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Rugged power-station computer has dual swappable power supplies

Jan 16, 2012 — by Eric Brown — from the LinuxDevices Archive — views

GarrettCom announced a ruggedized industrial computer that has been “hardened” for use at power substations, featuring compliance with IEC 61850 and IEEE 1613 standards. The Magnum 10C Substation Computer is equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, dual hot-swappable power supplies, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, CompactFlash, plus optional serial and SATA ports.

The Magnum 10C Substation Computer is the latest in GarrettCom's 10-Series family of substation equipment designed for power utility applications and other extreme environments. (Other recent models are said to include the Magnum 10KT Managed Switch and 10ETS Ethernet Terminal Server.) The computer is well suited to smart grid deployments and data-intensive industrial applications, says the Fremont, Calif.-based company.


Magnum 10C Substation Computer

(Click to enlarge)

Based on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, the 17.5 x 11 x 2.6-inch Magnum 10C can be equipped with up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, says GarretCom. It is fitted with a 16GB CompactFlash slot and provides an optional dual-drive SATA storage bay.

The computer is further supplied with dual gigabit Ethernet ports, six USB 2.0 ports, and a VGA port, says GarretCom. In addition there's said to be an optional module featuring six serial ports.


Magnum 10C ports

(Click to enlarge)

The Magnum 10C meets or exceeds the IEC 61850 and IEEE 1613 standards for reliable power substation communications, says GarretCom. The computer is said to be resistant to power surges and fast transients, as well as other issues present in harsh environments.

Without an optional hard disk drive (HDD), the box supports industrial temperatures of -40 to 185 deg. F (-40 to 85 deg. C), says GarretCom. Ruggedization options are said to include a sealed chassis and convection cooling using a GarrettCom-patented thermal design. Immunity and emissions protection are also provided, as detailed in the spec list later below.

One or two hot-swappable power supplies are available with multiple high- and low- voltage options, says GarretCom. Total power consumption is said to stay below 20 Watts. The computer supports operating systems including Windows 7, Windows XP/XPE, and Linux (OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, and Debian), says the company.

Features and specifications listed for the Magnum 10C Substation Computer include:

  • Processor — Intel Atom N270 @ 1.6GHz
  • Chipset — Intel 945GSE + ICH7SM
  • Memory — up to 2GB of DDR2 533/400MHz SDRAM via 200-pin SODIMM
  • Storage — 16GB CompactFlash drive; optional SATA 1.5Gps bay and ports  for up to 2 x drives
  • Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet
  • Other I/O:
    • 6 x USB 2.0
    • 6 x serial (optional)
    • VGA
  • Other features — relay contacts for alarms; 1.5 RU front rack-mounting brackets; Modbus TCP and Modbus ASCII/RTU internetworking support
  • Power :
    • up to 2 x high- and/or low-voltage supplies with hot swap
    • 90-250 W AC or DC, 50-60Hz, 1A, 84 W
    • 22-60V DC, 4.5A, 81 W
    • less than 20 W consumption
  • Ruggedization:
    • Operating range — -40 to 185 deg. F (-40 to 85 deg. C) with CompactFlash (with HDD depends on model); optional convection cooling or fan
    • optional sealed chassis
    • Emission compliance — EN55022-200, CISPR 22:2005; FCC Part 15 subpart B, ICES 003, Class A
    • Power station comm. reliability compliance — IEEE 1613 Class 2
    • Immunity compliance — IEC 61850-3 EMC & op. conditions Class C; EN55024, EN61000-6-2, EN61000-4-2 (ESD), EN61000-4-3 (RF), EN61000-4-4 (EFT), EN61000-4-5 (surge), EN61000-4-6 (CRF), EN61000-4-11 (VDI)
  • Weight — 11 lbs (5 k)
  • Dimensions — 17.5 x 11 x 2.6 inches

Availability

GarretCom offered no pricing or availability information on the Magnum 10C Substation Computer, which will be on display at the DistribuTECH 2012 smart grid conference in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 24-26, in booth #3133.

More information may be found at GarretCom's Magnum 10C product page.


This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.



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