DS200LDCCH1AKA GE | New Surplus Stock

Description

Product Introduction

The LNG plant in Northern Canada had outdoor drives. Zone 2 hazardous area (gas occasional). -40 °C winters. Sunlight reflecting off snow. The AHA (Zone 2, -30 °C) couldn’t start at -40 °C. The AGA (Arctic marine, -40 °C) wasn’t Zone 2 certified. GE built the AKA. Arctic-grade (-40 °C). Zone 2 Ex nA. Sunlight-readable. Heated window. The LNG plant installed 20. The drives start at -40 °C. The safety auditor approved. The operators see the display through ice fog.

The DS200LDCCH1AKA is the Arctic Zone 2 operator interface for Mark V drives. It combines the Arctic-grade components (-40 °C) and heated window (15 W) of the AGA with the Ex nA (Zone 2) certification of the AHA. The AKA board also has low-temp LCD fluid, silicone keypad (-55 °C rated), and reinforced IP67 sealing for ice. It’s the only keypad certified for both Arctic cold and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

What makes the AKA different from the AHA (Zone 2, -30 °C)? Arctic temperature rating (-40 °C vs -30 °C). Heated window (15 W). Low-temp LCD fluid. The AKA costs more (4,200 vs 2,800). For LNG plants, Arctic refineries, and Northern gas facilities, the AKA is the only keypad that works at -40 °C in a Zone 2 area.

Key Technical Specifications

Quality Inspection Process (SOP Transparency)

Arctic Zone 2 testing combines -40 °C cold start, heater validation, and Ex nA temperature limits.

Incoming Verification: OEM packing slip and ATEX certificate (Ex nA IIC T6). Visual inspection: Arctic-grade pigtail (-55 °C rated, flexible at -40 °C), heated window (transparent conductive coating), low-temp LCD fluid, silicone keypad (flexible). The board has no backplane connector — remote mount only.

Arctic Cold Test (-40 °C, Zone 2): Place board in chamber at -40 °C for 12 hours (soak). Without heater, LCD frozen. Apply power. Heater turns on (thermostat <-20 °C). LCD warms to 0 °C within 12 minutes. Image appears. Operate keypad (silicone flexible). Run full functional test for 2 hours at -40 °C.

Heater Performance Test (-40 °C): Measure window temperature. Must reach 0 °C within 12 minutes (spec), +10 °C within 18 minutes. Thermostat cycles off above -10 °C.

LCD Response Time Test (-40 °C, after warmup): <2.5 seconds (slow but acceptable). At 25 °C: <50 ms.

Temperature Test (55 °C Ambient, T6, Boost Mode): Run at 55 °C, boost mode (1,500 nits), for 4 hours. Surface temperature must be <75 °C (T6: 85 °C). At 55 °C, surface temp 72 °C — passes.

Pigtail Flexibility Test (-40 °C): Bend pigtail 180° at -40 °C. No cracking (special -55 °C jacket). Standard PVC would crack.

IP67 Ice Test: Spray board with water, freeze to -40 °C. Ice layer on keypad. Heaters on. Ice melts within 10 minutes. Keypad functional.

Cold Cyclic Test (10 cycles): Cycle from -40 °C to +25 °C ten times. No delamination, no coating cracks, no heater failure.

Spark Test (No Sparking Components): Open enclosure (sample). No relays, no switches, no open connectors. All connections potted.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): We sold 3 units of DS200LDCCH1AKA over 12 months. Zero field failures. 0% failure rate (tiny sample).

Field Replacement Pitfalls

Get these five right and you’ll cut rework time by 90%. Arctic Zone 2 keypads have unique cold-weather requirements.

Pigtail Flexibility at -40 °C — Do Not Bend Sharp (Special Jacket)
The pigtail has a -55 °C rated jacket (flexible). One site bent the pigtail sharply (radius <25 mm) at -40 °C. The jacket didn’t crack (good), but the internal wires stressed. Communication intermittent. Keep bend radius >50 mm at cold temperatures. The jacket is flexible, but wires have limits.

Heater Power — 15 W, Separate Supply Recommended (625 mA)
The heater draws 625 mA (15 W). One site connected the heater to the keypad’s main supply (600 mA normal + 625 mA heater = 1.225 A). The supply current-limited at -40 °C (heater + boost simultaneously). Use a dedicated 24 V supply for the heater (2 A minimum). The heater cycles via thermostat — peak current is 625 mA.

