ACE3600 Remote Terminal Unit: High-Performance Automation

The ACE3600 Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) stands as Motorola's flagship SCADA product, delivering exceptional performance for demanding industrial applications.

High-Performance Real-Time Processing

The ACE3600's advanced processing architecture enables accurate data analysis and communication for mission-critical SCADA applications, ensuring optimal operation even in challenging conditions. Whether monitoring water distribution networks, managing electric grid operations, or controlling oil and gas infrastructure, the ACE3600 provides the processing power needed to handle complex automation tasks with precision and reliability.

Performance disruptions and the inability to pinpoint abnormalities in industrial systems can significantly decrease productivity and potentially put personnel at risk. The ACE3600 addresses these challenges through powerful processing capabilities that enable precise monitoring and control, helping organizations identify and resolve issues before they impact operations or safety.

Versatile Communication Capabilities

The ACE3600 is designed to use a variety of digital and analog interfaces, ensuring that organizations are never locked into proprietary solutions. This flexible communications capability enables the ACE3600 to connect with multiple local devices, analyze data, and transmit information to various locations simultaneously, providing unprecedented flexibility for complex industrial applications.

Data transmission and processing are supported across multiple communication media and standard industry data protocols, allowing the ACE3600 to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure while providing a platform for future expansion. This versatility makes the ACE3600 an ideal solution for organizations with diverse communication requirements or those operating in challenging environments where traditional networking options may be limited.

Enhanced Security

In an era of increasing cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure, the ACE3600 incorporates a comprehensive suite of security features to protect industrial systems from unauthorized access and potential attacks. The system supports a full range of best-practice security options for a self-contained, autonomously secure environment, including security enforcement policy, built-in firewall, access control, intrusion detection, application control software, encryption, unused port deactivation, and time-window commands.

These security features work together to create a robust defense against cyber threats, ensuring that critical industrial systems remain protected from unauthorized access or manipulation.

Modular Design for Scalability

The ACE3600's modular architecture allows for easy expansion and customization to meet specific operational requirements. With support for a wide range of I/O modules, the ACE3600 can be configured to monitor and control diverse industrial processes, from simple monitoring applications to complex automation systems requiring hundreds of input and output points.

This scalability ensures that the ACE3600 can grow with your organization's needs, providing a future-proof solution that can adapt to changing operational requirements without requiring wholesale replacement of existing infrastructure.

MC-Edge IoT Gateway: Intelligent Edge Computing

The MC-Edge represents Motorola's vision for the future of industrial automation, combining traditional SCADA capabilities with modern Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

Built-In Wireless Capabilities

The MC-Edge is designed with wireless connectivity at its core, supporting LoRa sensors and devices for low-power, long-range performance in industrial environments. LTE and multiple two-way radio connectivity options provide a variety of wireless backhaul alternatives to connect to centralized applications, enabling flexible deployment in diverse operational settings.

The built-in wireless capabilities of the MC-Edge gateway enable remote monitoring and control even in areas with limited power or networking infrastructure, expanding the reach of industrial automation to previously inaccessible locations.

Edge Computing for Real-Time Response

As a remote terminal unit (RTU), the MC-Edge handles analytics, filtering, decision-making, and logging at the network edge rather than relying on centralized systems. This edge computing approach enables immediate response to real-time events and reduces dependence on backhaul networks for data transport, improving system responsiveness and reliability.

By processing data locally and transmitting only relevant information to central systems, the MC-Edge optimizes network bandwidth usage while ensuring that critical events receive immediate attention, regardless of the status of the wider network infrastructure.

Mission-Critical Security

The MC-Edge incorporates advanced security features designed specifically for industrial IoT applications, automatically monitoring for malicious activity or security policy violations and allowing only legitimate traffic while blocking unauthorized access attempts.

Unauthorized activity is logged and can be reported to designated control centers, providing visibility into potential security threats. AES 256-bit encryption protects sensitive data end-to-end, whether at rest or in transit, ensuring that critical industrial information remains secure throughout its lifecycle.

Network Agnostic Design

The MC-Edge utilizes Motorola's MDLC communication protocol to link distant sites for easy scaling and provide alternative communication links for fallback scenarios. This standard functionality eliminates the need for costly custom programming or additional communications infrastructure, making the MC-Edge a cost-effective solution for modern industrial automation requirements.

The network agnostic approach ensures that the MC-Edge can integrate with existing communication infrastructure while providing a platform for future expansion, protecting your investment in industrial automation technology.

MOSCAD: The Legacy Foundation

While the MOSCAD family of products has been discontinued, its legacy lives on in Motorola's current SCADA offerings.

The MOSCAD Remote Terminal Unit established Motorola as a leader in industrial automation, introducing innovative features that continue to influence SCADA technology today.

Modular Architecture

The MOSCAD system pioneered the modular approach to SCADA hardware, allowing for easy system configuration optimization according to specific site requirements. A large selection of plug-in I/O modules enabled customized configurations for various applications, providing flexibility that was revolutionary for its time.

Dual Functionality

MOSCAD functioned as both an RTU and a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), offering unprecedented versatility for industrial automation applications. If the application loaded into the CPU module was simple, MOSCAD functioned as an RTU; if the application utilized decision-making code, MOSCAD functioned as a PLC, providing a single platform for diverse automation requirements.

Network Adaptability

The MOSCAD family of RTUs connected directly to a wide range of communication media, including VHF, UHF, 800 and 900 MHz trunked and conventional radios, Private DataTAC modems, iDEN, TETRA, GSM, Power Line Carrier Communication (PLCC) modems, Multiple Address System (MAS) data radios, and Spread Spectrum radios. Specialized I/O modules provided connectivity to both digital and analog sensors, enabling comprehensive monitoring and control of industrial processes.

Interoperability

MOSCAD was capable of communications with other vendors' PLCs, IEDs, and RTUs by utilizing MODBUS, Allen Bradley DF/1, and other protocols. This interoperability allowed organizations to integrate new SCADA systems or expand existing ones, utilizing current communication media, Master Control Center (MCC) software, and the most suitable data protocol.

Motorola Data Link Communication (MDLC) Protocol

MOSCAD introduced the MDLC protocol, a modern and powerful data communications protocol based on the International Standards Organization's seven-layer protocol recommendation. Created to be particularly robust on crowded, shared, two-way radio communication circuits, its seven-layer OSI/ISO-compatible structure allowed powerful network functions that continue to influence industrial communication protocols today.

The Evolution of Excellence

Motorola's SCADA product lineup represents a continuous evolution of industrial automation technology, from the groundbreaking MOSCAD to the sophisticated ACE3600 and the forward-looking MC-Edge. Each generation builds upon the successes of its predecessors while introducing new capabilities to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the industrial landscape.

By choosing Motorola SCADA products, organizations gain access to a legacy of innovation and reliability that spans decades, with solutions designed to meet the most demanding requirements of modern industrial automation. Whether monitoring critical infrastructure, controlling complex industrial processes, or implementing advanced IoT capabilities, Motorola's SCADA products provide the performance, security, and flexibility needed for success in today's connected industrial environment.