the company says.
(Click here for a larger view of Portwell's WEBS-1320)While it did not provide a rationale for offering three different form factors, Portwell says the WEBS PCs are "the perfect solution" for applications in the medical, healthcare, automation, gaming, kiosk, thin-client, and digital signage markets. Since all three devices feature DC power inputs, they are ideal for any OEM that wants to turn an existing embedded computing solution into a DC-based application, the company claims.
Portwell's Nano-8044
(Click image for further information) |
Of course, it's easy to suspect that the WEBS devices leverage motherboards previously released separately by Portwell. For example, the company sells the
Nano-8044 (right), a board that was claimed to be the industry's first Atom-powered
nano-ITX board when it was announced in October. It uses Intel's 1.1GHz
Z510 or 1.6GHz
Z530 CPU, paired with the SCH US15W companion chip, and it supports mass storage via Compact Flash and SD slots, or an IDE-interfaced hard disk drive.
Portwell's WEBS-2120 uses a nano-ITX motherboard
(Click either to enlarge)Likely based on the Nano-8044, Portwell's WEBS-2120 offers the above storage options, with room for an internal 2.5-inch hard disk drive, fanless operation, and memory expansion to 2GB via a single SO-DIMM slot. Measuring 5.9 x 5.9 x 2.0 inches (150 x 150 x 51mm), the little PC (above left) has rear-panel ports (above right) that include VGA, RS232, 10/100 Ethernet, plus line out and mic in, according to the company.
Portwell's WEBS-1320 uses an ECX motherboard
(Click either to enlarge)Meantime, the WEBS-1320 (above left) uses an undisclosed
ECX motherboard -- with a layout that apparently differs from the
PEB-2736 we covered in May -- but offers the same processor, storage, and port specifications as the WEBS-2010. The device's larger footprint of 7.87 x 5.9 x 2.0 inches (200 x 150 x 51mm) has, however, allowed its designers to add PS/2 ports (above right) for a keyboard and mouse.
Portwell's WEBS-3330 uses a mini-ITX motherboard
(Click either to enlarge)Finally, the largest of this trio is the WEBS-3330 (above left), which uses an unspecified
mini-ITX motherboard, for a overall footprint of 7.87 x 7.87 x 2.0 inches (200 x 200 x 51mm). This PC switches from the "Silverthorne" Atom to the larger
N270, aka "Diamondville," with its 945GSE (945GCSE northbridge and 82801GBM southbridge) chipset. As Portwell acknowledges, this means the WEBS-3330 uses approximately ten Watts, whereas its smaller siblings both use around five Watts.
In compensation for the WEBS-3330's larger size and power consumption, purchasers get more ports, though the SD slot found on the other two devices has been dropped. The WEBS-3330 includes PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, VGA and DVI outputs, two serial ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, four USB ports, and three audio jacks (mic in, line in, and line out).
As suggested earlier, the WEBS-1320, WEBS-2120, and WEBS-3330 all draw power from DC inputs. The first two require 12VDC power, while the WEBS-3300 can accept inputs between 12VDC and 24VDC, according to Portwell.
Features and specifications listed by Portwell for the WEBS-1320, WEBS-2120, and WEBS-3330 include the following:
- Processor -- 1.1GHz Atom Z510 or 1.6GHz Z530 (WEBS-1320 and WEBS-2120); 1.6GHz Atom N270 (WEBS-3330)
- Memory -- Up to 2GB of RAM via single SO-DIMM slot
- Storage -- 2.5 inch hard disk bay, CompactFlash slot, and SD slot (WEBS-3330 does not include SD)
- Networking -- 1 x 10/100 Ethernet, except for WEBS-3330, which has 2 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet
- Other I/O:
- 1 x RS232 (WEBS-1320); 1 x RS232/422/485 (WEBS-2120); 1 x RS232 and 1 x RS232/422/485 (WEBS-3330)
- 1 x VGA
- 1 x DVI (WEBS-3330 only)
- 4 x USB
- 2 x PS/2 for keyboard/mouse (not on WEBS-2120)
- Audio -- mic in, line out (WEBS-3330 also has line in)
- DC input
- Expansion:
- CompactFlash slot
- SD slot (not on WEBS-3320)
- Operating temperature -- 0 to 45 deg. C
- Dimensions, in order of size:
- WEBS-2120 -- 5.9 x 5.9 x 2.0 inches (150 x 150 x 51mm)
- WEBS-1320 -- 7.87 x 5.9 x 2.0 inches (200 x 150 x 51mm)
- WEBS-3330 -- 7.87 x 7.87 x 2.0 inches (200 x 200 x 51mm)
Portwell did not list pricing and availability for the WEBS-2120, WEBS-1320, and WEBS-3330, but the devices appear to be available now. The devices run Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, and Linux, according to the company.
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