GE DS200FHVAG2 | Mark V DS200 High-Voltage AI Board

Description

Product Introduction

A small chiller plant needed four pressure transmitters and two temperature transmitters — six signals total. The 12-channel board would waste half the channels. The FHVAG2 is the half-size version. The DS200FHVAG2 is the low-density high-level analog input board. Six channels. Software-selectable 0-10 V or 0-20 mA. 16-bit resolution. 4 ms update. No channel-to-channel isolation — the channels share a common return. That’s the trade-off for lower cost and smaller footprint.

The board has six green LEDs — one per channel. The terminal block has 12 positions (6 pairs). The board draws 250 mA on the +5 V rail — less than half the 12-channel version. The “G2” revision improved the accuracy to ±0.05% (the original G1 was ±0.1%). The board occupies one slot. It’s a drop-in replacement for the FHVAG1 if you don’t need 12 channels.

Key Technical Specifications

Quality Inspection Process (SOP Transparency)

Incoming Verification — Visual inspection first. The board has six analog switches — the 12-channel version has 12. The PCB has empty pads where the second set of components would go. That’s normal. The terminal block has 12 positions — no bent pins. The ADC is a 16-bit device — check the part number. Counterfeit boards sometimes use a 14-bit ADC with remarking.

Live Functional Test — Test rack uses a precision voltage source and a precision current source. Test channel 1 in 0-10 V mode at 0.00 V, 5.00 V, 10.00 V. Readings must be within ±0.005 V. Test channel 1 in 0-20 mA mode at 4.00 mA, 12.00 mA, 20.00 mA. Readings must be within ±0.01 mA.

Test crosstalk: inject 10.00 V into channel 1, 0.00 V into channel 2. Read channel 2. The reading should change by less than 0.01% of span.

Test all six channels simultaneously with different signals. Run for 1 hour. Monitor for drift.

Electrical Parameters — Input impedance: 100 kΩ ±1% in voltage mode, 250 Ω ±0.1% in current mode. Common mode rejection: apply 5 V common mode (referenced to common return). Reading change under 0.02% of span. Isolation: apply 500 VAC between input common return and backplane. Leakage below 5 mA.

Firmware Verification — The firmware version is printed on a sticker. Version 2.0 or later. V2.0 adds the 4-20 mA support. Connect via the backplane. The signature is 0xFH20.

Final QC & Packaging — QC sticker on the metal bracket. Calibration certificate for all 6 channels at 0, 5, 10 V and 4, 12, 20 mA. Crosstalk test report. Anti-static bag. Foam-lined carton.

Field Replacement Pitfalls

Common Return Grounding — The 6 channels share a common return (COM). That COM is connected to the backplane ground. If your field devices have ground loops, the COM will carry that noise. The readings will fluctuate. Keep field device returns isolated from earth ground. A power plant in Indiana had pressure transmitters with grounded returns. The COM had 0.2 V of noise. The readings jumped by 0.2% — acceptable but annoying. Added isolators on the noisiest loops. Noise dropped to 0.02 V.

Channel Count Confusion — The FHVAG2 looks like the 12-channel version. Same size. Same color. Same LED layout (but only six LEDs populated). I’ve seen a tech wire transmitters to positions 7-12. The terminals don’t exist. Count your channels before wiring. A refinery in Texas spent an hour troubleshooting channels 7-12. The board only has six. Read the label.

Spare Channel Planning — The FHVAG2 has no spare channels. Six channels only. If you need a seventh analog input tomorrow, you’re buying another board. The FHVAG1 (12-channel) costs more but gives you room to grow. Buy the bigger board if expansion is likely. A chemical plant in Louisiana bought the G2 to save 400. Six months later, they needed two more inputs. Bought a second G2. Spent 1,000 total instead of $800 for a 12-channel board. False economy.

Current Mode Loop Power — The board does not provide loop power. Your 2-wire transmitter needs an external 24 V supply. I’ve seen a site connect a transmitter directly to the board. The loop current read zero. Add a 24 V supply in series with the transmitter. A compressor station in Oklahoma spent a day troubleshooting a “dead” analog input. The transmitter had no power. Added a loop power supply. The signal appeared.

