Low Profile Industrial Computers & PCs
Premio offers a wide variety of low profile industrial computers that are designed and built with compactness in mind. Low profile PCs are completely fanless, cooled via passive cooling technology that involves using heatsinks to move heat away from the internal heat-generating components to the device’s outer enclosure, which dissipates the heat into the atmosphere surrounding the device.
Low profile fanless PCs have a wide operating temperature range that allows the system to operate optimally and smoothly in temperatures ranging from -40⁰C to 85⁰C without running into thermal issues such as thermal throttling. Ultimately, Premio has a wide variety of low profile fanless industrial computers for you to choose from. You can configure the systems according to your specific requirements.
In addition to the system’s fanless design, the next most important feature is the compactness of the device, which gives it a small footprint, allowing deployment of the device in space-limited environments where full-size desktop computers are too large to be deployed. For example, the BCO-2000 Series of low profile fanless computers comes in at 140MM (D) X 192MM (W) X 61MM (H), making the system small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Furthermore, low profile fanless PCs come configured with rich I/O thanks to the inclusion of USB Type-A ports, RJ45 & M12 Ethernet ports, Serial COM ports, and video & audio output ports. These ports allow the system to connect to both new and legacy technologies with relative ease. Additionally, for organizations that require additional ports, low profile fanless computers can be configured with additional ports to meet your specific requirements.
What is a low-profile industrial computer?
A low-profile computer is an industrial-grade computer that is small and hardened to endure deployment in challenging environments where regular desktop computers cannot survive. Also, low-profile computers are fanless, meaning they use advanced heat dissipation techniques to cool down the system without the use of fans. Passive cooling involves the use of heatsinks to move heat away from the internal heat-generating components to the outer enclosure. The outer enclosure functions as a large heatsink, dissipating the heat into the surrounding atmosphere.
Furthermore, low profile computers such as the BCO-2000 Series can be configured with either low-powered yet efficient processors such as the Intel® Celeron® Processors or the more powerful Intel® Core® Processors. Low-powered processors are great for the performance of entry-level workloads, such as functioning as a simple IoT gateway, whereas the more powerful Intel® Core® Processors are better suited for devices that will be used to run multiple applications simultaneously.
This is so because Intel® Core® processors come equipped with multiple cores that are clocked higher than Intel® Celeron® Processor cores, making systems more powerful, allowing them to perform complex tasks with relative ease. That said, both options offer robust compute power while maintaining energy efficiency. Although the power savings from a single device are negligible, you will notice significant savings on energy costs, especially if you’re deploying hundreds or thousands of these devices.
What Are the Features of Low-Profile Computers?
We will now discuss the main features that make low-profile computers so sought after:
1. Compact Design
Small computers are sought after because of their palm-sized footprint, making them ideal for deployment in tight spots. That said, the fact that low-profile computers are compact does not mean that they sacrifice performance. This is so because systems can be configured using the powerful Intel® Core® processor, making them a great option for organizations that want a powerful, palm-sized computer that does sacrifice performance for compactness.
For example, the BCO-2000 Series of compact fanless computers comes in at 140MM (D) X 192MM (W) X 61MM (H), making the system small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Also, the compact size makes mounting the device using VESA mounts, Wall mounts, or DIN rail mounting very easy and quick.
2. Shock & Vibration Resistance
Low profile rugged computers are designed and built for deployment in challenging environments where they will be exposed to shock and vibration. They are designed and built to withstand frequent exposure to shock and vibration. For example, systems are designed and built using fewer joints and screws, which reduces the number of parts that can fail as a result of the system being exposed to shock and vibration.
Additionally, systems can be configured with SSDs (solid-state drives) instead of HDDs (hard drives). Configuring a system with SSDs allows the system to tolerate exposure to shock and vibration better because SSDs are more robust than hard drives. SSDs are more robust than HDDs because they store data on NAND chips vs. HDDs, which store data on spinning platters, which are more prone to damage than NAND chips when exposed to shock and vibration.
3. Fanless Design
These small computing solutions utilize a fanless design. The fanless design allows system manufacturers to create a totally closed system that is resistant to dust, debris, and other small particles. Creating a totally closed system adds to the system’s reliability and longevity because dust and small particles cannot enter the system to damage the internal components. The fanless design provides these advantages because there is no need for vents or openings through which to circulate air throughout the system. Additionally, passively cooling systems allows them to be deployed closer to one another since there is no need for airflow to cool down the systems.
4. Wide Operating Temperature Range
Small computing solutions are equipped with a wide operating temperature range, ranging from -40⁰C to 85⁰C. Providing a wide temperature range is possible due to the fanless design of the system, as well as the use of wide temperature range components that can survive exposure to extremely cold and extremely hot temperatures. So, whether you deploy one of these systems in the middle of the Mojave Desert during the scorching hot summer where the temperature reaches 50⁰C or in the middle of Siberia during the freezing cold winter where the temperature reaches -25⁰C, the system will operate reliably and optimally without any interruption due to thermal issues.
