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| Artila's New Matrix-500 Redefines the Industrial PC Artila Electronics has announced the world's smallest ARM9-based, Linux-ready industrial box computer - the Matrix-500, which positions itself as a light-weight but rock-solid 32-bit programmable controller for unmanned industrial applications requiring 24/7 round-the-clock continuous operation. "In most cases, it doesn't make sense to use bulky, complicated, and expensive all-in-one x86 box computers as front-end controllers, especially since many of them are way over spec. As a rule of thumb, the more complex a system is, the less reliable it becomes. Why pay for unused features?" comments Mike Kao, VP of Artila Electronics. By combining state-of-the-art 32-bit RISC technology and the open-source Linux OS, Artila has developed the Matrix-500 into a lean and mean industrial computer with comprehensive network and communication support, making it a 100% robust front-end controller ideal for distributed or Web-based industrial applications. The Matrix-500, powered by a 180MHz ATMEL ARM9 RISC CPU, comes with onboard 32MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash memory to ensure smooth operation of the Linux OS and user programs. A reliable web server is pre-installed allowing users to implement web-based control and monitoring systems in a snap. Moreover, the Matrix-500 provides plenty of I/O interfaces, including one 10/100M Ethernet port, three RS-232 ports, one RS-232/422/485 port, two USB 2.0 hosts, and one USB 2.0 client - all in a 78x108x25mm small package. An internally mounted SD socket is also available for mass storage expansion. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Computing News :: home page |