When you install CBAS20, a new Windows service called Computrols Live Service is installed and any previous Computrols services are uninstalled as they are no longer needed.
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips, January 2021In the last 2 months, I have covered new features in the latest CBAS versions that enhance the way you view your CBAS database. I talked about the new Dark Theme and how to select or deselect it, which was added in CBAS 19. In CBAS 20, there are new ways of formatting Text View\All Points in order to make the points easier to read, especially on a large flat-screen display. The next feature we’ll cover has to do with that large flat-screen display or adding a second monitor.
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips December 2020As I said last month, the latest CBAS versions have new features that enhance the way you view your CBAS database. I talked about the new Dark Theme and how to select or deselect it. That feature was added in CBAS 19. Now in CBAS 20, there are new ways of formatting Text View\All Points in order to make the points easier to read, especially on a large flat-screen display.
Continue reading George’s CBAS Tips November 2020CBAS 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.
