DS200LDCCH1AFA GE | New Surplus Stock

Description

Product Introduction

The ship’s bridge had drives on the deck. Direct sunlight. Salt spray. The standard H1A (sunlight-readable) had no marine certification. The marine H1 (DNV-GL) wasn’t bright enough for direct sun. GE built the H1AFA. Sunlight-readable transflective LCD. 1,500 nits boost. DNV-GL certified. IP67. Conformal coating. The captain can read the display in full sun, and it survives the salt spray. The deck drives now have local control that actually works.

The DS200LDCCH1AFA is the marine-certified, sunlight-readable operator interface for Mark V drives. It combines the transflective LCD and 1,500 nits boost of the H1A with the marine certification (DNV-GL), IP67 sealing, and conformal coating of the AGA series. The AFA board also has gold-plated connectors, salt-fog resistant construction, and vibration damping for shipboard use. It’s the ultimate outdoor marine keypad.

What makes the AFA different from the H1A (sunlight) and AGA (marine)? Sunlight-readable + marine certification. The AFA has transflective LCD (H1A feature) plus DNV-GL, salt-fog, and IP67 (AGA features). The board also has a heated window option (for Arctic marine — defrost). The AFA costs more (2,200 vs 1,600 for H1A). For ship bridges and exposed decks, it’s the only keypad that does both.

Key Technical Specifications

Quality Inspection Process (SOP Transparency)

Marine sunlight-readable testing combines salt-spray, boost brightness, and transflective verification.

Incoming Verification: OEM packing slip and DNV-GL certificate. Visual inspection: transflective LCD (gray/silver when off), ambient light sensor (photodiode), keypad legends (white on black), conformal coating (5 layers), heated window option (if ordered).

Salt-Spray Test (Batch Sample): 1,000 hours, 5% NaCl, 35 °C. After test, display readable, keypad functional, no corrosion. Test one board per batch.

Boost Brightness Test (Marine Environment): Shine 120,000 lux light on sensor. Backlight must boost to 1,500 nits within 1 second. At 55 °C ambient, 1,300 nits minimum.

Transflective Test (Backlight Off, Sunlight): In outdoor sunlight (120,000 lux), display readable with backlight off (reflective mode). Standard LCD would be black.

Heated Window Test (Option): Apply power (24 V, 200 mA). Window temperature rises to 10 °C above ambient within 5 minutes at -25 °C. Ice cleared.

IP67 Immersion Test: Submerge board in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Keypad must function underwater. No water ingress.

Vibration Test (DNV-GL Category C): 5-500 Hz sweep, 3 g acceleration, 2 hours per axis. Board mounted in rack. No loose components, no keypad registration failures.

Conformal Coating Inspection: Under microscope — thickness 150 µm, no bubbles, full coverage.

Cold Test (-25 °C, Heated Window Off): LCD response slow but readable. Keypad functional (membrane stiff). With heated window on, window clear, LCD responsive.

Hot Test (55 °C Ambient, Boost Mode): Run for 4 hours. Boost brightness derates to 1,300 nits. No thermal shutdown.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): We sold 7 units of DS200LDCCH1AFA over 18 months. Zero field failures. 0% failure rate (small sample).

Field Replacement Pitfalls

Get these five right and you’ll cut rework time by 90%. Marine sunlight-readable keypads have unique requirements.

Heated Window — Separate Power Supply Required (24 V, 200 mA)
❗ The heated window option requires a separate 24 V supply (200 mA). One site connected the heater to the main keypad power supply (600 mA + 200 mA = 800 mA). The supply overloaded. The keypad rebooted when the heater cycled on. Use a dedicated 24 V supply for the heater (1 A minimum). The heater is optional — for Arctic routes only.

Boost Mode Power — 600 mA (14.4 W), Use 1 A Supply
Boost mode draws 600 mA (14.4 W). One site used a 500 mA power supply. The supply current-limited during boost. The board rebooted. Use a 1 A (24 W) power supply minimum. The boost is temporary (5 minutes), but the supply must handle the peak.

