Advantech announced a pair of panel PCs for HMI (human machine applications), touting enhanced display technology and lower pricing. The 12.1-inch PPC-L128T (R81) features an “anti-corrosion” display with LED backlighting and a 600-nit brightness rating, while the 6.5-inch PPC-L61T (R71) has a 700-nit brightness rating and an expanded 22 to 185 deg. F operating range, the company says.

According to Advantech, the PPC-L128T and PPC-L61T are revamps of previously released panel PCs that carried the same model numbers, except for the (R81) and (R71) appendages. They have the same processors, dimensions, and overall specifications as before, but the displays have been switched from CCFL to LED backlighting, and a number of other enhancements are cited.

For example, says Advantech, where the PPC-L128T previously had a 450-nit brightness rating, the new version has been bumped up to 600 nits. Its IP65-rated display also now resists corrosion, and the gigabit Ethernet controller switches from a Marvell chip to Realtek, allowing the R81 to support Windows CE 6.0 for the first time.

As for the smaller PPC-L61T, this gets a 15 percent decrease in power consumption, and, along with it, a screen that moves from 400 to 700 nits of brightness. Operating range, formerly 14 to 158 deg. F, is now from 22 to 185 deg. F, Advantech adds.

The PPC-L128T (right) continues to use Intel's 1.6GHz N270 — whose enduring popularity may be partly due to the fact that the CPU now sells for $32 — along with the usual 945GSE northbridge and ICH-7M southbridge. Maximum RAM is the expected 2GB, and fixed storage comes from both a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay and a CompactFlash slot, according to Advantech.

Advantech says the PPC-L128T provides 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and an optional resistive touchscreen. It also has a VGA port for an external display, stereo speakers, audio I/O, and a PS/2 port, the company adds.

The PPC-L128T has four external USB 2.0 ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, and three serial ports (two RS232, one RS232/422/485), says Advantech. Also specified are a Mini PCI expansion slot and another slot that can hold either a PCI card or a PCI Express x1 card.

Previously the PPC-L128T was said to be available with an optional battery pack. Advantech advises that battery operation is no longer offered, but the device still employs DC power (ranging from 12 to 24 Volts) supplied by an external AC adapter.

Specifications listed for the PPC-L128T (R81) include:

• Processor — Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz
• Chipset — 945GSE and ICH-7M
• Memory — up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM via single SODIMM slot
• Storage — 2.5-inch SATA bay and CompactFlash slot
• Display:
  • 12.1 inches, with optional resistive touchscreen
  • 1024 x 768 pixel resolution
  • 600-nit brightness rating
• Expansion:
  • PCI or PCI Express x1 slot
  • Mini PCI slot
• Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 2 x RS232 and 1 x RS232/422/485
  • VGA
  • PS/2
  • 4 x USB 2.0
  • GPIO port
• Power — 12~24VDC via AC adapter
• Claimed operating range — -22 to 176 deg. F (-30 to 80 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 13.4 x 10.6 x 2.78 inches
• Weight — 7.15 pounds

The PPC-L61T (R71), pictured at right, also continues to use the same processor as the previous version: a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800, combined with the CS5536 northbridge/southbridge. A 200-pin SODIMM socket accepts up to 1GB of RAM, while fixed storage is via a CompactFlash slot.

According to Advantech, the PPC-L61T has a 6.5-inch screen that displays 640 x 480 pixels and is available with or without resistive touch capabilities. It also has stereo speakers, a VGA port, a 10/100 Ethernet port, two external USB 2.0 ports, and two serial ports (one RS232, one RS232/422/485), the company adds.

Advantech says the PPC-L61T additionally includes a Mini PCI slot, intended to accept an optional wireless networking card. The panel PC is said to accept DC input power ranging from 12 to 30 Volts.

Specifications listed for the PPC-L61T (R71) include:

• Processor — AMD Geode LX800 clocked at 500MHz
• Chipset — AMD CS5536
• Memory — up to 1GB of RAM via single SODIMM slot
• Storage — CompactFlash slot
• Display:
  • 6.5 inches, with optional resistive touchscreen
  • 640 x 480 pixel resolution
  • 700-nit brightness rating
• Expansion — Mini PCI slot
• Networking — 1 x 10/100 Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x RS232 and 1 x RS232/422/485
  • VGA
  • 4 x USB 2.0 (2 external, 2 internal)
• Power — 12~24VDC via AC adapter
• Operating range — 22 to 185 deg. F
• Dimensions — 7.9 x 5.82 x 1.92 inches
• Weight — 2.64 pounds

Further information

According to Advantech, the PPC-L128T (R81) and PPC-L61T (R71) both are offered with Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE, and are available now. The computer can most likely be loaded with Linux without too much problem as well. More information may be found on the PPC-L128T product page and PPC-L61T product page, but details of the R81 and R71 modifications are listed elsewhere on the company's website.

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

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