Fanless embedded system is palm-sized for digital signage
The latest fanless embedded system from Advantech is the EPC-U2117. The palm-sized system uses the latest Intel Atom E3900 processor technology to give a 30 per cent CPU performance enhancement and a 45 per cent graphic performance boost, says the company.
The EPC-U2117 is designed with dual display output, multiple I/O and a wide range of 12 to 24V DC power inputs, making it suitable for smart vending machines, digital signage and smart kiosks. The EPC-U2117 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, and Linux OS and has Advantech’s WISE-PaaS DeviceOn intelligent software integrated for remote system monitoring and management.
The EPC-U2117 is a palm-sized metal chassis which measures only 170 x 117 x 52.6mm for mounting as a desktop PC, or via wall, or DIN-Rail mounting. The aluminium, passive heatsink thermal management is designed for -20 to around 60 degrees C.
There are two expansion slots including one M.2 for Wi-Fi or GPU module, and one full size Mini PCIe for 3G/LTE connection or mSATA storage. EPC-U2117 reserves four antenna apertures to support wireless connection.
The thermal design and two independent add-on modules enable the EPC-U2117 to be used in outdoor or harsh environments and in space-limited applications, such as outdoor vending machines and passenger information systems.
Customers can directly use the EPC-U2117 system from different power supplies without extra adapters. EPC-U2117 has multiple connectivity and expansion options including one RS-232 and one ccTalk. Intel’s latest Intel Atom E3900 processor suits the graphic and processing parameters of smart vending machines or smart kiosks and digital signage. The COM port can also be customised to MDB and RS-422/485 for device control and payment device. There are also four USB 3.0 ports, one audio jack, dual gigabit LAN ports and CANBus for general system control.
Multiple storage is supported, including on-board eMMC up to 128Gbyte, mSATA, and 2.5-inch SSD/HDD for flexible storage options. Customers can install operating systems and key data in eMMC for security protection and reliability, assures Advantech. If a customer requests larger storage capacity and high data transfer, they can use mSATA or SATA SSD.
EPC-U2117 comes with Advantech’s WISE-PaaS DeviceOn software, which offers remote management, system monitoring for better device performance, security, and reliability, and predictive maintenance. WISE-PaaS also supports BIOS/FW OTA to upgrade the system and devices with latest firmware to keep everything running at peak performance.
