Hubbell Aclara RF Electric I-210+c User manual

Aclara RF Electric I-210+c
User Guide
Y84580-2-TUM
Revision A
www.Aclara.com

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Proprietary Notice
This document contains information that is private to Aclara Technologies LLC, an Ohio limited
liability company, and/or that is private to Aclara Meters LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (individually or collectively “Aclara”). This information may not be published,
reproduced, or otherwise disseminated without the express written authorization of Aclara.
Any software or firmware described in this document is furnished under a license and may be
used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed
as a commitment by Aclara. Aclara assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in
this document.
No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software on equipment that is not
supplied by Aclara.
Metrum Cellular, STAR, Synergize, and TWACS are registered trademarks of Aclara
Technologies LLC.
Aclara Technologies LLC
Confidential and Proprietary
Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Applicable Industry Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Tools Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Optional Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
System Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Meter Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Aclara Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Aclara University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Safety Guidelines 5
Shock Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
RF Exposure Hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
ESD Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Inspect Antenna Clearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 3: Regulatory Guidelines 7
FCC/IC Compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
FCC/IC RF Exposure Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Field Calibration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Conformité FCC/IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Guide d'exposition aux RF FCC/IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Procédure de calibration sur place. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation on Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pole Mount Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 4: Product Specifications 11
Compliance Declarations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FCC Part 15 Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FCC Part 90 Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
RSS-GEN Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ISED Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
RF Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Meter Accommodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Supported Meter Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table of Contents

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Table of Contents
Chapter 5: Features 17
Supported Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Daily Shifted and Interval Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Demand Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
End Device Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
New Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
On Request Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Power Outage and Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Remote Connect / Disconnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Trace Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Other Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Traffic Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Phase Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Supported Modes of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
NIC Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Meter Softswitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Supported Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
LP Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Daily Shifted (DS), On-Request (OR), and Demand Reset (DR) Quantities . . . 37
Reading Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Supported Quality Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Supported Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Tamper Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Alarm Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Meter Features Not Supported. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Configuration Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Recommended Meter Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Meter Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Recommended Endpoint NIC Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Opt-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Meter Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Meter Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Softswitch Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Chapter 6: Inside the Meter 55
Equipment Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 7: Inspecting the Site for Anomalies 59
Observe All Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Antenna Clearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 8: Installing the Meter 61
Meter Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

I210+c User GuideTOC.fm)
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Table of Contents
Chapter 9: Testing NIC Communications in the Field 63
Network Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Self-Test Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Trace Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Testing Communication with a Meter in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Site Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Testing Communication with a Meter in the Meter Shop . . . . . . . . . 66
Interferer Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Chapter 10: Updates and Repairs 69
Replacing a NIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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Table of Contents

A c l a r a R F E l e c t r i c I - 2 1 0 + c U s e r G u i d e 1
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
Purpose
This document intends to lay groundwork for the installation, use, and
maintenance of the eRF I-210+c NIC.
Audience
This document is intended for Aclara customers that have signed a Non-Disclosure
Agreement.
Scope
This document identifies the capabilities of the I-210+c meter when outfitted with
an Aclara eRF I-210+c Network Interface Card (NIC). The document will discuss
installation, use, and maintenance of the product.
Applicable Industry Standards
The product is required to comply with the following industry specifications as
listed in Applicable Industry Specifications & Standards on page 1.
Table 1.1 Applicable Industry Specifications & Standards
Reference Document Title
Document
Number
CEC Canadian Electrical Code CSA C22.1
FCC OET Bulletin
65
Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for
Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Fields
OET Bulletin 65,
Edition 97-01,
August 1997
NEC National Electrical Code NFPA 70
Safety Code 6 Limits of Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Energy in the Frequency Range
from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. (Consumer and Clinical
Radiation Protection Bureau, Environmental and
Radiation Health Sciences Directorate, Healthy
Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health
Canada.)
Safety Code 6
(2015)

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Tools Required
Tools Required
• Volt Ohm Milliampmeter (VOM)
Optional Tools
• Spectrum Analyzer
System Overview
Figure 1.1 Aclara RF Network (SysML Block Definition Diagram)

