CBAS 20, features several user interface refinements and customization options, one of which is a completely redesigned Dark Theme option.
The CBAS 20 installer program selects Dark Theme by default, but you can easily toggle between Dark Theme and the Classic theme as desired by following the steps below.
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips October 2020Did you know that you can add notes to any Point, Channel or Controller in the database and have those notes displayed first whenever you click one of those items? This is true in Text View, Hardware View or Graphics View (if the point is configured as clickable).
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips, August 2020Formulas and Calculations is a Help feature that can be found on the System Menu > Help. In older versions of CBAS, this was found directly on the System Menu. Currently, there are 4 entries..
The first one is a duct area calculator for use in the Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) Calculation on a VAV or UNI-B. The VAV-B has this built into its VAV-B Utility Program that is used when you initially set it up. All you have to know is the dimensions of the duct and whether it is round or rectangular. Just enter the size and a value for the area will appear. You can also use this value as the Duct Size on a VAV template for a UNI-B.
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips, July 2020The easiest way to program Software Points is by going to Hardware View, finding the controller then going to Points. In Editor Mode or in Live Edit you will see a line at the bottom of the points that says Add A Software Point. Click that to add a point.
Note that all the standard Software Point types are there but there are also a few select System Point types. For example, Controller Run Minutes is a Point that counts the minutes that a controller has been running without a reboot. This can be helpful in determining if a controller’s power is being interrupted
Did you know that you can now use 10K Type II temperature sensors in addition to 10K Type III in CBAS? This means that if Type II sensors are in place when retrofitting controllers at a site, you don’t have to change them.
The use of Type II is limited to the LX line of controllers. You must have a CBAS19 version and LX firmware dated January 15, 2020 or later for this to work.
Did you know that Binary Outputs can be locked out if your power supply is inadequate?
If the power being supplied to the controller is inadequate, all binary outputs will be locked in the OFF state until adequate power is returned. This way the controller continues to run, and if you have alarms setup, you will be notified that the equipment did not start. To know for sure whether this is Binary Lockout or your controller is defective, you must check Controller Diagnostics.
In July of 2018, I wrote an article about The Importance of Probe in BACnet. As a quick recap, when you probe a BACnet Controller in CBAS, the resulting probe file allows points to be imported into the database easily with minimum manual data input. Probing also automatically sets some of the BACnet services that the controller supports, like Read Property Multiple and COV (Change of Value). These are two services that can make BACnet communications more efficient.
CBAS software can be started in several different modes, one of which is GW Mode, also known as Graphical Workstation Mode.
On the DPU, also known as the Automation Server or Front End PC, CBAS software runs the database for the building in Real Mode and communicates in real-time to each of the controllers at the site. Additional PC’s on the network can run CBAS in GW Mode and connect to the DPU, allowing for several users to simultaneously work with a database.
Did you know that you can set up groups of users in CBAS that have the same rights as individual users?
To add users and groups in CBAS, go to System, then Program Passwords and you will see the user list:
It’s good practice to create a user and password for everyone who will be using CBAS. Typically, your most experienced users will have rights to view, command, and program nearly everything in the system. Meanwhile, security users might only have rights to see Activity View and acknowledge alarms, but must log in to do so. You might also have less experienced engineers who are only allowed to view data in the system without the ability to command points or make changes to programming.
I recently visited one of our customers who expressed to me the fact that he really likes the header points feature in CBAS but wished that he could have more than two points. For those of you not familiar, this software feature allows for you to display any two database points just under the menu bar. These points and their values are displayed consistently regardless of what user is logged in. Furthermore, as with all CBAS point values, the values are updated in real time.
Continue reading A New Software Feature in Less than 24 hours
