Advances in embedded computing for the manufacturing industries continue to pick up speed. In just the past couple of months I’ve covered two significant announcements on the embedded computing front — a new PLC reference platform and a rugged processing module.
Now comes news from Advantech that it is releasing two new open architecture embedded controllers: UNO-2184G, a high-end, high-performance model designed for applications that require a large amount of graphical processing power, and UNO-2174G, a mid-range controller for industries that require faster performance, but not the 3D capabilities of the 2184G. Both controllers feature an isolated chassis and logic grounds for stability and reliability.
A dedicated Intel VT-D chipset in both controllers allows system administrators to install multiple operating systems on a single device. Each virtual machine can then take control of the hardware components needed to perform specific tasks.
UNO-2184G comes with an Intel Core i7-2655LE processor and the UNO-2174G comes with an Intel Celeron 847E processor. Both models support up to 16G DDR3 RAM (with 4G/8G RAM onboard or built-in), a dedicated Intel HD graphics processor, and are fanless. The lack of a fan not only makes these processors more suitable for manufacturing environments from an air-borne particulates perspective, but also because it enables them to operate in temperatures as low as -10℃ and as high as 60℃.
The hardware configuration on both models include: three display ports (DVI, HDMI and Display Port [allowing two simultaneous connections]), six USB 2.0 ports, two Mini PCIe sockets and SIM card slot card ready for additional third-party cards such as WLAN, 3G, GPRS and GPS; four Gigabit LAN ports which support teaming functionality such as fault tolerance, link aggregation and load balance features; dual COM ports that support RS-232, 422 and 485 with automatic flow control and support for any baud rate. In addition, by using the powered e-SATA port, a backup hard drive or USB device can also be connected.
On the UNO-2184G, the core i7 CPU supports AMT 7.0 — a hardware-based technology for remotely managing and securing PCs regardless of whether the machine is powered on or if an operating system is installed and functional.
