IEC 60870.5.

101
Protocol

Users Guide
Monaghan Engineering, Inc.
862 Las Colinas Drive
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620
Phone: 1-512-858-4271
Fax: 1-512-858-1355
e-mail: [email protected]
Monaghan Engineering IEC 870.5.101 Protocol

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 PROTOCOL OVERVIEW............................................................................................................... 1

1.1 HOST COMMUNICATIONS PARAMETERS..............................................................................1
1.2 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE.................................................................................................... 1
1.2 .1 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE COMMAND.........................................................................2
1.2.2 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE RESPONSE..........................................................................3
1.3 QUERY MESSAGE...................................................................................................................... 3
1.3.1 QUERY MESSAGE COMMAND........................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 QUERY RESPONSE MESSAGE............................................................................................ 4
1.4 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE.................................................................................................... 5
1.4.1 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE COMMAND........................................................................5
1.4.2 DATA FLOW CONTROL...................................................................................................... 5
1.4.3 RTU NORMAL RESPONSE MESSAGE................................................................................5
1.4.4 RTU PARITY ERROR RESPONSE MESSAGE.....................................................................6
1.4.5 RTU FRAMING ERROR RESPONSE MESSAGE.................................................................6
1.5 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG......................................................................6
1.5.1 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG COMMAND..........................................6
1.5.2 RTU NORMAL RESPONSE MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG..................................................7
1.6 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION (ASDU 103)...............................................................................7
1.6.1 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION COMMAND........................................................................8
1.6.2 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION RESPONSE MESSAGE.......................................................8
1.6.3 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION BROADCAST COMMAND................................................9
1.6.4 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION BROADCAST RESPONSE..................................................9
1.7 CLOCK DELAY (ASDU 106)...................................................................................................... 9
1.7.1 CLOCK DELAY COMMAND..............................................................................................10
1.7.2 CLOCK DELAY RESPONSE MESSAGE............................................................................10
1.7.3 BROADCAST CLOCK DELAY COMMAND.......................................................................10
1.7.4 BROADCAST CLOCK DELAY RESPONSE........................................................................11

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1.0 PROTOCOL OVERVIEW

The IEC 870.5.101 protocol converter is designed to convert a 19,200 baud asynchronous
communications channel to a slower asynchronous communications channel. The protocol converter also
provides time tagging of IEC 870 messages to 1 mS resolution.

1.1 HOST COMMUNICATIONS PARAMETERS

The micro-controller that performs the protocol conversion is programmed to communicate with the host
computer in asynchronous format with one start bit, eight data bits, no parity and one stop bit. The
communications rate is 19,200 baud.

Communications between the micro-controller and the host computer will utilize a byte stuffing protocol.
The command byte used in the byte stuffing protocol is 80 Hex. When either the micro-controller or the
host computer encounters an 80 Hex character in the data stream it must examine the next character to
determine what action to perform. If the next character is another 80 Hex character, then the first 80 Hex
character is discarded and the second 80 Hex character is accepted as data. If the second character is
anything other than an 80 Hex character, it is interpreted as a command character, and processed
accordingly. The command characters for the IEC 870.5.101 protocol are defined as follows:

01 Hex – Start of Message

02 Hex – End of Message
03 Hex – Start of Configuration
04 Hex – End of Configuration
05 Hex – Start of Broadcast Message
06 Hex – Acknowledge of Broadcast Message
07 Hex – Start of Query
08 Hex – End of Query
0A Hex – End of Message – Parity Error
0B Hex – End of Message – Framing Error
0D Hex – Start of Time Tag
0E Hex – Start of Time Sync Message
0F Hex – End of Time Sync Header
10 Hex – Start of Time Tag Message
11 Hex – End of Time Tag Message
12 Hex – End of Time Bias
13 Hex – Start of Broadcast Time Sync
14 Hex – Power On Reset
15 Hex – Start of Broadcast Time Tag
20 Hex – Start of Broadcast Time Sync Message
21 Hex – End of Broadcast Time Sync Message
22 Hex – Start of Time Delay Message
23 Hex – End of Time Delay Message
24 Hex – Start of Broadcast Time Delay Message
25 Hex – End of Broadcast Time Delay Message
FE Hex – Start of Test
FF Hex – End of Test

1.2 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE

The configuration message is used to set the communications parameters of the converter. If a
configuration message is not sent to the micro-controller, the following default values will be used:

