Acrosser offers several mainstream screen sizes: 7”, 8”, 10” and other sizes up to 21”.


acrosser Technology, a world-leading industrial computer manufacturer, introduces its AR-PA707FL-D2550 series fanless panel PC for diverse industrial applications. With an Intel® Atom D2550 platform as its base, this LCD Panel PC is built for customers looking for low-power consumption hardware. In addition, the silver-aluminum front bezel panel is IP65-certified to ensure the system is dustproof and waterproof. Currently Acrosseroffers several mainstream screen sizes: 7”, 8”, 10” and other sizes up to 21”. Acrosser also offers an alternative model with an Intel® Atom N2600 platform base to cater to users’ varying needs.

Panel PCs are widely employed in public transportation. They can be used either as kiosk solutions in-station, or as digital signage that provides information and advertising services on buses or tramways. Its fanless design makes the panel PC an appealing commercial solution, which passengers can enjoy the contents on screen without being distracted by the noise of the machine. Yet another popular industrial application of panel PCs is industrial automation. In areas such as factories, food & beverage production lines, packaging or logistics chain lines, and warehouse management, panel PCs are widely used as Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Please contact your nearest Acrosser sales team for price and availability information.

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Fanless 7″ Panel PC: AR-PA707FL-D2550

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Acrosser’s Slim In-Vehicle Computer, AIV-HM76V1FL and Smart Power Settings

With seasoned engineers and industrial experience, Acrosser knows what matters when building anin-vehicle system: power management. This article will feature our latest ultra-slim in-vehicle computer: AIV-HM76V1FL, explaining the detailed BIOS setting in four different aspects. Let our talented built-in power management sub-system assist you customizing power setting.

Power on delay: The power on delay feature will protect the vehicle PC from sudden shutdown caused by sudden voltage surge or drop. This allows longer durability to the in-vehicle computer.

Software-off delay: This is the delay time once the ignition is OFF till power subsystem sends a turn off command to the motherboard. During the time, if ignition or remote switch is turned ON again, the power subsystem will automatically dismiss the OFF procedure, going back to operating condition.

Shutdown delay: This allows system to complete data-rewriting prior to each shut down. We suggest a higher value configuration if it takes longer time to shut down the program.

Hard-off delay: This is the delay time after power subsystem detects the OS has been shut down till the standby power is turned off. The unclosed OS will result in energy loss that drained the entire battery.

With proper power sub-system configuration, now engineers can build the vehicle that works for its project, and have the ability to reset those values anytime, anywhere.

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Ultra Slim Vehicle PC: AIV-HM76V1FL

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Intel and Honeywell Team Up on IoT Security

Smart factories, among the first to move forward with the Internet of Things (IoT) thanks to factory automation, will soon reap the benefits of another successful embedded SBC Intel IoT ecosystem collaboration. Intel Security and Honeywell embedded system Process Solutions are teaming up to bolster protection of critical industrial infrastructure. Intel Security’s McAfee technologies will enhance Honeywell’s Industrial Cyber Security Solutions offering, providing Honeywell customers with new choices to protect their control systems from malware and misuse.

Industrial laptop“Protecting our critical infrastructure and the emerging industrial computer from cyber threats is a national priority, and the partnership of two market leaders will go a long way toward that goal,” said Raj Samani, vice president and chief technology officer, Intel Security. “Technologies in the Industrial IoT space have a tremendous amount of potential, and we can’t let security concerns undermine that; instead, security has to enable the growth of industrial IoT, and that’s what our collaboration with Honeywell will do.”

Honeywell is a leader in the industrial computer space, and its Industrial Cyber Security Solutions group has a dedicated embedded system global team of experts that provide products, services and technologies to protect industrial automation and control systems against cyber threats. The collaboration combines Intel Security’s latest advances in cyber security technology with Honeywell’s unique industrial process domain knowledge to provide tailored security solutions for the industrial environment.

refer to:

Intel and Honeywell Team Up on IoT Security for Industrial

2,500 jobs cut following Kraft Heinz merger

Kraft Heinz says it is cutting about 2,500 jobs as part of its plan to slash costs after the food companies combined.