Chapter 1 • Introduction
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Figure 1.2 Link Budget for the Aclara RF Network I-210+c
Meter Components
• The I-210+c or I-210+c RD meter with Gen 5 hardware and firmware 6.0 (or
later)
• An Aclara RF Network Interface Card (NIC), otherwise known as the eRF
I-210+c NIC
• A flexible antenna which connects to the NIC and wraps around the meter
“under the glass”
Support
Aclara Connect
Aclara’s customer portal (https://connect.aclara.com) enables you to access our
frequently-updated knowledge database, easily access product documentation,
submit and track your Support cases and RMAs, access Aclara University’s Online
Learning Center (OLC) and learning library, track your orders, join communities
and groups, join in discussions with other Aclara customers and Aclara personnel,
and much more. If you do not have access to Aclara Connect, email
[email protected] and request access.
Aclara University
Aclara’s on-demand training makes content available to you in a convenient,
cost-effective online environment. The OLC has recordings of several webinars,
streaming educational videos, software simulations, and short videos which walk
you through a specific task. Access the OLC by going to Aclara Connect and
clicking the Aclara University link.
Technical Support
Email [email protected] or call 1-800-892-9008 to speak with an
Aclara representative.

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Support

CHAPTER
2
SAFETY G UIDELINES
Shock Hazard Warning
Shock hazard
Electricity can cause burns and interfere with the operation of the heart.
Working with electricity can be hazardous. Wear appropriate PPE and observe all
applicable safety procedures. The PPE should include insulating gloves, safety
glasses, and any other equipment required by the utility or the circumstances of the
installation.
RF Exposure Hazard
RF exposure hazard
The equipment will begin communicating once it powers up. This will expose
people nearby to RF energy, however an analysis of the power levels finds that the
levels are safe per FCC and Health Canada recommendations.
Users are advised to maintain a distance of 20 cm or more from the meter, or a
bank of meters, in order to minimize exposure levels.
ESD Caution
Electrostatic discharge may damage equipment.
Repairs to the meter should only occur in the meter shop. Wear suitable ESD
protective gear, such as grounding straps, when servicing equipment, or return the
equipment to the factory for repair.

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Replacement Parts
Replacement Parts
Incorrect repair parts may result in equipment damage or create an unsafe
condition.
Return the equipment to the factory for repair.
Inspect Antenna Clearance
Risk of performance issues
RF energy can be shielded by nearby materials. Proximity to metal walls or fences
can inhibit the transmission of RF energy and affect system performance. If the
meter is surrounded by metal or in a basement, make note. Further attention may
be required at this location.
N
OTES Section 4 indicates the directivity of the antenna. The directivity of an
installed meter's antenna may be somewhat different than the published value
depending on nearby metals.
A portable spectrum analyzer may be used to determine the power received at
a given location at that moment in time.

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CHAPTER
3
REGULATORY G UIDELINES
It is important that the installer follow all applicable national, regional, and local
codes. Failure to do so could result in an unsafe condition or injury. It may also
create a situation in which interference is created by the operation of the
equipment.
This manual will provide examples which are meant to be examples only. Local
and regional codes may require a different practice.
FCC/IC Compliance
NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that
to which the receiver is connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
If receiving antenna needs to reoriented or relocated, it must be done by an
installer.
CAUTION Any changes or modification made to this device without the expressed,
written approval of Aclara Technologies LLC may void the user's authority to
operate this device.

