Sealed Industrial Computer PCs
Whether you’re looking for information on sealed industrial computers or a source for buying them, you’ve come to the right place. This post provides you with everything you need to know about sealed industrial PCs and a great source for buying them.
What Are Sealed Industrial Computers?
Sealed industrial PCs are industrial-grade embedded computers that are designed and built for deployment in challenging environments where they will be exposed to dust, debris, water, extreme temperatures, and other challenging environmental factors. There are two types of sealed computers: computer systems that are resistant to dust and industrial computing solutions that are IP rated. IP-rated computers are completely sealed, making them resistant to dust and water. The type of sealed PC that you require depends on where you’re deploying the device and whether you’re deploying the device in a protective housing such as a NEMA enclosure or without an enclosure.
Premio offers rugged industrial computers that are resistant to dust, debris, and other small particles, but they are not IP rated. They are, however, rugged, which allows them to be deployed in environments where they will be exposed to dust and debris because they utilize a fanless design. The fanless design allows the systems to be cooled down via heatsink, eliminating the need for vents and other small openings to circulate air throughout the system.
The elimination of vents and openings makes rugged industrial PCs resistant to dust, debris, and other small particles into the system since there are no openings through which they can enter and damage the sensitive internal components. Rugged computers such as the RCO Series and BCO Series can be deployed indoors or outdoors; however, they must be deployed inside a NEMA enclosure if they are going to be exposed to water.
On the other hand, if you require a completely sealed industrial PC, Premio offers the WCO, WIO, and SIO series of sealed and IP-rated industrial computers. IP-rated, sealed industrial computers can be deployed indoors or outdoors without having to be housed in a NEMA enclosure, even if they are exposed to water, dust, and other pollutants.
So, when choosing a sealed industrial PC, make sure to choose an option that’s compatible with your deployment environment. Also, ask yourself whether it has an IP rating because this determines whether the system can be deployed as is outdoors or whether it needs to be deployed inside a protective enclosure, such as a NEMA 4 enclosure.
Deploying Sealed Computer Using a NEMA Enclosure
Those deploying sealed computers often deploy them inside of a NEMA enclosure for extra protection from windblown dust, rain, and ice. Sealed IP-rated systems do not need to be deployed inside a protective enclosure. However, if you deploy a rugged computing solution that will be exposed to water, you should deploy the solution inside an enclosure because they are not waterproof and dustproof; even though they do offer some protection to dust and small particles, rugged systems are not protected from water.
That said, while deploying a sealed PC inside a NEMA enclosure protects it from dust, water, and other small particles, NEMA enclosures do not protect systems from extremely cold and extremely hot temperatures. So, deploying sealed industrial computers outdoors in non-temperature controlled environments requires a solution that has a wide operating temperature range.
Premio’s Rugged Series and IP-rated Series of industrial computers are equipped with a wide operating temperature range, permitting systems to be deployed in environments that experience extreme cold and extreme heat. For example, the rugged series of industrial computers can withstand deployment in temperatures ranging from -45⁰C to 80⁰C, so whether they’re deployed in extreme heat or extreme cold, systems will operate optimally and reliably without any additional cooling.
That said, when deploying a computing solution inside of a NEMA enclosure, you should select a system that’s passively cooled. This is important because NEMA enclosures are sealed, trapping hot air inside the box. So, if a PC is air-cooled via the use of fans, it would only circulate hot air inside the box, causing the system to overheat and thermal throttle. For this reason, you should choose a fanless solution that’s passively cooled. Fanless solutions utilize low-powered processors that do not generate a lot of heat, and they are passively cooled via the use of heatsinks. Heatsinks are used to dissipate the heat away from the internal heating generating components to the outer enclosure of the system, transferring heat to the outside of the device.
Regular desktop computers should not be deployed inside NEMA enclosures because many are actively cooled via fans, and most desktop PCs are not equipped with low-powered processors that emit little heat. As such, if you want to deploy a computing solution inside a NEMA enclosure, you should deploy a rugged industrial computer because they can be configured with low-powered CPUs that do not need to be air-cooled, thus eliminating any thermal issues that may arise. For example, the RCO Series of rugged industrial computers can be configured with the Intel Celeron J1900 low-powered CPU, making it a great option for deployment in NEMA enclosures.
Deploying Sealed PCs Without a NEMA Enclosure
As mentioned earlier, if you want to deploy a sealed rugged computer outdoors, you can do so, but non-IP-rated industrial computing solutions require an enclosure to protect them from water. However, if you want to deploy a solution outdoors that can withstand exposure to water and other challenging environmental factors, you should deploy an IP-rated industrial computing solution.
IP-rated sealed computers can be deployed outdoors without being housed in a NEMA enclosure because they come with an IP rating of 65 or higher. IP 65 rated systems are dust-tight, meaning dust cannot enter the system, and they are protected from water projected by a nozzle. Such solutions are capable of being deployed outdoors without an enclosure because they have been tested to resist dust and water. They do not need an enclosure to protect them from water because such protection is built into the device.