Spokesman Michael Mullen says affected workers are in Canada and the U.S., where about 700 of the layoffs coming from Northfield, Ill., where Kraft had been headquartered. The company would not specify where other embedded SBC were taking place but saidd that all the jobs were salaried. It said none of the job cuts involved factory workers.

The Kraft Heinz Co. said it had a total of around 46,600 employees before the cuts. That included about 1,900 in Northfield. Hees had already overseen cost-cutting at Heinz since the ketchup maker was taken over in 2013 in a prior partnership between 3G and Berkshire. That means the cuts announced today mostly affect people on the Kraft side of the embedded system business.

Together, the two U.S. food giants own brands including Jell-O, Heinz baked beans and Velveeta that are facing embedded SBC sales challenges amid changing tastes. Their combination was nevertheless seen as attractive because of the opportunity to save hundreds of millions of dollars a year by combining functions like manufacturing and distribution. Executives say they expect to save $1.5 billion in annual costs by 2017.

“This new embedded system structure eliminates duplication to enable faster decision-making, increased accountability and accelerated growth,” said Mullen, adding that the savings will free up money to be invested back into the company’s products.

– See more at: http://www.automationmag.com/industry-news/news/5358-kraft-heinz-cuts-2500-jobs-following-merger#sthash.w0QFH4Oy.dpuf

refer to:

http://www.automationmag.com/industry-news/news/5358-kraft-heinz-cuts-2500-jobs-following-merger

Analog front ends for network appliance and gas sensors

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the most commonly used gas found in our homes. Leakage of LPG can be life threatening. Even in low concentrations it can be suffocating whereas if the concentration is high enough it can lead to a fire or cause a blast. Hence, it is extremely important to monitor the LPG level in our surroundings. Another type of gas that needs to be constantly monitored and kept within certain limits is CO2. High embedded system concentration levels can cause breathing problems and prolonged exposure can lead to death.

We can prevent gas exposure-based COMe Module accidents from happening by recording and maintaining gas levels in the immediate environment. Gas sensors can play a key role to this effect by raising an alarm when the level crosses prescribed safe limits. Advances in modern semiconductor technology have empowered us to design low-cost and low-power sensing solutions to make embedded system our homes, offices, and network appliance lives safer by keeping a check on the gas levels in our surroundings.

Every sensing system comprises a basic network appliance element that measures one or more electrical parameters like resistance or capacitance, and a circuitry that measures the changes in those parameters. Most of these sensors can operate on battery power so they can work uninterrupted for years on end. Hence, it becomes imperative that they consume low power for their operation. To pass the sensed information to the controller, analog front ends (AFE) are used. These allow the microcontroller to understand analog signals sent by sensors by converting them to a digital signal and then performing post processing on the received data.

Parameters measured by sensors: sensors measure changes in resistance and capacitance.

Resistance
There are two common ways to measure a change in resistance: a potential divider COMe Module circuit and passing a known current. First, in a potential divider circuit, we connect a sensor whose resistance varies depending on some physical parameter like temperature, network appliance, etc. We compare the changing value of the sensor to a fixed value resistance. In such a circuit, the voltage of the connecting node (ADC) of the fixed resistance and the sensor depends on the resistance of the sensor and thereby on the physical parameter being measured.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/analog-front-ends-for-gas-sensors/

The fast-growing M2M market presents a series of wireless design challenges (part 4)


Check that positioning receivers are automotive-grade, support dead reckoning, and can be plugged into the vehicle’s CAN bus to acquire the data. Also, ensue that

they can interface directly with vehicle sensors such as gyros and odometers and that the vendor offers an evaluation environment to speed industrial computer product development.

Indoor positioning is possible by combining satellite and cellular data

Where an approximate indoor position needs to be established, combining a satellite receiver with a wireless modem overcomes the problem of satellite signals being blocked by walls or other obstructions. This hybrid solution exploits the visibility of 2G or 3G cells because GSM or UMTS signals easily penetrate walls. Where the boundaries of visible mobile cells are known, an approximate position can be calculated from knowing where the cells overlap. This approach needs a wireless connection to an external service, similar to assisted positioning. Check that the positioning receiver and wireless COMe Module modem supplier can offer such a solution, and that it’s proven and provides an online industrial computer service. It’s also important to ensure that the system’s accuracy is adequate.

