Advantech Adds Rackmount and Launches 15-in. Industrial Panel PC

By DE Editors

The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech (Cincinnati, OH) added two new 1U rackmount models to its line of Serial Device Servers.

The EKI-1528 and EKI-1526 feature 8 and 16 RS-232/422/485 serial ports in a 1U rackmount chassis, which are suited for high-density remote monitoring,  management and control of serial devices over Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

With this tool, integration with PC-based systems takes just a few minutes, and it’s transparent to host application software as well as connected equipment.

In addition to Virtual COM-port operation, the EKI-1528 and EKI-1526 support native TCP/IP and UDP/IP aware applications like OPC Servers and HMI systems that support serial encapsulation. Dual 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connections ensure continuous communication.

Multi-Access mode allows a single RS-232/422/485 serial device to send or receive data to multiple remote hosts. All that is needed for setup is a PC or laptop and a web browser. The EKI-1528 and EKI-1526 also support setup via a dedicated serial console port, telnet via the network interface, or through the included Windows-based setup and configuration utility.

The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech also introduced a 15-in. industrial panel PC, the IPPC-7158B, which features a passive backplane with up to 12 ISA/PCI expansion slots, a front-accessible design with water resistant cover,  a flat-sealed front-panel, and can be bundled with high performance PICMG 1.0 Core2 Quad/Dual or Pentium 4 Single Board Computer (SBC). An aluminum detachable side-open front panel (NEMA4/IP65 compliant) allows for easy installation and maintenance.

This 15-in. XGA TFT LCD model has a front-accessible USB 2.0 port, programmable membrane macro keys, function keys, cursor keys and touchpad, OSD control behind the panel, and an optional analog resistive touchscreen through USB interface.

The IPPC-7158B is resilient enough to resist harsh conditions of any industrial environment such as testing and quality control in automotive industry and measurement, control applications, and vision applications in Machine Automation.

For details, contact the Advantech Corporation, Industrial Automation Group.

Sources:  Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.