Month: September 2025

Key features

• Highly reliable control and monitoring of up to three

switching devices per ARC600

– Status information of three switching devices and

three earthing disconnectors

– Disconnector position and earthing status indications

with front LEDs

– Local and remote use of the disconnectors

• Overload protection of actuator motors

– Load current measured in the motor circuit

– Current limit based motor overload protection(software fuse)

– Measurement of disconnector open and close times

• Fault Passage Indication (FPI) support for improved fault management

– Support for external medium voltage directional fault

indication and for multifunction low voltage power quality metering

• Integrated wireless communication

– Always on two-way communication based on cellular

networks (GPRS, 3G, LTE)

– Communication monitoring and automatic connectionre-establishment

– High level data security through internal VPN and Firewall

– Support for Arctic Patrol centralized device management application

• Protocol converter

– Conventional IEC-101 and Modbus serial devices can

be connected in a reliable way to the modern TCP/IP

based IEC-104 and Modbus TCP control systems

• Built-in battery charger with advanced battery control

– Temperature compensated charging

– Battery monitoring/testing (condition monitoring)

– Deep discharge protection

• IEC-101 SCADA compliancy

– IEC 60870-5-101 slave (including dial-up) to support

the existing system installations

– Possibility for future SCADA migration from IEC-101 to

IEC-104 is supported as the operating mode is

selected using the parameter settings

– IEC-101 operation mode as unbalanced slave

• Heater control to limit the effects of ambient temperature

variations such as condensation

• Robust aluminium casing design and easy DIN rail mounting

Application

The functionalities of Wireless Controller ARC600 have been

developed to monitor and control switching devices inside a

secondary substation. Connected to the central control

system (SCADA/DMS) that manages the utility network, they

serve as the core of the secondary substation automation system.

• Protocol converter

– Conventional IEC-101 and Modbus serial devices can

be connected in a reliable way to the modern TCP/IP

based IEC-104 and Modbus TCP control systems

• Built-in battery charger with advanced battery control

– Temperature compensated charging

– Battery monitoring/testing (condition monitoring)

– Deep discharge protection

• IEC-101 SCADA compliancy

– IEC 60870-5-101 slave (including dial-up) to support

the existing system installations

– Possibility for future SCADA migration from IEC-101 to

IEC-104 is supported as the operating mode is

selected using the parameter settings

– IEC-101 operation mode as unbalanced slave

• Heater control to limit the effects of ambient temperature

variations such as condensation

• Robust aluminium casing design and easy DIN rail mounting

The use of Wireless Controller ARC600 in distribution

networks improves the quality of power distribution and

reduces the outage time in the affected areas. Areas directly

adjacent to these affected areas show reduced outages and

overall effects. This also reduces the capital expenditures in

the distribution network by allowing integration of legacy

devices and contributes to more direct cost savings by

facilitating preventative maintenance. The operational

expenditure can be reduced by lowering the System Average

Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and System Average

Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), resulting in lower

penalties for undelivered energy. Wireless Controller ARC600

is also ideally suited to be retrofitted to existing applications

thus enabling the remote control of these devices and further

extending the life cycle of the switching devices itself.

Typically, the IEC-104 protocol is utilized for communication

to the SCADA system but for the existing installations with a

IEC-101 line or modem, Wireless Controller ARC600 supports

also IEC-101 communication (including dial-up) to the SCADA system.

Description

Wireless Controller ARC600 is a compact, solution based

device for remote controlling and monitoring of secondary

substations, such as network disconnectors, load break

switches and ring main units (RMU) in distribution networks. It

enables the SCADA system to wirelessly monitor and control

the field devices over the public communication infrastructure

(cellular network). Wireless Controller ARC600 utilizes the

built-in wireless communication features for reliable and

secure end-to-end communication providing remote

monitoring and control of three switching devices and can be

expanded as required by using external I/O expansion modules.

The use of Wireless Controller ARC600 in distribution

networks improves the quality of power distribution and

reduces the outage time in the affected areas. Areas directly

adjacent to these affected areas show reduced outages and

overall effects. This also reduces the capital expenditures in

the distribution network by allowing integration of legacy

devices and contributes to more direct cost savings by

facilitating preventative maintenance. 

Indication LEDs

RIO600 is equipped with different indication LEDs

available on different modules.

