Category: Know How

We are ISO-certified again!

At spo-comm’s Nuremberg headquarters, the ISO audit, which ensures that companies comply with certain quality standards, was on the agenda this spring. This was again successful in 2023. We have already explained exactly what this ISO certification is in an article at .  

The ISO certification

 

Rollout of the high-octane 2023

On Wednesday, 03.05. our two trainees Patricia and Maxim have completed this year’s rollout of the
High-Octane Motorsports
where the new racing car for the 2023 season was presented. Some of our student assistants are active members of this student association at FAU Erlangen.  

As a proud sponsor, we as spo-comm were also immortalized on the new FAUmax Pi along with many other sponsors!  

The Octanes enjoy a new KUMO VI, which is installed in the FAUmax PI and is responsible for autonomous driving.

 

Discover the KUMO VI

 

spo-comm team event on 22.06.2023

After a long pandemic break, an event for the entire spo-comm team is finally taking place again this year.  

On Thursday, 22.06.2023 we are therefore unfortunately not available for you!

End of Life: WINDBOX III Evo becomes III Ultra

We presented the latest system in the WINDBOX series at the beginning of March. The WINDBOX III Ultra now replaces the WINDBOX III Evo. Like its predecessor, the model was developed for use in industrial environments. But the WINDBOX III Ultra can also score points in the digital signage sector with its 2 HDMI and 2 DisplayPorts.  

About the WINDBOX series:

The models in the WINDBOX series are all true all-rounder PCs. These systems were developed in collaboration with the Taiwanese industrial PC manufacturer MSI IPC. Thanks to the passive cooling, slim design and powerful processors, these mini PCs can be used in industry or logistics as well as in the digital signage sector.

Configure your WINDBOX III Ultra

Windows 10 Pro is no longer available

Windows 10 Pro (version 21H2) is also no longer available in our online store. The last security updates for this version will be available on June 13, 2023 and it can no longer be purchased.

If you want to equip your system with an operating system, we have the following options for you in our store:

• Windows 11: Some of our systems can be equipped with Windows 11, including WINDBOX III Ultra, KUMO VI, MOUNT Silver, NINETEEN Q370, BOX J4125, CORE 2 and RUGGED Ryzen
• Windows 10 IoT: If you want to equip your mini PC with a customizable operating system, Windows 10 IoT is the right choice.

More about Windows 10 IoT

 
Do you have questions about our operating systems? Then please contact our customer advisors, who will be happy to help you.

The NVMe specification

The Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a communication protocol that was specially developed for working with flash memory via the PCIe interface. NVMe takes advantage of the parallel nature of solid state drives, enabling the highest throughput and fastest response times to date for all types of workflows.

NVMe storage is perfect for business scenarios where every second counts. For example, in real-time customer interactions in areas such as finance, e-commerce and software sales. But also applications in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and advanced analytics.

NVMe over Fabrics

NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) is a further development of the NVMe standard. It defines the level of a network distributor (the “fabric”) between the NVMe device and the PC (or the PCIe bus). This makes it possible to detach the mass storage devices from a computer and thus increase utilization and availability.

Different designs of SSDs

There are basically three different types of SSDs:

•     2.5” and 3.5”  
•     M.2  
•     mPCIe

The NVMe is based on the M.2 design and is therefore long and slim, whereas the mPCIe SSD is slightly wider and therefore shorter. The 2.5” (70 x 100 mm) and the 3.5” SSD (101.6 x 146.05 x 25.4 – 41.4 mm) are the largest of the three shapes and take up the most space in the PC (see Fig. 1, source: computer-bild.de)

SATA and PCIe transfer protocols

A distinction is made here between SATA and PCIexpress.  

The SATA transfer protocol is compatible with all three designs and has the following designations: 2.5” SATA connection; M.2 SATA and mSATA. They all transmit at 6Gbit/s, i.e. around 500 mbyte/s.

