Major Differences Between the Obsoleted ION8600 and the Replacement ION8650 Meter

Issue

Customer wants to understand the major differences between the discontinued ION8600 meter and its replacement, the ION8650.

Product

ION8600
ION8650

Environment

Meter comparison

Cause

End‑of‑life migration from ION8600 to ION8650 requires clarification of functional and performance differences.

Resolution

1. Accuracy Improvements:
   ION8650 offers high‑accuracy, single‑current‑range measurement (2× more accurate than ANSI/IEC Class 0.2 standards from 0.010A–20A), while the ION8600 supports only IEC/ANSI Class 0.2 accuracy.
2. Enhanced Waveform Capture:
   ION8650 provides 1024 samples/cycle waveform capture for all voltage and current channels, compared to 256 samples/cycle on the ION8600.
3. Increased Onboard Memory:
• ION8650A/B/C: 128 MB / 64 MB / 32 MB
• ION8600A/B/C: 10 MB / 4 MB / 2 MB
4. Protocol Support Differences:
   IEC 61850 protocol is not available on the ION8600, but supported on the ION8650.
5. Communication Options:
   ION8650 supports an optional integrated Cellular Modem (Verizon). Additional details available in article FA277446.

Released for: Schneider Electric Canada