As per the PCB drawing the of SDCC the U9 chip is referred to as the only EEPROM compared to U11 U12 U22 U23.
1- As far as I am concerned, when we perform download to the core, all that data will be stored to U9 only is that correct?

2- During any replacement of SDCC board with new one. removing the U9 chip from the old card and install in the new card will be enough to precludes from having to set the Voter ID and also we don't have to download anything to the new SDCC card, or we need to replace also U11, 12, 22, 23?

3- What is the exact function of the EPROMs U11 U12 U22 U23 ?

Thanks in advance

 

1. You are correct; downloading to a Mark V control processor (<C>, <D>, <R>, <S> or <T>) is done to the U9 chip on the SDCC/DCC card from the operator interface (<I> or Mark V HMI). If a change is made to a TCEA or TCDA I/O card configuration in the I/O Configurator the download still goes only to the U9 on the SDCC/DCC--and to get the changes to the TCEA or TCDA those cards must be re-booted for them to go to the U9 chip on the SDCC/DCC card and get the changes and download to the respective cards and load it into RAM for execution at the end of the card re-boot.

2. Yes, BUT--this ONLY works properly if the card revision of the new SDCC/DCC card is the same as the revision being replaced. As long as the card revision difference is only a minor difference, the processor will boot to A7 on re-start and the IOCFG could be downloaded to get the minor revision to the proper level (after re-booting the processor again). As written below, if I recall correctly the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips are usually swapped from the card being replaced to the new card being installed.

3. As for what the other chips do--they provide the algorithms and programming used by the SDCC/DCC card when executing the sequencing and the I/O functions defined by the information downloaded to the U9 chip. Yes; they're EEPROMs, but they're not storing any actual configuration or operating information. EEPROM chips can be used for MANY different purposes, as the U9 chip function is different than the other chips you mentioned. If I recall correctly, the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips have printed labels on them and are typically shifted from the card being replaced to the new card being installed. These labels usually have characters on them like DS200xxxx--these are the ONLY labeled chips that need to be swapped when replacing a card. There may be other chips with labels, but they typically will not have the same characters and often are NOT socketed (can't be removed).

 

As per the PCB drawing the of SDCC the U9 chip is referred to as the only EEPROM compared to U11 U12 U22 U23.
1- As far as I am concerned, when we perform download to the core, all that data will be stored to U9 only is that correct?

2- During any replacement of SDCC board with new one. removing the U9 chip from the old card and install in the new card will be enough to precludes from having to set the Voter ID and also we don't have to download anything to the new SDCC card, or we need to replace also U11, 12, 22, 23?

3- What is the exact function of the EPROMs U11 U12 U22 U23 ?

Thanks in advance
View attachment 2753

I/O configurator contains the version numbers for the chips in the MKV boards.

StageLink ID is only a concern in C core.

 

1. You are correct; downloading to a Mark V control processor (<C>, <D>, <R>, <S> or <T>) is done to the U9 chip on the SDCC/DCC card from the operator interface (<I> or Mark V HMI). If a change is made to a TCEA or TCDA I/O card configuration in the I/O Configurator the download still goes only to the U9 on the SDCC/DCC--and to get the changes to the TCEA or TCDA those cards must be re-booted for them to go to the U9 chip on the SDCC/DCC card and get the changes and download to the respective cards and load it into RAM for execution at the end of the card re-boot.

2. Yes, BUT--this ONLY works properly if the card revision of the new SDCC/DCC card is the same as the revision being replaced. As long as the card revision difference is only a minor difference, the processor will boot to A7 on re-start and the IOCFG could be downloaded to get the minor revision to the proper level (after re-booting the processor again). As written below, if I recall correctly the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips are usually swapped from the card being replaced to the new card being installed.

3. As for what the other chips do--they provide the algorithms and programming used by the SDCC/DCC card when executing the sequencing and the I/O functions defined by the information downloaded to the U9 chip. Yes; they're EEPROMs, but they're not storing any actual configuration or operating information. EEPROM chips can be used for MANY different purposes, as the U9 chip function is different than the other chips you mentioned. If I recall correctly, the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips have printed labels on them and are typically shifted from the card being replaced to the new card being installed. These labels usually have characters on them like DS200xxxx--these are the ONLY labeled chips that need to be swapped when replacing a card. There may be other chips with labels, but they typically will not have the same characters and often are NOT socketed (can't be removed).

Thank you very much for your reply.

