C-Bus Network Interface won't work

Hi,

My electrician installed a CBUS ethernet interface module when my house was built but I've never been able to get it fully working. It can download the database from my network in the CBUS toolkit, I can control the lights from within the software, but I can never get it to upload the database. Every single time it fails. This problem has been a bone of contention with my electrician for nearly a year now. He replaced the ethernet unit, and I've upgraded through several versions of the toolkit in that time, but still no cigar.

Now he's claiming that it works ok from his laptop connecting into my router. It seems strange because my computer seems to be working fine all this time, the router works fine both between computers in my home as well as to the internet. The idea that there is something wrong with my computer seems hard to believe. I'll be getting hold of another Windows machine to test if there is anything to this theory, but in the meantime what do other people here think?

Does it seem reasonable that the problem is somehow to do with the CBUS install, or does it seem more likely something to do with my computer? Any opinions would be much appreciated!

 

What exactly happens?

 

On the current 1.5.1 version of toolkit it says "Transfer failed" in red next to each unit in turn.

As I said, performing "All Units to DB" works fine, as does "scan units". Each unit on download takes about 7 seconds, I don't know if that's normal or slow or not.

If I remember right you were the one who commented way back saying to check clocks and timings and stuff - a message I passed onto the electrician but he seemed confident everything was okay there.

How does the software communicate with the ethernet interface? Is it a TCP socket? It seems to me that if the software can establish a socket connection with the ethernet interface, and suck down data, then any problems with a specific function such as the upload can't be related to anything on the computer side, so much as a problem in the CBUS network itself.

 

Yes it uses TCP sockets.. so given that you're performing other functions OK (scan, download etc) it certainly rules out any ethernet issues.


I've had a long think about this and cant come up with any definitive ideas.. I would suggest creating a NEW project and attempting the same in that, scan the network then attempt a transfer to the database from the Network.

If that fails I'd lay my hat on the Network having marginal comms.. it's often the cause of inexplicable issues.. check unit voltages (you can do this from Toolkit, scan the network, then Press the PING button, network voltages will be displayed for each unit).. check that there's a burden enabled or that you have a hardware one plugged in somewhere..

If all else fails.. after the transfer has failed close Toolkit and email the "C:\CLIPSAL\CBusToolkit\Toolkit.CCL" file to [email protected] and mark it Attention Duncan.. it contains a log file of whats going on and we might be able to find something out from that.

 

Hi,

Another dispute I'm having with the electrician is wierd behaviour all the time from the system. Lights that go on for no apparent reason. Light switches that seem to stop working for days before recovering. Just general wierd behaviour that is driving me crazy.

Is this also a symptom of what you call "marginal comms"?

 

Very possibly.. check voltages.. burdens.. there's also the C-Bus Diagnostic Utility tool that you could run that will show if there's errors in the comms happening on the network..

You can get that here:


http://www2.clipsal.com/cis/technical/downloads/commissioning_tools#Diagnosticutility

 

It certainly does sound like marginal communication. Once installed properly and with all units functioning correctly, you should NEVER experience lights coming on unexpectedly, and you should ALWAYS be able to control them. C-Bus is normally very reliable in this regard.

It sounds like you have a fault somewhere in the system. In my experience, this usually will be caused by any one of the following:

a) intermittent connections improperly terminated wires on screw terminals of products, where applicable

b) intermittent mains connection to output units

c) intermittent short circuits on the C-Bus network (this is the most likely cause of lights coming on unexpectedly)

d) incorrect network burden conditions (or no burden)

e) higher level products (C-Touch, PAC or other similar units) programmed incorrectly.

f) faulty C-Bus units.

I suggest that you work with your electrician to isolate the fault. It should be possible to split your system down to isolated sections which should be able to work independently. If the faults stay with one section, then it will help you to find the cause

I'm confident that you will be able to get your installation working the way you expect it to, but unfortunately sometimes there is a bit of troubleshooting required to find the faults in a new system. Once the system is working well, your interface should behave itself beautifully.

Don

 

The trouble is, by the time the electrician comes month(s) later, the problem has resolved itself. Problems seem to hang around for a few days and then right themselves. How should the electrician be dealing with that?

Re the CNI device, I borrowed a computer from work, feeling sure it wouldn't work, but it did in fact work. I was able to switch back and forth between the work computer and my computer, working and not working respectively on the upload.

The only problem I noticed with the work computer is that I wan't always able to connect without rebooting the CNI, but I suspect this is because only one computer is designed to have the network open at once. (??)

Oh yes, and I started out with a blank project on my own computer, but still no cigar there.

So it's all very mysterious. The only thing I can think to do is reinstall the cbus toolkit.

Anyway, I'll send you that toolkit.ccl and you can see if it sheds any light.

 

Really curious.. really really curious.. cant wait to get the log file because I'm quite intrigued now

 

countach
As a matter of interest where are you located?
Maybe some one else can have a look at your site.
As Don and Duncan have indicated your problem may be a wiring problem, not neccesarily a hardware or software problem...

Mark

 

I'm in Canberra

 

Sorry good sir,
wrong end of the country for me - based in FNQ

Mark

 

Hi,

My email to [email protected] keeps getting bounced by the virus checker. This toolkit.ccl file sure doesn't look like a log file, iit is some binary thingy. Is this a paranoid virus checker, or could there really be a virus?

 

Alternatively.. if its the cbusforums.com server that is bouncing the email try sending it to [email protected]

 

Working on one PC and not on another....

...and some stuff getting through, but not everything. I smell Windows XP SP2 firewall going on there. Try turning the Windows firewall off.

Just a thought.