Industrial computer maker upgrades to XTX modules

A leading manufacturer of industrial computers for harsh environments is to equip all its MPC 6 and IPC 7 models with XTX embedded computer modules to enable new features to be added.

DLog , a leading manufacturer of industrial computers for harsh environments is to equip all its MPC 6 and IPC 7 models with XTX embedded computer modules from Congatec AG.

The first products resulting from this relationship between DLog and Congatec are already available.

The DLog MPC 6 is a compact in-vehicle terminal that has a touch-screen user interface as well as an integrated heater for extreme environmental conditions.

The predecessor of the MPC 6 was equipped with an ETX module.

The switch to XTX has provided the ability to add some new features.

For example WLAN capability is now driven by a future-proof, inexpensive and fast PCI Express MiniCard.

Additionally, XTX offers the connection of fast and cheap SATA hard drives as an option.

It was an important goal for the design of the MPC 6 to maintain low power consumption in parallel with high computing performance.

The Conga-X915 from Congatec AG was the first choice due to the fact that this module features an up-to-date chipset and allows the use of power management modes that help keep power consumption low.

Since the application does not require huge amounts of processor performance, DLog was able to take advantage of the Congatec embedded BIOS feature called 'On-Demand Clock Modulation', which provides the ability to reduce the overall power consumption by up to 50%.

Using the LPC (low pin count, serialised ISA) bus that is available on all XTX products has allowed DLog to implement additional serial interfaces.

No further adaptation was necessary because the Congatec embedded BIOS already supported the Super I/O chip used for this expansion.

DLog's Engineering Manager Kurt Buchberger says: "Beside the new serial interfaces such as PCI Express and SATA, I was extremely impressed by the features of the Congatec Embedded BIOS".

"The implementation of the Embedded Panel Interface (EPI) allows for fast and easy changing of flat panel displays".

"We're able to define the default BIOS settings by ourselves at no extra cost".

"We also noticed that the Congatec modules performed the best when operating over Ethernet while using long cable connections".

Thanks to the technology leadership of the Congatec embedded computer modules the product range of DLog's industrial computers can be adapted quickly to the ever changing customer demands.

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