Industry 4.0 is ringing in new infrastructure requirements. What is needed are compact and reliable industrial computers, such as those based on the Pico-ITX form factor, that cannot only be trusted to perform tasks reliably but that can also provide Industry 4.0 connectivity.
The conga-PA3 from congatec is a powerful, low-power single board computer (SBC) with embedded qualities that is based on Intel Atom E3800 processor technology. The compact Pico-ITX design with a footprint of 70x102mm makes the SBC highly versatile.Real-time capability and support for multiple operating systems allow use in demanding industrial applications. The Intel Atom E3800 processors are also suitable for use in the extended industrial temperature range. Thanks to their low power consumption with just 5 to 10 Watt TDP, the single-chip Bay Trail solutions are ideal for passively cooled and enclosed systems. When high-performance graphics with extensive 3-D capabilities are not required, and when two independent displays with full HD resolution are sufficient, the Pico-ITX SBC is both reliable and cost effective.
The widespread and highly compact Pico-ITX form factor enables high volumes at low prices and is suitable for 24/7 operation in harsh environments.
The conga-PA3 comes in two configurations: A dual-core Intel Atom E3826 and a quad-core Intel Atom E3845. Both processors are from Intel's 64 bit Bay Trail family and are full System-on-Chips (SoCs) characterized by high efficiency and an excellent price/performance ratio. Additional CPUs can easily be implemented as tailored products.
The integrated Intel Gen7 HD graphics supports two independent displays in Full HD resolution (LVDS 2x24bit via an internal connector and DP++; and HDMI1.4 via a connector on the I/O panel). The hardware supports or directly accelerates DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 3.2 and OpenCL 1.2. The RAM memory is soldered to the board. Depending on the processor, a total of up to 4GB DDR3L-1666 are available. The I/O panel further provides two USB2.0 ports, an RJ-45 connector for 10/100/1000 GB Ethernet, plus a 12V DC power supply.
Also integrated are an additional USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port, a connector for backlight and LVDS, fan control, HDA audio, two serial ports (RS232, RS232/485/422), a SATA connection, a half-size slot for shared mSATA/miniPCIe, plus another half-size miniPCIe slot.
Various interfaces including ACPI 5.0, I2C bus and LPC bus allow easy integration of legacy I/O interfaces via the feature connector. Real-time clock (RTC) and Intel High Definition Audio complete the feature set.
