Aitech Defense Systems announced a rugged PC aimed at defense and industrial applications. The fanless NightHawk RCU (rugged control unit) employs an Intel Atom processor, sealed military connectors, SSD (solid-state disk) storage, and a built-in surge protector, according to the company.

Aitech says its NightHawk RCU is designed for RIU (remote interface unit) and DCU (data concentrator unit) applications in a variety of military, aerospace, and commercial environments. For example, the device may be installed in tracked or wheeled military vehicles, where it will reduce the cost of preventive vehicle maintenance by providing CBM (condition based maintenance) functionality, the company says.
Aitech's NightHawk RCU

According to Aitech, the NightHawk RCU (above) can withstand shocks of greater than 20G (11ms duration) while in operation, or 40G when turned off, and is highly tolerant of vibration. It's said the device can operate fanlessly from -67 to 131 deg. F (-55 to 55 deg. C), and up to 161 deg. F (71 deg. C) with an optional low-pressure fan or baseplate.

Sealed against environmental contaminants, the NightHawk RCU sports up to three circular MIL-DTL-38999 connectors. One of these connectors supplies power, one carries standard PC I/O, as listed later in this story, and one carries "custom" I/O.

Speaking of power, the NightHawk is said to incorporate built-in protection against power surges, over-voltages, and polarity reverses. A "tightly controlled" power ramp-up feature lessens inductive loading and the impact of current-inrush, Aitech says.

A functional block diagram of the Aitech NightHawk RCU
(Click to enlarge)

The NightHawk RCU's standard PC I/O includes two gigabit Ethernet ports, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, four serial ports (two RS232, two RS232/422/485), dual video outputs (CRT or TV), and up to six USB 2.0 ports, according to Aitech. Thanks to an internal expansion bay, meanwhile, custom I/O can include MIL-STD-1553B, ARINC-429 and ARINC-708, CAN Bus, WiFi and WAN ports, as well as video frame capture, discrete and analog I/O, and even an eight-port gigabit Ethernet switch, the company adds.

According to Aitech, the NightHawk RCU uses the familiar, 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor with 945GSE chipset, accepting up to 2GB of DDR2 memory. Persistent storage, meanwhile, is normally provided by 4GB or 8GB SSDs, but SATA-interfaced drives up to 256GB may be added to the system, and CompactFlash is also supported, the company says.

A processor block diagram of the Aitech NightHawk RCU
(Click to enlarge)

Finally, the first of the two block diagrams above suggests that the NightHawk RCU also includes four PCI interfaces and four PCI Express x1 interfaces, though these were not further detailed. The device supports Windows XP Embedded, Linux, and VxWorks, says Aitech.

Specifications listed by Aitech for the NightHawk RCU include the following:

• Processor -- Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz
• Chipset -- Intel 945GSE
• Memory -- 2GB of DDR2 RAM
• Storage -- 4GB or 8GB SSDs, SATA-interfaced disks
• Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet
• Expansion:
  • CompactFlash slot
  • 4 x PCI
  • 4 x PCI Express x1
  • Custom I/O as listed above and on Aitech website
• Standard I/O:
  • 6 x USB 2.0
  • 2 x PS/2
  • 4 x serial (2 x RS232, 2 x RS232/422/485)
  • Audio I/O
  • Dual video outputs (CRT and NTSC/PAL television)
• Power -- 18 to 36VDC input range
• Operating temperature:
  • Fanless -- 67 to 131 deg. F (-55 to 55 deg. C)
  • With fan -- 67 to 161 deg. F (-55 to 71 deg. C)
• Dimensions:
  • Mounting footprint -- 8.28 x 5.59 x 3.45 inches
  • Front panel -- 4.75 x 3.35 inches
  • Maximum external dimensions -- 10.8 x 6.14 x 3.45 inches
• Weight -- Under 5 pounds without optional I/O modules

Further information

According to Aitech Defense Systems, the NightHawk RCU is available now for an undisclosed price. More information may be found on the company's website, here.

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