Description
GE CP238TA Product Description
Product Overview
The GE CP238TA is a 6U CompactPCI (cPCI) dual PMC expansion carrier card from the GE Fanuc CP238 embedded product family. It acts as a flexible expansion platform for cPCI-based industrial control and computing systems, allowing users to add custom I/O, communication or acceleration modules via standard PMC mezzanine slots.
This single-slot carrier board hosts two independent PMC sites, each supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit PCI signalling at 33 MHz or 66 MHz bus speeds. It routes I/O signals from installed PMC modules to the rear J3/J5 cPCI backplane connectors, and also provides a front-panel Gigabit Ethernet port for direct network access. With full hot-swap support and industrial-grade component selection, it delivers reliable, scalable expansion for mission-critical embedded control and data acquisition systems in harsh plant and energy environments.
Core Product Features
- Two independent PMC expansion sites support 32/64-bit data width and 33/66 MHz operating frequency, accommodating a wide range of off-the-shelf and custom PMC modules.
- Asymmetric PCI bus operation lets the secondary side run at 66 MHz independently of the primary side, maximizing throughput unless a 33 MHz PMC module is installed.
- Complete hot-swap register set with front-panel blue LED indicator enables safe online insertion and removal without shutting down the host cPCI system.
- Integrated 10/100/1000BaseTX Gigabit Ethernet port on the front panel provides direct network connectivity for programming, monitoring and data exchange.
- Rear I/O routing through cPCI J3/J5 connectors carries PMC I/O signals to the backplane, supporting clean, cable-free chassis integration.
- Standard 6U CompactPCI form factor fits directly into standard cPCI chassis, requiring no custom mounting or mechanical modification.
- Industrial temperature rating and robust PCB construction suit deployment in turbine control, power generation and heavy industrial environments.
- Backward compatible with legacy cPCI systems, making it a common choice for fleet modernization and critical spare part replacement.
CP238TA
Technical Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Official Model | CP238TA |
| Product Family | GE Fanuc CP238 Series |
| Product Type | 6U CompactPCI Dual PMC Expansion Carrier Card |
| Form Factor | 6U CompactPCI Eurocard, single slot |
| PMC Expansion Sites | 2 independent PMC slots |
| PCI Bus Support | 32-bit / 64-bit; 33 MHz / 66 MHz; PCI Rev 2.2 compliant |
| Bus Operation | Asymmetric primary/secondary PCI bus operation |
| Front-Panel I/O | 1 × 10/100/1000BaseTX Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); hot-swap status LED |
| Rear I/O | PMC I/O signals routed to cPCI J3 / J5 backplane connectors |
| Hot Swap Support | Full hot-swap register set with blue LED indicator |
| Power Input | +3.3 V DC, +5 V DC from cPCI backplane |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +60°C (standard); -40°C to +85°C (industrial grade option) |
| Storage Temperature | -40°C to +85°C |
| Humidity | 5% – 95% RH, non-condensing |
| Mounting | Standard cPCI chassis slot |
| Compliance | PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI, PICMG 2.1 Hot Swap, CE, industrial EMC |
CP238TA
Product Details and Application Fields
Product Details
Understanding the carrier’s architecture helps with configuration planning and field troubleshooting.
Bus topology. The board uses a PCI-to-PCI bridge chip to isolate the primary cPCI backplane bus from the secondary PMC local bus. This separation allows each PMC site to run at its own optimal speed, and also contains bus faults to the secondary side so a faulty PMC module does not disrupt the host system backplane.
Hot-swap behavior. When configured for hot-swap operation, the blue front LED indicates safe insertion and removal status. The board follows PICMG 2.1 hot-swap signaling conventions, so it works with standard cPCI system controllers without custom driver changes.
Rear I/O mapping. PMC I/O pins are mapped directly to the cPCI J3 and J5 rear connectors. This eliminates front-panel cabling for installed PMC modules, resulting in cleaner chassis layouts and better EMC performance in high-noise environments.
Ethernet function. The front-panel Gigabit port is connected to an on-board Ethernet controller, not passed through from a PMC site. It provides independent network access to the carrier’s on-board management functions and can also serve as an additional system network interface.
Configuration notes. No on-board DIP switches are required for basic operation. Bus speed and arbitration are handled automatically by the bridge chip based on installed PMC modules. Custom I/O mappings may require vendor-specific configuration utilities depending on the PMC type used.
Application Fields
- Flexible I/O and communication expansion for CompactPCI-based industrial automation and process control systems
- Turbine control and condition monitoring platforms in thermal and combined-cycle power generation plants
- High-speed data acquisition and signal processing systems in aerospace test and defense embedded applications
- Legacy cPCI system upgrade, I/O expansion and critical spare part replacement for long-lifecycle industrial assets
- Distributed embedded computing nodes in oil & gas production, refining and pipeline monitoring systems
- Custom functional expansion for OEM machine builders and specialized industrial equipment manufacturers
Related Model Recommendations
- CP238SA: Single-PMC variant of the same CP238 carrier family, for applications requiring only one mezzanine site and tighter space budgets.
- CP236: 3U CompactPCI dual PMC carrier board, for smaller chassis and lower-density expansion requirements.
- VMIVME-7865RC: 6U VMEbus single-board computer with on-board PMC expansion, serving as the VME-platform counterpart to cPCI carrier solutions.
- IC698CMX016: VME reflective memory PMC module commonly installed on CP238 carriers to add high-speed deterministic data sharing capability to cPCI systems.
