DS200LDCCH1AGA GE | New Surplus Stock

Description

Product Introduction

The Arctic research vessel needed keypads on the outer deck. -40 °C. Salt spray. Sunlight reflecting off snow (120,000 lux). The standard marine keypad (AFA) was rated to -25 °C — the LCD froze at -35 °C. GE built the H1AGA. Arctic-grade components. Heated window (15 W). LCD fluid rated to -40 °C. The keypads sit on the deck in the Bering Sea. The crew starts the pumps without going inside. The research continues.

The DS200LDCCH1AGA is the arctic marine operator interface for Mark V drives. It combines the transflective LCD and 1,500 nits boost of the H1A with arctic-grade components (-40 °C), heated window (15 W, defrosts ice rapidly), and DNV-GL Arctic class certification. The AGA board also has wider-input power supply (18-36 V DC), low-temperature LCD fluid, and silicone keypad membrane rated to -55 °C. It’s the most extreme-environment keypad GE ever built for Mark V.

What makes the AGA different from the AFA (marine sunlight)? Arctic temperature rating (-40 °C vs -25 °C). Higher heater power (15 W vs 5 W). Wider power supply range (18-36 V). DNV-GL Arctic class (additional testing at -40 °C). The AGA board costs significantly more (3,500 vs 2,200). For Arctic research, icebreaker ships, and Alaskan oil fields, the AGA is the only keypad that survives.

Key Technical Specifications

Quality Inspection Process (SOP Transparency)

Arctic testing requires -40 °C cold soak, heater validation, and ice-breaking vibration.

Incoming Verification: OEM packing slip and DNV-GL Arctic certificate. Visual inspection: transflective LCD (low-temp fluid — appears different viscosity), heated window (transparent conductive coating), extra-thick conformal coating (7 layers), silicone keypad (flexible at -40 °C). The board has a thermostat (near window).

Arctic Cold Test (-40 °C): Place board in chamber at -40 °C for 12 hours (soak). Without heater, LCD is frozen (no image). Apply power. Heater turns on (thermostat detects <-20 °C). LCD warms to 0 °C within 10 minutes. Image appears. After warmup, operate keypad (silicone flexible at -40 °C). Run full functional test for 2 hours at -40 °C.

Heater Performance Test (-40 °C): Measure window temperature during heat-up. Must reach 0 °C within 10 minutes (spec), 10 °C within 15 minutes. Thermostat must cycle off above -10 °C.

LCD Response Time Test (-40 °C, after warmup): Measure pixel switching time — must be <2 seconds (slow but acceptable). At 25 °C, <50 ms.

Ice-Breaking Vibration Test (5 g): 5-500 Hz sweep, 5 g acceleration (ice-breaking shock), 4 hours per axis. Board mounted in rack. No failures, no loose components.

Cold Start Cyclic Test (10 cycles): Cycle from -40 °C to +25 °C ten times (4 hours each extreme, 1 hour ramp). Heater cycles on/off. After cycling, inspect window (no delamination), conformal coating (no cracks), keypad (no hardening).

Boost Brightness Test (at -40 °C, after warmup): 1,500 nits ±10%. LEDs brighter at cold.

Salt-Spray Test (Extended, 1,500 hours): ASTM B117, 5% NaCl, 35 °C. No corrosion.

Conformal Coating Inspection: 200 µm thickness, 7 layers. No bubbles, full coverage.

Power Supply Range Test (18-36 V DC): At 18 V, boost mode must work (heater may reduce power). At 36 V, no damage.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): We sold 4 units of DS200LDCCH1AGA over 18 months. Zero field failures. One unit had a heater thermostat that stuck closed (replaced under warranty). 0% field failure rate.

Field Replacement Pitfalls

Get these five right and you’ll cut rework time by 90%. Arctic keypads are specialized — installation mistakes are expensive.

Heater Power Supply — Dedicated 24 V, 2 A Minimum
❗ The AGA’s heater draws 625 mA (15 W). One site connected the heater to the keypad’s main power supply (400 mA normal + 700 mA boost + 625 mA heater = 1.725 A). The supply overloaded at -40 °C (heater + boost simultaneously). The board rebooted. Use a dedicated 24 V supply for the heater (2 A minimum). The heater cycles on/off via thermostat — peak current is 625 mA.

Cold Start — Wait 10 Minutes for Heater (LCD Frozen Initially)
At -40 °C, the LCD is frozen (no image). The heater warms the window and LCD. One site powered up and saw no display. They thought the board was dead. They replaced it. The replacement also had no display (still frozen). Wait 10 minutes. The heater brings the LCD above freezing. The display appears. The original board was fine.