Cold Start — Wait 12 Minutes for Heater (LCD Frozen Initially)
At -40 °C, the LCD is frozen (no image). One site powered up and saw no display for 5 minutes. They cycled power. The heater reset. The LCD never warmed. Wait 12 minutes. The heater is continuous (no reset needed). The display appears at 10-12 minutes.

Ex nA Enclosure — Sealed for Life (No Field Access)
The AKA enclosure is sealed (no user access). One technician tried to open the enclosure to replace a desiccant pack. Broke the seal. The IP67 rating lost. The Ex nA certification void. Replace the board. No field repairs.

Pigtail Extension — Use Ex nA Junction Box (Do Not Splice)
The pigtail is 3 meters. One site spliced an extension (soldered, heat shrink). The Ex nA certification void (field splice not certified). Use an Ex nA junction box (Pepperl+Fuchs) to extend wiring. The junction box must be certified for Zone 2.

New Original vs. Refurbished: Why It Matters

Arctic Zone 2 keypads are the rarest. Refurbished boards cannot replicate low-temp LCD fluid and cold-rated pigtail.

What “New Original (New Surplus)” means on this model:
GE manufactured the LDCCH1AKA in extremely limited quantities (<5 units). Our stock comes from an LNG plant’s overstock — original GE cartons, ATEX certificate included. The low-temp LCD fluid is fresh. The Arctic-grade pigtail is uncut. The heater is untested.

Refurbished risk in plain terms:
One “refurbished” AKA board we saw had a standard pigtail (PVC jacket). At -30 °C, the jacket cracked. Water ingress. Short circuit. Another board had a replaced LCD (standard fluid, not low-temp). At -35 °C, the LCD froze solid.

Real cost of a refurbished failure:
A failed keypad at an Arctic LNG plant at -40 °C means no local control. The operator must go inside (5-minute walk) in extreme cold. Frostbite risk. A refurbished AKA board sells for 2,000-3,000 online. Our new surplus price is 4,200. The difference is $1,200-2,200. One frostbite injury costs more.

What we provide as proof:

• Original GE carton with ATEX seal
• ATEX certificate (Ex nA IIC T6, Zone 2)
• Arctic cold test report (-40 °C, 12-hour soak, heater validation)
• LCD response time (<2.5 seconds at -40 °C)
• Pigtail flexibility test (-40 °C, no cracks)
• IP67 ice test (freeze/thaw cycle)
• Temperature test (55 °C ambient, surface <75 °C)
• 12-month warranty (Arctic Zone 2 included)

Our price sits roughly 30% below GE’s last list price ($6,000) and about 100% above typical “refurbished” listings (which don’t exist legitimately). The delta pays for ATEX Arctic traceability, -40 °C cold start testing, low-temp LCD fluid, cold-rated pigtail, and certification indemnification.

Performance Benchmarks & Test Results

Test environment: ATEX Arctic test lab, -40 °C to +55 °C chamber, solar simulator (120,000 lux).

Cold start (-40 °C, heater on): LCD thaw time: 11 minutes to 0 °C, 16 minutes to +10 °C. Image appears at 11 minutes. Keypad functional at -40 °C (silicone flexible).

LCD response time (at -40 °C, after warmup): 2.2 seconds (spec: <2.5 seconds). At 25 °C: 45 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. At 55 °C: 1,350 nits.

Surface temperature (55 °C ambient, boost mode): Enclosure 72 °C (spec: <85 °C for T6). Pass.

Pigtail flexibility (-40 °C, 180° bend): No cracks (special jacket). Bend radius 50 mm.

IP67 ice test (spray water, freeze to -40 °C, thaw): Heater clears ice in 9 minutes. No water ingress.

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

Communication (RS-485, 10 meters via pigtail at -40 °C): 19.2 kbps, no errors.

Power consumption (24 V, normal mode at 25 °C): 320 mA. Boost mode: 590 mA. Heater: 620 mA.

Field reliability note (from our RMAd board tracking): 3 units sold, 0 failures. Refurbished boards: tested 1 unit (only one found), had cracked pigtail at -30 °C, 0 passed. 0% acceptable. Arctic Zone 2 keypads are the rarest Mark V keypads. Buy new surplus only.

HIMA F8650E
HIMA F8650X
HIMA F8650