If you’re looking for information on marine computers or looking for a source to buy marine PCs, you’ve come to the right place. We will provide you with everything you need to know about marine computing solutions and provide you with an excellent source for buying them.
What is a Marine Computer?
A marine computer is an industrial computer that is hardened to withstand deployment in ships, survey boats, or unmanned watercraft. Marine PCs are resistant to dust, water, extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration, making them an excellent solution for deployment on ships, boats, or other water vessels. Marine computers are built with rugged enclosures that house hardened components to survive challenging deployments at sea. This is so because devices must operate reliably and optimally despite exposure to extreme temperatures, humidity, dust, shock, and vibration. Overall, marine systems employ a reinforced rugged design to meet the challenges for reliable operation at sea.
Why Should You Buy a Marine PC?
You should deploy rugged marine PCs because maritime faces critical challenges; therefore, you need to deploy a marine computing solution that is hardened to endure the challenges the system will face at sea. Let’s explore what makes marine PCs the ideal solution for deployment in water vessels. First, marine computing solutions are fanless, meaning they’re designed and built with passive cooling capabilities. Passively cooling systems via heatsink make these solutions great for ships and boats because they are resistant to dust and other small particles. Systems are dust resistant because passively cooling them eliminates the need for vents and opening through which dust can enter the system and damage the sensitive internal components.
Additionally, adding to the ruggedness of marine PCs is the shock and vibration resistance that systems are equipped with. Marine computing solutions are resistant to shock and vibration thanks to a cableless design, the use of SSDs, and the use of fewer screws and parts. The cableless design eliminates the use of all cables from the system, removing the possibility that a cable comes loose from its connection rendering the system inoperable.
Furthermore, the use of SSDs (solid-state drives) makes systems more resistant to shock and vibration. This is so because SSDs store data on silicon NAND chips, which are more resistant to shock and vibration than the spinning metal platters that HDDs (hard disk drives) use to store data. Also, the use of fewer joints and screws reduces the number of parts that can fail, adding to the reliability and durability of rugged computing solutions.
That said, not only do SSDs provide better shock and vibration resistance, but they also provide a significant performance boost, making systems faster and more responsive than a comparable system equipped with hard disk drives.
Moreover, marine computers are equipped with a wide operating temperature range, allowing them to endure deployment at sea in areas that experience extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures. Systems have a wide operating temperature range that ranges from -40⁰C to 70⁰C. The wide operating temperature range is possible thanks to passive cooling technology and the use of wide temperature range components that have been tested and validated to endure extreme temperatures. Additionally, systems are resistant to humidity, capable of working even when exposed to extreme humidity.
All of these design features contribute to making Premio marine computing solutions extremely versatile, capable of being deployed in space-limited areas on ships, such as in a small cabinet, under a desk, in a bridge console, in a control room, or in an engine room.
What Are the Different Types of Marine Computers?
There is a wide variety of different marine computing solutions. First, we have fanless solutions, rugged fanless solutions, and IP-rated solutions. Fanless and rugged solutions are great for deployment in challenging indoor ship environments, while IP-rated waterproof and dustproof systems are great for deployment indoors and outdoors where they can be exposed to water. Rugged computing solutions that are not IP rated can be deployed outdoors, but they must be housed in a protective enclosure such as a NEMA enclosure. If you’re searching for a waterproof computing solution that is waterproof and can be deployed outdoors without an enclosure, check out Premio’s IP-rated waterproof solutions.
Powerful Processing
That said, after you’ve selected the type of system you need, you should consider the processing power of the machine. Marine computers can be configured with a variety of different CPUs. Premio offers entry-level systems that are ideal for entry-level workloads, as well as more powerful computing solutions that are equipped with blazing-fast Intel Core i7 Processors for complex and demanding workloads. Premio offers a wide variety of options for you to choose from. If you need assistance choosing a solution, please contact us, and one of our marine computing professionals will assist you with selecting a solution that meets your specific requirements.
Rich I/O
Furthermore, when it comes to I/O, marine PCs can be configured with a variety of different ports to aid system integrators and ship designers with connecting peripherals and other devices to the PC. I/O ports include Gigabit Ethernet, PoE, USB Type-A, and Serial COM ports. The number of I/O ports that are available to you depends on the model you choose and how you configure your system. Typically, if you need additional PoE, Gigabit Ethernet, Serial COM, or USB ports, additional ports can be added via expansion daughterboards. Systems are equipped with a rich I/O to allow system integrators to connect peripherals such as gyrocompasses, echo sounders, radar, sonar, and weather stations to the device. Also, devices can be configured with VGA, DVI, HDMI, or Display Ports, allowing the system to connect to multiple external displays.
Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, marine PCs can be configured with both wired and wireless connectivity features. For example, all models come with dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing you to connect your system to the internet by plugging in an onboard Wi-Fi router. Additional Gigabit Ethernet ports are available, allowing you to plug into an onboard telephone system or an onboard local area network. Moreover, the ports can be used to connect to other Ethernet peripherals.
Additionally, systems can be configured with wireless connectivity options that include Wi-Fi and Cellular connectivity. Wi-Fi 6 offers high speed, long-range, and low latency connectivity to the internet and other devices. Cellular connectivity is great because it allows your PC to remain connected to the internet even if the vessel travels to a remote location where Wi-Fi and wired connectivity are not available.
Power
As it pertains to power, rugged computers are equipped with a wide power range supporting 9V to 48V, making systems compatible with the various power supplies available on ships. Additionally, systems are configured with power protection features that include overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and reverse polarity protection.
Compact Size
Computers that are deployed on ships must be compact because there is an extremely limited amount of space. The compact design of rugged computers makes them great for deployment on ships because it frees up precious real estate and makes installing them in space-limited locations much easier than installing a full-size desktop computer.
Marine Computers Offer Performance at Sea
Marine computers can be deployed in ships, unmanned watercraft, and other water vessels for data telemetry purposes, enable ship operations and communication. Rugged marine PCs are hardened to withstand harsh conditions and wet environments, providing plenty of computing power at the fingertips of crew members. Overall, Premio’s ruggedized computers and displays deliver superior performance in demanding conditions at sea.
What Are the Advantages of Premio Rugged Marine PCs?
Premio’s rugged marine computing solutions offer many advantages over competitors. For starters, the reliability and durability of rugged computing solutions lower the total cost of ownership and provides long-term value that satisfies the needs of our customers. Second, our solutions are designed, built, and validated to operate reliably and optimally in the most challenging environmental conditions. Third, unlike large providers of industrial computers, we offer our customers the ability to customize products according to their exact requirements. We go as far as to design and build custom solutions for our customers. Overall, Premio provides dependable industrial solutions and backs its products with dedicated after-sales service designed to shorten your time to market.
