C-Bus Connectivity Kitby Neopsis GmbH

C-Bus Connectivity Kitby Neopsis GmbH

Version 1.0.0

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Trademark AcknowledgementStatements

Windows® is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation

EXCEL® 5000 OPEN system is a registered trademark of Honeywell International Inc.

ExcelTM 10, 50 and 500 are trademarks of Honeywell International Inc.

Tridium, JACE, Niagara Framework, NiagaraAX are registered trademarks, and Workbench,WorkPlaceAX, and AX Supervisor, are trademarks of Tridium Inc.

OPC is a registered trademark of the OPC Foundation

All other product names and services mentioned in this publication that is known to be trademarks,registered trademarks, or service marks are the property of their respective owners.

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Table of ContentsPreface ........................................................................................................................ v

Changelog ........................................................................................................... v1. Overview ................................................................................................................. 6

Intelligent External Converter ................................................................................. 6Niagara Driver ..................................................................................................... 6Architecture ......................................................................................................... 7

2. Intelligent External Converter - IEC ............................................................................. 9Preparing the IEC Unit .......................................................................................... 9Mounting and Wiring ........................................................................................... 10

DIN rail mounted device .............................................................................. 10Embedded Option Card ................................................................................ 11

Setting the IEC IP Address and Port ....................................................................... 113. Driver Quick Start ................................................................................................... 13

Set up Network ................................................................................................... 13Configure XL5000 controllers ............................................................................... 14Configure C-Bus Data Points ................................................................................ 15

Manually Add New Data Point ...................................................................... 15Add Data Points Using CSV File ................................................................... 15Point Autodiscovery .................................................................................... 17

4. Advanced Tasks ...................................................................................................... 19Alarm Integration ................................................................................................ 19

Alarm Log ................................................................................................. 19Point Alarms .............................................................................................. 19

Time Programs ................................................................................................... 20Configuration .............................................................................................. 20Time Program Manager ................................................................................ 21

Point Attributes ................................................................................................... 23Attribute Editor ........................................................................................... 23Attribute Point Extension .............................................................................. 23

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List of Figures1.1. Hardware Architecture ............................................................................................. 71.2. Concept ................................................................................................................. 82.1. Ethernet Module Installation ..................................................................................... 92.2. Ethernet Module Settings ........................................................................................ 102.3. IEC wiring ........................................................................................................... 102.4. Option card wiring ................................................................................................ 112.5. Setting IEC IP Address .......................................................................................... 112.6. Setting IEC IP Port ............................................................................................... 123.1. CARE Report Generator ......................................................................................... 164.1. Daily Schedule View ............................................................................................. 214.2. Time Program Manager Installation .......................................................................... 224.3. Time Program Manager View ................................................................................. 22

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List of Tables3.1. Point Type Mapping .............................................................................................. 16

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PrefaceChangelog

Updates (changes/additions) to this document are listed below.

• Update: 1.12.2010

Update driver version 4.x, embedded option card

• Draft: 10.12.2009

Added section about the IEC mounting and wiring

• Release: 10.3.2009

Version 1.0.0

• Draft: 10.8.2008

English version

• Draft: 25.7.2008

(Initial change log) First document draft (German)

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Chapter 1. OverviewThe C-Bus Connectivity Kit is the solution for all Tridium partners looking to integrate the HoneywellExcel controllers with other standard building automation protocols. The Excel IRC can be madeavailable via the Excel 5000 controllers (e.g. XL500, XL100 and XL80) by generating remote pointsin these controllers. The Niagara driver links to the C-Bus via the Intelligent External Converter (IEC).This converter is a microprocessor based device used for the physical connection to the C-Bus. Thereare serial and TCP/IP versions of the IEC. Both are supported by the driver.

Intelligent External Converter

The Intelligent External Converter (IEC) device handles all C-Bus events and provides a changenotification service for the Niagara driver. The change of state notification guarantees very shortresponse times. IEC can connect with up to 29 Excel controllers with max. 3’000 data points. The IECcommunicates with the Niagara station either over a serial line or a TCP/IP connection. The IEC ismanufactured by the Czech company KZK Ltd. (www.softyon.com). In addition to the Niagara driverthey offer an OPC server. The OPC server is not a subject of this guide.

The IEC is available as a DIN rail mounted box or as Jace option card. Both converters have samefunctionality and use same Niagara driver.

