Description
DS3800NPSEICIB Product Overview
The DS3800NPSEICIB is a general-purpose I/O and control interface printed-circuit board used inside GE Mark IV Speedtronic turbine-control cubicles. It occupies a 6U card slot on the Mark IV control backplane and acts as a “personality” module—implementing site-specific digital I/O, sequencing, or alarm logic that the main CPU calls during each control scan.
The DS3800NPSEICIB is a general-purpose I/O and control interface printed-circuit board used inside GE Mark IV Speedtronic turbine-control cubicles. It occupies a 6U card slot on the Mark IV control backplane and acts as a “personality” module—implementing site-specific digital I/O, sequencing, or alarm logic that the main CPU calls during each control scan.
In the automation hierarchy the card sits at the “personality & field interface” layer: it receives logic-level commands from the CPU, conditions them through on-board buffers or latches, and returns status bits (including BIT results) over the VME bus. Because the board is firmware-based (EPROM or PAL), plant-specific start-up curves, fuel schedules, or auxiliary motor logic can be changed by simply swapping a chip—no laptop or download cable required.
The module belongs to the DS3800 “NPSE” family of Mark IV personality boards—cards that share the same 96-pin edge connector and mechanical envelope but implement dedicated control, sequencing, or alarm functions. Using a common hardware platform allows plant stores to stock one spare chassis and populate it with the exact personality boards required for each turbine section
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Technical Specifications
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Model Number: DS3800NPSEICIB
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Manufacturer: General Electric
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Product Type: General-Purpose I/O / Personality Circuit Board
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Revision: 6BA02 (silk-screen on PCB)
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Edge Connector: 96-pin DIN, short-edge mount (218A4553-1 style)
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I/O Count: Site-specific (typically 32–64 digital lines, direction set by firmware)
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Logic Voltage: +5 V backplane; field side 24 V via backplane or external feed
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Isolation: Basic insulation between field and logic; user must fuse field supply
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Diagnostics: On-board BIT logic drives front-panel red/green LED
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Memory: Firmware stored in socketed EPROM or PAL; no battery required
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Mounting: Standard Mark IV card rails, captive screws
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Weight: ≈ 0.4 kg (0.9 lb)
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Operating Temperature: 0 … +70 °C (card ambient)
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Storage Temperature: -40 … +85 °C
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Vibration/Shock: 5 g / 50 g (per Mark IV cabinet spec)
GE DS3800NPSEICIB
Core Features & Customer Value
Firmware-based personality – Control sequencing is stored in socketed EPROM; site-specific fuel curves or start-up ramps can be updated by simply swapping a chip—no laptop or download cable required.
Firmware-based personality – Control sequencing is stored in socketed EPROM; site-specific fuel curves or start-up ramps can be updated by simply swapping a chip—no laptop or download cable required.
96-pin standard footprint – Shares the DS3800 form factor with earlier NPSE revisions; no mounting changes, no calibration, and no parameter downloads required during swap-out.
On-board BIT LED – Front-panel red/green indicator gives immediate visual feedback on card health or firmware faults, shortening commissioning time when the HMI is not yet online.
No external field terminals – All I/O is routed through the backplane or internal harness, keeping high-voltage or high-current wiring away from the card edge and improving personnel safety during maintenance.
Industrial temperature & vibration rating – Rated for 5 g vibration and 50 g shock, the card survives breaker-slam events and cooling-fan failures common in medium-voltage drive cubicles.
Typical Applications
In combined-cycle power plants the DS3800NPSEICIB is installed in the “personality” bay of every Mark IV panel that governs gas turbines, boiler-feed pumps, or induced-draft fans. It implements site-specific start-up curves, auxiliary motor logic, or alarm latching that the CPU calls during each control scan.
In combined-cycle power plants the DS3800NPSEICIB is installed in the “personality” bay of every Mark IV panel that governs gas turbines, boiler-feed pumps, or induced-draft fans. It implements site-specific start-up curves, auxiliary motor logic, or alarm latching that the CPU calls during each control scan.
In pipeline compressor stations the same board handles auxiliary motor contactor logic and auxiliary pump sequencing while reporting BIT status to the operator station.
Because the card is firmware-based (no battery) it is also accepted in nuclear standby turbine-generator sets, where “simple device” classification avoids additional software V&V.