I want to elaborate more on the 2nd point. lets suppose I am replacing the SDCC/LCC with a newer version card, my understanding tells me to swap ONLY the U9 chip as the other chips may contain older algorithms which will not be compatible with the newer version card I am mounting.
On the other hand, If the new card has the same revision of the one being replaced, I can either swap only the U9 or U9 and all other EEPROMs U11, U12, U22, U23 which is a better option.

Would you please confirm the above?

 

How about supplying the card revision information for the card being removed AND the card revision information for the card being installed? (Card revision information is silkscreened onto the card itself.) AND provide the label information from the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips on the card being removed? (If there are already chips in the U11, U12, U22 & U23 sockets on the card being installed, provide the label information for those chips as well.)

IF the U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips are socketed chips (meaning they can be removed) AND they have printed labels stuck on them which begin with DS200 AND the new card DOES NOT have chips in the U11, U12, U22 & U23 sockets then you should remove the chips from the card being removed and place them in the card being installed (presuming it does not have any chips in the U11, U2, U22 & U23 sockets--which most spare cards would not have labeled chips in the U11, U2, U23 & U23 sockets (unless the cards were not new/refurbished and were purchased from Mark* V turbine control panels being upgraded or replaced).

In my personal opinion (and experience) "spare" cards DO NOT have any socketed chips installed on them from the supplier, so the socketed chips from the card being removed have to be removed and installed on the "spare" card. If the card being installed already has chips in the U11, U12, U22 & U23 sockets and the labels on the chips are NOT THE SAME as the labels on the chips of the card being removed, then you should remove the chips from the sockets on the card being installed and put the chips from the card being removed in their places. This will ensure the socketed chips are the same as the software was configured with.

BUT, we don't have enough information (i.e., the card revisions (of both SDCC cards) and the chip labels (from any chips in the U11, U12, U22 & U23 sockets on both SDCC cards) to say any more with any certainty. AND, if the SDCC cards are NOT the same major revision number as the SDCC card being removed, then that would most likely mean an entirely different procedure must be used for the new cards (one which COULD NOT be detailed in this forum). It's extremely difficult for most people--and even some reputable card suppliers-- to determine if cards with different revision numbers can be substituted for existing cards; GE (foolishly) never published any information about card replacement compatibility as they always assumed the cards would be replaced with the same revision numbers (major revisions particularly, but minor revisions, also). We don't know where the "spare" card you have was obtained from, so we don't know its history.

 

Also, it's NOT difficult to change the Voter ID and download to a "blank" U9 EEPROM. BUT, if you have a SDCC card which already has labeled U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips in the sockets, then it probably came from a Mark* V panel which was being used to control a turbine AND the U9 chip already has had the Voter ID (and possibly StageLink ID) set AND site-specific software downloaded to it. It's not difficult to erase that information (using the EEPROM Downloader), reboot that processor, and then check and set the Voter ID if necessary (and the Stage Link ID, if necessary) and re-download the site-specific information and reboot the processor again. Swapping the U9 chip--even for a blank U9 on a factory "spare" card--just avoids having to format and reboot, and download and reboot, and check/set Voter ID and StageLink ID (if for a <C> or <D> SDCC).

 

Also, it's NOT difficult to change the Voter ID and download to a "blank" U9 EEPROM. BUT, if you have a SDCC card which already has labeled U11, U12, U22 & U23 chips in the sockets, then it probably came from a Mark* V panel which was being used to control a turbine AND the U9 chip already has had the Voter ID (and possibly StageLink ID) set AND site-specific software downloaded to it. It's not difficult to erase that information (using the EEPROM Downloader), reboot that processor, and then check and set the Voter ID if necessary (and the Stage Link ID, if necessary) and re-download the site-specific information and reboot the processor again. Swapping the U9 chip--even for a blank U9 on a factory "spare" card--just avoids having to format and reboot, and download and reboot, and check/set Voter ID and StageLink ID (if for a <C> or <D> SDCC).

Thank again for your well organized response.
To honest I am not in a situation where I am going to change SDCC/LCC. But I wanted to clear out few key information about the subject and gain more insights. I was struggling to find a specific documents which explains exactly how the EEPROMs are interacting with each other.
But for me now it is much clearer. giving importance to the card revision is key since I used to work on Mark II, and with your explanation I can see what I need to do in case I am in a situation where I am going to replace SDCC/LCC boards. If my option matters for any one reading, I would tend to just Upload the TOTD from the old EEPROM and use the new card with its new EEPROMs by following the know U9 configuration steps explained above.

Regards