New Panel PC from ADVANTECH Provides Out-of-Box Windows CE HMI Solution

ADVANTECH announces the HMI-640S, an open and compact Windows CE embedded HMI solution. The new panel PC features an all-in-one 486 PC board, on-board VGA (480 x 640 resolution), 6" STN LCD display with touchscreen, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, two serial ports, CompactFlash adapter and expansion slot for PC/104. With built-in Windows CE environment and ADVANTECH HMI software runtime, it makes the HMI applications easy for end users and vendors to use off-the-shelf hardware and software. This open and compact HMI solution is ideal for machine/equipment builders, process control systems, utility systems, home and building automation systems, and security systems.

To meet the industrial requirements in the harsh environments, the HMI-640S features a Windows CE-embedded non-rotating flash drive, which is fully supported with a bunch of HMI software applications specially designed to run on it. With the ruggedness and stability only a flash drive can give, all those harsh environmental influences from plant-floor vibration, moisture and shock hazards are totally eradicated. These worthy protections are simply not affordable with conventional rotating hard disk. And its front panel is NEMA 4/IP 65 compliant.

Another key component of the Windows CE HMI solution is the ADVANTECH HMI software. It can reduce system development time significantly by providing a versatile set of pre-defined control and display icons. Just four steps (select, connect, configure and run) are needed to build a graphic visualization of your applications. You configure applications on a Windows NT, 95 or 98 desktop or industrial PC and run them on one or more HMI-640S platforms. In addition, the ADVANTECH Windows CE HMI application software provides the OPC capability, which enables a direct integration of diverse control devices and industrial networks on the plant-floor level. Except ADVANTECH HMI software, other third-party Windows CE application software such as Intellution, ICONICS, PCSoft and Indusoft have successfully passed the compatibility tests on the HMI-640S platform. And ADVANTECH also provides support and services to help customers port their Windows CE application software to the HMI platforms. Therefore, the OEM manufactures, the system integrators and the end users can choose development environments according to their applications.

Besides, the HMI-640S hardware platform also provides the Hard Disk option for the applications developed on DOS, Windows 95/98 and LINUX operating systems. It's your best choice for networking applications with Fast Ethernet and those applications with a space concern.

Specifications of the HMI-640S hardware platform are listed as follows :

• CPU: STPC Client 66 MHz, equivalent to a 80486 CPU
  
  
• Display: 6.0", STN LCD
  
  
• System Memory: 16MB
  
  
• Storage Memory
  CompactFlash: 16MB or 32MB
  Hard Drive: Optional
  
  
• I/O Ports
  Serial: RS-232 x 1, RS-232/422/485 (DIP Switch Setting)
  Parallel: IBM Parallel
  Expansion slots: PC/104 x 1
  Network: Ethernet 10/100 Base-T
  
  
• User Interface
  Touchscreen: Resistive
  Keyboard/Mouse: Yes
  
  
• Power: 18-30VDC Input
  
  
• Size (H x W x L): 7.76" x 5.61" x 2.49" (197.5 x 142.8 x 63.4 mm)
  
  
• Environmental
  Water Resistance: Front panel meets NEMA 4 or IP 65
  Agency Approval: FCC Class A, CE
  Temperature Range : 45 degree C