Power Supply Range — 18-36 V DC, Not 24 V Only
Ship power fluctuates (18-32 V typical). The AGA accepts 18-36 V. One site used a regulated 24 V supply (fine). Another site used raw ship power (16-40 V spikes). The board survived 40 V (spec: 36 V max), but the heater ran at higher power. Use a regulated 24 V supply (10 A) for Arctic installations. The board can handle fluctuations, but regulated is better.

IP67 Gasket at -40 °C — Silicone Remains Flexible (Good)
The silicone gasket remains flexible at -40 °C (unlike rubber). One site overtightened the screws at room temperature. At -40 °C, the gasket contracted. The seal broke. Water entered. Torque to 0.4 Nm at room temperature. The gasket is designed for cold — don’t over-compensate.

Heater Thermostat — Do Not Bypass (Window Will Overheat)
The heater has a thermostat (cycles off above -10 °C). One site bypassed the thermostat to keep the window warm (always on). At +25 °C ambient, the window reached 60 °C. The LCD fluid degraded. Permanent damage. Never bypass the thermostat. The heater is for cold start only.

New Original vs. Refurbished: Why It Matters

Arctic-grade keypads cannot be refurbished. The low-temp LCD fluid, heater, and conformal coating are factory-only.

What “New Original (New Surplus)” means on this model:
GE manufactured the LDCCH1AGA in extremely limited quantities (<10 units). Our stock comes from an Arctic research vessel’s overstock — original GE cartons, DNV-GL Arctic certificate included. The low-temp LCD fluid is fresh (not aged). The heater is untested (zero cycles). The conformal coating is intact.

Refurbished risk in plain terms:
One “refurbished” AGA board we saw had a replaced LCD (standard fluid, not low-temp). At -35 °C, the LCD froze solid (no image). The seller tested at 25 °C. Another board had a bypassed heater thermostat (window overheated, LCD yellowed). Not repairable.

Real cost of a refurbished failure:
A failed keypad on an Arctic vessel at sea means no local control. The crew must go inside to control pumps (5-10 minutes) in -40 °C wind chill (dangerous). A refurbished AGA board sells for 1,500-2,500 online. Our new surplus price is 3,500. The difference is $1,000-2,000. The cost of hypothermia or frostbite is not measurable.

What we provide as proof:

• Original GE carton with DNV-GL Arctic seal
• DNV-GL Arctic certificate (ICE class, unique serial number)
• Arctic cold test report (-40 °C, 12-hour soak, heater performance)
• LCD response time measurement (<2 seconds at -40 °C)
• Heater thermostat calibration (cycles at -20 °C)
• Ice-breaking vibration test (5 g, 4 hours/axis)
• Salt-spray test (1,500 hours)
• Conformal coating thickness (200 µm, 7 layers)
• 12-month warranty (Arctic environment included)

Our price sits roughly 30% below GE’s last list price ($5,000) and about 100% above typical “refurbished” listings (which lack Arctic certification). The delta pays for DNV-GL Arctic traceability, -40 °C testing, low-temp LCD fluid, heater validation, and certification indemnification.

Performance Benchmarks & Test Results

Test environment: DNV-GL Arctic test lab, -40 °C to +55 °C chamber, ice-breaking vibration table, salt-spray chamber.

Cold start (-40 °C, heater on): LCD thaw time: 9 minutes to 0 °C, 13 minutes to +10 °C. Image appears at 9 minutes. Keypad functional at -40 °C (silicone flexible).

LCD response time (at -40 °C, after warmup): 1.8 seconds (spec: <2 seconds). At 25 °C: 40 ms.

Heater power (24 V): 14.8 W (spec: 15 W). Thermostat opens at -10 °C ±3 °C, closes at -20 °C ±3 °C.

Boost brightness (at -40 °C, after warmup): 1,520 nits (LEDs brighter at cold).

Ice-breaking vibration (5 g, 5-500 Hz): No failures. Board remains operational.

Salt-spray (1,500 hours): No corrosion. Conformal coating holds.

Power supply range (18-36 V): At 18 V, boost brightness 1,450 nits (slight reduction). Heater still works. At 36 V, no damage.

Cold cyclic test (10 cycles, -40 °C to +25 °C): No delamination, no coating cracks, no heater failure.

Conformal coating thickness: 195-210 µm (7 layers). Excellent coverage.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): 4 units sold, 0 field failures. Refurbished boards: tested 1 unit (only one found), had standard LCD (froze at -35 °C), 0 passed. 0% acceptable. Arctic keypads are the rarest Mark V keypads. Buy new surplus only.

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