In a recent post, we touched on the cost, footprint and operational efficiencies of Advantech’s 17-inch PPC-179T panel PC, noting that it offers the distinct advantages of:
- A broad range of mounting options;
- Footprint efficiency;
- Inherent durability;
- Overall cost effectiveness; and
- Accommodation of an intuitive touch-input interface.
As impressive as are the efficiency and durability aspects of that popular Advantech panel-PC platform, the addition of Advantech’s new dual-core Atom NEMA-4 panel PCs ups the efficiency and durability ante as never before. Because energy efficiency and power consumption have become such dominant concerns of modern industry, Intel’s uber-efficienct Atom processors are finding ever-widening application, in large part because they deliver that efficiency while maintaining impressive performance characteristics, as well.
For example, the PPC-L158T’s Atom D525 dual-core processor offers the same 13-watt thermal design power of the Atom D510 processor, but at a 1.8 GHz clock speed instead of 1.66 GHz. Compare that to the 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo’s 34 watt TDP for meaningful perspective on just how efficient that dual-core Atom D510 processor really is. The D525 also supports up to 4 GB of fast, energy-efficient DDR3 memory.
Because it is fan-less, the enclosure of the new Atom-equipped 15-inch PPC-L158T is even more compact, delivering low-noise performance under a wide temperature and humidity range, as well as an IP65-compliant front panel. There’s even support for an internal 2.5-inch SATA HDD, dual Gigabit Ethernet connectors, four USB 2.0 ports, two RS232 serial ports and an additional port that supports RS2323/422/485 connections. Advantech has even added a VGA port for control of a second screen for applications that require dual displays.
The PPC-L158T’s 15-inch touch-screen display features wide viewing angles – 160-degrees horizontal and 140-degrees vertical – and its 350-nit luminance promotes easy viewing, even under bright ambient light conditions. The system incorporates a PenMount 6000 Controller Chipset, and its PenMount Control Panel utility facilitates user-defined edge compensation to prevent bezel interference with touch functionality. The PenMount Control Panel utility also allows the user to custom configure such critical functions as touch mode – whether mouse emulation or simple touch – auditory feedback, and even multiple monitor configuration.
Although most applications call for the PPC-L158T‘s standard resistive touch display, it is also available with capacitive and even surface acoustic wave interfaces.
Advantech’s PPC-L159T is just one example of the new dual-core Atom NEMA-4 panel PCs that it is delivering to industrial applications worldwide.