•Ready LED on all modules

•Status indication LED for each binary input and output

•Communication diagnostic LED on the communication module

RIO600 has built-in self-supervision feature which

continuously monitors the state of the RIO600

hardware and the operation of the software. Any

fault or malfunction detected is used for alerting

the operator. The dedicated LED is provided to

indicate the failure. RIO600 self-supervision status

is also distributed to the IEC 61850 station bus as

one data entry in the published GOOSE frame.

One of the output contact of DO module can also

be configured to indicate the status of RIO600.

Communication

RIO600 supports the horizontal GOOSE

communication of the IEC 61850 substation

automation standard.

RIO600 is designed to send and receive binary

signals to or from the ABB Relion® series IEDs

and the station automation device COM600 using

the IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE (Generic Object

Oriented Substation Event) profile.

RIO600 communication module includes a

galvanic Ethernet RJ-45 port for IEC 61850

GOOSE communication. The used cable type

must be at least Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) CAT5e.

Using the same Ethernet port, RIO600 can be

connected in parallel to PCM600 and a Web

browser over the same communication bus.

Indication LEDs

RIO600 is equipped with different indication LEDs

available on different modules.

•Ready LED on all modules

•Status indication LED for each binary input and output

•Communication diagnostic LED on the communication module

Self-supervision

RIO600 has built-in self-supervision feature which

continuously monitors the state of the RIO600

hardware and the operation of the software. Any

fault or malfunction detected is used for alerting

the operator. The dedicated LED is provided to

indicate the failure. RIO600 self-supervision status

is also distributed to the IEC 61850 station bus as

one data entry in the published GOOSE frame.

One of the output contact of DO module can also

be configured to indicate the status of RIO600.

Communication

RIO600 supports the horizontal GOOSE

communication of the IEC 61850 substation

automation standard.

RIO600 is designed to send and receive binary

signals to or from the ABB Relion® series IEDs

and the station automation device COM600 using

the IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE (Generic Object

Oriented Substation Event) profile.

RIO600 communication module includes a

galvanic Ethernet RJ-45 port for IEC 61850

GOOSE communication. The used cable type

must be at least Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) CAT5e.

Using the same Ethernet port, RIO600 can be

connected in parallel to PCM600 and a Web

browser over the same communication bus.

Configuration examples

RIO600 can be configured to operate a maximum

of 20 binary input/output signals using one power

supply module and up to 40 binary input/output

signals using two power supply modules.

The user-specific configuration can be adapted as

per application requirements by combining different modules.

Self-supervision

RIO600 has built-in self-supervision feature which

continuously monitors the state of the RIO600

hardware and the operation of the software. Any

fault or malfunction detected is used for alerting

the operator. The dedicated LED is provided to

indicate the failure. RIO600 self-supervision status

is also distributed to the IEC 61850 station bus as

one data entry in the published GOOSE frame.

One of the output contact of DO module can also

be configured to indicate the status of RIO600.

The Arctic products allow accessing and

managing any remote asset from a central

location. The result is a smarter distribution

network and a more interconnected world.

ABB employs strict cyber security measures to

safeguard all network traffic between remote

assets and the central monitoring and control

system. The security features include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections

between the M2M gateway ARM600 and remote

Arctic gateways and controllers

• Private IP addressing – no access from external networks

• Firewall in every Arctic device

• SIM card protected by PIN code

• User authentication

The centrally located M2M gateway ARM600

includes a unique device management application – Arctic Patrol – used for supervision of

communication links and remote management of

Arctic gateways, controllers and the remote I/O

unit RIO600. Arctic Patrol allows simultaneous

updating of both the configuration and the

firmware of up to 1.000 RIO600 units via the

Arctic communication devices, which saves both time and money.

Secure and cost-effective connectivity with the

Arctic family of wireless communication products

The Arctic family offers secure and cost-effective

wireless connectivity for all industrial and utility

applications, ranging from enabling the industrial

Internet of Things to remote real-time grid

automation. As the backbone for communication,

the Arctic family utilizes public wireless networks,

making it possible to combine the products into

secure and cost-effective wireless

communication systems with global coverage.

Arctic product family highlights

• Enables industrial Internet of Things (IoT)

• Allows wireless connection to any remote asset within any application

• Utilizes secure and cost-effective public

wireless networks with global coverage

• Involves no network investment or maintenance

costs other than for data transfer

• Allows wireless access to geographically remote

areas inaccessible before

• Ensures optimal cyber security throughout