PC in a box toughens up for machine control
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Contec Microelectronics product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Dec 1, 2004
A new series of ultrasmall fanless industrial computers features the EMI, temperature, vibration and shock performance crucial for PC-based automation solutions.
Ruggedness with respect to aspects such as EMI, temperature, vibration and shock is crucial when selecting hardware for PC-based automation solutions that need to operate close to machines.
For such applications, Contec has developed a new series of ultrasmall computers in its "Box-PC" range of fanless industrial computers for embedded applications.
The Box-PC 360 Series uses the latest 400MHz Intel ULP Celeron (FSB 100MHz, 256Kbyte full-speed L2 cache) embedded CPU which delivers excellent performance with very low power consumption.
The unit includes a large heatsink built into the top of the (external) case which provides sufficient heat dissipation to make a fan unnecessary.
The series features a high degree of expansion capability with a wide range of external interfaces including a CardBus PC card slot, two 100Base-Tx LANs, four USB 2.0 interfaces, IDE (ATA/100), RS232C/422/485 and AC97 audio.
These make the series suitable for diverse applications such as controllers, network security devices and IT data terminals.
The external interfaces, power supply and other connectors are all located on the front panel of the Box-PC 360 Series for ease of cabling.
The units can be attached from the rear and are suitable for wall mounting.
Another important feature of the units is the slot-in mechanism used to mount storage devices (hard disks or similar) which makes it easy to install or replace the storage device from the side of the unit.
The box size is 146 x 157 x 64mm - which is roughly the same as a 5.25in drive bay on a desktop computer, and represents a reduction in volume by more than half compared with the previous model (Box-PC 620 Series) using the same CPU.
The series uses an embedded CPU with high reliability and long term availability, has a BIOS (from Phoenix Corp) customised by Contec, and the power supply, battery and other peripheral devices are constructed from high-reliability/long-life parts.
By carefully selecting the components used in the units and through the use of Contec's optimised production systems, the series provides the quality and long-term product availability that is essential in embedded applications.
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