NI intros industrial touch panel computers based on Intel Atom processor

BANGALORE, INDIA: National Instruments has announced a line of touch panel computers with an extended operating temperature range based on the 1.33 GHz Intel Atom processor.

With Intel Atom processors, engineers can build high-performance human machine interfaces (HMIs) with a low-power, fanless device. The NI TPC-2206 and TPC-2212 feature a -20 to 60° C operating temperature range for harsh industrial applications, 4 GB solid state drives for reliable operation in extended vibration environments and Windows Embedded OS for long-term deployment and support. They also feature 1 GB of RAM, two gigabit Ethernet ports and LED backlight technology to maintain screen brightness across the range of temperatures.

“The touch panel computers releasing today, combined with NI LabVIEW software, provide a rugged high-performance interface for monitoring and control applications,” said Eric Starkloff, NI vice president of marketing for test and embedded.

The use of Intel Atom processors as the basis for these new touch panel computers facilitates not only their extended temperature range, but also their improved application performance.

“The new Intel Atom processors bring more intelligence than ever before to embedded connected devices such as touch panel HMI computers,” said Staci Palmer, senior director of marketing for the Intel Low Power Embedded Processor Division. “Devices that integrate smart, connected services to monitor, sense, serve and control applications intelligently and interactively help our world operate more efficiently.”

The new industrial touch panel computers work with a variety of hardware including NI CompactRIO, PXI, NI Smart Cameras, NI Embedded Vision Systems and other third-party industrial devices. Engineers can develop advanced and intuitive HMI applications with the LabVIEW graphical development environment, which they use to communicate with their hardware through standard communication methods such as TCP, OPC, USB, Modbus, Ethernet/IP and many more.

LabVIEW provides easy network deployment, prebuilt template applications and navigation controls for building complex multiscreen interfaces. Engineers also gain programmatic control of advanced OS features such as Enhanced Write Filters and Hibernate Once/Resume Many (HORM).