DS200PCCAG1ACB | Conformal Coated Controller

Description

Product Introduction

The DS200PCCAG1ACB sits between the standard G1A and the full-ABB ruggedized version. You get the conformal coating but not the wide-temp components. For indoor cabinets where condensation is the enemy but temperatures stay moderate, this is the sweet spot.

The “CB” suffix means conformal coated (single coat, about 25µm of acrylic). Same 16MHz 68EC020 processor, same 1MB RAM as the standard G1A. What’s different? The coating prevents moisture from forming conductive paths between pins—the root cause of about 60% of G1A field failures in humid plants. To be blunt, if your control room has a poorly sized air conditioner that cycles on and off (causing condensation), the CB version will outlast the standard board by about 3:1. We’ve seen standard G1As fail in 18 months in paper mills. The CB version goes 5+ years.

Key Technical Specifications

Compatible Replacement Models

✅ Drop-in Replacement: DS200PCCAG1A
Standard version without conformal coating. Same pinout. Swaps directly. Use in clean, dry control rooms only.

✅ Drop-in Replacement: DS200PCCAG1ABB
Full environmental version (triple coat, wide-temp). Same pinout. Swaps directly but costs about double the CB. Overkill for indoor use.

⚠️ Software Compatible: DS200PCCAG5CB
Second-generation board (25MHz, 2MB RAM) with conformal coating. Requires program recompilation. Estimate 4-8 hours. The G5 adds hardware FPU—faster math but not needed for most G1A programs.

❌ Hardware Incompatible: DS200PCCAG1 (non-A)
Original 12MHz version. Same pinout but slower. Your program may exceed timing requirements. Test before deploying.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I tell a genuine CB board from a standard G1A that someone sprayed with coating?
Two reliable methods:

1. UV light (365nm): Genuine CB boards have a thin, uniform blue glow. Field-sprayed boards show uneven glow—darker near tall components, pooling in corners.
2. Edge connector check: Genuine CB boards have coating that stops exactly 3mm from the gold fingers. Field-sprayed boards often have coating overlapping the fingers (bad—causes intermittent connection) or stop too far (15mm+), leaving exposed traces.

Can I clean conformal coating off a CB board to repair it?
Yes, but it’s messy. Use a conformal coating remover (MG Chemicals 8310A or Chemtronics ES8300). Apply with a brush, wait 5 minutes, peel off the softened coating with plastic tweezers. Repeat until clean. Then repair the board. Then re-apply coating. To be frank, we don’t recommend this for field repair—the solvents can damage plastic components (connectors, sockets, the battery holder). Send it to us. We charge $150 for stripping, repair, and recoating.

My CB board passes visual inspection but fails intermittently in high humidity. Why?
The coating may have pinholes. Single-coat acrylic (25µm) is not guaranteed pinhole-free. Under magnification (20x), inspect for tiny bare spots—they look like bright dots on the matte coating. Touch up with a fine brush and acrylic coating (MG Chemicals 422B). Pay special attention to the area under the processor socket and around the battery holder. Those are the usual spots.

What’s the typical failure mode on the CB board?
The coating itself ages. After about 7-10 years, acrylic becomes brittle and cracks, especially around the backplane connector where the board flexes during insertion/removal. Cracks wick moisture into the coating-substrate interface. The board then fails the same way as an uncoated board—conductive paths between pins. Prevention: avoid unnecessary board swaps. Each insertion flexes the board. If you must remove the board, support the edge connector with your thumb to minimize flex.

Can I use the CB board in a cabinet that sees freezing temperatures?
Not reliably. The CB board uses standard-temperature components (0°C to 50°C). At -5°C, the oscillator may drift, the flash memory may read incorrectly, and the electrolytic capacitors lose capacitance. We’ve tested CB boards at -10°C. About 30% fail within 24 hours. If you need freezing tolerance, buy the ABB version (rated to -20°C) or the ADD version (rated to -40°C).

How do I store spare CB boards to prevent coating degradation?
Keep them in the original anti-static bag, inside a sealed plastic container with desiccant packs. Store at 15-25°C. Avoid temperature cycling—each cycle stresses the coating. Do not store in direct sunlight (UV degrades acrylic). Under these conditions, the coating lasts about 15 years. In a hot warehouse (35°C+) with no desiccant, expect 5-7 years.

What’s the lead time for a DS200PCCAG1ACB from surplus stock?
1-2 weeks. The CB variant is moderately common—about 10-15% of G1A boards shipped with conformal coating. We maintain about 50 units in stock. Price is typically 10-20% higher than the standard G1A. For the small premium, it’s worth it for any site with humidity concerns.

Do you offer coating-only service for standard G1A boards?
Yes. Send us your standard G1A board. We clean it, mask the edge connector, apply two coats of acrylic (50µm total—better than the original single coat), cure for 24 hours, and test. Cost is $125 per board. Turnaround is 5 business days. Pass rate is about 98%. We do not coat boards with visible corrosion or damaged components. This service does not upgrade the temperature rating—your board remains 0°C to 50°C. But the humidity tolerance becomes equivalent to the CB version.

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