Choosing a suitable edge computer from different types of edge computers is critical to the survival and longevity of the system. In other words, before choosing a solution that suits you, you should consider the following factors:
Contaminants in the edge computer environment
The temperature of the edge computer environment
Shocks and vibrations that edge computers may experience
Electromagnetic waves that edge computers may be exposed to
The size of the area where the edge computer is located
The performance and computer power required for data processing
Below we will discuss these factors in more detail:
1 Pollutants in the environment
When choosing a suitable edge computer, the most important factor that should be considered is the environment in which the edge computer will be placed. For example, an environment with a lot of pollutants, dust, and debris can easily damage computers. An edge computer that can survive in such a harsh environment is needed. As rugged computers enter the edge environment, this requirement is getting higher and higher.
2 ambient temperature
When choosing from different types of edge computers, the second factor to consider is the ability of the edge computers to withstand extreme heat and cold environments.
Heat is the number one enemy of computer systems and the main cause of premature death of many computer systems. A series of rugged, fanless edge computers on the market. These computers are passively cooled and do not require fans. By eliminating the use of fans and the use of computer system shells for heat dissipation, downtime that may be caused by fan damage or introducing debris and foreign objects into the computer system is eliminated.
A fanless rugged personal computer can passively cool itself through a heat sink. One end of the heat sink is connected to the CPU and heat-generating components, and the other end is in contact with the aluminum casing, so that the heat of these components is transferred and dissipated through the casing. It has cooling fins , Can cool down to the maximum.
Passively cooled computers can work in a wide range of temperatures from -40°C to 85°C, while active air-cooled PCs can still work in industrial-grade environments, but the temperature range is -25°C to 60°C.
3 Shock and vibration
Rugged edge computer that can withstand continuous shock and vibration to run in an environment. This can be achieved by designing an extremely robust enclosure with internal components.
As for the internal components, a cable-free design can be used to ensure that the internal components will not become loose or disconnected from the connector.
In addition, it can also adopt a fanless design, support solid state drives (solid state drives), and a clamping system to ensure that all internal components are connected to the motherboard, and the motherboard maintains its rigidity and shape regardless of the impact and vibration. .
4 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
When choosing different types of EMC systems, the compatibility of these computers should also be considered. Fanless and air-cooled edge computing systems are built based on EMC. In other words, the device can work normally in an electromagnetic environment. Therefore, if your industrial fanless computer is exposed to any electromagnetic radiation, you can choose a rugged edge computer that provides electromagnetic protection.