IP67 Gasket — Compress Evenly (0.4 Nm)
The IP67 gasket requires even compression. One site overtightened the mounting screws. The gasket squeezed out. Water entered at 1 meter immersion (failed). Torque to 0.4 Nm (3.5 in-lbs). Use a torque screwdriver. The gasket has a compression limit.

Desiccant Pack — Replace Every 2 Years (Marine Humidity)
The AFA board has a desiccant pack inside to absorb moisture. Marine humidity saturates desiccant faster than standard environments. One site had moisture fogging after 18 months (saturated desiccant). Replace desiccant every 2 years. GE part# 336A5700P3. Access from front (remove bezel).

Heated Window Ice — Do Not Scrape (Defrost Only)
The heated window defrosts ice (5 W). One site scraped ice off the window with a scraper. Scratched the glass. The scratch created glare in sunlight. Use only the heater. Wait 5 minutes for defrost. Do not scrape.

New Original vs. Refurbished: Why It Matters

Marine sunlight-readable keypads combine fragile components. Refurbished boards cannot replicate transflective coating and marine sealing.

What “New Original (New Surplus)” means on this model:
GE manufactured the LDCCH1AFA in tiny quantities. Our stock comes from a shipbuilder’s overstock — original GE cartons, DNV-GL certificate included. The transflective LCD is pristine. The conformal coating is intact. The desiccant pack is fresh.

Refurbished risk in plain terms:
One refurbished AFA board we tested had a scratched transflective layer (improper cleaning). The display was dim in sunlight (30% reflectivity loss). Another refurbished board had a failed IP67 gasket (reused). Water ingress during immersion test.

Real cost of a refurbished failure:
A failed keypad on a ship bridge leaves the crew without local drive control. They must go to the engine room (2-5 minutes). Acceptable? Maybe. But corrosion damage from water ingress destroys the backplane (5,000-10,000). A refurbished AFA board sells for 1,200-1,800 online. Our new surplus price is 2,200. The difference is 400-1,000. One backplane replacement pays for the delta.

What we provide as proof:

• Original GE carton with DNV-GL seal
• DNV-GL certificate (unique serial number)
• Salt-spray test report (1,000 hours)
• IP67 immersion test (1 meter, 30 minutes)
• Boost brightness test (1,500 nits)
• Transflective reflectivity test (readable with backlight off)
• Heated window test (option, temperature rise)
• Vibration test (DNV-GL Category C)
• Desiccant pack (fresh, sealed)
• 12-month warranty (marine environment included)

Our price sits roughly 30% below GE’s last list price ($3,200) and about 70% above typical refurbished listings. The delta pays for DNV-GL traceability, transflective LCD integrity, IP67 sealing, and marine warranty.

Performance Benchmarks & Test Results

Test environment: Marine test lab (DNV-GL witnessed), -25 °C to +55 °C chamber, salt-spray chamber, 1 m immersion tank, solar simulator (120,000 lux).

Boost brightness (25 °C, marine ambient): 1,480 nits (spec: 1,500 nits). At 55 °C: 1,280 nits (thermal derating). Pass.

Transflective reflectivity (backlight off, 120,000 lux): 55% reflectivity. Display readable in full sun without backlight.

IP67 immersion (1 meter, 30 minutes): Zero water ingress. Keypad functional underwater.

Salt-spray resistance (1,000 hours): No corrosion on PCB, connectors, or keypad membrane. LCD readable.

Vibration resistance (3 g, 5-500 Hz): No keypad registration failures. No display issues. No loose screws.

Heated window temperature rise (-25 °C ambient): +32 °C (window at -25°C to +7°C within 5 minutes). Ice cleared.

Boost mode power consumption (24 V): 590 mA (14.2 W). Normal mode: 290 mA (7.0 W). Heated window: +190 mA (4.6 W).

Cold operation (-25 °C, heated window off): LCD response time 1 second (slow). Keypad membrane stiff but functional.

Hot operation (55 °C ambient, boost mode): Boost brightness 1,280 nits (thermal limit). Display readable.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): 7 units sold, 0 failures. Refurbished boards: tested 2 units (only two found), 1 had scratched reflective layer, 1 had failed IP67 seal, 0 passed. 0% acceptable. Marine sunlight-readable keypads are highly specialized. Buy new surplus only.

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