Niagara Driver

The driver runs on all Tridium stations such as Jace or Supervisor and perfectly integrates into theNiagara Workbench. Seamless integration into the framework, device and point discovery, alarmintegration and time program maintenance lower the engineering costs, minimize the learning curveand provide an efficient way to integrate the C-Bus with other protocols supported by Niagara.

• In combination with the IEC the driver can control up to 29 Excel 5000 controllers

• The driver communicates with the IEC using either a serial port (RS-232, RS-485) or TCP/IP

• The driver can read and write the following C-Bus point types:

Digital Input, Digital Output

Overview

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Analog Input, Analog Output

Pseudo Digital (Virtual) and Pseudo Analog (Virtual)

Totalizer (Slow & Fast)

Pulse, Multistate

• The driver supports reading and writing of the extended attributes mode, inAlarm,HighLimit1, HighLimit2, LowLimit1, LowLimit2, AlarmDelay, SensorOffset, AccumulatedRuntime,ServiceInterval, TimeSinceServiced, SuppressAlarm, PointEnabled, RuntimeEnable, ActiveState,AlarmType, AlarmStatus, TrendHysteresis and AlarmHysteresis

• The driver supports editing of daily, weekly and yearly (daily exceptions) time programs

• The driver supports writing C-Bus alarms into the Niagara history table

• The driver supports device and point autodiscovery, import of engineering units and pointdescriptions

ArchitectureThe hardware architecture is shown in Figure 1.1, “Hardware Architecture”. The Niagara driver doesnot communicate directly with the C-Bus, it uses a piece of hardware called Intelligent ExternalConverter (IEC). This converter acts on the C-Bus as a standard XL5000 controller, has its uniquename and unique address. The converter maintains its own database of all C-Bus data points monitoredby the driver and maintains a cache for data and commands. One IEC can connect with up to 29XL5000 controllers (IEC itself needs one C-Bus address) and can control up to 3000 data points. Youcan connect multiple IEC's to one C-Bus where each IEC maintains unique set of data points. The realmaximal installation size depends on the Niagara station resources and application characteristics.

Figure 1.1. Hardware Architecture

The communication between the Jace and the IEC is implemented either over a serial line or a TCP/IP network. The communication protocol is proprietary. The driver interprets this protocol and mapsthe IEC data structures and events into Niagara objects.

Figure 1.2, “Concept” shows the basic concept of the driver.

Overview

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Figure 1.2. Concept

Starting with driver version 4.0, the driver takes advantage of Niagara subscribe/unsubscribemechanism. If any data point is subscribed in the Niagara driver, the point in XL5000 controller is setinto the refresh mode and starts to report values by exception - [1]. Normally only value changes (CoV- change of value) are sent to the IEC - [2a]. The IEC manages the bus communication and caches thechanges. The key component of the driver - the IEC Monitor - polls the IEC for changes with highfrequency, typically 1-2 seconds [2b] and imports the changes into the Niagara framework. When thedata point is unsubscribed in the Niagara driver, the point in the XL5000 controller is removed fromrefresh mode and stops to report by exception.

Caution

If you are runing the IEC and a Honeywell station (XBS, EBI, SymmetrE) on one C-Busin paralell, you probably can not configure the IEC to use CoV mode. When removing thepoint from the CoV mode the driver has no chance to check if any other station on the busstill expects the point is reporting it's changes by exception. Point unsubscribe action in theNiagara driver can cause stale data in the Honeywell station!

If for any reason the CoV mode is not possible or acceptable, the driver can use Niagara pollingmechanism to communicate with Excel controllers. Even the mixed mode is supported, where a partof data points runs in polling mode and another part reports values by exception. This allows finetuning of the C-Bus.

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Chapter 2. Intelligent ExternalConverter - IEC

Preparing the IEC UnitNormally the IEC unit is pre-configured according to the customer order. If you upgrade from the serialto the Ethernet version or if you have the Ethernet version of the IEC and you plan to use the serialcommunication between the Jace and the IEC, you need to read the following instruction carefully.Otherwise you can skip this section.

Only one type of the communication can be activated on the IEC. To switch between Ethernetand serial communication, the Ethernet module on the IEC mainboard (Lantronix Cobox) must bephysically installed/uninstalled. Figure 2.1, “Ethernet Module Installation” shows the installation ofthe Ethernet module (Lantronix Cobox).