What Are the Features of Sealed Computers?
1. Dust, Debris, and Water Resistance
Rugged industrial computers are resistant to dust and debris because they are sealed. Rugged computers are sealed because they are passively cooled. Passively cooling industrial PCs eliminates the need for openings and vents through which to circulate air through systems. This results in a completely closed system that’s resistant to dust and other small particles. However, if you need a system that’s resistant to water, you should look for waterproof industrial computers. Waterproof industrial PCs are IP-rated to prevent the ingress of dust and water into the system. Premio offers a variety of waterproof industrial computing solutions for you to choose from. Waterproof computers are completely sealed and come with an IP rating that ranges from IP65 to IP69K. IP69K waterproof solutions can withstand high temperature and high-pressure washdown, making them an excellent option for deployment in environments where extreme hygiene is required.
2. Wide Operating Temperature Range
Sealed industrial computers have a wide operating temperature range, ranging from -45⁰C to 80⁰C, allowing organizations to deploy systems in challenging environments that experience extreme temperatures. So, whether you deploy a sealed industrial computing solution in the middle of the Sahara Desert during the summer or in the middle of Antarctica during the freezing cold winter, the computing solution will operate reliably and optimally.
3. Industrial-Grade Components
Sealed industrial PCs are built using industrial-grade components that have been tested and validated to operate reliably even when exposed to challenging environmental factors. Everything from the capacitors to the PCB is chosen and integrated into the system to ensure reliable operation of the system.
4. Shock and Vibration Resistance
Sealed industrial computing solutions are resistant to shock and vibration, allowing them to operate reliably in challenging environments where they may be exposed to frequent shock and vibration. We have achieved shock and vibration resistance by fanlessly cooling down the system, equipping them with SSDs (solid-state drives), switching over to a cableless design, and reducing the number of moving parts in the system. These actions have resulted in a shock and vibration resistant system that can operate optimally and reliably even when exposed to frequent shock and vibration. In fact, our rugged computing solutions can withstand up to 5GRMs of vibration and 50Gs of shock in compliance with the MIL-STD-810G. SSDs add significant shock and vibration resistance, so adding them to a system will improve its ability to withstand shock and vibration. This is so because SSDs store data on solid NAND flash vs. the spinning metal platters that are used by hard drives to store data.
5. Wide Power Range
Sealed computers come equipped with a wide power range, making them compatible with a variety of different power input scenarios. Additionally, these systems are equipped with various power protection technologies that protect them from damage. Protections include overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and reverse polarity protection. Overvoltage protection is a power supply feature where the system shuts down the power when the voltage exceeds a preset level, saving the system from damage. Overcurrent protection protects the system from the excess current by interrupting the flow of the current, protecting the sensitive internal components from damage. Finally, systems are configured with reverse polarity protection, which protects the system in a situation where the power supply polarity is reversed.
6. Compact Design
Sealed embedded computers employ a compact design that makes them a great option for deployment in small, space-constrained environments, such as cabinets, drawers, underneath tables or furniture, and small enclosures such as a NEMA enclosure. Additionally, some sealed computers are so compact that they can easily be mounted to walls or ceiling using relatively inexpensive mounting mechanisms.
7. Wired and Wireless Connectivity
Sealed industrial PCs come equipped with wired and wireless connectivity options, allowing the computers to connect to the internet and other devices. For example, most industrial PCs come equipped with a minimum of 2x Gigabit Ethernet Ports, allowing the system to transfer data at very high speeds with as little latency as possible. Furthermore, systems come equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing them to connect to wireless networks and other devices that can be connected via Wi-Fi. Our industrial computers can be equipped with the latest Wi-Fi 6 adapters, offering blazing fast, wireless data transfer speeds with ultra-low latency.
That said, we understand that industrial computing solutions are often deployed in remote environments where wired and wireless internet connectivity is not available. As such, we have equipped our system with dual SIM slots, allowing them to connect to two different cellular carriers. So, if one carrier is not available, the system can connect to a secondary carrier, keeping your system connected to the internet. Systems support 4G, LTE, and 5G cellular connectivity. The final connectivity option that sealed PCs come with is Bluetooth Connectivity. Although Bluetooth does not offer the range and speed of wired and Wi-Fi connectivity, it does provide reliable one-to-one and many-to-many connectivity that is very simple to use.
Where Can I Buy a Sealed Industrial Computer PC?
Premio offers a variety of sealed industrial computers for you to choose from. Options include non-IP-rated rugged industrial PCs as well as sealed waterproof computers that are IP rated. IP-rated sealed PCs will operate reliably even if exposed to dust and water. They have an IP rating that ranges from IP65 to IP69K. IP-rated sealed computers can be deployed without an enclosure while maintaining dust and water resistance. If you need help choosing a sealed industrial computer, please contact us, and one of our industrial computing experts will assist you with choosing a solution that meets your specific requirements. Premio offers a wide variety of sealed PCs for you to choose from.