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FCC/IC RF Exposure Guide
FCC/IC RF Exposure Guide
Aclara Technologies LLC low power RF devices and their antennas must be
fixed-mounted on indoor or outdoor permanent structure(s) providing a separation
distance of at least 1 meter from all persons during normal operation. This device
is not designed to operate in conjunction with any other antennas or transmitters.
No other operating instructions for satisfying RF exposure compliance are needed.
Holding the antenna in one’s hands while it is transmitting, or standing near a
transmitting antenna for a prolonged period of time, could result in RF exposure
that exceeds FCC and Health Canada recommendations.
This device has been tested for exposure of humans to RF energy. It satisfies
OSHA, FCC, and Health Canada requirements provided it is installed in a manner
described in this manual and operated in accordance with the user guide.
Field Calibration Procedure
Aclara Technologies LLC low power RF devices have passed through extensive
testing and calibration procedures while in the factory. Therefore, no additional
calibration or adjustment is required in the field.
Conformité FCC/IC
Cet équipement a été testé et il est conforme aux limites pour un appareil
numérique de Classe B, en vertu de l'article 15 des règlements de la FCC. Ces
limites sont conçues pour offrir une protection raisonnable contre l'interférence
nuisible dans une installation résidentielle. Cet équipement génère, utilise et peut
émettre de l'énergie de fréquences radio et, s'il n'est pas installé ou utilisé
conformément aux instructions, il peut causer une interférence nuisible aux
communications radio. Il n'existe toutefois aucune garantie que de telles
interférences ne se produiront pas dans une installation particulière. Si cet appareil
cause des interférences nuisibles à la réception des signaux de radio ou de
télévision, ce qui peut être détecté en mettant l'appareil sous et hors tension,
l'utilisateur peut tenter de neutraliser l'interférence de l'une ou l'autre des façons
suivantes :
• Réorienter ou repositionner l'antenne de réception.
• Augmenter la distance séparant l'équipement du récepteur.
• Brancher l'appareil dans une prise sur un circuit électrique différent de celui
sur lequel le récepteur est branché.
MISE EN
GARDE
Tout changement ou toute modification à cet appareil sans l'approbation
écrite expresse d'Aclara Technologies LLC peut annuler l'autorisation de
l'utilisateur d'utiliser cet appareil.

Chapter 3 • Regulatory Guidelines
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Ce produit est conforme à la norme FCC et aux limites d'exposition au
rayonnement RSS-102 d'Industrie Canada définies pour un environnement non
contrôlé.
Cet appareil est conforme à des règlements Innovation, Sciences et
Développement économique Canada exempts de licence standard RSS (s). Son
fonctionnement est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes: (1) Ce dispositif ne doit
pas causer d'interférences nuisibles, et (2) cet appareil doit accepter toute
interférence reçue, y compris les interférences pouvant entraîner un
fonctionnement indésirable.
Guide d'exposition aux RF FCC/IC
Les appareils RF à faible puissance Aclara Technologies LLC ainsi que leurs
antennes doivent être montés de manière fixe sur des structures intérieures ou
extérieures permanentes qui se trouvent à au moins 1 metrè des personnes pendant
le fonctionnement normal. Cet appareil n'est pas conçu (et il n'a aucun
branchement externe) pour être utilisé en association avec toute autre antenne ou
tout transmetteur. Aucune autre instruction d'utilisation n'est requise pour assurer
la conformité aux règles d'exposition aux RF.
Procédure de calibration sur place
Les appareils RF à faible puissance Aclara Technologies LLC ont été soumis à des
tests étendus et multi-tâches et à des procédures de calibration complexes en usine.
Par conséquent, ils ne requièrent pas de calibration ni d'ajustement supplémentaire
sur place.
Licensing
The equipment you are installing has received a grant from the FCC (US) and from
the ISEC (Canada) to operate. Its FCC ID and IC ID numbers are printed on the
equipment label. It is expected that this equipment will be licensed to operate in
the country in which it is installed as mobile equipment (even though it is
stationary). US CFR 47.90 and other regulations restrict the elevation of the
antenna and restrict the power transmitted. It is expected that the utility has worked
with Aclara to obtain the necessary license for the frequencies for which the
equipment will be programmed to operate.
Installation on Buildings
If the meter is being mounted in or on a building, then fire protection codes will
likely apply. In the US, NFPA 70 (the NEC) will likely be required. In Canada,
C22.1 (the CEC) will likely be required.

