Farm equipment is exposed to dirt and water throughout its lifetime.

The equipment can be installed both indoors or outdoors, but is exposed to dirt as a matter of course and exposed directly to water when equipment is cleaned.

Many installations have a panel PC installed in a casing so that only the front panel is exposed.

On farm-equipment however, the PC is connected directly to the equipment and is completely exposed.

What we chose

The S12A-N270 was chosen as the ideal panel PC for this installation.

It shares the same powerful features as many other panel PCs, like low-power Atom processor and touch screen display.

But the whole system is also IP67 compliant, which means that it is capable of being completely submerged in water and still function correctly.

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This case study is part of the IEI Panel PC Case Study Series.

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IEI Case Study – Panel PC.pdf

Building automation systems integrate electronics into the main functions of a building.

The convenience of being able to control many aspects of a building from single, multiple or even remote locations allows a single employee to do the work of what required multiple employees in the past.

Possibilities include:

• Open or close all the windows in specific places.
• Lock and unlock doors.
• Turn lights on and off.

All of these work together to reduce costs by monitoring building resources and using them efficiently.

What we chose

The PPC-5190-H61 was chosen for it’s wide range of peripheral connections.

Cabinet Internal View

Connecting to the different system in a building requires a mix of many kinds of connectors. This model is also quite large, making it easier to use and can be setup in portrait mode.

The system can also be easily expanded through peripherals as needed.

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This case study is part of the IEI Panel PC Case Study Series.

Download the full document below:

IEI Case Study – Panel PC.pdf

Engine failures cost the shipping industry billions of dollars each year.

Over 80% of engine failures are due to tiny particles of aluminum and silicon, known as catfines, found in heavy fuel oil.

Purifiers are an essential part of the purification process. But this passive approach still leaves room for improvement.

As catfines cause so many failures, with heavy financial costs for repair, monitoring them and taking preventative action is key to preventing engine failures.

An in-line system using NMR technology to measure the catfines content in heavy fuel oil was created.

But to realize a fully online, constantly available system, a reliable computer was required.

What was needed?

Marine applications are particularly harsh on electronic equipment.

Firstly, there’s electronics great enemy, water. Add to this the salt-filled air and you have a recipe for corrosion and equipment failure.

The system is fully enclosed, so the panel PC needed to:

• work well in high temperatures
• have protection from water and dust
• be panel mountable

What we chose

The following fitted the requirements

• AFL-12A-N270 panel PC
  • 2GB RAM
  • 40GB SSD
• AFLPK-12 mount

High-temperature tolerance

Engine rooms are ventilated, but the heat is still on the high side. Most computers require active cooling in even in normal conditions.

This model can handle temperatures up to 60 degrees. More than enough to handle the temperatures encountered in an engine room

Panel mountable

The panel PC would be fitted on an enclosure.

The screen faces out for user interaction through the touch screen panel.

Connections and power are all on the rear, so they are offered the environmental protection of the cabinet they are placed in.

Splash and dust protection

Although engine rooms are not usually very dirty, taking some precaution against dirt or water damage is necessary.

When mounted to a cabinet only the front panel is exposed. The front panel is dust and water resistant and IP64 compliant.

Splashes will not harm the system, and dust cannot cause long term damage.

SSD

Mechanical hard drives are prone to failure.

For this application, reliability was key, so a solid state drive was chosen.

Software choice

Windows embedded is a simpler and cheaper version of Windows often used in embedded systems. In this case, it was necessary that Windows 7 Pro could be installed.

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This case study is part of the IEI Panel PC Case Study Series.

Download the full document below:

IEI Case Study – Panel PC.pdf