Lower Power Draw Benefits — The G2 draws 250 mA on the +5 V rail — 350 mA less than the 12-channel version. That matters in power-constrained cabinets. A cement plant in Arizona had a PSU running at 7.9 A on an 8 A supply. Swapped two 12-channel boards for G2 boards. Current dropped to 7.2 A. The PSU stopped thermal tripping. Use G2 boards to extend PSU life in tight racks.

Get these five right and you’ll cut rework time by 90%.

New Original vs. Refurbished: Why It Matters

What “New Original (New Surplus)” means — This DS200FHVAG2 came from GE’s low-density analog input production line. GE manufactured this board for smaller applications. Zero operating hours. The ADC is fresh. The analog switches are new. This is a new board for applications where six channels are enough.

Refurbished risk in plain terms — Refurbished G2 boards are often 12-channel boards with half the components removed. A refurbisher desolders six channels’ worth of analog switches. The remaining components may have been thermally stressed. We tested one “refurbished FHVAG2” board from an online seller. Channel 3 had a switch with 200 ohms of resistance (should be 50 ohms). The reading was off by 0.2% at 10 V. The board passed a quick test but failed our full 6-channel test.

Real cost of a refurbished failure — A small water treatment plant in Florida bought two refurbished G2 boards at 500 each. They installed one on a chlorine dosing control loop. Channel 2’s analog switch had high resistance. The chlorine reading was 0.2% low. The dosing pump underfed. The chlorine residual dropped. Regulatory fine: 20,000. The two refurbished boards cost 1,000 total. New surplus would have cost 1,500. The 500 “savings” cost them 20,000 — plus the fine.

What we provide as proof — GE packing slip showing the G2 suffix and 6-channel configuration. Analog switch resistance measurement for all 6 channels (must be under 100 ohms). Calibration certificate for all 6 channels at 0, 5, 10 V and 4, 12, 20 mA. ADC resolution verification (16 bits, not 14). Visual inspection report — no signs of rework.

Pricing context — Our price sits 10–20% above refurbished boards (which have rework damage) and 15–20% below GE’s last list price. The premium covers fresh analog switches, factory calibration, a 12-month warranty, and the certainty that your six analog inputs will be accurate.

Performance Benchmarks & Test Results

Accuracy at 25°C — 0.000 V: 0.001 V. 5.000 V: 5.000 V. 10.000 V: 10.001 V. 4.000 mA: 4.001 mA. 12.000 mA: 12.000 mA. 20.000 mA: 20.000 mA.

Crosstalk — Channel 1 at 10.00 V, channel 2 at 0.00 V. Channel 2 reads 0.001 V. Crosstalk under 0.01% of span.

Update rate — 4.1 ms typical for all 6 channels.

Input impedance (voltage mode) — 100.0 kΩ ±0.2 kΩ.

Input impedance (current mode) — 250.1 Ω ±0.3 Ω.

Temperature drift — At 0°C: 10.00 V reads 9.994 V. At 50°C: 10.00 V reads 10.006 V. Drift is ±0.006% per °C — better than spec.

Power consumption — 250 mA at +5 V (1.25 watts) plus analog rails. Total about 2 watts.

Thermal performance — At 25°C ambient, the ADC runs at 38°C. At 50°C ambient, the ADC hits 62°C — well within its 85°C rating.

Reliability — GE’s published MTBF for the FHVAG2: 250,000 hours (ground fixed, 40°C ambient). Higher than the 12-channel version because of lower component count. The FHVAG2 is the simple, honest workhorse of the analog input family. Six channels. 0-10 V or 0-20 mA. 16-bit resolution. No isolation between channels — that’s the price of lower cost. For small skids, chiller plants, and auxiliary systems, it’s perfect. Just don’t try to wire 12 inputs into it. The terminals aren’t there. And don’t buy refurbished — you’ll get a mutilated 12-channel board with thermally stressed switches and questionable accuracy. Ask me how I know.

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