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Baud – 1200
Data Bits – 8
Parity – Even
Stop Bits - 1

1.2 .1 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE COMMAND

The configuration message is defined as follows:

SOC – Start of Configuration (80 03)

BAUD – Baud Rate
SQ – Squelch Time
PTM – Pre-Transmission Mark
PROTOCOL – RTU Communications Protocol
VERSION – Firmware Version Number
DATA BITS – Number of Data Bits
STOP BITS – Number of Stop Bits
PARITY – Even, Odd or No Parity
EOM DELAY – Inter Character Delay for End of Message Detection
EOC – End of Configuration (80 04)

The Start of Configuration is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 03 hex
character.

The Baud Rate is a single character that defines the baud rate with which the micro-controller
communicates with the RTU. The available baud rates are as follows:

00 Hex – 300 Baud

01 Hex – 600 Baud
02 Hex – 1200 Baud
03 Hex – 1800 Baud
04 Hex – 1250 Baud
05 Hex – 2400 Baud
06 Hex – 4800 Baud
07 Hex – 9600 Baud
08 Hex – 100 Baud
09 Hex – 200 Baud

The Number of Data Bits is a single character that defines the number of data bits in each asynchronous
character.

00 Hex – 5 Data Bits

01 Hex – 6 Data Bits
02 Hex – 7 Data Bits
03 Hex – 8 Data Bits

The Number of Stop Bits is a single character that defines the number of stop bits in each asynchronous
character.

00 Hex – 1 Stop Bit

01 Hex – 2 Stop Bits

The Parity is a single character that defines if a parity bit is appended to the asynchronous character and
if that parity is even or odd.

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00 Hex – No Parity
01 Hex – Even Parity
02 Hex – Odd Parity

The EOM Delay is a single character that defines the number of character times to wait between
characters before sending the EOM command. The valid range is from 1 to 255.

Protocol is a single character that defines which protocol is to be used to communicate with the RTU.
Multiple protocols in a single chip are not currently supported. The Configuration Response message
gives the current protocol.

21 Hex – IEC 870.5.101

Version is a single character that gives the version of the protocol converter firmware. This value is not
downloadable. The Configuration Response message gives the current version number.

The End of Configuration is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 04 hex
character.

1.2.2 CONFIGURATION MESSAGE RESPONSE

The configuration message response is an echo of the configuration message. The configuration response
message is defined as follows:

SOC – Start of Configuration (80 03)

BAUD – Baud Rate
SQ – Squelch Time
PTM – Pre-Transmission Mark
PROTOCOL – RTU Communications Protocol
VERSION – Firmware Version Number
DATA BITS – Number of Data Bits
STOP BITS – Number of Stop Bits
PARITY – Even, Odd or No Parity
EOM DELAY – Inter Character Delay for End of Message Detection
EOC – End of Configuration (80 04)

1.3 QUERY MESSAGE

The Query message is used to retrieve the current configuration of the protocol converter.

1.3.1 QUERY MESSAGE COMMAND

The Query message is defined as follows:

SOQ – Start of Query (80 07)

EOQ – End of Query (80 08)

1.3.2 QUERY RESPONSE MESSAGE

The Query Response message returns the communications parameters of the converter. The message is
defined as follows:

SOQ – Start of Query (80 07)

BAUD – Baud Rate
SQ – Squelch Time

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PTM – Pre-Transmission Mark

PROTOCOL – RTU Communications Protocol
VERSION – Firmware Version Number
DATA BITS – Number of Data Bits
STOP BITS – Number of Stop Bits
PARITY – Even, Odd or No Parity
EOM DELAY – Inter Character Delay for End of Message Detection
EOQ – End of Query (80 08)

The Start of Query is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 07 hex
character.

The Baud Rate is a single character that defines the baud rate with which the micro-controller
communicates with the RTU. The available baud rates are as follows:

00 Hex – 300 Baud

01 Hex – 600 Baud
02 Hex – 1200 Baud
03 Hex – 1800 Baud
04 Hex – 1250 Baud
05 Hex – 2400 Baud
06 Hex – 4800 Baud
07 Hex – 9600 Baud
08 Hex – 100 Baud
09 Hex – 200 Baud

The Number of Data Bits is a single character that defines the number of data bits in each asynchronous
character.

