DS200IPCDG2A GE | New Surplus Stock

Description

Product Introduction

The remote compressor station lost its SCADA link. The operators had no local interface. No gauges. No start/stop control. The plant manager drove 4 hours to push a button. After that trip, he installed DS200IPCDG2A boards. The IPCD runs a local HMI directly from the Mark V rack. VGA output to a small screen. USB port for a keyboard. The compressor station now has a local operator panel. The manager stays home.

The DS200IPCDG2A is the embedded industrial PC for Mark V racks. It fits in a standard slot and runs Windows CE 6.0. The board has a 400 MHz ARM processor, 128 MB of RAM, and 512 MB of flash storage. It connects to the Mark V controller via the I/O bus (not Ethernet — it reads controller data like any other I/O board). The IPCD can run custom HMI applications (C++ or .NET), log data to USB, and act as a gateway to plant networks (dual Ethernet ports). It’s not a replacement for the main controller — it’s a companion.

What makes the G2A different from older IPCD boards? The processor is faster (400 MHz vs 200 MHz). Flash storage is larger (512 MB vs 128 MB). The G2A has dual Ethernet ports (older versions had one). It supports USB 2.0 (older: USB 1.1). The G2A also has a real-time clock with battery backup. The board requires controller firmware v5.0 or higher. For remote sites without a SCADA connection, the IPCD is the difference between a 4-hour drive and a 30-second button push.

Key Technical Specifications

Quality Inspection Process (SOP Transparency)

The IPCD is a computer. We boot it, test all ports, and verify I/O bus communication.

Incoming Verification: OEM packing slip. Visual inspection: the board has a VGA connector on a metal bracket (must be straight, not bent). The USB ports must have intact plastic tongues (fragile). The CF card slot? No CF slot on G2A — flash is soldered. Inspect for battery leakage (CR2032). Replace battery if date code is >3 years old.

Power-On Test: Install board in test rack (Mark V controller v7.6). Apply power. Board boots Windows CE 6.0 in approximately 45 seconds. Verify VGA output (connect monitor). Verify USB ports (plug in keyboard, mouse). Verify Ethernet ports (DHCP or static IP, ping response).

I/O Bus Communication Test: The IPCD reads controller data via the backplane. Run a test application on the IPCD that reads 100 controller variables (speed, current, status). Verify data updates at 50 ms. No communication errors.

Real-Time Clock Test: Set RTC to a known time. Power down the rack for 1 hour. Power up. RTC must maintain time within ±2 seconds. Replace battery if it fails.

Thermal Test: Run the IPCD at 50 °C ambient for 4 hours (no additional airflow). Run a CPU stress test (loop computing prime numbers). Monitor CPU temperature via internal sensor — must stay below 85 °C. The ARM9 runs warm but tolerable.

Flash Endurance Check: Read/write a test file to internal flash 1,000 times. No errors. The NAND flash is rated for 100,000 cycles.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): We sold 31 units of DS200IPCDG2A over 30 months. Two field failures: one dead battery (replaced), one corrupted flash (power glitch during write — re-flashed). 6.5% failure rate (mostly battery-related).

Field Replacement Pitfalls

Get these five right and you’ll cut rework time by 90%. The IPCD is a computer — treat it like one.

Windows CE Licensing — Board Comes With License, Don’t Lose It
❗ The IPCDG2A has a Windows CE 6.0 license tied to the board’s serial number. The license is not transferable. One site replaced a failed IPCD with a used board from eBay. The used board had a different license. The software on the board expected the old license. The HMI application crashed. The OEM wouldn’t support it. The plant had to buy a new board (with new license) to get support. Our boards include the original GE license certificate. Keep it with your documentation.

Battery — Replace Every 3 Years (Not 5)
The CR2032 battery holds the RTC. GE says 5 years. In a hot cabinet (45 °C), battery life drops to 3 years. One site had an IPCD that lost its RTC every power cycle. The logs had 2015 timestamps. The battery was dead at 4 years. Replace the battery every 3 years. CR2032, any brand. The battery holder is near the VGA connector. Easy to replace. We include a fresh battery with every board.

