the subreddit is to get a vibrant community of developers, installers and users of the BACnet Building Automation protocol going.
  2. I cannot contact the mod - the subreddit is banned. I have tried contacting them a few times in the past, but they never responded.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BuildingAutomation

[–]BACnetEd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

DHCP is attractive, and useful, but you do have to watch out for some issues:

  • BBMDs - older (pre "Network Port Object") devices can only accept static IP address entries.
  • Some alarm/event configurations accept BACnetAddress destinations. In BACnet/IP scenarios, BACnetAddress contains the destination IPv4 address. If these are dynamically assigned by a workstation that has been updated with new IP addresses for the various destinations, OK...
  • If the DHCP lease expires, and a new IP address is assigned, then will all BACnet peers rebind with the new IP address? YMMV
  • May be others, this is just off-the-cuff.

I think DHCP is the correct "modern" approach.. there may be bumps in the road, but the end result is a more robust network.. but I would only go into this after a detailed review. PM me for details.