Description
Key Technical Specifications
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Model Number: DS3800NFEE1E1
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Manufacturer: General Electric
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CPU: 808x variant, 8 MHz, 16-bit external bus
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EPROM: 4 × 2764 sockets, 32 kB total, UV-erasable
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RAM: 2 × HM6264LP-12, 16 kB lithium-backed (3.6 V AA soldered cell)
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Bus Interface: DS3800 proprietary 96-pin DIN back-plane
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Interrupts: 8-level vectored via 8259 PIC
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Timers: Dual 8254 programmable interval timers (1 ms tick & SOE)
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Serial Port: One RS-232 (DB-25) fixed 9600 baud for local monitor
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Power: +5 V ±5 % @ 2 A, +12 V @ 50 mA from rack supply
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Operating Temperature: 0 – 70 °C operational, –40 – 85 °C storage
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Dimensions: 6.3 × 9.0 in (160 × 229 mm), single-slot 6U Euro-card
DS3800NFEE1E1
Field Application & Problem Solved
A frame-5 peaker installed in 1987 doesn’t care about GHz—it wants the exact 808x instruction timing it was commissioned with or the I/O scan drifts and you trip on “LOSS OF FLAME.” The DS3800NFEE1E1 is that exact brain. It sits in the center rack, polls speed probes, fire detectors, and auxiliary contacts every 40 ms, then decides if the turbine should start, load, or trip. When the board dies the panel goes dark, the unit locks out, and the ISO schedule calls you at midnight. Swap this card and you’re back to 1987 firmware without re-downloading or re-cal—so you’re online before the steam cools. You’ll find it in every frame-5/6 that never got a Mark V retrofit: paper mills, refineries, and municipal peakers from Texas to New Brunswick. Its value is bullet-proof timing: the firmware is in EPROM, so you get the same scan rate the turbine was tuned for—critical for keeping old electromechanical distance relays happy.
A frame-5 peaker installed in 1987 doesn’t care about GHz—it wants the exact 808x instruction timing it was commissioned with or the I/O scan drifts and you trip on “LOSS OF FLAME.” The DS3800NFEE1E1 is that exact brain. It sits in the center rack, polls speed probes, fire detectors, and auxiliary contacts every 40 ms, then decides if the turbine should start, load, or trip. When the board dies the panel goes dark, the unit locks out, and the ISO schedule calls you at midnight. Swap this card and you’re back to 1987 firmware without re-downloading or re-cal—so you’re online before the steam cools. You’ll find it in every frame-5/6 that never got a Mark V retrofit: paper mills, refineries, and municipal peakers from Texas to New Brunswick. Its value is bullet-proof timing: the firmware is in EPROM, so you get the same scan rate the turbine was tuned for—critical for keeping old electromechanical distance relays happy.
Installation & Maintenance Pitfalls (Expert Tips)
Battery leak corrodes address lines
The 3.6 V AA is soldered pigtail-style. After year 12 it leaks alkali and eats through the A11 trace; the CPU can’t see the top 8 kB of RAM and faults on “MEM PARITY.” Cut the old cell leads, clean the green slime with vinegar, and relocate a new AA holder to the faceplate with double-stick tape.
The 3.6 V AA is soldered pigtail-style. After year 12 it leaks alkali and eats through the A11 trace; the CPU can’t see the top 8 kB of RAM and faults on “MEM PARITY.” Cut the old cell leads, clean the green slime with vinegar, and relocate a new AA holder to the faceplate with double-stick tape.
EPROM window uncovered—firmware fades
The 2764 windows face up. A year of fluorescent light flips bits; next startup the unit hangs on “BOOT?” Always re-seal the window with fresh opaque tape after you verify the checksum.
The 2764 windows face up. A year of fluorescent light flips bits; next startup the unit hangs on “BOOT?” Always re-seal the window with fresh opaque tape after you verify the checksum.
Wrong revision—timing drift kills I/O scan
Boards ending in F1E or G1E run slightly different wait-states. The original turbine program was tuned for NFEE1E. If you plug the wrong suffix the 40 ms task slips, annunciation lags, and you get nuisance “LOSS OF FLAME.” Match the last four characters exactly.
Boards ending in F1E or G1E run slightly different wait-states. The original turbine program was tuned for NFEE1E. If you plug the wrong suffix the 40 ms task slips, annunciation lags, and you get nuisance “LOSS OF FLAME.” Match the last four characters exactly.
Bent back-plane pin—3 A short cooks the 5 V rail
The 96-pin DIN is fragile. One pushed pin hits +12 V and shorts the rail; the power module folds back and the whole rack reboots. Always flashlight-inspect the receptacle before you slide the card—if you smell hot epoxy you already lost the trace.
The 96-pin DIN is fragile. One pushed pin hits +12 V and shorts the rail; the power module folds back and the whole rack reboots. Always flashlight-inspect the receptacle before you slide the card—if you smell hot epoxy you already lost the trace.
DS3800NFEE1E1
Technical Deep Dive & Overview
DS3800NFEE1E1 is a single-board 808x computer on a 6U Euro-card. Local firmware in EPROM boots to a tiny monitor that copies itself to RAM, then enters the turbine application. Two 8254 timers generate the 1 ms tick for sequence-of-events logging and the 40 ms control task heartbeat. An on-board 8259 PIC arbitrates interrupts from speed, temperature, and flame detection cards across the back-plane. Battery-backed RAM holds trip history, run hours, and calibration offsets; when power drops the lithium cell keeps the data for 5–7 years. Communication to the operator interface is through the Mark IV data highway—no TCP/IP, just parallel shared memory. The card is essentially a frozen-in-time DOS box that happens to know how to start a 100 MW turbine; treat it like antique hardware and it will outlive the building
DS3800NFEE1E1 is a single-board 808x computer on a 6U Euro-card. Local firmware in EPROM boots to a tiny monitor that copies itself to RAM, then enters the turbine application. Two 8254 timers generate the 1 ms tick for sequence-of-events logging and the 40 ms control task heartbeat. An on-board 8259 PIC arbitrates interrupts from speed, temperature, and flame detection cards across the back-plane. Battery-backed RAM holds trip history, run hours, and calibration offsets; when power drops the lithium cell keeps the data for 5–7 years. Communication to the operator interface is through the Mark IV data highway—no TCP/IP, just parallel shared memory. The card is essentially a frozen-in-time DOS box that happens to know how to start a 100 MW turbine; treat it like antique hardware and it will outlive the building
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