Problem solved
The arc must be connected to the SER2 screw terminals only - not using the original RS232 connection and cable from the command base as best I can tell
It also seems important to power off the SER2 if you’ve had an RS232 cable connected then connect to screw terminals and return power. Not positive but this seemed to resolve my issues - maybe there’s a reset of some sort that occurs.
The connections were
SER2 COM to ARC COM (green for me)
SER2 OUT to ARC DAT (red for me)
SER2 INP to ARC TXC (black for me)
then daisy chain to next serial device was from ARC TXA and COM as the ARC manual shows