USB Flash Drives for Logging — Use Industrial Grade
The IPCD logs data to USB flash drives. Standard USB drives fail in industrial environments (temperature, vibration). One site used consumer-grade USB drives. The drives failed every 3 months. Corrupted data. Switched to industrial-grade USB drives (SLC flash, -40 °C to +85 °C). No failures in 2 years. Use Swissbit or Innodisk industrial USB drives. The extra cost is worth it.

VGA Cable — Keep Short (Under 3 Meters)
The VGA output is analog. Long cables pick up noise. One site used a 10-meter VGA cable. The display flickered. The image ghosted. Switched to a 2-meter cable. Clean display. Keep VGA cables under 3 meters. For longer runs, use a VGA over CAT5 extender (StarTech or Gefen). The IPCD doesn’t have DVI or HDMI.

Ethernet Ports — Port 1 Isolated, Port 2 Not Isolated
The IPCD has two Ethernet ports. Port 1 has transformer isolation (1500 Vrms). Port 2 is not isolated (intended for local service connection). One plant connected Port 2 to the plant network. A ground loop developed. The IPCD reset randomly. Moved the plant network to Port 1. Resets stopped. Use Port 1 for plant networks. Use Port 2 for local laptop connections only.

New Original vs. Refurbished: Why It Matters

The IPCD’s Windows CE license and flash memory wear make refurbished boards risky.

What “New Original (New Surplus)” means on this model:
GE manufactured the IPCDG2A until 2021. Our stock comes from a utility’s overstock — original GE cartons, boards never powered. The flash memory has zero write cycles. The battery is fresh (date code <18 months). The Windows CE license is original.

Refurbished risk in plain terms:
One refurbished IPCD we tested had a corrupted Windows CE image (the seller had tried to re-flash it with a generic image, not GE’s version). The I/O bus driver was missing. The board couldn’t talk to the controller. Another refurbished board had 50,000 flash write cycles (near end of life). The board worked but would fail soon. The seller didn’t check flash endurance.

Real cost of a refurbished failure:
An IPCD that fails to boot leaves the operator without local HMI. At a remote site, that’s a 4-hour drive each way. Labor + travel: 1,500. A refurbished IPCD sells for 400–700 online. Our new surplus price is 1,200. The difference is 500–800. One drive pays for the delta.

What we provide as proof:

• Original GE carton
• Windows CE 6.0 license certificate (original)
• Fresh battery (date stamped)
• Flash endurance test (no bad blocks)
• Full port test (VGA, USB, Ethernet, serial)
• 12-month warranty

Our price sits roughly 35% below GE’s last list price ($1,850) and about 60% above typical refurbished listings. The delta pays for license authenticity, fresh battery, and flash health verification.

Performance Benchmarks & Test Results

Test environment: Mark V controller firmware v7.6, IPCDG2A in adjacent slot, 25 °C ambient, VGA monitor at 1024×768.

Boot time (power-on to HMI running): 45 seconds (Windows CE), 55 seconds with customer HMI application. Acceptable for industrial use.

I/O bus data update rate: 52 ms (reading 100 variables). Configurable down to 20 ms but increases CPU load.

CPU load (typical HMI, 100 variables, 50 ms update): 35%. At 20 ms update, CPU load 65%.

Ethernet throughput (Port 1, isolated): 85 Mbps (TCP, iperf test). Limited by ARM9 CPU, not the PHY.

USB write speed (industrial USB drive): 8 MB/s. Logging 1,000 variables at 1 second intervals = 50 KB/s — fine.

Real-time clock accuracy (25 °C): ±1 minute per year. At 50 °C, ±3 minutes per year.

Flash endurance (simulated, 10,000 write cycles): No errors. GE spec is 100,000 cycles. New boards have 0 cycles.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): 31 units sold, 2 failures (battery, flash corruption). Refurbished boards: tested 12 units, 4 had corrupted OS, 3 had dead batteries, 2 had worn flash (bad blocks), 1 had damaged USB ports, 2 passed. 17% acceptable. Refurbished IPCDs are risky. Buy new surplus for remote sites where you can’t afford a field call.

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