IS215VCMIH2B: Everything You Need to Get Started 

The IS215VCMIH2B is one of the most recent VME communication cards by General Electric. However, it is designed explicitly for GE’s Mark VI SpeedTronic series. Mark VI is one of their latest control systems for gas and steam turbines. It has much better efficiency than its predecessors, Mark IV and Mark V. what makes Mark VI a more viable option than the previous variants is a much more dependable management system. In addition, it increases the work efficiency as it interlinks the turbine through its innovative design and numerous backup.

But, to understand the specifications and working of the IS215VCMIH2B, you need to understand what VME communication cards are. Moreover, it is also crucial to acknowledge the working and descriptions of the Mark VI series.

VME communication card 

The VME card has been around since the late ’80s. Motorola first introduced it for small-scale technological equipment. Later on, the VME cards gradually increased their demand due to their high efficiency and compatibility with numerous electronic and technical equipment. 

The VME is short for Versa-Module European. It is because the VME communication cards are base on European designs. As a result, there are similarities between the Eurocard and the VME card in mechanics, connectors, and overall design. However, one thing that acts as a trump card for VME cards is their built-in signaling system.

A series of institutes and commissions conduct various tests to validate and verify the reliability of the card. For example, the American National Standards Institute, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and the International Electrotechnical Commission standardize the VME cards by General Electric.

Various tests are conducting to certify whether the VME communications card is suitable. These tests verify the card’s durability by checking if it can work in a harsh environment inside a turbine. Additionally, these tests check if the card is shock or vibration resistant. Finally, it is also crucial to ensure that the card won’t melt or malfunction in high temperatures.

Why use a VME card?

VME communication cards were mainly for minor equipment. However, with the advancement in technology, it became essential to bring them to use in larger equipment and machinery. Therefore, VME communication cards are now readily utilized in major machinery at numerous levels. Be it in industry or Military warfare equipment, for instance, missiles and defense applications, VMEs will seen playing a part in it. Moreover, these cards are also helpful for medical appliances, research projects, and semiconductor process controls.

Mark VI SpeedTronic Series

IS215VCMIH2B is the best match for the Mark VI Speedtronic series. But what exactly is the Mark VI series, and how has it upped the ante against other competitors; let’s get into it briefly as well. 

Mark VI is a turbine control system responsible for protecting and controlling the turbine. In addition, it monitors the mechanical drive application system, steam turbines, and gas generators. 

Communication Board

The VCMI circuit in the controlling and communication unit interfaces internally with the I/O devices in its tower and via the IONet with the other IS215VCMIH2B cards. There seem to be two types, one for solitaire networks with one Ethernet IONet connection and another one for TMR systems with three Ethernet ports. A sole controller. The controller connects to one or more interaction modules through a cable in simplex systems. In TMR systems, the VCMI with three distinct IONet ports communicates with the three I/O streams Rx, Sx, and Tx, and also the remaining two system components.

Mark VI Speedtronic series specifications

Control module 

The control module is one of the best features of the Mark VI system. There is a 13/21 standard slot VME card rack. Moreover, the control module has a box or barrier-type termination boards that send the input to the control module.

TMS320C32 DSP processor

Mark VI has an I/O card that has a TMS320C32 DSP processor. First, it digitally filters the data and later converts it to 32-bit-IEEE-854-floating-point format. Then, to store the data, there is a dual-port memory. It is accessible by the onboard C32 DSP and the VME bus card.

Some other significant components of the Mark VI system as per the IPC-8830 guidelines include:

• Internal communication card
• main processor card
• Control Module’s flash disk card

IS215VCMIH2B specifications 

The primary purpose of the IS215VCMIH2B board is to enable communication between the Input/output boards and the controller. It is .0787 inches wide, has a 6U VME communication board with a 32-bit digital signal processor, and 256K x 32SRAM with 32-bit transfer architecture.

There are two variants of the IS215 series. VCMIH2B and VCMIH1B.

The IS215VCMIH2B front faceplate is one of its essential parts. It has four ports, of which one is a serial port, and the rest are Input/output connectors. Moreover, these connectors have the labels “TX,” “RX,” and “CD,” respectively.

Along with the ports, there Led lights and indicators. There are four LEDs with 1,2,4, and 8 labels. Meanwhile, there are separate LED lights labeled RUN/FAIL/STATUS. These indicating lights are right above the reset push switch.

Some other components of the board include:

• 40 inductor beads
• Three transformers
• Two backplanes
• One vertical male connector (12-pin P5)
• Numerous conductive dot connectors, Capacitors, Resistors, Integrated circuits, and diodes.