00 Hex – 5 Data Bits

01 Hex – 6 Data Bits
02 Hex – 7 Data Bits
03 Hex – 8 Data Bits

The Number of Stop Bits is a single character that defines the number of stop bits in each asynchronous
character.

00 Hex – 1 Stop Bit

01 Hex – 2 Stop Bits

The Parity is a single character that defines if a parity bit is appended to the asynchronous character and
if that parity is even or odd.

00 Hex – No Parity
01 Hex – Even Parity
02 Hex – Odd Parity

The EOM Delay is a single character that defines the number of character times to wait between
characters before sending the EOM command. The valid range is from 1 to 255.

Protocol is a single character that defines which protocol is to be used to communicate with the RTU.
Multiple protocols in a single chip are not currently supported. The Configuration Response message
gives the current protocol.

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21 Hex – IEC 870.5.101

Version is a single character that gives the version of the protocol converter firmware.

The End of Query is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 08 hex
character.

1.4 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE

The Command and Data messages are used to send data to an RTU or retrieve data from an RTU.

1.4.1 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE COMMAND

The format of the data messages sent to the RTU is as follows:

SOM – Start of Message (80 01)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
EOM – End of Message (80 02)

The Start of Message is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 01 hex
character.

The data bytes consist of address, control and data to be sent to the RTU. The data message can be of any
length.

The End of Message is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 02 hex
character.

The micro-controller will start transmitting asynchronous characters as soon as the first data character
arrives. It is up to the host computer to send the following data bytes fast enough to keep up with the
micro-controller.

1.4.2 DATA FLOW CONTROL

The protocol converter contains a 64 byte input buffer. As the buffer approaches its maximum capacity
the protocol converter will signal the computer to stop sending data by setting CTS inactive. After the
protocol converter has cleared enough of the buffer to accept more characters, it will set CTS active to
allow the computer to send more data.

1.4.3 RTU NORMAL RESPONSE MESSAGE

The IEC 870.5.101 protocol utilizes a variable length message for data responses. The protocol converter
will send each character to the computer as it is received. The EOM command will be sent when either
the Carrier Detect input goes inactive indicating loss of carrier or when the time between characters
exceeds the EOM Delay setting.

SOM – Start of Message (80 01)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
EOM – End of Message (80 02)

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1.4.4 RTU PARITY ERROR RESPONSE MESSAGE

If parity is enabled, the protocol converter will check each character that it receives for the proper parity.
If a parity error is detected, the protocol converter will discard that character and send the End of
Message with Parity Error command.

SOM – Start of Message (80 01)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
EOM – End of Message – Parity Error (80 0A)

1.4.5 RTU FRAMING ERROR RESPONSE MESSAGE

The protocol converter will check each character that it receives for the proper framing. If a framing error
is detected, the protocol converter will discard that character and send the End of Message with Framing
Error command.

SOM – Start of Message (80 01)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
EOM – End of Message – Framing Error (80 0B)

1.5 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG

The Command and Data messages are used to send data to an RTU or retrieve data from an RTU. The
command can be set as either a normal message expecting a response, or a broadcast message. The
protocol converter will return a time tag with 1 mS resolution when the start bit of the transmit message
is sent and the start bit of the receive message is received.

1.5.1 COMMAND/DATA MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG COMMAND

The format of the data messages sent to the RTU is as follows:

SOMTT – Start of Message with Time Tag (80 10)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
EOM – End of Message (80 11)

The Start of Message is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 10 hex
character.

The data bytes consist of address, control and data to be sent to the RTU. The data message can be of any
length.

The End of Message is a two byte sequence consisting of an 80 hex character followed by a 11 hex
character.

When the first data character is received, the micro-controller will start looking for a valid time message
from the IRIG-B interface. After a time message is received the micro-controller will record the time and

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start transmitting the first character. It is up to the host computer to send the following data bytes fast
enough to keep up with the micro-controller.

1.5.2 RTU NORMAL RESPONSE MESSAGE WITH TIME TAG

The IEC 870.5.101 protocol utilizes a variable length message for data responses. The protocol converter
will monitor the time messages being sent by the IRIG-B interface. When the start bit of the first
character sent by the RTU is received, the micro-controller will record the time and then send each
character to the computer as it is received. The STT command will be sent when either the Carrier Detect
input goes inactive indicating loss of carrier or when the time between characters exceeds the EOM
Delay setting. This will be followed by the time tag of the transmit messages and the time tag of the
receive message. The message will be ended with an EOMTT command.

