Which industrial computer with a touch panel will be the best choice?
Industrial panel computers have been quickly adopted and established themselves in the industrial world. They are designed to meet the demanding requirements of typical Industry 4.0 applications. Industrial Panel Computer is mainly used as an HMI (Human-Machine Interface). An all-in-one touchscreen computer solution for a wide range of applications. In practice, this means that they are connected to hardware that performs its own control functions (mainly PLC) and provides visualization and control of the technological process.
Industrial Panel Computer is most often mounted directly on a cabinet panel or with a VESA bracket, for example, on a wall. Depending on the processor used, the panel computer can be used like a full-fledged PC with a lot of computing power, and with very low power consumption. These computers are usually very well equipped with connectivity, with multiple ports, i.e. LAN, COM (RS232/422/485), USB, GPIO, HDMI or Display port. There is an Easybus expansion design and can be an extension of DIO, RS232, USB, LAN ports via Mini PCIe.
Industrial panel PCs feature a wide range of power supply, the most common range being 12-24 VDC or 9-36 VDC. Manufacturers also give the customer a choice between a capacitive or resistive touch layer. Such a touchscreen, as well as the computer case, is resistant to moisture, water, dust, extreme temperatures, as well as high shock and vibration. Computers to be reliable and operate 24/7 are usually passively cooled by which they are equipped with a fanless and sealed enclosure. The standard is IP65 and higher front panel protection, and increasingly NEMA4. The enclosure comes in both aluminum and stainless steel, depending on your needs. You can also choose screen sizes from 3.5" to 24", in both 4:3 aspect ratios and the increasingly popular 16:9 aspect ratio, and resolutions up to Full HD.
The best panel PC offers a wide range of connectivity, processing, mounting options and is well suited for any number of human-machine interfaces (HMIs), automation or industrial controls. However, because of the variety of applications, specific projects or environments in which the computer is to work, there are so many specifications and options. For ease of selection, here are the characteristics of each specification.
Touchscreen in panel computer
Industrial panel computers are equipped with either a resistive touch layer or a capacitive touch layer.
Capacitive touch layer displays are the most widely used technology today. We come into contact with it every day, such as with cell phones and tablets. Benefits of Capacitive Screen:
Disadvantages of Capacitive Display:
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Resistive touch displays were among the first touch displays. Still widely used, especially in the food industry. Benefits of Resistive Display:
Disadvantages of Resistive Screen:
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Processor performance
Panel computers are available in all processor performance categories.
Least powerful ARM processor:
- Freescale i.MX6 DualLite ARM Cortex A9
- TI-AM3354, ARM® Cortex™ A8
- TI® ARM® Cortex™ A8 AM3517
- NXP® ARM® Cortex™-A53 i.MX 8M Mini
Intel Atom, Celeron mid-performance processor:
- Intel Celeron N2930 Quad-core 1.83 GHz
- Intel Celeron J1900 Quad-core 2.0 GHz
- Intel Pentium N4200 Quad-core 1.1 GHz
- Intel ATOM E3845 Quad-core 1.91 GHz
- Intel ATOM E3940 Quad-core 1.6 GHz
- Intel ATOM E3845 Quad-core 1.91 GHz
High-performance Core i3, i5, i7 processors - generation 4, 6, 8, 11:
- Intel Core i3-4010U Dual Core 1.7 GHz
- Intel Core i3-6100U Dual Core 2.3 GHz
- Intel Core i3-8145UE Dual Core 2.2 GHz
- Intel Core i3-1115G4E Dual Core 2.2 GHz
- Intel Core i5-4300U Dual Core 1.9 GHz
- Intel Core i5-6300U Dual Core 2.4 GHz
- Intel Core i5- 8365UE Quad Core 1.6 GHz
- Intel Core i5-1185G7E Quad Core 1.8 GHz
- Intel Core i7-4600U Dual Core 2.1 GHz
- Intel Core i7-6600U Dual Core 2.6 GHz
- Intel Core i7- 8665UE Quad-Core 1.7 GHz
- Intel Core i7-1185G7E Quad-core 1.8 GHz
Communications
Industrial panel computers come standard with the possibility of various ports.
Standard:
2x Gigabit LAN RJ45
2x USB 3. 0
2x USB 2.0
2x COM RS232/485
1x Audio + Mic
1x External Switch
1x 3PIN 9-36VDC
1x mPCIE pro WiFI, BT, 4G
1x M.
Optional:
CAN BUS 8x GPIO
Isolated COM RS232/485
Display port/HDMI/VGA
POE + GIGABIT LAN RJ45
SIM SLOT
MPCIE SLOT
PROFINET HILSCHER
USB 2. 0/3.0
RFID reader/writer
Barcode scanner
Battery UPS
Mounting types of industrial panel computers
Panel computers are standardly designed to be mounted in a panel, such as a cabinet door, but can be mounted on a variety of VESA-standard stands or brackets.
For this most common panel computer mounting, you need a so-called panel mount kit (PMK panel mount kit), which includes spacers and screws (usually included). Each panel computer has dimensions listed on the data sheet that must be cut into the door of the cabinet or panel in which the computer will be installed. We recommend a laser or water jet for cutting (some panel computers have only a 3mm frame overhang).
VESA mounting is a standard for mounting TV screens, monitors, but also panel computers. VESA has standardized dimensions in millimeters between screws: 75x75, 100x100 , 200x100, 200x200, 400x400. For industrial computers, the most popular VESA dimension is 100x100. In this dimension, you can find a wide range of mounts from both PC manufacturers and various manufacturers on the Internet.
Panel type as intended
Depending on the type of design, we can divide panel PCs according to the basic determination of the type of application.
Lightweight application panel computers, semi-industrial, plastic (IP54)
Arestech Panel Computer PPC-212
Panel computers with aluminum housing (IP65)
Stainless steel panel PCs, food, pharmaceutical industry (IP66 - IP69K)
Ruggedtech systems Panel computer FIP-17RB
Internal memory and operating system
Commonly available operating systems such as Windows 7, Windows 7 Embedded, Windows 8, Windows 10, Linux, VxWorks, QNX can be installed on the panel PCs.
The lifetime of MS WINDOWS products:
Our offer includes a wide range of industrial panel computers that will be able to work continuously and flawlessly in harsh industrial environments, exposed to shock, vibration, impact, extreme weather conditions. Panel computers are also characterized by resistance to dust, humidity and electromagnetic interference. Reliability is a special feature of the computers as they support operation in manufacturing, industrial, automation systems, etc.
Industrial Panel PCs are available with either a resistive LCD touch screen or a capacitive LCD touch screen. Mounting options are several, there is the option of mounting on a support panel, VESA stand or a built-in version. The store also offers a choice of housing, which can be aluminum, of stainless steel or semi-industrial. The degree of protection against dust, flooding of computers ranges from IP54 to IP69K. In addition, for each product purchased from Us, you will receive a warranty with technical support.
Check out our entire range of industrial panel computers.
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