Figure 2.1. Ethernet Module Installation

Please pay attention to the DIP switch settings when installing/uninstalling the Ethernet module, seeFigure 2.2, “Ethernet Module Settings” for details.

Intelligent External Converter - IEC

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Figure 2.2. Ethernet Module Settings

Mounting and Wiring

DIN rail mounted device

Connect the C-Bus and the Jace as shown in Figure 2.3, “IEC wiring”. If you are using the serialline for the communication between the Jace and the IEC, you can use either RS-232 or RS-485. ForEthernet based connection use the RJ-45 connector. IEC must be powered by a 15-24V DC powersource. DC polarity is not critical. Do not apply 24V power until all other wiring is completed.

Figure 2.3. IEC wiring

Intelligent External Converter - IEC

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Embedded Option Card

For option card mounting follow the instructions attached to the package. Notice that you can installonly one option card per Jace due to the fact the card uses the serial port COM1. The option card uses3-position connector to connect to the C-Bus. Because the option card has no bus terminator installed,it should be connected in the middle of the C-Bus.

Figure 2.4. Option card wiring

Setting the IEC IP Address and PortIf you are using the Ethernet version of the IEC, you must first configure the IP address. The IEC isdelivered with the IP address set to 192.168.1.254 and port 10001. Use your preferred web browserto set up the IEC TCP/IP parameters. Java must be enabled.

2. Connect to the HTTP interface on the IEC. Default password is 4444

3. To change the IP address, select the Menu Server Properties and modify the IP connectionparameters. (IP address, subnet mask and default gateway) - Figure 2.5, “Setting IEC IP Address”

Figure 2.5. Setting IEC IP Address

4. To change the IP port, select the Menu Channel2 and modify the field Dedicated Connection -Local Port. You can use any port number except the range 14000 - 14100 - Figure 2.6, “SettingIEC IP Port”

5. To make your settings persistent use the Menu Update Settings.

Intelligent External Converter - IEC

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Figure 2.6. Setting IEC IP Port

DO NOT CHANGE ANY OTHER IEC PARAMETERS !

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Chapter 3. Driver Quick StartIn order to install the driver, you need a Niagara station version 3.2.xx or later with a valid driverlicense. The driver supports the Tridium Jace and compatible devices running Niagara framework.On the Supervisor only the Ethernet version of the driver is supported. For historical reason, based onthe original IEC name, the driver is called SoftYon Driver. This Quick Guide describes the SoftYonDriver version 4.0.0 and higher. Before you start the installation, you should always check the Neopsissupport web site for the latest driver release.

From your PC, use the Niagara Workbench 3.2.xx or later installed with the installation tool option(checkbox “This instance of Workbench will be used as an installation tool”).

Use the Software Manager to install the softYonDriver base module on the Niagarastation. Depending on the communication mode between the IEC and the Jace install eithersoftYonSerialDriver or softYonTcpDriver module. Insert the softYonDriver into your workbenchpalette.

This section provides a collection of procedures to configure the SoftYon driver. Like other Niagaradrivers, you can do most configuration tasks using Manager Views and Property Sheets.

Set up NetworkDepending on the type of communication mode between the IEC and the Niagara station use thefollowing procedure in order to set up the driver Network.

1. Double click the folder Drivers.

2. Press the button New, select Soft Yon TCP Network or Soft Serial Network. Choose "1" fornumber of networks.

3. (optional) Rename the network in the following New Dialog.

4. Press OK to save the new network object.

In the folder Drivers you should now see a network component with the name SoftYonTcpNetwork,SoftYonSerialNetwork or the name you have entered in step 3.

5. Double click the new network and modify properties in the dialog:

• Serial number - optional entry, notice the serial number of your IEC here. This may help youlater to quickly find the answer when asked by Neopsis support for the IEC serial number.

Driver Quick Start

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• Name - enter the name of the IEC device in the Niagara hierarchy tree

• IP address - enter the IP address of the devide defined in previous step (only for TCP/IP device)

• COM Port Name - enter the name of Jace serial port (only for serial device). Note - for embeddedoption card always enter COM1.