There are different versions of the PCIexpress transfer protocol, starting from 1.0 up to 5.0, with different speeds in ascending order. One M.2 PCIe always has 4 lanes, including the Non-Volatile Memory Express. An NVMe as found in our spo-comm Mini-PCs transfers at 9.8 GBytes/s, as we are using an M.2 PCIe 3.0 with 4 lanes speak.  

spo-comm Mini-PCs with NVMe:

Our product range includes two Mini PCs that can be equipped with an NVMe SSD. One is our KUMO VI, which is at home in the field of sophisticated digital signage applications. The NINETEEN Q370, an industrial PC par excellence, can also be optionally equipped with NVMe.

Configure KUMO VI

Configure NINETEENQ370

End of Life: The NOVA Q170 says goodbye

A long-time companion of our spo-comm product portfolio in the areas of digital signage and industrial control has unfortunately had to leave us. The NOVA Q170, which we developed together with our Taiwanese partner MSI, is no longer available. It was most notable for its versatility, was equipped for use in harsh environments and, thanks to its graphics card, was also ideal for digital signage.

Of course, our range offers plenty of attractive alternatives, such as our WINDBOX series or the RUGGED GTX1050TI. If you have any questions about a replacement product for the NOVA Q170, please do not hesitate to contact us.

To all industrial PCs

Book consultation appointments via our website

Thanks to the newly integrated appointment booking tool on our website, it is now even easier for our customers and interested parties to arrange a telephone consultation appointment.  

Whether you have questions about our products or other offers, such as our various Windows IoT packages or customizing solutions. Via our contact page , you can make an appointment with our customer advisors in just a few clicks, where we can take care of your request together.

Make an appointment

What is SAC?

As the name suggests, the Semi-Annual Channel brings a new release with new Windows Server versions twice a year. These SAC versions are primarily intended for customers with rapid innovations (according to Microsoft).

The first SAC release was System Center version 1801. The names of the versions always depend on the year and month of release, so the first release was version 1801, as it was published in January 2018.
Semi-annual channel versions will be supported by Microsoft for 18 months from the date of public availability. This channel is only offered to customers with Software Assuarance and corresponds to the release and maintenance model for Windows servers, which was announced in 2017.

 

What is LTSC?

LTSC is the abbreviation for the Long-Term Servicing Channel and, like SAC, was introduced with Windows Server 2016. Basically, LTSC has always existed, it was just not called that until the introduction of SAC. In the LTSC, there are both large, chargeable upgrades (major releases) and small updates such as patches etc.. They close security gaps, improve stability and fix minor bugs. LTSC offers five years of mainstream support and a further five years of extended support. This channel is best suited for systems that require a longer maintenance option and functional stability. The LTSC releases contain the full range of Windows Server functions, i.e. Core, Nano Server and Desktop, and are usually released every two to three years.

 

Our spo-comm Mini-PCs are all equipped with Windows LTSC, Windows 10 or 11 makes no difference here.

 

More about Windows

 

What is a mounting rail or top-hat rail?

Mounting rails are permanently mounted on industrial PCs or can be purchased as an optional accessory. They allow the Mini PCs to be installed particularly quickly and easily in a control cabinet. This means that systems that are used in a switch cabinet can also be replaced in a few simple steps, which would be very time-consuming without the rails.

More details on mounting rails

Which spo-comm Mini-PCs have a mounting rail?

We have a very special mini PC in our product range especially for use in control cabinets: our MOUNT Silver. It is the first system designed primarily for control cabinet applications thanks to its fixed mounting rail.

However, well-known systems from spo-comm can also be upgraded for use in the control cabinet using an optional mounting rail. These include the mini PCs from the BRICK series and the WINDBOX series. In our online store, you can easily add the top-hat rail brackets to these four PCs in the configurator. This means that our customers also receive these systems ready for control cabinet applications.

Barbecue at the spo-comm headquarters

After more than two years of the pandemic, it was finally possible to plan a small but excellent event at our headquarters in Nuremberg. Of course, we took advantage of the phenomenal weather and fired up the barbecue! Our meat lovers and veggies were catered for with delicious food and drinks and spent a great Friday afternoon with the entire spo-comm team. 

We are ISO certified again!

In addition to our barbecue, the ISO audit, which ensures that companies comply with certain quality standards, also took place again in June. This was again successful in 2022. ? We have already explained exactly what this ISO certification is in this article.   

