Description

The DS3820PSFA is built as an adapter module for the Mark IV series. The MKIV, which was created for steam/gas turbine management, was GE’s third commercially released version of their Speedtronic system. The MKIV drastically lowered the turbine outage rate and increased reliability, primarily by the use of the MKIV’s distributing control functions across powerful microcomputers.

The DS3820PSFA is built as a modification upon an earlier GE DS3800 printed circuit board. In this case, an L-shaped housing has been added around the board, and some components have been added within that housing.

The DS3820PSFA is built with three transformers. These large components are placed in the short part of the housing, ninety degrees from the PCB. They share space with the top of two through-hole capacitors that are attached to the PCB and that are each reinforced by collar clamps which attach to the surface of the board via multiple points. Most wiring on the board is accomplished by connections to headers; the board is built with one six-pin header, one four-pin header, and two two-pin headers. However, a large switch that fits into the top of the housing is wired directly to the PCB by the use of two wires.

The DS3820PSFA is built with one amber LED. It is populated with five wire wound resistors. The board connects to the housing via screws attached through factory drilled holes at each corner of the board. The housing has multiple flanges (some facing inward toward the board, some top hat flanges.) Many of these flanges have screw mount holes and other cutouts.

Technical support and publications (datasheets/manuals) for the DS3820PSFA were provided to the end user by GE.