• C-Bus name - enter the name the IEC device should have on the C-Bus

• C-Bus address - entre the C-Bus address of the IEC on your C-Bus. This address must be unique

• Enabled - let the device enabled

6. Press Save to save the settings. After few seconds you should see the status {ok}.

Configure XL5000 controllersA XL5000 controller is modeled in the Niagara component model as a Point Device Extension. Inorder to add a XL5000 controller, follow these steps:

1. Double click your SoftYonIecDevice, the Soft Yon C-Bus Device Manager opens.

2. Click on the Discover button and let the manager listen for devices on the C-Bus.

3. After the discovery process finishes, all found XL5000 controllers will be listed in the upper table(discovery table). The bottom table (database table) shows all devices already added to the station.This table should be empty when discovering the first time.

4. There are several ways to add the desired XL5000 controller to the station:

• Drag & Drop from the discovery table to the database table.

• Double click a row in the discovery table.

• Select the desired rows in the discovery table and press the Add button.

For all of these methods, an Add Dialog appears in a popup window. There is also a faster methodthat does not involve the dialog:

• Select the desired rows in the discovery table and press button a on your keyboard.

5.

• Name - name of the component in the Niagara navigation tree. Defaults to the controller name

Driver Quick Start

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• C Bus Address - controller address on the bus, do not change the discovered address!

• C Bus Name - discovered controller name

• Program Name - discovered program name

• Firmware version - discovered controller firmware release

• C Bus Device Type - optional memo field used to store additional user info

Configure C-Bus Data PointsYou can add new data points either manually or by using the point discovery function. You find thecorrect names of data points in CARE Printout Tool, XI584 software terminal, XI581/XI582 terminals,XL50 MMI panel or you can also use tools for downloading the data points database directly fromthe controller. The name of the data point is an 18 character case-sensitive ASCII string. Each datapoint on the C-Bus must have a unique name. Use the Soft Yon Point Manager to add new datapoints into the driver.

Manually Add New Data PointIn order to manually add points, follow these steps:

1. Double click the C-Bus Device object in the driver navigation tree, the SoftYon Point Manageropens.

2. Press New, select the desired point type and number of points you wish to add. The following pointtypes can be selected:

• SoftYon Boolean Point

• SoftYon Boolean Writable Point

• SoftYon Numeric Point

• SoftYon Numeric Writable Point

• SoftYon Enumeration Point

• SoftYon Enumeration Writable Point

3. In the following New Dialog, set the point names. Use exactly the same name as defined in theXL5000 controller. Optionally, you can also set other properties such as facets or conversion. PressSave to save the settings.

4. The new points will be shown in the SoftYon Point Manager table. After several seconds, thestatus will change from {stale} to {ok} and the current values will update the point out properties.

Add Data Points Using CSV FileYou can import the point definitions from a CSV (comma separated) UTF-8 file where each line iswritten as pair POINT_NAME, POINT_TYPE. Example of a CSV file :

AHU1_HtgVlV, AI AHU1_ClgVlV, AO AHU1_SaTmpSp, AI

Driver Quick Start

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For point types use the shortcuts from the Table 3.1, “Point Type Mapping”. Most of themare compatible with the CARE printed documentation shortcuts. Global points and the pointsSTARTUP, SHUTDOWN AND EXECUTING_STOPPED are automatically excluded by thediscovery process, even if they are in the CSV file. Although these points can be entered manually,we do not recommend to do so, it is to dangerous for operational stuff.

Table 3.1. Point Type Mapping

Shortcut Point Type Default Niagara Mapping

AI Analog Input Numeric

AI_S Analog Input Slow Numeric

AI_F Analog Input Fast Numeric

AO Analog Output Numeric Writable

DI Digital Input Boolean

DI_NO DigitalInput (NO) Boolean

DI_NC Digital Input (NC-C/O) Boolean

DO Digital Output Boolean Writable

DO_NO Digital Output (NO) Boolean Writable

DO_NC Digital Output (NC-C/O) Boolean Writable

DO-F-DI DO Feedback DI Boolean Writable

VA Pseudo Analog Numeric

VD Pseudo Digital Boolean

VDM Multistate Enumeration

VT Analog Input Fast Numeric

TT Totalizer Numeric

TOT_F Totalizer Fast Numeric

TOT_S Totalizer Slow Numeric

You can easily prepare your CSV file if you have access to the CARE programming tool. Start theproject documentation generator and select the option Short Format as shown in Figure 3.1, “CAREReport Generator”.

