Nexcom announced an Intel Atom-powered PC designed for DIN-rail mounting. The NISE 90 includes two gigabit Ethernet ports, three serial ports, eight-channel digital I/O, three USB 2.0 ports, and CANbus support, according to the company.

Nexcom's new offering is not the company's first "NISE" computer to employ an Intel Atom processor — earlier examples have included the Atom D425-powered NISE 103 as well as the Atom D525-equipped NISE 2100 and NISE 2110. However, this model deliberately turns down the wick by adopting a 600MHz Atom E620, which has a 2.7-Watt TDP.

Nexcom's NISE 90
(Click to enlarge)

According to Nexcom, this level of power consumption combined with the NISE 90's size qualify it for industrial automation applications and DIN-rail mounting. Though many competing devices feature ARM processors, the x86 CPU featured here "accelerates time to market and cuts development costs," the company claims.

The E620's onboard GMA600 graphics controller, based on Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX IP, is up to the task of "2D/3D image enhancement and encode/decode," Nexcom says. The expected EG20T I/O controller is combined with 512MB of built-in DDR2 memory, apparently non-expandable.

Surprisingly for this class of PC, a CompactFlash slot is not provided. Instead, there's an internal 2.5-inch bay for a SATA hard disk drive or solid state disk, Nexcom says.

Adding such storage appears to be the only reason one would open up the NISE 90's fanless, aluminum case, since there's a bevy of external ports. On the front panel, pictured earlier, you'll find two gigabit Ethernet ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and four DB9 connectors. Two of the latter are for RS232 ports, one is for an RS232/422/485 port, and one supports a CAN 2.0b connection, according to Nexcom.

The bottom of Nexcom's NISE 90
(Click to enlarge)

On the bottom of the NISE 90, pictured above, there is a VGA port and a 12/24VDC input connector. Additionally, two male DB15 connectors provide 8-channel GPIO, Nexcom says.

According to Nexcom, the NISE 90 uses only 17 Watts when at full loading. With a rated operating range from 23 to 131 deg. F, it runs both Linux and Windows Embedded Standard 2009, the company adds.

Specifications listed by Nexcom for the NISE 90 include:

• Processor — Intel Atom E620 clocked at 600MHz
• Chipset — Intel EG20T
• Memory — 512MB of DDR2 RAM (non-expandable)
• Storage — 2.5-inch SATA bay supports hard disk or solid state disk
• Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 3 x USB 2.0
  • VGA
  • 2 x RS232
  • 1 x RS232/422/485
  • 1 x CAN 2.0b
  • 8-channel GPIO via 2 x DB15 connectors
• Power — 12/24VDC; 17 Watts max.
• Operating range — 23 to 131 def. F
• Dimensions — 6.6 x 5.5 x 2.3 inches (167 x 140 x 59mm)
• Weight — n/s

Further information

Nexcom did not cite pricing for the NISE 90, but said the device is available now. More information may be found on the NISE90 product page.

Jonathan Angel can be reached at [email protected] and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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