IC697BEM731 is a Bus Controller Module (BCM) manufactured by GE Fanuc for the 90-70 Series. IC697BEM731 is designed specifically for the Genius I/O handheld monitor IC660/IC661. The IC697BEM731 module is available as a single channel controller; thus it only occupies a single handheld monitor (IC66*) PLC slot. This BCM scans IC66* input/output blocks asynchronously; consequently, I/O data is transferred to the CPU once per scan over the backplate of the IC697 PLC rack.  The IC697BEM731 BCM is also charged with the task of supporting directed communication originating from a PLC CPU communication service request. In addition, it may be configured to perform global communications. The IC697BEM731 can only be configured by the MS DOS or Windows programming software configuration function.

Additional features of the IC697BEM731 include 30 drops per channel, IC66* or IC661 I/O diagnostics, support of redundant blocks, cables, and CPUs, LAN communications, CPU soft configuration, and an alarm processor function. Before installing, refer to the applicable PLC installation manual. The power should be OFF before starting. Install the rack as instructed, and turn power ON. If done correctly, the module will power up with a corresponding blinking LED. The middle LED will emit ON when configuration is received from the CPU and the bus operation verified. The LED on the bottom is always OFF.