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        U.S.-made panel PC sports Intel SSD

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Nov 5, 2010 | Comments: 1


        Nematron announced a fanless, U.S.-made panel PC aimed at HMI (human machine interface) and SCADA (supervisory and control applications). The ePC Lite uses a 1.6GHz Atom processor and Intel-manufactured 40GB SSD (solid state disk), has a 15-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, and has both VGA and DVI-D video outputs, the company says.

        Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Nematron says its ePC Lite is made in the U.S. The device has a powder-coated aluminum front panel, offered with or without a logo, and a metal rear panel that may optionally be powder-coated too (though it is not said to be water- or dust-proof).

        Nematron's ePC Lite

        Intended for HMI (human machine interface) and SCADA (supervisory and control applications), the ePC Lite runs Windows XP Professional, which has been preinstalled on its 40GB, Intel-manufactured SSD, according to Nematron.

        The device is said to use Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270, presumably with the usual 945GSE northbridge and ICH7M southbridge, and features 1GB of DDR2 RAM (expandable to 2GB). Nematron implies that the device's main board, too, is Intel-manufactured, though no further details of this were provided.

        According to Nematron, the ePC Lite has a resistive touchscreen that measures 15 inches diagonally and provides a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The screen has a 250-nit brightness rating and an 800:1 contrast ratio, the company adds.

        Mountable either in a 15 x 12-inch cutout or via VESA hardware, the ePC Lite has three USB 2.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, an RS232 port, and an audio output jack. The panel PC is also said to include both VGA and DVI-D ports for external monitors (we're guessing users must select one of the ports at a time, for a total of two overall displays).

        The fanless ePC Lite operates using 12VDC power supplied by an external AC adapter, typically drawing 30 Watts, according to Nematron.

        Features and specifications listed by Nematron for the ePC Lite include:

        • Processor -- Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz
        • Chipset -- 945GSE and ICH7M
        • Memory -- 1GB of DDR2 RAM expandable to 2GB
        • Display -- 15-inch resistive touchscreen with 1024 x 768 resolution
        • Storage -- 40GB SSD
        • Networking -- gigabit Ethernet port
        • Other I/O:
          • 3 x USB 2.0
          • VGA
          • DVI-D
          • 1 x RS232
          • audio output
        • Power requirements -- 12VDC via 30 Watt AC adapter
        • Operating range -- 32 to 122 deg. F (0 to 50 deg. C)
        • Dimensions -- 15.8 x 12.8 x 2.65 inches
        • Weight -- 14 pounds
        Ralph Damato, vice president of product management for Nematron, stated, "Our goal was to design a very cost-competitive, compact, fanless industrial computer that provides the product quality of a traditional operator interface while providing the performance needed to run typical Windows applications. "With the fanless ePC Lite's ultra-thin design, powerful processor offering, and generous I/O, we have accomplished our goal and are very excited about the resulting product."

        Further information

        Pricing was not released, but the ePC Lite is orderable now, according to Nematron. More information may be found on the company's website, here.

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