Description
DS3800DMPK1B1B: Product Overview
This board occupies a 6BA Euro-card slot in GE Mark IV turbine and EX2000 exciter control racks, serving as the local operator interface for field technicians and operators. It drives a 2-line × 16-character vacuum fluorescent display for status messages, scans a 16-key membrane keypad for local commands, illuminates status LEDs for at-a-glance condition assessment, and executes local control functions (start, stop, reset, acknowledge) with appropriate interlocks and safety checks. The “DMPK” designation indicates display/microprocessor/keypad functionality, while the B1B revision includes enhanced display brightness and wide-temperature keypad materials for improved visibility in direct sunlight and extreme conditions.
This board occupies a 6BA Euro-card slot in GE Mark IV turbine and EX2000 exciter control racks, serving as the local operator interface for field technicians and operators. It drives a 2-line × 16-character vacuum fluorescent display for status messages, scans a 16-key membrane keypad for local commands, illuminates status LEDs for at-a-glance condition assessment, and executes local control functions (start, stop, reset, acknowledge) with appropriate interlocks and safety checks. The “DMPK” designation indicates display/microprocessor/keypad functionality, while the B1B revision includes enhanced display brightness and wide-temperature keypad materials for improved visibility in direct sunlight and extreme conditions.
The epoxy-sealed construction makes this a line-replaceable module—internal faults require complete card swap rather than field repair. The module hot-swaps when the rack is powered down, and its low profile allows adjacent-slot population without additional cooling. As part of the DS3800 family, it benefits from the Mark IV platform’s deterministic 2 ms control interval and extensive installed base in power generation applications.
DS3800DMPK1B1B: Technical Specifications
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Model Number: DS3800DMPK1B1B
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Manufacturer: General Electric (GE Fanuc)
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Product Type: Display Microprocessor Keypad / Operator Interface Board
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Series: DS3800, Mark IV Speedtronic
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Form Factor: 6BA Euro-card (≈ 233 × 160 mm)
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Back-Plane Connector: Dual 40-pin header (J1/J2)
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Display: 2-line × 16-character vacuum fluorescent, high brightness (B1B enhancement)
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Keypad: 16-key membrane, wide-temperature material (B1B enhancement)
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LED Indicators: 8 bi-color (red/green) status LEDs
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Local Control: Start, stop, reset, acknowledge with safety interlocks
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Processor: Dedicated 8-bit MCU for display/keypad processing
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Isolation: 500 V display/keypad to logic; opto-coupled control lines
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Power Demand: +5 V @ 0.6 A, +12 V @ 0.3 A (display filament) from rack 2PL bus
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Operating Temperature: 0 – 60 °C (display rated to 70 °C)
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Weight: ≈ 0.28 kg
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Construction: Epoxy-sealed copper traces—non-repairable
DS3800DMPK1B1B
Core Features & Customer Value
Enhanced Visibility in Harsh Conditions: The B1B revision increases display brightness 40% and employs wide-temperature keypad materials that remain flexible from -20 °C to +70 °C. For field operators in desert peaker plants or arctic pipeline stations, this ensures readable displays and responsive keypads when standard interfaces would fail.
Dedicated Local Control Processor: The on-board 8-bit MCU executes local commands with hardware interlocks independent of main CPU load. For safety-critical operations, this guarantees that stop commands process in <50 ms even if the main CPU is overloaded with alarm handling or communication tasks.
At-a-Glance Status Indication: The eight bi-color LEDs provide immediate visual summary of turbine condition without navigating display menus. For maintenance technicians, red/green indication of trip status, running state, alarm presence, and communication health enables rapid situation assessment during emergency response.
Epoxy-Sealed Construction: All internal copper is encapsulated in high-temperature epoxy. In coastal or industrial environments with conductive dust and high humidity, this prevents trace-to-trace shorting that would cause display garbling or false key presses after ten-plus years. The trade-off is non-repairability—internal faults require whole-card exchange—but this is offset by reduced troubleshooting time and single-spare stocking rather than maintaining a repair bench.
Typical Applications
In combined-cycle power plants, this board installs in the Mark IV turbine control core local panel where operators perform start/stop operations and acknowledge alarms. The enhanced brightness allows readable displays in outdoor enclosures with direct afternoon sun, eliminating the need for shaded viewing hoods.
On utility-scale EX2000 static exciters, the same card provides local control for field flashing and voltage adjustment during commissioning and maintenance. The dedicated processor ensures safe operation even when communication to the main control room is interrupted.
Mechanical-drive gas compressors in unmanned pipeline stations frequently use this part number as the primary operator interface during maintenance visits. The wide-temperature keypad remains operational in winter conditions where standard membrane keypads become brittle and unresponsive.