Figure 3.1. CARE Report Generator

Driver Quick Start

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When your RTF report is generated, copy & paste the first (UserAddress) and third (PointType)columns into a spreadsheet program (MS Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Mac Numbers) and save the datain comma separated format on your engineering host.

In order to import points from a CSV file, follow these steps:

1. Double click the C-Bus Device in the driver navigation tree and open the SoftYon Point Manager.

2. Press the Discover button. In the Discovery Option dialog select File Discovery.

3. In the File Open Dialog select your prepared CSV file. Press OK.

4. In the discovery pane select all points you wish to add to the driver. Press the Add button andoptionally modify the Niagara point types if the default mappings does not match your needs. PressOK to commit the selection into the station database. After several seconds, you should see thatthe driver starts to put the subscribed points into the CoV mode and the point status will changefrom {stale} to {ok}. The speed of this process is about 2 points/second if the C-Bus speed is 9'600baud. So be patient.

Point AutodiscoveryDirect point discovery is another way how to import point definitions into the station database. Inorder to discover points, follow these steps:

1. Double click the C-Bus Device in the driver navigation tree and open the SoftYon Point Manager.

2. Press the Discover button. In the Discovery Option dialog select Direct Discovery. Optionally youcan import point descriptors and engineering units while discovering points. However you can

Driver Quick Start

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let the check boxes unchecked and import this details later. Discovering without Descriptors andFacets speeds up the process.

3. In the discovery pane select all points you wish to add to the driver. Press the Add button andoptionally modify the Niagara point types if the default mappings does not match your needs. PressOK to commit the selection into the station database. After several seconds, you should see thatthe driver starts to put the points into the CoV mode and the point status will change from {stale}to {ok}. The speed of this process is about 2 points/second if the C-Bus speed is 9'600 baud. Sobe patient.

Note

Default point type mapping defines all input/output points as writable points and all virtualpoints as readonly points. If you plan virtual setpoints to be writable, you have to change thepoint type in the Add Dialog. You can not change the point type later without deleting thepoint first. This is the Niagara issue.

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Chapter 4. Advanced TasksAlarm Integration

Alarm LogYou can enable the logging of all C-Bus alarms into the Niagara history table, similar to the login the MMI panel. Per default the logging is disabled. To enable the alarm logging, navigate to thecomponent Alarm Log, located under the IEC Device. Change the Enabled property to true andoptionally change the history table name. Then press the Save button. New local history object appearsin the stations history database.

Because the alarm time reported by XL5000 controller usually does not match the time when thealarm event has been inserted into the station history table, there are two timestamp columns loggedin the alarm log. Alarm timestamp reported by XL5000 controller is logged in the column EventTimestamp.

Point AlarmsIf you need to integrate point alarms into the Niagara alarm subsystem, the InAlarmExtension isavailable for the AX Notification Class. XL5000 controllers are sending every alarm to the C-Businstantly. The AX C-Bus Driver is monitoring the bus traffic for the following attributes: PointValue,PointMode and PointInAlarm. When alarm occurs on a particular point, In Alarm parameter willindicate the Fault Status. When the Extension is added to the Point definition, it will allow the exposureof the Alarm Flag to the AX Alarm Notification Class. After adding new InAlarmExtension the alarmtext from the XL5000 controller, if exists, will be written as To Offnormal Text.

In this way you even do not have to know the alarm algorithm defined in the XL5000 controller.However you can adjust alarm ranges for Low, LL, High, HH from the AX Driver on the AnalogPoints.

Advanced Tasks

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Additionally SoftYon driver provides alternatives to the standard Niagara alarm pointextensions. All SoftYon driver alarm extensions - InAlarmExtension, OutOfRangeAlarmExt,BooleanChangeOfStateAlarmExt, BooleanCommandFailureAlarmExt are working on the C-Busdata points in the same way as their Niagara counterparts but can be inserted using Program BatchEditor. This feature makes the alarm extension maintenance more easier.

Time ProgramsThe driver provides full implementation of the XL5000 Local Time Schedule. Native Daily, Weeklyand Yearly XL5000 C-Bus Schedules are supported. The driver provides a Time Program Managerimplemented as Workbench PxView.