5. Rich I/O
The fact that low-profile embedded computers are miniature does mean that they sacrifice the availability of I/O. Rather, compact systems are configured with Rich I/O, allowing businesses to connect their embedded computing solutions to a variety of new and legacy devices. Connectivity to new and legacy devices is possible due to the inclusion of USB Type-A ports, Ethernet ports, Serial COM ports, PoE ports, and video out ports. Furthermore, if an organization requires additional ports, additional ports can be added thanks to the availability of daughterboards and expansion modules that can increase the number of available ports.
6. Low Power Consumption
Low profile embedded computers are well known for their low power consumption. They consume little power because they are configured using Intel® processors that are more power-efficient than ever before, with some chips having a TDP as low as 7 Watts. Thus, these computing solutions are significantly more power-efficient than desktop computers that utilize processors with a much higher TDP. This is so because desktop computers are not restricted by the constraints on embedded computers. Their energy-efficiency makes them great for deployment in remote environments where a stable power supply is not always present. We say this because a system may need to operate on battery power until stable power is restored. Without low power consumption, systems would not last long on battery power. Furthermore, although the power savings from a single system are not negligible, if you’re deploying a large number of these devices, you will notice significant savings on energy costs.
7. Wired & Wireless Connectivity
Low profile industrial PCs are equipped with rich connectivity options that include wired and wireless options. Most industrial low-profile computers come configured with dual RJ45 Gigabit ports for ultra-fast wired connectivity to the internet and other devices. Moreover, small embedded devices can be configured with Wi-Fi for blazing-fast wireless LAN connectivity. Also, compact devices come equipped with dual SIM sockets for 4G, LTE, and 5G cellular connectivity. Dual SIM sockets offer redundancy, allowing devices to remain connected to the internet so that if one carrier is not available or the connection is poor, the device can be programmed to connect to the internet via a secondary carrier. This is especially important for devices that are deployed in remote environments where reliable internet connectivity is not always available.
How are Low Profile Computers Tested?
Overall, our embedded computing solutions are configured using industrial-grade hardware that has been meticulously tested and validated in our in-house facilities to guarantee that our system can survive the world’s most challenging deployments.
What Are Low Profile Computers Used For?
These computing solutions are used for a variety of different applications; here are some of those applications:
1. Powering Kiosk Machine
Embedded computers are often used to power kiosk machines. That is, they are used to run the applications required for interactive kiosk machines. Small computers are most suited for this task because they are compact, enabling them to fit in small kiosk machine enclosures. Additionally, they have rich I/O, which allows the system to connect to the various peripherals found on kiosk machines. Peripherals include monitor, card reader, barcode scanner, receipt printer, camera, and other peripherals commonly found in kiosk machines. Moreover, low-profile PCs are great for kiosk machines because they are passively cooled, which is a requirement when deploying a PC in a non-ventilated kiosk machine enclosure. Without passive cooling, PC systems would overheat, causing the entire system to thermal throttle and shutdown, causing detrimental downtime.
2. Industrial Automation
Low-profile PCs are often used in manufacturing plants to automate processes, function as HMIs (human-machine interfaces), and monitor factory equipment and machinery. Rugged low-profile computers are great for industrial automation because they are rugged, meaning they’ve been hardened to withstand deployment in harsh factory conditions, which are too challenging for regular desktop computers.
3. Serving as IoT Gateways
Oftentimes, low-profile embedded computers are deployed to function as an IoT gateway. That is, they are used to connect to sensors, cameras, or other devices to gather data, process data, analyze it, and send post-processed data to the cloud for remote monitoring and control. IoT gateways offer invaluable insights into an organization’s operation, allowing users to use the insights gained to perform predictive maintenance and improve the process to produce better business results.
4. Security and Surveillance
Small embedded PCs are often used to gather, store, process, and analyze video footage from surveillance cameras. Rugged PCs are used for this task because they are rugged and can be deployed close to surveillance systems both outdoors and indoors.
Where Can You Buy Low Profile Computers?
Premio has been designing and building premium low-profile computers in the United States for over 30 years. Premio offers a wide variety of compact industrial computing solutions that you can customize according to your specific requirements. If you’re not satisfied with the I/O ports that are on the device, we should advise you that I/O ports are expandable through the use of expansion daughterboards and modules. If you need help choosing a low profile computer, please contact one of our professional embedded computing experts, and they will assist you with selecting the solution that meets your specific requirements. Premio has an impressive portfolio that includes a full range of low-profile computers for you to choose from.