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Pole Mount Installations
Pole Mount Installations
When mounting a meter on a power pole, it is important that the safety
requirements of the NESC be satisfied. Different regions and utilities may impose
additional safety requirements in addition to this North American standard. Local
codes and pole owner best practices will be in addition to the NESC and NEC
rules. All applicable requirements must be understood and followed by the
installer.

CHAPTER
4
PRODUCT S PECIFICATIONS
Table 4.1 Product Specifications
Specification Description
Meter Hardware Version I-210+c and I-210+c RD Gen 5 platform
Meter Firmware Version 6.0.4.1
eRF I-210+c NIC (EndPoint) Hardware Version Y84580-2
Aclara RF NIC (EndPoint) Firmware Version FW 1.74 for Y84071-1 or FW 3.02 for Y84580-2
AclaraONE Release 1.10 or later
MeterMate 6.10.0.166 or later
EndPoint quiescent power consumption 1.5W
450 MHz Band antenna port output power +30.3 dBm (conducted)
450-470 MHz band receiver sensitivity -98 dBm maximum receiver sensitivity at 10-5
BER @ 4800 BAUD with 4GFSK modulation
having 1kHz tone separation; directed in the
most favorable heading
Frequency Band 450-470 MHz
Note: The radio is configurable to operate in numerous specific 12.5 kHz channels within the
450-470 MHz band.
Transmission Rate 4800 BAUD (which, when operated with 4GFSK
modulation, provides 9600 bps).
Antenna Impedance 50 Ohms
Antenna Gain The antenna gain averages -6 dBi (or higher)
across the front half of the meter, averages
-13.1 dBi (or higher) across the back half of
the meter, with a minimum gain of -16 dBi (or
better) along any azimuth.
Note: Mounting the meter in an environment near metal will affect the antenna pattern.
Altitude Operation to 5000 ft. elevation above sea
level
NIC Operating Temperature Range -40° to +85°C (inside the meter), 0 to 95%
relative humidity (non-condensing)
Note: Refer to the Meter User Guide, Chapter 2, Operating Range and Ratings for the I-210+c
meter ratings.
Last Gasp repetition Up to 6 messages over the course of 20
minutes when starting with fully charged
super capacitors (supercaps)
Real Time Clock power ride-through
capability 24 hours
Daily Shift Message Capacity 32 measurements
On-request Read message Capacity 4 measurements
Demand Reset Message Capacity 32 measurements

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Figure 4.1 shows that a field of invisible RF energy is pushed outward from the RF
transmitter located inside the meter canopy. Due to antenna directivity, more
energy will propagate out the face of the meter than the back of the meter. The
energy is directed primarily in the horizontal plane at the same elevation as the
meter, but some energy is directed a few degrees above and below the horizontal.
Figure 4.1 RF propagation concept
Ideally there is line of sight between the meter and the DCU. However, there are
quite often building materials, foliage, vehicles, terrain, and/or the curvature of the
Earth in the way. The RF will transmit through many building materials, be
absorbed by some, and bounce off others. If a sufficiently strong, vertically
polarized signal reaches the receiver, the message will be received. This is true of
RF transmissions from the meter to the DCU, and from the DCU to the meter.
LP Channel Capacity 8 channels
Notes: The storage duration varies as a function of the way LP data collection is defined.
Refer to the Meter User Guide, Chapter 5, Section R2 for more information on LP storage
duration.
The choice of Interval data transmission rates will have a profound impact on system
bandwidth utilization when large quantities of meters are deployed. The baseline system will
be designed to handle 4 channels of 15-minute interval data transmitted every 15 minutes.
Configurations which increase the number of channels, decrease the interval size and
transmission rate, or both, can increase the bandwidth requirements for the system beyond its
baseline capability. Such configurations must be limited to be a small percentage of the
overall population, or the infrastructure hardware capacity must be increased above baseline
levels, in order to deliver large amounts of fine resolution LP data.
Table 4.1 Product Specifications
Specification Description