Caution

If you are running SoftYon Driver and Honeywell station (XBS, SymmetrE, EBI) on oneC-Bus in parallel, you should decide which technology is responsible for time schedulemaintenance. Never mix both systems for time schedule updates. Disable time programs ifyou do not plan to maintain the schedules in the driver. See the section called “Configuration”how to enable/disable this feature.

Configuration

Time Schedules are normaly disabled. To enable time schedules, navigate to the component TimePrograms located under the C-Bus Device. In the property sheet change the Enabled property to trueand press the Save button.

In the next step you have to synchronize the schedule definitions between the XL5000 controllerand the driver. To do it manually use the action Synchronize on the Time Program component. TheTrigger property helps you to automate the synchronization process. There is a unique identifier inevery XL5000 controller that determines a change of the local schedule. The trigger checks the UIDin the controller and when the UID is changed, the time schedule definitions are synchronized. Weprefer on schedule daily, or on a periodic interval.

Advanced Tasks

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Note

Only Daily and Weekly Schedule definitions are synchronized. Yearly Schedules are alwaysfetched directly from the XL5000 controller. The action Synchronize on the Time Programcomponent starts the synchronization process even if there are no differences between theschedule definitions in the driver and in the XL5000 controller. The action Fire Trigger on theTrigger component first checks the UID and starts the synchronization process only if thereis any difference between the schedule definitions in the driver and in the XL5000 controller.

Time Program ManagerSoftYon driver provides a customized set of PxViews for time program editing. For example thefigure Figure 4.1, “Daily Schedule View” shows the Daily Schedule Editor View, which is the defaultview on Daily Schedule component in the navigation tree. You can use this view to insert, update ordelete daily schedules in the XL5000 controller. If you modify the data in the view, the changes in thecontroller are executed in the background task.

Figure 4.1. Daily Schedule View

Additionaly the driver provides more complex Time Program Manager view attached to the IECDevice and the C-Bus Device objects. Time Program manager is all-in-one PxView component withit's own navigation tree and editor panes. To place the Time Program Manager on your custom PxView,follow this procedure ( see Figure 4.2, “Time Program Manager Installation” )

• Create a new PxView. Consult the Niagara guide how to create custom views.

Advanced Tasks

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• Drag the IEC Device or the C-Bus Device component from the navigation tree on your new PxView.

• In the Make Widget dialog select Workbench View and SoftYon Time Program Manager.

• Press OK. Change the widget size to match your needs.

Figure 4.2. Time Program Manager Installation

The Figure 4.3, “Time Program Manager View” shows a PxView with the installed Time ProgramManager.

Figure 4.3. Time Program Manager View

Advanced Tasks

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Point AttributesThe driver supports reading and writing of most common C-Bus Point Attributes. In case of specialrequirements, the attribute list can be expanded. Normally only attributes PointValue, PointModeand InAlarm are reported continuously. All other attributes are maintained on demand. The driverprovides methods for onetime reading and writing attributes and methods for attribute integration intothe Niagara component model.

Attribute Editor

If you need only onetime read or write attribute, you will use the SoftYon Point Property Sheetview, which is the default PxView on the C-Bus Control Point. You open this view by double clickingthe control point. Point Property Sheet displays current values of all point attributes. If an attribute iswritable, you can change it and save the new value into the XL5000 controller. If an attribute is notdefined on the particular control point type, the field editor will be empty.

Attribute Point Extension

If you need the attribute value to be displayed or modified in a custom PxView or an attribute valueshoud be integrated into a wire sheet, you have to add the attribute object from the driver palette ascontrol point extension. Properties of such an extension are Status Values, which can be wired withother components in the station or placed in the custom view. For example you need to display thevalue of Accumulated Runtime on your custom view, select the attribute Accumulated Runtime in thedriver palette and add this object to the control point.

Advanced Tasks

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In the next step open the property sheet of the new installed extension and change the value of theproperty Refresh On Change to true.

• Refresh On Change - when true, the attribute value will be read from the XL5000 controllerwhenever the point value changes. When false, the attribute value will be read from the controlleronly when the driver initializes. False is typical for writable attributes like alarm ranges, where thevalue is modified in the workbench.

• Attribute Value - if the attribute is readable, the field editor allows value updates.

Additionally the driver provides the action Refresh on each attribute extension. You can execute thisaction to retrieve the current attribute value from the XL5000 controller.