GEIC600CB516ASeries Six Communications Control Module Type 2 (CCM2), Dual Serial RS-232C / RS-422, 300 bps to 38.4K bps

Product Description

What this part is

GE Fanuc IC600CB516A is a Communications Control Module Type 2, CCM2, for the Series Six programmable controller. It is a serial communications board: it gives the Series Six CPU two serial ports so an outside intelligent device can read and write the PLC’s memory. Typical partners are a host computer, a supervisory or SCADA package, a colour-graphics terminal, a process control system, an operator interface unit, or another GE Fanuc PLC speaking the same CCM protocol. GE’s own drawing number for this board is 44A717545-G01. It is a communications module rather than an I/O module, and it occupies a dedicated communications slot: on a Series Six 60, 600 or 6000 that is the second slot to the left of the CPU power supply.

Order code breakdown

IC600: GE Fanuc Series Six / Series Six Plus family. CB: communications board. 516: Communications Control Module Type 2 (CCM2), the earlier generation, which includes tape-cassette load/save functionality. Trailing letter A: hardware revision level, not a function change. GE superseded the CB516 CCM2 with the enhanced CCM2 as IC600CB536 and the Type 3 module as IC600CB537; those later boards dropped the tape function and added expanded memory addressing.

Published specifications

Function: serial communications interface, CCM protocol. Ports: two, J1 being a 25-pin D-type female for RS-232D/RS-422 and J2 a 9-pin D-type female for RS-232D/RS-422. Line interfaces: RS-232C, RS-422, and RS-422 with clocks, the clocked mode being a CCM2 feature. Data rates: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19.2K and 38.4K bps. Protocol roles: peer-to-peer, master, or slave, a master polling up to eight slaves. Data format: 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, optional parity, odd, even or none. Configurations: point-to-point and multidrop. Maximum distance: 50 ft (15 m) on RS-232C, 4,000 ft (1,200 m) on RS-422. Multidrop: up to eight slaves on an RS-422 daisy chain, with longer runs via modems on RS-232. Power required from the rack CPU power supply: +5 V DC, +12 V DC and −12 V DC. Units of load: 17, 4, 4. Front panel: four LED status indicators and two centre-off SPDT momentary switches (A and B) for CCM error diagnostics. Operating temperature: 0 to 60 °C. Storage temperature: 0 to 70 °C. Humidity: 5–95% non-condensing. Circuit board: 8.15 x 11.0 in (208 x 280 mm). Faceplate: 12.46 x 1.175 in (317 x 30 mm).

Specifications in application

Distance decides the port. RS-232 caps at 50 ft, which covers a device in the same cabinet or the next one along. RS-422 reaches 4,000 ft on shielded twisted pair and is also the interface that multidrops up to eight slave PLCs on a single line. Plant-wide runs and telephone links use modems on the RS-232 side.

On RS-422 the two transmit signals form one twisted pair and the two receive signals the other, since a transmit and a receive line sharing a pair produces crosstalk and intermittent comms. Grounds at each end sit within a few volts of each other to protect the line drivers.

CCM is master/slave, so a slave does not start a conversation. Unprompted data from the PLC end calls for master configuration or a Type 3 module.

What is included

Circuit board with faceplate, as pictured. Not included: a rack, backplane or CPU rack power supply; a CPU, memory module or control modules; serial cables or mating connector kits for J1 or J2; a modem, terminal, operator interface or host computer; Logicmaster 6 software; or documentation. Cables are built to the connected device’s pinout and are not supplied. GE’s referenced cable types for RS-422 service are Belden 9184, Belden 9302 and NEC 222PISLCBT or equivalent shielded twisted pair.

Mounting data

Slot: the dedicated communications slot, second to the left of the CPU power supply on a Series Six 60, 600 or 6000, and slot 5 or 6 on a Series Six Plus. Circuit board dimensions: 8.15 x 11.0 in (208 x 280 mm). Faceplate dimensions: 12.46 x 1.175 in (317 x 30 mm). Factory-set jumpers JP1 through JP8 and T2/T4/T6/T8 carry the board configuration, with JP4 selecting operator-interface enable or disable and JP6 controlling whether +5 V appears on pin 20 of J1. DIP switches 9 to 16 configure port J1, 1 to 8 configure port J2, and 18 to 20 set options common to both. Terminating resistors belong at the end of an RS-422 link and are removed at an intermediate drop. The module takes its ID number from the Series Six CPU scratchpad, set with Logicmaster software. The module is static-sensitive.

Interchange guidance

IC600CB516 interchanges across its revision letters, so IC600CB516A, IC600CB516C and IC600CB516L are the same catalogue item at different revisions. IC600CB536 is the superseding enhanced CCM2 and IC600CB537 is the Type 3 (CCM3) module, both related rather than drop-in equivalents. CCM3 adds Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) protocol and process-controller interfacing that this Type 2 board does not have, and RS-422-with-clocks is a CCM2 feature handled differently on the later boards. IC600FP536 is the faceplate on its own. Also searched as IC600CB516, IC600CB516L, IC600CB516C, CB-516A, CB516, IC600-CB516A, 44A717545-G01, GE Series 6 CCM2 board and GE Fanuc comm control type 2.