Advantech’s IP66-protected “TPC-71W” industrial panel PC runs Linux or Android on an i.MX6. There’s a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, GbE with optional PoE, CAN 2.0, mini-PCIe, and -20 to 60°C support.

Advantech announced what appears to be its first Arm-based touch-panel computer. The rugged, industrial TPC-71W system runs on an NXP i.MX6 and is aimed at machine automation and web-terminal applications. OS support includes Android 6.0, Ubuntu 16.04, and Yocto 2.1 stack with Qt GUI toolkits. There’s also a Chromium embedded web browser and a VNC tool for rapid web app development.

TPC-71W
(click image to enlarge)

Other 7-inch panel PCs built on NXP’s 1GHz, dual- or quad-core Cortex-A9 i.MX6 include Technologic’s TS-TPC-7990. The TPC-71W follows earlier Advantech panel PCs such as the 10.1- and 15.6-inch, Bay Trail Atom based TPC-51WP and TPC-1551WP and the more recent 21-inch, Bay Trail PPC-3210SW.

The dual-core model ships with 1GB DDR3L while the quad-core model has 2GB. They both provide 8GB eMMC, a microSD slot, and 1MB of FRAM for backup.

The “true flat” 7-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel touchscreen has 10-point capacitive touch, 400 cd/m2 luminance, 170/170-degree viewing angles, and a 800:1 contrast ratio. Equipped with anti-glare treatment, the screen supports 50,000 hours of backlighting.

TPC-71W detail views — image on the right shows opening for optional PoE module
(click images to enlarge)

The TPC-71W has a GbE port with Wake-on-LAN and optional Power-over-Ethernet (802.3af/802.3at). A mini-PCIe slot supports optional wireless modules including NFC, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

The system provides 2x USB 2.0 host ports and a micro-SB client port. There’s a DB9 serial port with a 120Ω termination resistor that is selectable between RS-232/485 and CAN 2.0B interfaces. The serial interface has an up to 1Mbps programmable bit rate.

The 205 x 146.92 x 46 mm TPC-71W has a 24V power supply and consumes a typical 9W. The front panel is protected against ingress per IP66, and the system supports a -20 to 60°C operating range. Vibration and shock protection is rated per IEC60068-2-6 and IEC60068-2-27, respectively, and there’s also protection against humidity. VESA and panel mounting are available.

 
Further information

The “competitively priced” TPC-71W is available now at an undisclosed “competitive” price. More information may be found in Advantech’s TPC-71W announcement and product page.