Positioning system compatibility

Until recently, embedded system GPS was the only system designers needed to consider. Now, there’s Russia’s GLONASS, Japan’s QZSS, China’s BeiDou, and Europe’s Galileo. Compatibility with GPS plus at least one other satellite system will be needed to increase system reliability and accuracy, and to fulfill regional on-board computer government mandates for compatibility with their own systems. Parallel operation that uses two systems simultaneously may be part of the specification. An example is Russia’s new embedded system ERA-GLONASS vehicle emergency call system that requires GLONASS compatibility. Look for GPS/GNSS receivers that provide multi-GNSS support and provide parallel GPS/GLONASS or GPS/BeiDou reception.

These are just some of the considerations when adding wireless connectivity to M2M products. Remember that many new standards, both wireless and positioning, are in transition. It’s important to consider the on-board computer product’s operation over its lifetime and which markets it will serve. Also, consider whether it’s important to include design support for next-generation performance and industrial computer network coverage, or opt to design for easy upgradeability of products in the field.

refer to:

http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-fast-growing-m2m-market-presents-a-series-of-wireless-design-challenges/

The fast-growing M2M market presents a series of wireless design challenges (part 3)

Bandwidth requirements rarely decrease

The bandwidth demand of tracking embedded system applications only goes in one direction–up–so it’s important to consider the lifetime costs of connection. Choose a modem based on what it may need to do in three to five years, or at least choose one COMe Module that makes upgrades easy.

Automotive special needs

In vehicle-mounted systems, temperature, humidity, and vibration can be extreme. AEC-Q100 qualified devices manufactured in ISO/TS 16949 certified sites will ensure reliable, long-life operation. Qualification on-board computer tests for each industrial computer component should conform to ISO16750, Road vehicles – Environmental conditions and testing for electrical and electronic equipment. This applies to on-board computer and industrial devices that operate in demanding environments, such as ships or railcars.

Emergency call systems are growing in popularity

Increasingly, cars are fitted with systems that automatically report accidents or aid recovery after theft. The U.S., Europe, Russia, and Brazil have established initiatives to support such embedded systems and that will increasingly be required by government mandate. For these applications (see the example in Figure 3), an “in-band modem” is often needed. It sends data over the modem voice channel in a similar way to a fax machine sending data over the telephone lines. It’s needed because operators prioritize voice over data in mobile networks. In the event of an accident, the voice industrial computer channel becomes the crucial link for transmitting data to emergency services. Check that the proposed solution supports in-band modems on both 2G and 3G networks.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-fast-growing-m2m-market-presents-a-series-of-wireless-design-challenges/

The fast-growing M2M market presents a series of wireless design challenges (part 2)

Battery life is critical

The time between battery charging or replacement is critical to the success of some industrial computer products. A container-mounted tracking device, for example, in-vehicle system may be required to run for several days if it’s being shipped by air or road, and up to several weeks if shipped by sea. Battery life must be adequate to support these timescales.

Mobile phones are typically expected to run for two or three days on a charge. Hence, consumer expectations for the operating life of health and fitness devices will be similar. When comparing modem and GNSS receiver specifications in these applications, both the operating and standby current consumption are important, as well as the power-saving functions. The latter may include auto-wakeup features and intelligent power-saving modes, such as the ability to log data autonomously without waking the host processor. Ideally, components should only wake up when needed.

Mobility demands multi-standards compliance

Global mobility is increasing for people and goods, so it’s important to consider where a modem needs to function today and where it may be required to work in the future. GSM is supported by four main frequency bands worldwide, UMTS by six, and LTE over 30. An electricity meter is usually static whereas a resource management system may be required to work in all regions of the world and should include either a quad- or dual-band GSM modem (depending on the location), or six-band UMTS modem.

