Do you know the ADAM family?

The ADAM-6050

Advantech is a global leader in data acquisition I/O module design and manufacturing, offering complete stand-alone data acquisition modules which are broadly used in industrial applications such as facility monitoring, industrial process control and environmental monitoring.

Advantech remote I/O modules are categorised into two families, Ethernet I/O (ADAM-6000 series) and RS-485 I/O (ADAM-4000 series), further subdivided into Analog I/O and Digital I/O modules some of which support the industry-leading Modbus communication protocol.

The ADAM Remote I/O module series has been a consistent and reliable figure in the industrial automation field for almost 20 years. Whether you are implementing large or small automation systems, Advantech’s ADAM Remote I/O modules offer the cornerstone for your e-automation requirements.

The ADAM-4000 Remote I/O series

ADAM-4000 modules are the perfect choice for establishing a cost-effective remote I/O system. Customers can benefit from ADAM-4000 modules through its simple wiring - using only two wires to communicate with their controller or other RS-485 devices. ADAM-4000 modules use the EIA RS-485 communication protocol; the industry's most widely used bi-directional, balanced transmission line suitable for industrial environments.

The robust ADAM-4100 series is designed for reliable operation in harsh environments and feature a wider -40C to +85C operating temperature range, higher noise immunity with isolated input/output and a broader 10V to 48V DC power input range.

Click here to learn more about the ADAM-4000 series remote I/O

The ADAM-6000 Remote Ethernet I/O series

In the past, integrating automation and enterprise systems required changing the entire architecture of the control system. The Advantech ADAM-6000 series accomplishes this integration easily using the latest internet technology to remotely monitor device status’ more flexibly.

Industrial Ethernet is fast becoming the de facto standard in industrial networks as its open network architecture provides seamless integration between layers. This makes the ADAM-6000 series an easy choice for your automation control system as they provide the most popular and open communication interfaces available.

Click here to learn more about the ADAM-6000 series Ethernet I/O modules

Post Embedded World 2012 roundup

Embedded World Exhibition and Conference 2012 is the world’s largest international trade fair and congress event for all things embedded. From February 28th to March 1st 2012, Embedded World featured around 900 international companies, including many of Impulse’s partners, showcasing their latest products and services.

Embedded World 2012 lived up to its expectations with a wide variety of cutting edge embedded technology on show. Having visited Embedded World numerous times in the past, it certainly felt like there was an increase in visitor numbers for 2012, with many of our partners also commenting on an upsurge in visitors to their stands this year.

The Impulse team utilised some serious shoe leather in their pursuit of the latest embedded computing technology and the increased number of exhibitors and seminars certainly made for a busy few days.

Our partners showcased many of their new products and technologies, with many of them focusing on Cedar Trail based products and also a selection of very interesting rugged mobile computing products. Importantly, our team gained considerable first hand knowledge on the new products from the wide variety of technical experts that were on hand during the event.

Our marketing and technical teams are now hard at work to launch these products to the UK industrial computing market and we look forward to highlighting these in our forthcoming newsletters, blogs and press releases. You can also expect to see these products on our brand new Impulse website, which was launched just before Embedded World 2012.

For Impulse, Embedded World is not just about evaluating new products; Our management team spent time with each of our partners to help discuss our joint plans for 2012 and beyond. These talks are invaluable and further build on strong partner relationships we have built over the last 19 years of business and also allow us to provide valuable feedback to our partners from our customers.

It’s always difficult to choose one highlight from all those we experienced during the show, but the strong showing from our partners such as Advantech, AAEON, DFI, DIGI, ICOP and Winmate is always good to see. Not only were their stands chocked full of the latest products and technologies but there was a clear focus and direction on how these products fit to specific industry verticals and markets, something we are great advocates of here at Impulse.

Finally, it was interesting to see the further adoption of Intelligent Systems and the Internet of Things, with both Microsoft and Intel showcasing a number of concepts and products based on these topics. It was also good to see Impulse featured on the Microsoft stand on their Windows Embedded Silver Partner display.

The ARK-1120 – high performance yet compact embedded system

The ARK-1120 from Advantech

This week we launched our latest embedded PC, the ARK-1120 by Advantech. The ARK-1120 is an ultra compact embedded system powered by the popular Intel Atom N455 and includes the Intel ICH8-M chipset providing a powerful combination features and performance.

The first thing we noticed about the ARK-1120 was how small and light it was. The ARK-1120 measures in at just W133mm x H43mm x D94mm and weighs only 0.7kg. The chassis is constructed out of a rugged yet lightweight aluminium alloy featuring a series of solid fins designed to help disperse heat generated by the processor and board components. The ‘fin’ design gives the benefits of a true fan-less system without the need to rely on noisy and unreliable chassis fans. The chassis features VESA mounting holes on the underside allowing you to mount it on the back of a monitor or on a wall via a mating VESA bracket.

Although the ARK-1120 is very compact it still includes an impressive range of I/O features. As standard it has four USB2.0 ports and two RS-232 serial ports. Inside the system it features a SATA port, a CompactFlash Type I/II socket and a half size Mini PCIe socket. The Mini PCIe socket is quite a useful feature to have as it allows you to expand the system’s capabilities by including a WiFi or HSDPA/3G modem card.