SOMTT – Start of Message with Time Tag (80 10)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
STT – Start of Time Tag (80 0D)
RX 1 – RX Time Tag Byte 1
RX 2 – RX Time Tag Byte 2
RX 3 – RX Time Tag Byte 3
RX 4 – RX Time Tag Byte 4
EOMTT – End of Message (80 11)

The format for the TX and RX time tags is a follows:

Byte 1 Bit 0 – Time Source Internal Crystal

Bit 1 – Time Source GPS
Bit 2 – Time Source IRIG-B
Byte 2 Second
Byte 3 Milliseconds Bits 8 – 9
Byte 4 Milliseconds Bits 0 – 7

1.6 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION (ASDU 103)

The IEC 870.5.101 protocol utilizes command type 103 for clock synchronization. The Time
Synchronization command can be sent as a normal scan message or a broadcast message. The clock
synchronization message is identified by the Start of Time Sync (STS) header for a normal scan or a Start
of Broadcast Time Sync (SBTS) header for a broadcast message. Following the header is a 24 bit offset
that will be added to the IRIG-B time before it is sent to the RTU. The next two bytes are the current day
of year. The next two bytes will be the End of Time Sync Header, 80 Hex, 12 Hex. The next bytes will be
the IEC 870.5.101 time sync message with the most accurate time possible from the computer.

When the protocol converter receives a time sync message it will compare the Day of Year with the day
of year from the IRIG-B clock. If the day of year does not match, the message will be rejected. If the two
values for the day of year match, the protocol converter will then add the 24 bit offset to the time
received from the IGIG-B clock. If this causes a day rollover, the message will be rejected. If there was
not a day rollover, the protocol converter will then update the milliseconds, minutes and hours of the time
sync message with the proper time, calculate the checksum and transmit the message.

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1.6.1 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION COMMAND

STS – Start of Time Sync (80 0E)

Offset 1 – 24 Bit time offset byte 1 LSB
Offset 2 – 24 Bit time offset byte 2
Offset 3 – 24 Bit time offset byte 3 MSB
Day 1 – Day of year LSB
Day 2 – Day of year MSB
ETB – End of Time Bias (80 12)
DB1 – Start 68 Hex
....
….
DBn-8 – Milliseconds LSB
DBn-7 – Milliseconds MSB
DBn-6 – Minutes
DBn-5 – Hours
DBn-4 – Day of Week & Day of Month
DBn-3 – Month
DBn-2 – Year
DBn-1 – Checksum
DBn – End 16 Hex
ETS – End of Time Sync (80 0F)

1.6.2 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION RESPONSE MESSAGE

The protocol converter will monitor the time messages being sent by the IRIG-B interface. When the start
bit of the first character sent by the RTU is received, the micro-controller will record the time and then
send each character to the computer as it is received. The STT command will be sent when either the
Carrier Detect input goes inactive indicating loss of carrier or when the time between characters exceeds
the EOM Delay setting. This will be followed by the time tag of the transmit messages and the time tag
of the receive message. The message will be ended with an ETS command.

STS – Start of Time Sync (80 0E)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
STT – Start of Time Tag (80 0D)
TX 1 – TX Time Tag Byte 1
TX 2 – TX Time Tag Byte 2
TX 3 – TX Time Tag Byte 3
TX 4 – TX Time Tag Byte 4
ETS – End of Message (80 0E)

The format for the TX and RX time tags is a follows:

Byte 1 Bit 0 – Time Source Internal Crystal

Bit 1 – Time Source GPS
Bit 2 – Time Source IRIG-B
Byte 2 Second
Byte 3 Milliseconds Bits 8 – 9
Byte 4 Milliseconds Bits 0 – 7

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1.6.3 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION BROADCAST COMMAND

STS – Start of Broadcast Time Sync (80 20)

Offset 1 – 24 Bit time offset byte 1 LSB
Offset 2 – 24 Bit time offset byte 2
Offset 3 – 24 Bit time offset byte 3 MSB
Day 1 – Day of year LSB
Day 2 – Day of year MSB
ETB – End of Time Bias (80 12)
DB1 – Start 68 Hex
....
….
DBn-8 – Milliseconds LSB
DBn-7 – Milliseconds MSB
DBn-6 – Minutes
DBn-5 – Hours
DBn-4 – Day of Week & Day of Month
DBn-3 – Month
DBn-2 – Year
DBn-1 – Checksum
DBn – End 16 Hex
ETS – End of Time Sync (80 21)

1.6.4 CLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION BROADCAST RESPONSE

The protocol converter will respond with an acknowledgement message after the time sync message has
been sent. The TX time tag will contain the time when the command was sent. The RX time tag data will
not be valid.

