GE IC695CPE305-BC Rx3i PACSystems CPU, 500 MHz Celeron M

Description

In Rx3i systems that started life a decade ago with CPE305 or CPE310 CPUs, engineers are increasingly hitting the wall: the logic is solid, the I/O is healthy, but the processor simply can’t keep up with new demands — whether that’s adding a few hundred energy registers, pushing OPC UA data to the cloud every second, or running more than a handful of PID loops without the scan creeping toward 80 ms. A full platform migration is overkill and usually unaffordable, yet living with sluggish response or constant “CPU overload” alarms isn’t sustainable either. This is the exact sweet spot the GE IC695CPE305-BC was released to fill. As the current-production, drop-in replacement for every earlier 500 MHz Celeron-based CPE305 (including the original CA, CB, and RX3i CPE305-AAAA variants), the GE IC695CPE305-BC delivers roughly 2.5× the raw performance, 64 MB of non-volatile user memory, and native SRTP + OPC UA server capability while remaining 100 % mechanically, electrically, and programmatically compatible with the unit you’re already running.

The GE IC695CPE305-BC slides into the exact same slot in any IC695CHSxxx backplane, uses the same 24 VDC power terminals, and boots the identical Proficy Machine Edition project you exported yesterday. No code changes, no I/O address shifts, no new rack power budget — just faster execution and far more headroom. The single 10/100 Ethernet port now supports up to 32 simultaneous SRTP client connections (versus the old limit of 8), and the built-in OPC UA server can serve 5,000 tags at 500 ms update without stealing scan time. Energy-monitoring registers are calculated natively from any IC695ALGxxx analog module, and the non-volatile flash memory eliminates the old lithium-battery memory-retention worries that used to force annual battery swaps during shutdowns.

Choosing the GE IC695CPE305-BC is usually the cheapest and fastest way to buy another decade of life for a perfectly good Rx3i rack. Sites that were forced to split applications across two CPE305s because of memory or scan-time limits routinely consolidate back to one CPU after the upgrade. The extra Ethernet connections alone eliminate most of the third-party protocol converters that used to sit between the PLC and the plant historian. And because the -BC firmware is still being updated in 2025, you get ongoing cyber-security patches and new function blocks without ever leaving the Rx3i platform.

You’ll find the GE IC695CPE305-BC replacing tired original CPE305s on municipal water-pumping stations that added VFD energy reporting, on automotive press lines that grew from 400 to 1,200 I/O points over the years, and on batch chemical reactors where the old CPU was spending 60 % of its time just servicing the HMI. It’s also the standard drop-in for any site that needs to meet modern IT/OT convergence requirements without triggering a full control-system replacement budget.

IC695CPE305-CA – Original 2009–2012 version (the one most people are replacing)

IC695CPE310-AC – 1 GHz version if you need even more headroom

IC695CPE330 – Dual-core when heavy C or Java blocks are required

IC695PNS001 – PROFINET scanner (often added after CPE305-BC upgrade)

IC695RMX128 – Redundancy module for high-availability upgrade path

IC695ACC600 – Replacement battery/SD-card kit (no longer needed with -BC flash)

Before the swap, export your existing project, note the IP address and rack configuration, and have a USB stick ready. Power down the rack, pull the old CPE305, slide in the GE IC695CPE305-BC, and power back up — the CPU will come up in STOP mode with the old program already loaded from non-volatile memory. Download the same project once to synchronize symbols, set the clock, and you’re running. Most sites are back online in under fifteen minutes and immediately notice the scan time drop from 50–70 ms to the low teens.