The Intel Atom N455 processor is part of the embedded CPU range from Intel. Integrated into the processor for better reliability is a GPU and memory controller. The GPU is based on the Intel GMA3150 and performs at a 200MHz clock speed ensuring fast graphic performance. It features DirectX 9c and OpenGL 1.5 support and is capable of hardware accelerated MPEG-2 video playback. The integrated memory controller supports up to 2GB of DDR3 SODIMM memory and up to 384MB of this memory can be shared with the GPU through Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT). In total the Atom N455 consumes only 6.5W making it an ideal solution for high performance yet low power embedded systems.

You can view the press release here. A full specification list and datasheet can be found on the product page. For more information on the ARK-1120 you can get in contact with us on +44 (0)1782 337 800 or alternatively email sales@impulse-corp.co.uk.

Impulse launch new Industrial Ethernet Switch range

Impulse is pleased to launch the new EKI Series Industrial Ethernet Switches from Advantech. These new Industrial Ethernet Switches are designed to meet the demanding requirements of the industrial environment and come with communication standards such as Fast and Gigabit Ethernet. These Industrial Ethernet Switches are avaliable with copper and fibre optic connections.

Our new Industrial Ethernet Switch range includes:

• Managed Ethernet Switches
• Unmanaged Ethernet Switches
• IP67 Ethernet Switches
• PoE Switches

To learn more about our Advantech Ethernet Switches then contact our Technical Account team on +44 (0)1782 337 800 or alternatively email sales@impulse-corp.co.uk.

Leading UK Advantech Distributor

Did you know that Impulse is a leading UK Advantech distributor? Founded in 1983, Advantech has provided leadership for innovative ePlatform products and services for over 25 years. Advantech offer comprehensive system integration, hardware, software, customer-centric design services and global distribution support.

Impulse has been a leading UK Advantech distributor since 2003 and has provided customers with a comprehensive range of Advantech Single Board Computers, Panel PCs, Industrial Ethernet Switches and Distributed Analog and Digital I/O adapters.

Click here to find out more.

Advantech EKI Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches available at Impulse

Impulse is excited to announce the launch of the EKI Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches from Advantech. Advantech’s Industrial Ethernet Switches offer a variety of features such as high speed Gigabit Ethernet, Copper and Fibre Optic interfaces and Power over Ethernet. In addition, Advantech’s Industrial Ethernet Switches feature X-Ring technology allowing for fast and prompt recovery time (<10 ms) increasing the reliability and speed of network infrastructures.

Featuring a compact DIN-rail mount package, these switches are ideal where panel space is limited. Ruggedised for industrial applications, they feature dual 12 to 48 VDC power inputs with fault relay output, 4,000 VDC Ethernet ESD protection, power line surge (EFT) protection of 3,000 VDC, and feature an industrial operating temperature range. In addition, these switches are CUL (UL/CSA), CE, FCC, and RoHS/WEE certified.

The EKI-6558TI and EKI-6559TMI are IP67 certified with wide temperature support designed especially for the rail and transport industry. M12 connectors are used to securely fasten Optical and Ethernet I/O to ensure reliability in harsh environments.

For more information on the EKI Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches from Advantech, you can contact our Technical Account team on +44 (0)1782 337 800 or email sales@impulse-corp.co.uk.

IMPULSE launch fanless i7 Embedded Computer - ARK-3440

IMPULSE is pleased to launch the new ARK-3440 Embedded Fanless PC from Advantech. The ARK-3440 is the first fanless i7 Embedded PC avaliable at IMPULSE. The high performance Embedded Computer is avaliable with both Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. The Intel QM57 graphics chipset, combined with the built in full HD HDMI decoder give the ARK-3440 a real edge in performance over previous generations.

The powerful new ARK-3440 supports up to 3GB of DDR3 memory. The ARK-3440 supports Multi-Display with its CRT, DVI, HDMI 1.3 and optional 24-Bit LVDS interfaces. The ARK-3440 is able to communicate usin g its dual 10/100/1000Mbit Ethernet ports (with Wake-on-LAN support), 3 x COMs, 4 x USB2.0 and optional support for Parallel and Digital I/O. The expansion capabilities of the ARK-3440 include 1 x PCI & PCIe slot and 2 x Mini PCIe.

Storage options in the ARK-3440 include 2 x 2.5" SATA hard disk bays allow space for solid state or mechanical storage. In adition, the ARK supports a wide voltage range input from 9V to 34V DC and is avaliable with 6 programmable function keys. The innovative design of the ARK-3440 makes in an ideal solution for environments that require a compact and robust Embedded PC.

For more information on the ARK-3440 or any of our Embedded PC’s, contact our sales team on +44 (0)1782 337 800 or email sales@impulse-corp.co.uk.

The ARK-3360L - Dual Core Intel Atom Fanless System

IMPULSE are pleased to announce the launch of the ARK-3360L system from Advantech. The Fanless Intel Atom system hosts either the N450 or the new Dual Core D510 processor. The ARK-3360L supports up to 2GB DDR2 667MHz SODIMM Memory and has Dual Gigabit LAN, 6 USB 2.0 and 4 COMs ports.

The ARK-3360L also has 1 x Mini PCIe expansion for additional communication modules such as Wireless LAN and HSDPA. It also supports CompactFlash II storage. In addition, you can add an additional drive bay for a 2.5” SATA hard drive.

The ARK-3360L Supports Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows for Embedded Systems and Fedora Core 9.0. Impulse can assist you with any OS imaging requirements. For more information regarding the ARK-3360L - Fanless Dual Core Intel Atom System or any of our products, please contact IMPULSE on +44 (0)1782 337 800 or visit the IMPULSE website.