SBTS – Start of Broadcast Time Sync (80 20)

STT – Start of Time Tag (80 0D)
TX 1 – TX Time Tag Byte 1
TX 2 – TX Time Tag Byte 2
TX 3 – TX Time Tag Byte 3
TX 4 – TX Time Tag Byte 4
EBTS – End of Message (80 21)

The format for the TX and RX time tags is a follows:

Byte 1 Bit 0 – Time Source Internal Crystal

Bit 1 – Time Source GPS
Bit 2 – Time Source IRIG-B
Byte 2 Second
Byte 3 Milliseconds Bits 8 – 9
Byte 4 Milliseconds Bits 0 – 7

1.7 CLOCK DELAY (ASDU 106)

The IEC 870.5.101 protocol utilizes command type 103 for clock delay bias. The Clock Delay command
can be sent as a normal scan message or a broadcast message. The clock delay message is identified by
the Start of Clock Delay (SCD) header for a normal scan or a Start of Broadcast Clock Delay (SBCD)
header for a broadcast message. Following the header will be the IEC 870.5.101 Clock Delay message
with the most accurate time possible from the computer.

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The protocol converter will update the milliseconds and minutes of the Clock Delay message with the
proper time, calculate the checksum and transmit the message.

1.7.1 CLOCK DELAY COMMAND

SCD – Start of Clock Delay (80 22)

DB1 – Start 68 Hex
....
….
DBn-4 – Milliseconds LSB
DBn-3 – Milliseconds MSB
DBn-2 – Minutes
DBn-1 – Checksum
DBn – End 16 Hex
ECD – End of Time Sync (80 23)

1.7.2 CLOCK DELAY RESPONSE MESSAGE

The protocol converter will monitor the time messages being sent by the IRIG-B interface. When the start
bit of the first character sent by the RTU is received, the micro-controller will record the time and then
send each character to the computer as it is received. The STT command will be sent when either the
Carrier Detect input goes inactive indicating loss of carrier or when the time between characters exceeds
the EOM Delay setting. This will be followed by the time tag of the transmit messages and the time tag
of the receive message. The message will be ended with an ETS command.

SCD – Start of Clock Delay (80 22)

DB1 – Data Byte 1
.
.
DBn – Data Byte n
STT – Start of Time Tag (80 0D)
TX 1 – TX Time Tag Byte 1
TX 2 – TX Time Tag Byte 2
TX 3 – TX Time Tag Byte 3
TX 4 – TX Time Tag Byte 4
ECD – End of Message (80 23)

The format for the TX and RX time tags is a follows:

Byte 1 Bit 0 – Time Source Internal Crystal

Bit 1 – Time Source GPS
Bit 2 – Time Source IRIG-B
Byte 2 Second
Byte 3 Milliseconds Bits 8 – 9
Byte 4 Milliseconds Bits 0 – 7

1.7.3 BROADCAST CLOCK DELAY COMMAND

SBCD – Start of Broadcast Clock Delay (80 24)

DB1 – Start 68 Hex
....
….
DBn-4 – Milliseconds LSB
DBn-3 – Milliseconds MSB
DBn-2 – Minutes

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DBn-1 – Checksum
DBn – End 16 Hex
ECD – End of Time Sync (80 25)

1.7.4 BROADCAST CLOCK DELAY RESPONSE

The protocol converter will respond with an acknowledgement message after the time sync message has
been sent. The TX time tag will contain the time when the command was sent.

SBCD – Start of Broadcast Clock Delay (80 24)

STT – Start of Time Tag (80 0D)
TX 1 – TX Time Tag Byte 1
TX 2 – TX Time Tag Byte 2
TX 3 – TX Time Tag Byte 3
TX 4 – TX Time Tag Byte 4
EBCD – End of Message (80 25)

The format for the TX and RX time tags is a follows:

Byte 1 Bit 0 – Time Source Internal Crystal

Bit 1 – Time Source GPS
Bit 2 – Time Source IRIG-B
Byte 2 Second
Byte 3 Milliseconds Bits 8 – 9
Byte 4 Milliseconds Bits 0 – 7

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