Project:
Growing environmental awareness has resulted in the increasing use of vehicles that are powered by renewable energies or energies which produce less carbon dioxide and other green house gases. Electric vehicles are among them.
Our customer produces fast-chargers for electric cars, and constructs many public power charging stations. These stations are usually outdoor, self-service facilities that are connected and controlled by a networking system. Computers and other appliances for such applications have to be particularly rugged and reliable, with great connectivity and compatibility. That is why Advantech became an important partner in their projects, as it is able to provide all-in-one solutions for the computing platforms needed in such applications, including its ultra-rugged, fanless, embedded box PC, the ARK-2120.
Requirements:
- Wide operating temperature range for outdoor application
- Rich I/O interface, highly integrated with other appliances and accessories
- Great connectivity with an Ethernet network
- Low power consumption
System:
Our customer provides fast-charging stations with either single or multiple ports. Their chargers are so powerful that a single 15 to 30 minute charge can support over 100 hours of driving, and the transient electric current during a charge is huge. So the computing platforms that support the systems must be accurate and robust.
The application scheme that the customer presented called for each charging port to be controlled by a digital I/O module, with charging data collected by a computer. This computer must provide an selection of interfaces to connect with digital I/O module, display panel, and a remote central server via the Ethernet.
Advantech, with rich product lines, provided all products needed, with an operation platform powered by its fanless, embedded box PC ARK-2120, which supports up to 2 x GbE, 6 x USB and 4 x COMs ports. This was enough connectivity not only to connect with other parts in the system but also allows the customer to add additional functions in the future. And with regard to power consumption, the ARK-2120, running an Intel® Atom(TM) N2600 or D2700 low-power processor delivers high performance with lower voltage, which makes it a power-saving device particularly suited for these green-hearted applications.
ARK-2120 also features a wide operating temperature range of -20° ~ 60° C, well suited for outdoor applications, where ambient temperatures can vary wildly from summer to winter. This computer system also supports remote functionalities including remote reset, which allows the system administrators to power on/off the system from a remote control center should any of the terminal computers shut down unexpectedly.
Conclusion:
Advantech's fanless embedded box PCs such as ARK-2120 are highly suited for such outdoor self-service applications because of their ultra-ruggedness, wide temperature range, rich I/O options, low power consumption and remote maintenance features. The rich I/O design of ARK-2120 allows for great expandability and flexibility for system designers.
Since Advantech supplied all computing and networking appliances and accessories for this fast-charger application, from display panels, digital I/O controllers, data acquisition computers and Ethernet switches to cables and mounting kits, there were absolutely no worries about connectivity or compatibility issues.
There are no worries about maintenance either, as Advantech provides at least 2 years of warranty for its products and 5-7 years of component supply longevity-much longer than what is available with commercial PCs. Advantech, with its vast experience and huge resources, also provides custom services that meet a wide array of customer needs.
Growing environmental awareness has resulted in the increasing use of vehicles that are powered by renewable energies or energies which produce less carbon dioxide and other green house gases. Electric vehicles are among them.
Our customer produces fast-chargers for electric cars, and constructs many public power charging stations. These stations are usually outdoor, self-service facilities that are connected and controlled by a networking system. Computers and other appliances for such applications have to be particularly rugged and reliable, with great connectivity and compatibility. That is why Advantech became an important partner in their projects, as it is able to provide all-in-one solutions for the computing platforms needed in such applications, including its ultra-rugged, fanless, embedded box PC, the ARK-2120.
Requirements:
- Wide operating temperature range for outdoor application
- Rich I/O interface, highly integrated with other appliances and accessories
- Great connectivity with an Ethernet network
- Low power consumption
System:
Our customer provides fast-charging stations with either single or multiple ports. Their chargers are so powerful that a single 15 to 30 minute charge can support over 100 hours of driving, and the transient electric current during a charge is huge. So the computing platforms that support the systems must be accurate and robust.
The application scheme that the customer presented called for each charging port to be controlled by a digital I/O module, with charging data collected by a computer. This computer must provide an selection of interfaces to connect with digital I/O module, display panel, and a remote central server via the Ethernet.
Advantech, with rich product lines, provided all products needed, with an operation platform powered by its fanless, embedded box PC ARK-2120, which supports up to 2 x GbE, 6 x USB and 4 x COMs ports. This was enough connectivity not only to connect with other parts in the system but also allows the customer to add additional functions in the future. And with regard to power consumption, the ARK-2120, running an Intel® Atom(TM) N2600 or D2700 low-power processor delivers high performance with lower voltage, which makes it a power-saving device particularly suited for these green-hearted applications.
ARK-2120 also features a wide operating temperature range of -20° ~ 60° C, well suited for outdoor applications, where ambient temperatures can vary wildly from summer to winter. This computer system also supports remote functionalities including remote reset, which allows the system administrators to power on/off the system from a remote control center should any of the terminal computers shut down unexpectedly.
Conclusion:
Advantech's fanless embedded box PCs such as ARK-2120 are highly suited for such outdoor self-service applications because of their ultra-ruggedness, wide temperature range, rich I/O options, low power consumption and remote maintenance features. The rich I/O design of ARK-2120 allows for great expandability and flexibility for system designers.
Since Advantech supplied all computing and networking appliances and accessories for this fast-charger application, from display panels, digital I/O controllers, data acquisition computers and Ethernet switches to cables and mounting kits, there were absolutely no worries about connectivity or compatibility issues.
There are no worries about maintenance either, as Advantech provides at least 2 years of warranty for its products and 5-7 years of component supply longevity-much longer than what is available with commercial PCs. Advantech, with its vast experience and huge resources, also provides custom services that meet a wide array of customer needs.
