Industrial computer is more and more widely used, it plays a particularly important role in the automatic production process. Currently, the machine has an improved fanless line and a traditional machine. So what’s the difference between a fanless industrial computer and an industrial computer with a fan? Let’s find out with ADTECH through the following article!
What is a fan (traditional) industrial computer?
Industrial computers are specialized computer systems designed with CPU cooling fans and configured to be assembled or set up according to customer requirements.
Used in industrial operation, especially in factories and workshops with uneven pressure. The computer will operate with a capacity of 24/7 to ensure that the machinery system is always operated continuously.
These machines are built to work in harsh (non-computer friendly) environments, such as high temperature environments, dusty and even humid environmental conditions. , strong vibration, unstable power supply.
Fanless industrial computer
Fanless industrial computers are computer systems that can operate non-stop 24/7 and are the optimal solution for applications that need stability. Because of the removal of rotating components, it has the same name as this outstanding feature to easily distinguish it from the traditional machine.
Fanless industrial computers are computer systems that can operate non-stop 24/7 and are the optimal solution for applications that need stability. Because of the removal of rotating components, it has the same name as this outstanding feature to easily distinguish it from the traditional machine.
Comparison between 2 types of industrial computers
| Comparative Criteria | Industrial computer with fan | Fanless industrial computer |
|---|---|---|
| Shape and size | Big and bulky | Compact and sturdy design |
| Design | Designed from many parts such as Mainboard (or CPU card + Backplane), power supply, removable hard drive… the computer needs many cables and connectors, leading to the risk of loose cables, bad contact connectors. | Most of the components are built-in on the mainboard, removable parts will use a solid Jack. Seamless design, no cables, limit the risk of loose cables, non-contact connectors. |
| Cooling ability | Using a fan to dissipate heat requires the computer to be placed in a large enough space, operation generates noise from the fan. The fan will cause the convection air flow to bring dirt into the machine, which accumulates for a long time, which can cause damage, accumulate dust in components, reduce performance … | Passive heatsink design. The aluminum housing dissipates heat to the surrounding environment from many directions, does not require high installation space, operates smoothly, and is compact in size. The case is designed to be sealed, with almost no gap for dust to enter, suitable for applications in dusty, high-humidity environments. |
| I/O | Support not many I/O ports, need to install additional expansion cards. | Supports multiple I/O ports for control applications such as: RS232/422/485, LAN (POE), Display, Digital Input/Output. |
| Ability of extension | It is possible to expand a number of modules COM, LAN, PCI/PCIe, Wifi, LTE, Bluetooth…. | Easily expandable with COM, LAN, PCI/PCIe, Wifi, LTE, Bluetooth modules… More common and more extensible. |
| Environment & Operating Temperature | Stable working environment Short working time 8-10h indoors, temperature controlled. Supports lower operating temperatures. | – Long working hours (24/7) – Fluctuating indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, electromagnetic interference… – Better support due to compact and solid design – With SSD: 3 Grms, IEC 60068-2-64, random, 5 ~ 500 Hz, 1 hr/axis – With SSD: 30G, IEC 60068-2-27, half sine, 11 ms duration – Support wider operating temperature range, can be from -40°C ~ 85°C |
| Support lower operating temperature | Support better vibration and shock resistance with industrial-grade components, mainboard, RAM, solid-state drive, rugged case… | Support better vibration and shock resistance with industrial-grade components, mainboard, RAM, solid-state drive, rugged case… |
| Electric used | Typical power consumption is more than 150W-300W High annual electricity cost (24/7 operation) If you need a UPS, you must choose a UPS with a higher capacity. | Ultra-small power, normally from 18W ~ 75W, saves energy. For example, Model NISE 3700E2 MAX power consumption is less than 57 Watts (CPU core i7 Quad core). Save more than 1000 electricity per year compared to a computer with a fan running 24/7. If you need a UPS, only choose a smaller capacity UPS. |
| power | Common 220 VAC source, cheap, low operating temperature. | Low DC power supply is less than 36 VDC, safe for operator. Very low power consumption. |
| Size | Large size, only suitable for applications with larger space. | Compact size, easy to integrate, install in systems with limited space, even installing the machine in electrical cabinets. |
| Product Lifecycle | Shorter (9 months ~ 2 years) | Longer, 5 – 10 years |
| Specifications | Standardize | Semi-standardized / customized (custom configuration according to the desired requirements of the customer) |
| Spare parts storage time | Long | Long |
| Supply – demand service | No long-term supply/demand / little after-sales technical support | Emphasis on long-term supply and after-sale technical support service |
| Focus of product requirements | Continuously update the latest and fastest trends with many functions. | Stable, long-term quality requirements; do not follow the fastest and latest trends like consumer grade. |
| Maintenance and repair | Or have problems after 1-2 years of use. | Or have problems after 1-2 years of use. |
5 advantages of fanless industrial computers
#1 Stable working performance 24/7
The machine has stable performance 24/7, fully meeting the needs of users. Works well in environments from -10°C to 60°C, high humidity, anti-electromagnetic interference, lots of dust, high humidity, anti-shake,… In particular, the machine works smoothly, no noise. Does not make any noise when operating.
#2 Superior in strength
Traditional industrial computers often use large power sources. The capacity of the power supply is large, so the power consumption is also very large, the heat output is very high. So it must use fan to cool the system.
Fanless industrial computers use AC adapters. Motherboard and CPU use DC power, so we can use field power to supply power directly. The same design uses more suitable materials to help the system also do not need a fan for cooling.
#3 More beneficial for upgrading
Traditional industrial computers have large power consumption and complex remote management methods, making service repetition and technology pairing difficult.
With fanless industrial computers, they have a very rich and diverse interface, designed with serial ports, USB, VGA, etc. So it can be connected to many different external devices, whether it is is a hardware connection or a utility update.
#4 Advanced Design
#5 More durable thanks to chassis materials
Conventional industrial computers typically use cold-rolled sheets as the chassis material, while fanless machines use all-aluminum material for the chassis. Since the all-aluminum material is light in weight, it is not only easy to transport and install, but also has better heat dissipation performance.
Thus, through the above article, Adtech has helped you clearly distinguish 2 types of traditional industrial computers and fanless industrial computers, how are the pros and cons of each different! If you have any questions, leave a message in the comment section below the article.
