Tips for Choosing an Industrial Computer for your Applications
Industrial applications require a demand for systems that can operate efficiently in unpredictable settings and harsh environments. Most of the time, certain settings can take a real toll on computers whether it is due to dusty air, debris, heat damage, and even a shortage of proper maintenance; this can potentially damage conventional computers from performing well in the industry. New technological advances are designed to fight the obstacles like overheating, and dust build-up that these harsh environments will bring.
1. Environmental - Wide Operating Temperatures
First, the performance of computers varies depending on which environment and application users are going to place computers. The wide range of temperature over which an industrial computer operates is the most important consideration while making a decision on purchasing. For instance, if the business is in the oil and gas industry, the temperature might get very high. Also, if the computers do not have a wide range of operating temperatures, there might be failures caused by high temperatures. Therefore, higher temperatures might cause the failure of computers or any other equipment. Thus, users need computers that can stand high temperatures with attachments that do not easily catch dust, liquid, and fire. Industrial computers are built to withstand extreme external factors in order to meet the needs of a wide range of applications. Military, marine, aerospace, and other outdoor industrial applications, along with manufacturing industries, medical industries, and more, are associated with harsh environmental factors. Machines within the medical industry, for instance, must be anti-bacterial and water-resistant. Machines within the marine industry must be both water-resistant and able to operate in extremely humid environments. One common factor shared across many industries is the extreme variation in temperature. Industrial computers in a wide variety of rugged and industrial applications must be able to operate in both extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures.
2. Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the important things to consider when buying computers. In industries such as oil rigs and remote stations usually get power sources from generators or solar panels. Moreover, Acnodes’ high-quality industrial-grade computers are with the most recent low-control processor technology. Acnodes’ industrial computers ensure the powerful processors operate well and at the same time reduce power consumption. One engineering feat that’s made its mark in industrial sectors has been the development of low-power consumption PCs. Computers in industrial settings often need to run on very little power or need to maintain a steady flow of power for a long period of time – sometimes without any means of recharging the computer’s battery. This is where low-consumption PCs have become such a necessity. But low power consumption PC are often thought to be less efficient or less capable than others, which is not true in today’s reality. The first models of low-consumption computers weren’t as powerful as their full-power counterparts, but today’s PCs have come a long way. Now, low-power PCs are efficient without compromising performance, not to mention they’re lightweight and some models are portable.
3. Military Grade Electronics & IP Ratings
Military-grade industrial computers provide rugged stainless-steel housing and IP rating protections. IP ratings are standards for electrical enclosures defined by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). The rating refers to the degree of protection against water and dust provided by a computer's enclosure. The IP rating is expressed as a two-digit number (Example: IP-65). The first number designates protection from solids, while the second number designates protection from liquids. On the other hand, NEMA ratings are standards that are useful in defining the types of environments in which an electrical enclosure can be used. The NEMA rating system is defined by the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturer Association), and frequently signifies a fixed enclosure’s ability to withstand certain environmental conditions. Acnodes’ military-grade industrial computers offer high-performance technology with high levels of protection. Furthermore, Acnodes offers different IP rating protection selections for customers, such as IP66, IP65, and IP69K. With IP protection, Acnodes’ computers provide higher durability and longevity. Acnodes’ military-grade rugged computers tolerate difficult conditions with strong vibrations and shock during their entire lifetime. Moreover, the strong design of the chassis protects the internal modules from damage while shaking.
4. Military Standards MIL-STD
Usually, industrial computers in the military offer more rugged protection than everyday computers. The U.S. Military Standard (MIL-STD) gives a guideline for devices that are said to be “rugged” or “ruggedized”. MIL-STD was introduced to provide a series of tests to simulate how the material would hold up to environmental stress during an operational lifetime. It has been revised several times over the years, the most recent being Revision G. The MIL-STD standards detail 28 different testing methods that cover everything from temperature to fungal infestation to gunfire. The eight tests used to determine if a computing device is rugged include high temperature, low temperature, rain, humidity, sand and dust, immersion, vibration, and shock.
5. EMI Shielding for Touch Screen
Touch screen interfaces integrated into electronic displays are now common in marine, military, and mobile applications. The high-ambient-light readability and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is most efficiently achieved through enhancements to commercial-off-the-self (COTS) components in these demanding environments. However, since the face of a display needs to be transparent, electromagnetic radiations emitted by the device or surrounding environment may damage the electrical components within the unit. To address the issue, touch screens integrated into display assemblies can be configured to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding ground plane and contrast-enhancement features to prevent EMI. For EMI shielding, a typical touch-screen-enabled display assembly is constructed with a Faraday cage- a continuous electrically conductive enclosure that surrounds the equipment and attenuates transmitting electric fields to the desired level. Common EMI shielding techniques for adding conductive properties to an optical substrate include the integration of transparent conductive coatings or a fine conductive grid of wires. The properties of transmittance and conductance can be adjusted or tuned to fit a specific application. All transparent conductive materials require an optical substrate as a carrier. The EMI shields will attenuate the visual light transmittance from 3% to 55%, depending on the specific technology and configuration employed.
5. Life Span
Industrial computers are more expensive than regular computers. Therefore, users would like to purchase industrial computers with high quality and longer life. Furthermore, the common life of an industrial computer is about five to seven years. However, it is possible that it can have a longer life span. Acnodes design their models with long-life chipset technology that the computers are lasting longer.
Additional References:
What is EMI Shielding and Why is it Important for Your Design?
Operating in Extreme Temperatures: A Must Have Quality of Industrial Computers
