Description

The ABB TC630 (Order No: 3BSE002253R1) is a specialized AF100 Optical Modem (Media Converter) designed exclusively for the ABB Advant OCS (Open Control System) and MasterPiece 200 (MP200) distributed control systems. Unlike the internal TC513 interface card, the TC630 is typically an external or DIN-rail mounted unit that serves as the critical link for extending the AF100 proprietary LAN over fiber optic cables. It converts the electrical signals from the TC513 communication card (transmitted via twisted pair or coaxial cable) into optical pulses for transmission over long distances (up to 2-3 kilometers depending on fiber type) and then converts them back to electrical signals at the receiving end. This capability is vital for connecting geographically dispersed process units, eliminating ground potential differences between buildings, and providing total immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) in heavy industrial settings. As plants relying on these 20-30 year old systems face cable degradation and increasing noise issues, the TC630 remains the definitive solution for maintaining robust, high-speed communication backbone integrity without replacing the entire DCS architecture.

Application Scenarios

A large steel mill operates an ABB MasterPiece 200 system to control its continuous caster and rolling mills. The main control room is located 1.5 kilometers away from the electrical substation and the motor control centers (MCCs) due to safety and noise concerns. The original copper coaxial AF100 network suffered frequent communication dropouts caused by massive electromagnetic interference from the main drive motors and ground loops between the two buildings. Operators were experiencing “loss of supervision” alarms daily. The engineering team decided to upgrade the inter-building link to fiber optics. They installed a pair of ABB TC630 optical modems: one in the control room connected to the controller’s TC513 card, and another in the remote MCC room connected to the remote I/O station’s TC513 card. They ran a single-mode fiber cable between the two TC630 units. Immediately after installation, all communication errors ceased. The TC630 successfully isolated the ground potentials and blocked all EMI, restoring 100% reliable data exchange between the controller and remote I/O. This upgrade extended the life of the MP200 system by another 15 years, avoiding a multi-million dollar premature replacement.