GE IC695ALG106EA 6-Channel Isolated Analog Voltage/Current Input

Description

In demanding process control and industrial automation applications where ground potential differences, long cable runs, or high common-mode voltages are the norm, a single shared reference or group-isolated analog input module can quietly destroy measurement accuracy. A 200 mV shift from a ground loop turns a precise temperature reading into off-spec product; a lightning-induced transient on one transmitter can corrupt the other fifteen channels on a non-isolated card. When you’re integrating signals from transmitters scattered across a tank farm, a boiler island, or a multi-vendor skid, you need true per-channel isolation that lets every input float independently at up to 250 VAC or 500 VDC common mode — without sacrificing resolution, speed, or diagnostic depth.

This is the exact challenge the GE IC695ALG106EA was built to conquer. This 6-channel, fully isolated analog input module for the PACSystems Rx3i platform gives you six independent 16-bit ADCs, each with its own isolated power domain and configurable for voltage (±10 V, ±5 V, 0–10 V, 0–5 V, 1–5 V) or current (4–20 mA, 0–20 mA, ±20 mA) ranges. Unlike group-isolated cards that still force channels to share a reference, the IC695ALG106EA lets you wire a grounded thermocouple on channel 1, a floating 4–20 mA transmitter on channel 2, and a differentially referenced pressure transmitter on channel 3 — all on the same module, all reading correctly, even if the field devices sit on completely different earth grounds. For plants standardizing on Rx3i or migrating from Series 90-70/90-30 while keeping existing field wiring, the GE IC695ALG106EA delivers process-grade signal integrity without the cost and downtime of adding hundreds of external isolators.

The GE IC695ALG106EA sits in any Rx3i universal backplane slot and communicates over the high-speed PCI-like bus to CPE3xx/CPE4xx CPUs or third-party controllers via PROFINET. Each channel is configured independently in Machine Edition (range, scaling, alarms, filter frequency from 8 Hz to 1 kHz), and the module requires an external 24 VDC isolated supply (19.2–30 V) wired to the high-density terminal block for its on-board DC-DC converters — this keeps the analog circuitry completely floating from the backplane. Diagnostics are comprehensive: open-wire detection on current loops, over/under-range, channel fault, and loss of user power all report directly to the I/O fault table and front-panel LEDs.

Conversion is a true 16-bit successive-approximation ADC per channel with update rates as fast as 3.5 ms for all six when using the 1 kHz filter, and accuracy holds to ±0.1 % of full scale across the full operating temperature range. Because the module supports high-density box-style terminal blocks (IC694TBB032 or TBS032), wiring density stays high while remaining field-removable for fast maintenance.

Selecting the GE IC695ALG106EA means you finally get analog inputs that behave like dedicated process instruments instead of PLC accessories. The full channel-to-channel and channel-to-backplane isolation eliminates ground-loop errors that plague lesser modules, while per-channel 16-bit conversion and configurable filtering (down to 8 Hz for 50/60 Hz rejection) deliver the noise-free data needed for tight PID loops, custody-transfer calculations, or validated batch records. Maintenance shifts from chasing mysterious drift to predictive replacement — open-wire and field-power-loss alarms flag problems before they affect the process, and hot-insertion lets you swap the module on a running system without a single dropped sample.

In real plants the IC695ALG106EA routinely cuts commissioning time by 30–50 % on skids with mixed grounded/floating transmitters, and long-term accuracy stays within spec for a decade or more — numbers that translate directly into less product giveaway, tighter environmental compliance, and fewer unscheduled outages.

You’ll see the GE IC695ALG106EA deployed on offshore platforms reading 4–20 mA pressure and level transmitters that sit on different structural grounds, in pharmaceutical reactors monitoring pH and temperature probes at wildly different potentials, and in power-plant turbine control reading ±10 V vibration sensors alongside 4–20 mA flow signals. Refineries use it for analyzer inputs where even 50 mV of common-mode noise would skew hydrocarbon measurements worth thousands per hour. Water-treatment facilities rely on it for chlorine and turbidity loops that must stay accurate despite lightning-prone environments. In every case the common requirement is absolute signal integrity in electrically hostile, high-consequence process control environments — precisely what the IC695ALG106EA was engineered to guarantee.

IC695ALG112 – 12-channel isolated version for higher density

IC695ALG600 – 8-channel universal (TC/RTD/mV) with CJC

IC695ALG608 – 8-channel non-isolated high-density

IC695ALG616 – 16-channel non-isolated voltage/current

IC695ALG628 – 8-channel differential with HART support I

C695ALG704 – Legacy 90-70 equivalent for migration

IC694TBB032 – Required high-density box terminal block

IC694TBS032 – Spring-clamp version of the terminal block

Before installing the GE IC695ALG106EA, confirm you have a clean 24 VDC external supply capable of at least 500 mA (plus margin for inrush) wired to terminals 19–20 on the high-density block — this powers the isolated analog section and must be separate from backplane power. Use shielded twisted-pair cable with shields terminated only at the module end, and verify the Rx3i CPU firmware is 5.0 or later for full diagnostic support. Leave one slot width of clearance if ambient regularly exceeds 50 °C, and always download the latest module firmware from the Emerson support site during configuration.

Maintenance is largely proactive: the module reports open-wire, over-range, and user-power loss instantly via LEDs and fault table. Once a year, cycle the external 24 V while monitoring diagnostics to confirm wiring integrity. Terminal blocks are removable under power (with caution) for fast rewiring, and spare electronics assemblies allow five-minute swaps without disturbing field cables.