GEIC600CB516BSeries Six Type 2 Communications Control Module, CPU to I/O Chain Interface

Product Description

What this part is

A GE Fanuc Series Six Type 2 communications control module, IC600CB516B. It fits in a Series Six CPU rack and provides the interface between the CPU and the basic I/O chain, controlling data transfer between the processor and its peripheral devices — including the DPU (data processing unit) and PDT (programming/display terminal) devices.

Four front-panel LEDs make it one of the easier Series Six cards to troubleshoot: DPU, PARITY, CHAIN OK and ENABLED. It is a control and communications module, carrying no I/O points of its own.

Decoding the order code

IC: GE Fanuc Automation industrial controls prefix.

600: the Series Six PLC family (Model 60 / 600 / 6000). The GE Fanuc groups do not interchange: IC610 is Series One, IC630 is Series Three, IC693 is Series 90-30, IC697 is Series 90-70.

CB: the Series Six module class for CPU-rack control modules. Series Six memory modules carry CM, and I/O-rack functional and interface modules carry BF. The class letters place the card in the architecture.

516: the specific module, here the Type 2 communications control function. Siblings differ substantially: IC600CB515 is an expanded II logic control module, IC600CB524 is an arithmetic control module, and IC600CB536 is another Type 2 communications control module at a different part number.

B: the hardware revision letter, a revision suffix rather than a different product. The K revision of the same module is documented with DB25 and DB9 connectors.

Published specifications

Function: Type 2 communications control module, CPU to basic I/O chain interface.

Data transfer: controls transfer between the CPU and peripheral devices including DPU and PDT.

Diagnostic LEDs: DPU, PARITY, CHAIN OK, ENABLED.

Platform: GE Fanuc Series Six CPU racks.

Connectors: DB25 and DB9 on the K revision.

Slot occupancy: one slot in a Series Six CPU rack.

What these specs mean in practice

The four LEDs indicate where a fault sits. CHAIN OK reports the health of the I/O chain rather than of the module, so a dark CHAIN OK far more often indicates a chain cable, a terminator or a downstream rack than a failed control module. PARITY indicates a memory or data-integrity problem. ENABLED confirms the module is in circuit.

Type 2 is a functional classification. Series Six communications control modules exist in more than one type, and they are not freely interchangeable within a CPU rack, so the number and type marked on the card govern the match.

The connector complement can differ by revision — the K revision is documented with DB25 and DB9 ports — so the revision letter governs harness compatibility.

Quantity and configuration

Sold as 1 piece — one communications control module for a Series Six CPU rack slot. The rack, power supply, CPU, memory modules, I/O chain cable and terminators, peripheral terminals and programming software are separate items in the Series Six system.

Interchange guidance

Searchable equivalents of the same part: IC600CB516B, IC600CB516, IC600-CB-516-B, IC600 CB 516 B, CB-516B, CB516B, IC600CB516K. Other revision letters of IC600CB516 are the same module at a different revision level, though the connector complement can differ between them. Related and distinct: IC600CB536 (another Type 2 communications control module), IC600CB515 (expanded II logic control) and IC600CB524 (arithmetic control) — same class prefix, different function or different build.