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Intel 6th generation-based embedded computer for
factory floor, vision systems, surveillance, machine automation,
medical imaging and similar (- by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)
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Unlike rack-mounts or
towers, a cube-shaped computer / Box PC can go pretty much anywhere.
Most such industrial Box PC measure roughly 8 x 8 x 8 inches and
weigh 10-12 pounds or so, and the EAC-PRO is no exception.
Box PCs are in
essence just general-purpose PCs equipped with plenty of I/O. So
depending on a box's configuration, it can be used in all sorts of
ways in areas such as factory floor HMI applications, vision systems,
surveillance, signage, machine automation, medical imaging and many
more.
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Note that while many embedded systems are designed and
configured for very specific applications and come with just as much
performance and I/O as is needed for the job, cubes are inherently
multi-purpose and more flexible, providing plenty of performance and a
whole gamut of I/O, and that applies to the Winmate EAC-PRO.
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So let's see what's under the hood of
the Winmate EAC-PRO. That would be your choice of one of four available
embedded Intel processors. All are of the 6th generation
"Skylake" variety, i.e. recent, powerful, and very efficient
14nm designs. Winmate offers the Intel Xeon E3-1268L V5 processor; the
Intel Core i7-6700TE, and then the Intel Core i3-6100TE.
On the memory side, the EAC-PRO can
accommodate up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM in two slots. Storage is essentially
unlimited via two swappable and two on-board SATA 3 drives and RAID
0/1/5/10 support. If that's not enough, there's also SATA 2 CFast.
As expected, the EAC-PRO excels in
connectivity. Externally accessible are six USB 3.0 ports, three gigabit
RJ45 LAN jacks, 8-channel digital IO, and dual switchable serial ports.
For video, there's VGA and two DisplayPort jacks, all three of which can
be active simultaneously. Inside there are additional pin headers for
four more COM ports, a legacy LPT port, PS/2, and also a couple of
miniPCIe sockets for expansion. A total of four PCI expansion slots comes
in two different SKUs.
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