x86 building block system copes with environmental extremes

13th March 2015

Barney Scott

0 0

Rugged computing is a must for IoT, M2M and Big Data applications deployed in extreme environmental conditions, but hardly any embedded hardware is equipped to operate underwater, or in temperatures of -60°C, let alone -100°C. To enable passively cooled hardware to operate in such extreme environments, ICOP Technology has developed the ICE Box.

A modular building block system, the ICE Box features IP67 protection and active heating, which automatically activates if the temperature drops below a configurable minimum temperature (standard value is -20°C).

Owing to the modular build of the building block system, OEMs can order individual ICE Box-PCs in numerous different configurations. Any required system configuration can be ordered from batch sizes of just one, including individual I/O covers and laser engraving of the housing and can be delivered within one week after specification approval.

Applications can be found in outdoor, vehicle and marine deployment, as well as in refrigerated warehouses. Amongst the standard components, which ICOP Technology offers for the ICE Box-PC building block system with passive cooling and active heating, are around 20 different standard CPU components with SFF, low power DM&P Vortex86 processor technology, power supplies as well as numerous I/O extensions for Ethernet and wireless (IoT) interfaces, USB, digital and analogue I/O, fieldbuses as well as motion control applications.

The interfaces can be mounted on the front or back panel according to requirements, paving the way for highly individual OEM configurations. The ICE Box-PC building block system is suited to OEMs requiring only small volumes (from batch sizes of one) to around 100 units. If at a later date larger field deployments are required, ICOP can also produce customised components and system housings. All the electronic and mechanical work is carried out 'single source' by ICOP.

Customers opting for ICOP Technology's systems with DM&P Vortex86 processors profit from a rich, established ecosystem which has been developed over decades and can be immediately deployed. Besides the energy-efficient x86 processors - which are equally suited to IoT applications and long-tail deployments including ISA support - there exist countless special 'off the shelf' solutions which still have to be developed for comparatively less established processor technologies. OEMs can also expect a much more stable expansion of the ecosystem, as the advancement of DM&P Vortex86 processors caters for the long-term requirements of industrial computing with x86 technology and not for commercial mainstream demands, where tomorrow completely different features could be relevant.