Advantech’s “UTC-542” AiO PC runs Ubuntu or Android on Skylake, and offers hot-swap SATA and a 42.6-inch, IP65 touchscreen with optional mirror coating.

Advantech announced a 42.6-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio, all-in-one (AiO) HD touchscreen computer designed for interactive display applications. The IP65 protected system is notable for its dual hot-swappable HDD/SSD slots with RAID 0/1 support and optional mirror coating for augmented reality applications. The Intel Skylake-based system supports Ubuntu 14.04, Android 4.4.2, and Windows 7, 8, 10 IoT Enterprise, as well as Advantech’s WISE-PaaS/RMM remote management software.

UTC-542

The UTC-542 is the largest and newest member of Advantech’s fanless, UTC-500 series AiO computers, which are aimed at retail, hospitality, public kiosk, and industrial signage applications. All five models run Linux, Android, or Windows on x86 CPUs.

The UTC-500 computers feature 16:9 touchscreens with VESA mounting and IP65 protection against water and dust. They offer 0 to 40°C operating support, as well as protection against shock (5G peak) and vibration (0.5G). Options include cameras, magnetic strip readers, NFC/RFID readers, iBeacon modules, and barcode scanners.

The five UTC-500 AiO touchscreen computers include:

• UTC-510 — 10.1-inch; Intel “Bay Trail” Atom E3825, Celeron J1900, Celeron N2807
• UTC-515 — 15.6-inch; Atom D2550 (“Cedar Trail”), Celeron J1900 (“Bay Trail”), Core i3/i5/i7 (“Skylake” or “Haswell”)
• UTC-520 — 21.5-inch; Atom D2550, Celeron J1900, Core i3/i5/i7 (“Skylake” or “Haswell”)
• UTC-532 — 32-inch; Celeron J1900, Core i3/i5/i7 (“Haswell”), AMD G-Series T40E
• UTC-542 — 42.6-inch; Celeron J1900, Core i5-6300U and other Skylake-U CPUs

UTC-542 with augmented reality virtual fitting room application on mirror-coated model

The UTC-542 defaults to a dual-core 6th Gen i5-6300U SoC clocked to 2.4GHz base frequency, and ships with 4GB DDR3L RAM, with optional 8GB or 16GB. A Celeron J1900 version is instead limited to 4GB or 8GB. The two featured SKUs are otherwise identical except that the Core based model offers 2x USB 3.0 and 2x USB 2.0 ports while the Celeron model has a single USB 3.0 and 3x USB 2.0 ports. Other dual-core U-series Skylake options also appear to be available.


UTC-542 rear view showing hot-swap bay (left) and side detail view
(click images to enlarge)

The 42.6-inch projected capacitive touchscreen has 1920 x 1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits brightness, and 89° or 178° viewing angles. Both landscape and portrait modes are supported.

The backlit display offers more than 90 percent light transmission in the standard model or more than 25 percent with the optional, anti-glare 3H mirror coated version. It does not appear that touch capability is available with the scratch resistant mirror version, which supports “interactive augmented reality” applications such as “virtual fitting rooms where customers can browse information while trying on products.” The mirror model is only 21mm thick, and the PCAP model measures 34mm.

UTC-542 side view

The UTC-542 is equipped with dual 2.5-inch SATA slots for HDDs or SSDs, which can be hot-swapped from the rear of the system. RAID 0,1 support is available.

In addition to the USB ports, the computer provides HDMI, VGA, and dual RS-232 or optionally RS-422/485 serial ports. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports are available along with audio in and out jacks, a pair of 10W speakers, 2x antenna connectors, and a full-size mini-PCIe slot with mSATA support.

Options include USB-connected RFID and magnetic strip readers, as well as 1D or 2D barcode scanners. Although not specifically listed as accessories in the datasheet, the announcement notes other options including a camera, an NFC module, and an IC card reader modules.

The VESA-mountable device supports wall mount, floor stand, and table stand options. A 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 3.7A power supply is available.

 
Further information

The “prelminary” UTC-542 will be available for order at the end of July. No pricing was available. More information may be found at Advantech’s UTC-542 product page and UTC-500 page.