Case: Eaton Form 6 recloser in a non-standard state

Short answer

A field case with fictional names: after a setting change on a Form 6 control built before 2020, the panel shows zero readings, the lamp test does not work and the connection to ProView and SCADA is lost. Eaton's notice of January 17, 2020 describes that non-standard state, which protections keep operating and how to avoid or recover it without losing the settings.

The case

Ricardo is a maintenance technician for a distribution network. He has to change a setting on a recloser with an Eaton Form 6 control installed several years ago. He does it from the front panel and the control restarts, as is normal when changing that kind of setting. When it comes back, something is wrong:

The panel shows all measurements at zero.
The lamp test does not work and, when pressed, all LEDs light up.
The recloser status and hot line tag LEDs do not respond.
There is no connection from ProView or from SCADA.
The control restarts by itself every few minutes.

The first idea is that the control is damaged. Ricardo does not replace it or reprogram it from scratch: he consults the manufacturer’s documentation.

What the manufacturer’s notice says

Eaton published an important product notice, revision 1, dated January 17, 2020. It describes the following problem:

It affects all Form 6 controls and Idea relays for reclosers built before January 1, 2020.
It affects all firmware versions.
After the control clock passes from 2019 to 2020, the control can enter a non-standard state. It happens the first time one of five actions occurs:
1. The control is powered on manually.
2. The control restarts after a configuration change from the panel.
3. The user downloads the scheme or configuration from ProView.
4. The user changes the ProView firmware version running in the control.
5. The control is powered on for the first time after being programmed before 2020.
Changing a setting with one of the nine option buttons on the front panel does not cause the problem.

The notice’s symptoms match what Ricardo saw: LEDs lit in the lamp test, measurements always zero, and recloser status and line tag LEDs not working. Also matching are the inability to connect from a SCADA or from ProView and a restart about every 20 minutes. The notice adds that the control restarts when the clock or the sequence of events is accessed on the panel.

What keeps protecting

The notice clarifies what keeps working as programmed: overcurrent protection, undervoltage and overvoltage protection, the hot line tag and the loop scheme. The state affects user interface elements and the frequency protection. Also, protection is not active while the control restarts, which is standard behavior.

For a network with distributed generation or with frequency functions enabled, this matters: a control in this state must be taken out of service or supervised, not ignored.

First screening of a Form 6 control with odd symptoms

Was the control built before January 1, 2020?
- Yes: Does it show zero readings, lamps always lit or periodic restarts?
  - Yes: Eaton notice non-standard state: take out of service and recover
  - No: Set current date and time to prevent the state
- No: Look for another cause: auxiliary supply, battery, wiring or setting

How it is avoided and how it is recovered

Prevention (a control that has not fallen into the state yet): manually set the current date and time, even if they are already correct. The notice lists three ways:

A SCADA protocol that supports resetting the time, such as DNP3. A control that has received at least one SCADA time sync since midnight on January 1, 2020 is effectively mitigated.
The local panel menu, outside view-only mode.
ProView, with modify access.

Recovery (a control that has already fallen): the notice describes a procedure with the control out of service, going through “firmware-only” mode, connecting with ProView on the front port, synchronizing the time and clearing the sequence-of-events log. If no new scheme or firmware is downloaded during the process, the settings and scheme the control had stay in place and do not need to be reprogrammed. The full procedure is in the manufacturer’s notice and in the service information for your model. This is complemented by Eaton ProView settings, profiles and backup.

What Ricardo did

He took the recloser out of service, with the owner’s switching, before touching anything.
He compared the symptoms with the notice and checked the manufacturing date on the nameplate.
He applied the manufacturer’s recovery procedure without downloading a new scheme.
He confirmed the settings were still in the control, against the backup he saved beforehand, and reviewed the sequence and communications.
He set the time on the other controls in the network that did not show the symptom.

What to learn

Save the setting before every change. If the control had lost its configuration, the backup avoided starting from zero. See relay without documented settings.
Read the manufacturer notices for every make in your fleet and record which devices they affect.
A clock with valid time is part of the setting. See time synchronization in substations.
A recloser that “does not respond” is not always damaged. Other causes of abnormal behavior are in the recloser locks out.

When to call us

If you have Eaton Cooper controls with symptoms you cannot explain, or need to review a whole fleet, we do the remote configuration of Eaton Form 6 relays and trip analysis.

References

Eaton, Important Product Notice: Form 6 recloser controls and Idea relays, non-standard state, revision 1, January 17, 2020.
Eaton Cooper Power, Kyle Form 6 Microprocessor-Based Recloser Control Programming Guide (S280-70-4).

Frequently asked questions

Which controls does Eaton's non-standard state notice affect?

The notice, revision 1 dated January 17, 2020, affects all Form 6 controls and Idea relays for reclosers built before January 1, 2020, on any firmware version, after the clock passes from the year 2019 to 2020.

Do the protections keep working while the control is in the non-standard state?

According to the notice, overcurrent, undervoltage and overvoltage protection, the hot line tag and the loop scheme keep working as previously programmed. User interface elements and the frequency protection are affected.

How is the non-standard state avoided on a control that does not have it yet?

The notice says to manually set the control's date and time to the current values, even if the clock already shows the correct time. It can be done with a SCADA protocol that supports resetting the time, such as DNP3, from the local panel or with the ProView software.