Express delivery for WINDBOX and BRICK models

We are now offering an absolute novelty in our range. Our WINDBOX models III Evo and II Pro, as well as the two BRICKs J3455E and i3-7100U can now be delivered particularly quickly.  

The four systems mentioned are equipped with 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. Accessories such as monitor cables or keyboards can of course also be added as an option. Order your desired system by 12 no on and it will be delivered the next working day. 

 

Express delivery 

AC Power Loss – in the event of a power failure

Or also: How should the computer behave if the power is (suddenly) lost, for example if the power fails or the mains plug is (accidentally) pulled out. There are various options for this: 

• The Power On function, which switches the appliance back on automatically.  

• If the Power Off function is activated, the PC remains switched off.  

• The Last State function restores the last state the computer was in before the power was removed.  

 

Compatibility for UEFI: CSM support

For backward compatibility, most UEFI implementations also support booting from MBR-partitioned disks via the Compatibility Support Module (CSM), which provides legacy BIOS compatibility. Whether CSM should be activated or not depends on various factors, such as UEFI compatibility of the GPU or the installation of older operating systems. Here you can again choose between activated and deactivated.   

What exactly UEFI is and how it differs from BIOS is described in this article. 

 

Wake on LAN

Wake on LAN (WoL) can bring the computer back from sleep if an Internet connection is ensured via a LAN connection. This means that the PC can be started via the built-in network card. The process can be carried out via the local network or via the Internet. Here, too, you can choose between enabled and disabled. You can read more about Wake on LAN in this blog article. 

 

FAN settings for actively cooled systems

In the BIOS of a PC, the fan can also be specifically regulated for an actively cooled system. You can choose between three different settings: low, medium and high, i.e. quite simply: you can choose between quiet, medium and loud. Depending on the system, the fan can also be adjusted continuously or even by temperature.  

More information about the importance of cooling in the PC is described in the following article. 

 

Do you have questions about one or more specific BIOS settings or want to know which settings have been made on your system in the BIOS? Please feel free to get in touch with us: 

Get in touch with us 

 

 

Abolition of the home office obligation

Almost exactly two years ago, we at spo-comm also started working from home wherever possible to help contain the pandemic. Now, in addition to the “statutory 3G access regulation” at the workplace, the “obligation to mobile working” is also no longer applicable (source: tagesschau.de).  

How do we as a team at spo-comm deal with this now? Of course, we also miss being together at our headquarters in Nuremberg, but we want to continue to deal with the situation carefully. The following still applies: FFP2 masks are mandatory except at your own workstation while maintaining the minimum distance, access only according to 3G regulations and “shift work” in some teams so that not too many people are in the offices at the same time. In addition, there is still the option of working from home if the job allows it.

Available now: Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021

The introduction of Microsoft’s Windows 11 in October 2021 was accompanied by the IoT Enterprise version. This is available in Entry, Value and High End versions, depending on the CPU of the computer – as already known from Windows 10 IoT. In addition to the CORE 2 and the BOX J4125, which are particularly impressive due to their compact dimensions, our product range also includes the MOUNT Silver and NINETEEN Q370 industrial PCs, which are compatible with Windows 11 IoT Enterprise.

The systems can now be configured in our online store with all available and compatible versions of Windows 11.

More about Windows 11

MOUNT Silver: PC for control cabinet applications

The latest mini PC in our product range is called MOUNT Silver and was only recently introduced. This industrial PC is equipped with an integrated DIN rail bracket and can therefore be easily installed in control cabinets. The MOUNT Silver can be configured in our online store entirely according to your wishes:

Configure MOUNT Silver

Mini-PC prices from February 15, 2022

One of the things that sets our Mini PCs apart is that their prices remain the same for years. However, due to the continuing shortage of parts and components and the associated general rise in production prices, we are now forced to adjust the prices of our Mini PCs to the market. We can only bear a certain amount of this adjustment ourselves.  

The new prices will apply from February 15, 2022 and can be viewed in our online store. To do this, log in to your user account or register free of charge. If you have any further questions, please contact our key account managers by e-mail at vertrieb@spo-comm.de or by telephone on +49 911 239837-0.

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