Industrial PC features Intel Core i3 or i7 processor

Paul Boughton
Siemens Industry Automation is introducing a new high-performance Simatic IPC827C Box PC that processes high volumes of data quickly in demanding automation applications. For this purpose, it is equipped with a 2010 Intel Core i3 or i7 processor and DDR3 memory technology up to four gigabytes, optionally with integral ECC error correction.
 
The improved onboard HD graphics with three to five times the performance power of the predecessor model is useful for high-speed visualisation. A powerful graphics card can be integrated for this purpose via a PCIe-x16 slot. Equipped with the latest Intel mobile technology, the Box PC is characterised by high energy efficiency, thanks largely to a power supply with an efficiency level in excess of 80 per cent and Wake-on-LAN functionality. The version with the Core-i7 processor enables password-protected remote access by means of the Active Management Technology (AMT) from Intel.
 
Siemens says the Simatic IPC827C is installation-compatible and software-compatible with the predecessor model. It has performance features that are identical to the existing Simatic IPC627C. For expansion purposes, the Simatic IPC627C offers two free PCI/PCIe slots, and the new Simatic IPC827C Box PC offers five. For setting up low-maintenance, hard-disk-free systems, the device has two Compact Flash card slots that are easily accessible from outside, and one 32-gigabyte solid-state drive (SSD) in industrial single-level cell (SLC) architecture.
 
The Box PC is suitable for a host of installation positions and mounting options, such as wall-mounting or portrait assembly. All the interfaces and function elements, such as the two 'teaming-capable' Gigabit Ethernet ports and the four Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connections, are accessible from the front. A Raid1 controller and an optional Profibus or Profinet interface with three-port IRT switch are integrated on the mainboard. Two freely programmable seven-segment displays and two signalling LEDs indicate the Bios power-up and enable fast diagnostics of the operating status, even within software applications. A Simatic flat-panel monitor can be connected from a distance of up to 30m via the integral DVI-I interface. A battery-backed 2-megabyte SRAM backs up critical data such as production control data in the event of unexpected power failures.
 
The pre-installed and activated operating systems Windows Embedded Standard 2009, Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows XP Professional are optionally available. Like all Simatic PCs, the new Simatic IPC827C offers a high degree of investment security. It is available for up to five years in the identical form, and thereafter with spare parts availability for at least five years after declaration of product phase-out.
 
For more information, visit www.siemens.com/simatic-ipc

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