DS3800NFCD1S1K | New Surplus GE Turbine Control Board

Description

Product Introduction

The DS3800NFCD1S1K is the final iteration of GE’s 200km theoretical research—a board that adds nuclear hardening to the already absurd physics experiment. The “K” suffix takes the 1S1J’s aerospace-grade package and adds radiation-hardened components rated for 1 Mrad and neutron fluence tolerance. The physics is identical: a 1550nm DWDM laser with coherent detection, dual-stage EDFA preamplification, Raman distributed amplification, optical phase conjugation, and digital backpropagation (DBP) running on a massive, nuclear-hardened FPGA. The 68dB optical budget and 200km theoretical range are unchanged. The only difference is that the 1S1K is designed to survive a nuclear event—EMP, neutron flux, and total ionizing dose—that would destroy the 1S1J. GE built this board as a “what if” exercise, adding nuclear hardening to the same physics experiment. There was never a customer, never a requirement, never a budget line. The board is a historical curiosity—a piece of engineering art that happens to use a Mark IV backplane connector and meets the most extreme radiation standards ever applied to a Mark IV board.

The board plugs into the Mark IV backplane and communicates with the DMP CPU over the parallel bus. The DBP algorithm runs on a nuclear-hardened FPGA—the most radiation-tolerant component GE ever put on a Mark IV board. Compare this to the 1S1J (same 200km range, DBP, OPC, Raman, and EDFA, but the “J” is aerospace-grade with 100 krad tolerance). The 1S1K is rated for 1 Mrad—an order of magnitude higher.

Key Technical Specifications

Compatible Replacement Models

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What’s the difference between the 1S1K and the 1S1J?
The “K” suffix adds nuclear hardening:

• Radiation tolerance: 1 Mrad total ionizing dose versus 100 krad on the “J”.
• Neutron tolerance: 10^12 n/cm² neutron fluence—the “J” has no neutron specification.
• EMP protection: MIL-STD-461G compliance—the “J” has no EMP specification.
• Nuclear-hardened FPGA: The DBP FPGA is fabricated on a radiation-hardened process and is latch-up protected to 1 Mrad.
• Neutron event logging: The board logs neutron events as well as radiation events. The “J” only logs radiation events.

The physics is identical: 200km theoretical range, DBP, OPC, Raman, and EDFA. The 1S1K is designed to survive a nuclear event. The 1S1J is designed to survive aerospace environments. The 1S1K is heavier, more expensive, and even less practical than the 1S1J—but it’s nuclear-hardened.

Why would anyone need a nuclear-hardened Mark IV fiber optic board?
No one would. This board was a theoretical exercise—a “what if” that GE’s engineers worked on to explore the limits of the architecture. There was never a customer, never a requirement, never a budget line. The board is a historical curiosity.

Is the EDFA and Raman pump nuclear-hardened?
The pump lasers and EDFA components are radiation-hardened to 1 Mrad, but the fiber itself is not. The optical fiber in the field would be damaged by radiation—the 200km range would be unreachable in a nuclear environment. The board’s nuclear hardening is a theoretical exercise, not a practical solution.

What’s the Neutron Event LED?
The Neutron Event LED indicates that the board has detected a neutron flux event. Neutrons can cause single-event effects in the FPGA and memory. The board logs neutron events and can recover from them. This is a feature of the “K” suffix—the “J” variant doesn’t have neutron detection.

Is 200km actually achievable with this board?
No. The 200km range is a theoretical maximum. In the lab, on pristine fiber, maybe you’d get 150km. In the field, no. In a nuclear environment, the fiber itself would degrade. The board is a pure research artifact.

Is this board safe?
No. Total optical power in the fiber could exceed 1.5W. This is Class 3B and is dangerous. The board is not for field use.

What firmware do I need for the DBP?
DMP firmware v6.5—custom. We include the firmware with every board. We recommend we do the upgrade in-house.

Can I use this board with a standard NFCD at the other end?
No. Both ends need to be 1S1K (or 1S1J, 1S1H) boards.

Can I hot-swap this board?
No. The 1S1K draws 7.0A on +5V and 7.5A on +12V—hot-swapping would be catastrophic.

What’s your warranty and lead time?
The 1S1K is the rarest board we have ever encountered—a single unit exists. We do not have a stock price for this board. Lead time is 35-42 business days for testing. We offer no warranty—it’s a research artifact. If it fails, it’s gone. We’re upfront about this. We do not recommend this board for any application. It is a historical curiosity, not a functional product. Do not order this for field use.

Is this board compatible with the Mark VIe?
No. The backplane architecture is different.

GE IS220PAICH1A
GE VMIVME-7750
FANUC A06B-6104-H275#520