Certified modems accelerate embedded system approvals

Any cellular network device, whether for GSM, UMTS, or LTE, needs regulatory, industry, and operator certification. It significantly simplifies and speeds up the in-vehicle system certification process if the modem embedded in the device is certified.

What’s needed today may be different tomorrow

While GSM/GPRS networks are perfectly capable of handling the small volumes of data transmitted in remote metering applications, GSM bands are already being considered for re-allocation to 3G and 4G services. To save the expense of future-proofing, it’s a good idea to design with on-board computer standards in mind. Today, this means designing with UMTS/HSPA or LTE modems, or at least future-proofing hardware to simplify upgrades.

Nested design simplifies technology upgrading

Cellular M2M technologies are in embedded system continuous evolution and when designing a new device enabling cellular connectivity, it’s important to consider its upgradability to newer technologies to optimize the design cost. Here, there’s on-board computerlayout compatibility across the entire cellular on-board comouter modem range (GSM, UMTS, CDMA, and LTE). With this approach, as shown in Figure 2, one PCB layout can be used for all end-product variations, ensuring an easy migration between on-board computer and module generations, also thanks to the AT command compatibility within the different modules.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-fast-growing-m2m-market-presents-a-series-of-wireless-design-challenges/

 

Acrosser Releases Product Video for 35-mm Onboard Computer: AIV-HM76V1FL

ACROSSER Technology, a world-leading onboard computer manufacturer, releases the product video for its 35-mm-high fanless in-vehicle computer, AIV-HM76V1FL. The footage displays a full view of each angle of this ultra-slim in-vehicle computer. All input and output interfaces are fully demonstrated with the computer lying horizontally on its 35-mm I/O surface. It takes not only substantial R&D effort to develop hardware with such thin client dimensions, but also numerous production checks to guarantee quality for on-road tests. This thin hardware platform showcases Acrosser’s expertise in industrial PC manufacturing.

The video familiarizes systems integrators and application engineers with the user interface (UI) for BIOS modification for power management settings. The ignition is used not only to turn the vehicle on and off, but also the vehicle PC as well. However, not all vehicle users follow the same ignition process; a subsystem to delay startup of the vehicle PC is necessary for some users. Therefore, we created a system that allows users to manually alter the power mode of the vehicle PC on ignition.

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Product Information:
Ultra Slim In-Vehicle Computer: AIV-HM76V1FL

Product Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8D4exq9LBI

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The fast-growing M2M market presents a series of wireless design challenges (part 1)

When selecting wireless modems, there’s a checklist of features to consider. We’ve presented those here.

The growth rate of machine-to-machine (M2M) connections now far exceeds new connections between people, and soon there will be many more machines than people connecting over cellular industrial computer networks, as shown in the GSM Association forecast in Figure 1. These in-vehicle system include security systems, meters, robots, vending stations, asset trackers, and emergency call systems. The variety is growing by the day, as are the silent conversations between millions of machines exchanging data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no human intervention.

At the same time, it’s becoming cheaper and easier to connect to fleet management the Internet and even mass produced computing devices are able to gather and process ever-larger volumes of data. The one potential bottleneck to greater M2M connectivity, the fact that all 4 billion+ IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses are already allocated, has been removed with the introduction of embedded system. This supports 2128 addresses, more than enough for every grain of sand on Earth to have its own address. It’s perhaps no surprise then that LTE, the fourth generation of mobile networks (4G), is designed to deliver services such as data, voice, and video over IPv6.

To join the M2M in-vehicle system revolution, all that’s needed is to embed machines with small, economical (wireless) modems. Where location, speed, or navigation information needs to be established, the machines also need a GPS or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. Both industrial computers, with an antenna, can fit easily in a device smaller than a mobile phone. GNSS is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. It includes GPS (U.S.), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (Europe), BeiDou (China), and other regional systems.

When thinking about how to equip an embedded system with communications capability, start by thinking about the needs of the application. Factors such as industrial computer longevity, geographical network coverage, or future-proofing to take account of future wireless network upgrades, are all important considerations. Here are some of the product features to consider when selecting wireless fleet management modems.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/the-fast-growing-m2m-market-presents-a-series-of-wireless-design-challenges/