Fanless HMI Computer Options

Hey Guys,

I've been looking at options for a fanless HMI computer. Reliability is paramount. And it could get hot; it'll be located in a PLC panel where the ambient temperature could reach 50-60 C. Will be using extended temperature CFAST storage, and a Win 7 embedded OS.

The Cincoze DC-1100-10 looks about right. It has the specs I need but I don't know their history. Does anyone have an experience to share?

Cheers,

Pete

Hello,

I like the Fit IPC2. I "think" they offer a high temperature model.

http://fitpc.com/

We've been using all https://www.stealth.com/fanlesscomputing/ for years now, no problems at all.

If you're worried about the ambient being hot, it is probably important to make sure you get a PC with some diagnostic capabilities, to warn you if things are getting dangerous. I've used PCs before that have a built in program to monitor a number of things like CPU temp, motherboard temp, etc, and can make sure you get warnings if things are getting out of control.

Quote: "Reliability is paramount."

Then use this: https://cdn.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Product Literature/Data Sheets/3360_DS_20160128.pdf.

rdrast said:

We've been using all https://www.stealth.com/fanlesscomputing/ for years now, no problems at all.

Click to expand...

We use a log of the Stealth Fanless gear also. I love the product.

1+

rdrast said:

We've been using all https://www.stealth.com/fanlesscomputing/ for years now, no problems at all.

Click to expand...

I would also recommend Stealth; great computers and durable.
And with the USD:CAD exchange rate, you might find better prices with Stealth vs. USA based companies.

Another company worth looking at (USA based):
http://www.aispro.com/products

Stealth is a good choice - I have used them for years. Even the old ones I replaced were working fine (WinXP), I replaced them with the same only upgraded processor/memory/OS(Win7). Never a problem related to the PC. +1

TWS said:

Quote: "Reliability is paramount."

Then use this: https://cdn.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Product Literature/Data Sheets/3360_DS_20160128.pdf.

Click to expand...

The company I work for has deployed at least half a dozen of the predecessor to this product, SEL 3351 and SEL 3354. I believe two of them have died before their tenth birthday. This is literally the only SEL product I wouldn't recommend. Now we are using SEL-3505 and an off the shelf DELL PC with HMI software in a VM for easy migration when the DELL dies instead.

The combination of features in the SEL rugged computers is great though. The hard drives used to be small and slow, and even when SSDs became mainstream they had a high end industrial SSD that was still relatively slow but was probably supposed to last for ages.

My philosophy when it comes to computers is to be ready to replace it at any time, have a spare on hand that is ready to go. They are so cheap there is no excuse not to.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. The FitPC looks promising but I didn't see an option for Windows Standard Embedded. Stealth models seem a little dated and they don't offer a high ambient rating. The SEL unit looks good, also a little dated though and no mention of Win embedded.

Here's what I see as our basic requirements:
- Compact, Fanless enclosure, DIN rail mount
- Medium performance
- Low power consumption
- Win Embedded Standard 7
- 24V DC supply
- High ambient operation, at least +55C
- Replaceable battery

We used Stealth until around 2009 or so. Back in the days of WinXP you needed a UPS, when the UPS battery died every boot was like Russian roulette, cross your fingers and hope for the best. And we had numerous HD failures, probably heat related.

The release of XP Embedded was a lifesaver. We used the first generation Siemens Microbox and had good success with it, apart from some overheating issues. It had a CF card for storage, so writes were dead slow, but not a problem for an HMI with minimal data logging. Although we did have a CF failure, in Mexico, so it was probably heat related. The next generation was a big improvement.

Meanwhile, we had been doing some work with Beckhoff and were impressed with their CX5000 series embedded computers. The first ones we used ran TwinCat PLC over Win CE. Win CE is crude by today's expectations, but shortly thereafter Beckhoff released the CX5000 with Win Embedded 7. The CX5100 series variant is very impressive, with only 9W total power dissipation it truly is a fanless computer. If this model may be ordered without the Beckhoff TwinCat PLC software to serve as a general purpose embedded computer; it does include the bus interface for Beckhoff Ethercat or K-bus, which you can ignore.

So here's my shortlist (in order of preference):

- Cincoze DC 1100-10. Configured with wide temp range RAM and CFAST card, Win 7 Embedded, DIN rail mount. -20 to 70C ambient operation. Processor: Intel Bay Trail E3845 quad core CPU. Dual graphics (DVI/DisplayPort). - Lowest price.
www.logicsupply.com/dc-1100-10

- Beckhoff CX-5120. -25 to 60C ambient, Win 7 Embedded Standard, Intel Bay Trail E3815 CPU, Replaceable RTC battery (an advantage if a machine is to sit idle for extended periods). Built in 1s UPS. Many options available. Lowest power dissipation. Reasonable Price. Long availability.
www.beckhoff.com - IPC - Embedded PC - CX5100

- Siemens IPC427D. 0 to 55C ambient. Win 7 Embedded Standard, Intel Celeron 827E CPU. - Highest price
http://w3.siemens.com/mcms/pc-based...-pc/box-pc/simatic-ipc427d/pages/default.aspx

Looks like the Advantech UNO-1000 series could be an option:

http://www.advantech.com/products/powerful-din-rail-pcs-with-pc-104-uno-1100/sub_gf-bvl2

Interesting, the UNO 1000 was never offered to us...

We get the ARK from Advantech..

http://www.advantech.com/products/box-ipcs/sub_1-2jkeuf

I wonder if it a country thing.....