Series 15 Model A BASE 1 Board with 512 KB System Memory — 15-MA / 15-TA, PMC Cassette Port, Board Only

What this part is:
A Fanuc A16B-2200-0131, the BASE 1 board for the Fanuc Series 15 Model A CNC control, fitted with an additional 512 KB of system memory. It is a peripheral board that plugs into the Series 15A backplane (master) — the 6, 10, 11 or 13-port versions — and it is specified for the 15-MA (machining) and 15-TA (turning) controls.

Correcting the source data — the part number prefix:
Our previous title and description read DA16B-2200-0131. There is no DA16B prefix in Fanuc’s numbering scheme; Fanuc PCB part numbers are twelve digits beginning with A, and the prefixes in use on control boards are A16B, A17B and A20B. The correct number is A16B-2200-0131, and that is the number that will find the board in a Fanuc parts list, a repair house database or a machine schematic. We have retained DA16B-2200-0131 in the title and cross-references as a search term, because it is how the part has been listed and someone may look for it that way — but it is a transcription error, not a Fanuc designation.

Note for anyone matching against our web catalogue: the page URL for this item was created against the old number and cannot be changed. The listing content is correct; the address is not.

Correcting the tier — Base 1, not a PMC CPU:
Our copy also called this a “Control Board PMC CPU.” The 512 KB figure was right; the description of what the board is was not. In the Fanuc 15A architecture the boards are organised as a set — Base 0, Base 1, Base 2, plus axes, graphics, serial communications and other option boards — and the A16B-2200-0131 is the Base 1 board. It carries the system memory and the system software ROMs, and it plugs into the backplane alongside the others. On the 15A there are separate PMC RAM and PMC/ROM boards, such as the A16B-2200-0113 PMC RAM board and the A16B-2200-0110/0111/0112 RAM FILE boards. Calling the Base 1 a PMC CPU points at the wrong card in the rack.

Decoding the part number:
A16B — Fanuc PCB prefix used for older-generation control boards and drive units.2200 — the board family. The A16B-2200 series is one of Fanuc’s most functionally diverse, spanning CNC main control, PMC, option-expansion and robot axis boards across the Series 15, 16, 18 and 21 generations.0131 — this specific board: Series 15A Base 1 with 512 KB. The adjacent -0130 is the sibling Base 1 variant, and the two are catalogued together in Series 15A board lists against the PMC cassette options.A trailing revision such as /03B or /11B appears on the physical board. Revision level matters on a Fanuc base board because the system software it carries is version-matched — see below.

The PMC Cassette — not included, and it holds your machine’s ladder:
This is the single most important thing to know before buying this board. The Base 1 board carries a connector for the PMC Cassette (the PMC Cassette C is Fanuc A02B-0094-C1), a ROM cartridge that plugs into the board and contains the PMC ladder — the machine-tool logic written by the machine builder for your specific machine.

No cassette is supplied with this board. A Base 1 without its cassette is a control with no machine logic: the CNC side may run, but nothing on the machine will move correctly. If you are replacing a failed Base 1 on a live machine you will normally transfer the cassette from the old board, which is the correct procedure and costs nothing. If you do not have the original cassette, sourcing one is a much harder problem than sourcing the board, because the ladder is machine-specific.

Check the photographs on this listing to see whether a cassette is physically present. Ask us before ordering if it is essential and we will confirm what is on the shelf.

Firmware and system-software compatibility — read this before you buy:
A Fanuc base board is not a passive piece of hardware. The Base 1 carries the system software ROMs, and on a 15A those ROMs are matched to the rest of the board set — particularly the Base 0 card. Fanuc’s own guidance for Series 15 base boards is that the series number must be specified when ordering so the correct configuration ships, and that base-zero boards are supplied on a replacement basis with upgrades not installable on site.

The practical consequence: a Base 1 with the wrong software version will not simply work because the part number matches. Reputable Fanuc houses will not test a 15A base board in isolation — they ask for the complete 15-MA or 15-TA control and the full system backup so the whole set can be verified together. Before buying, record the software series and edition on your existing board set, and treat this as a hardware supply rather than a guaranteed drop-in until that is checked.

What is not included:
Board only. Not included: the PMC Cassette, the Series 15A backplane or master rack, the Base 0 and Base 2 boards, the axes, graphics and serial communications boards, the power supply unit, the CRT/MDI unit, all cabling, and any system software licence or backup.

Interchange guidance:
Search forms include A16B-2200-0131, A16B22000131, A16B 2200 0131, A16B-2200-0131/03B, A16B-2200-0131/11B and the incorrect-but-circulating DA16B-2200-0131 and DA16B22000131. Related Series 15A boards: A16B-2200-0130 (sibling Base 1), A16B-2200-0113 (PMC RAM board), A16B-2200-0110 / -0111 / -0112 (RAM FILE C / B / A), A16B-1600-0280 (additional ROM board), and the A02B-0094-C1 PMC Cassette C.

The Fanuc Series 15 is obsolete and unsupported by the factory. Fanuc Corporation remains in business and Fanuc America supports current generations, but a 15A is a repair-or-replace-with-surplus proposition — the migration path is a full control retrofit. Specialist exchange and repair for 15A base boards remains available from the legacy CNC trade. That is why an original board with the right software still sells: the alternative is retrofitting the machine.