Category: Know How

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.

To the product catalog

The DIN rail mount

A DIN rail mount (also known as a DIN rail bracket) is a plastic bracket that is either permanently installed on the PC or can be purchased as an optional accessory for certain PCs. A DIN rail clamp ensures that the PC can be attached to or removed from switch cabinets in no time at all. Ultimately, DIN rails are mounting brackets that are used on compact mini PCs, such as those in the BRICK series or the MOUNT Silver. Without this bracket, the effort required to accommodate the PC in the control cabinet would be far too great, making it difficult if the PC needs to be replaced.

In order to understand what a DIN rail clamp is important for, let us first explain what a switch cabinet is, how it works and what tasks it has.

How does a control cabinet work?

Such a cabinet houses electrical and electronic components of a process engineering system, machine tool or production facility that are not located in the machine itself. The switch cabinet protects the built-in electrical engineering/electronics from dirt, dust, water and mechanical impact, such as may occur in industrial applications. It usually only contains terminal strips to connect the various electrical components of a system in a clearly arranged manner. PCs with a DIN rail mount, such as our MOUNT Silver, can also be attached to these terminal strips.  

spo-comm Mini-PCs with DIN rails:

The PCs in the BRICK series, the WINDBOX series and the MOUNT Silver are examples of spo-comm Mini PCs that can be fitted with a DIN rail mount or are supplied with a fixed mount.

 

Discover the BRICK series

Discover the WINDBOX series

Discover the MOUNT Silver

Control cabinet – Focus: DIN-RAIL PC

What is an electrical enclosure anyway? A control cabinet houses the electrical and electronic components of a machine tool or production facility that are not located directly in the machine.

In principle, a wide variety of PCs can be installed in an enclosure. In this article, we will focus on the top-hat rail PC, equipped with top-hat rails (Din rails).  And what is a DIN Rail PC? It is a PC like any other, but with one small addition: it has terminal strips (DIN rails) with which it can be mounted in the control cabinet.  

The DIN Rail PC is equipped with a 3-pin terminal strip, which is also partially installed on the Vehicle PC. Thanks to its power input, which accepts 9-36 VDC (direct voltage), the top-hat rail PC can also handle unusual voltages. This is important so that it can function in different control cabinet configurations with different power supply solutions. A Mini PC of this type does not require an external power supply unit, as it is assumed that there is one in the control cabinet in which the PC is used, which generates the voltage acceptable by the PC. The terminal strip is screwed to the PC and therefore sits firmly in the housing, the wires from the customer power supply are screwed into the plug as with normal screw terminals. In contrast to our NOVA Q170, the DIN-RAIL PC only has the terminal strip socket and no additional DC IN socket.

DIN-RAIL PC vs. standard: differences

The current input on the DIN-RAIL PC differs from the standard on the one hand by the socket and on the other hand by the voltage that is accepted. While the standard power input consists of a DC IN socket and is supplied with an external 19V power supply unit, the PC for a control cabinet is supplied with a 3-pin, screwable terminal strip that accepts a voltage between 9 and 36 volts.

Other power inputs: Standard and Vehicle PC

In addition to this power input, we have described two others in more detail in our blog series, the standard and the Vehicle PC. You can read about the features these two power inputs need to have and the challenges they both have to face in the other articles in our blog series “Power inputs for Mini PCs”.

spo-comm Mini-PCs with Din-Rail bracket:

spo-comm Mini-PCs that can be attached to the top-hat rails are the PCs in the BRICK series and the WINDBOX series. However, a DIN rail mount does not automatically mean that a PC also has a wide range power input and vice versa. A RUGGED , for example, is equipped with both a wide range power input and a terminal strip socket, but has no top-hat rails and is therefore not suitable for control cabinets. .

 

Discover the BRICK series

Discover the WINDBOX range

Discover the RUGGED range

Our new industrial computer for control cabinets

We will shortly be introducing a very special mini PC to the spo-comm product range. It is especially made for one area in the industrial environment: control cabinets. But it also feels right at home in harsh conditions, i.e. dusty and sometimes damp production halls. It is of course equipped with a passive cooling system and – like no spo-comm Mini-PC before it – with an integrated DIN rail bracket.  

Windows 11 compatible mini PCs

Microsoft’s Windows 11 has been on the market for 2 months. We already reported back then that there were some problems and bugs with AMD and printers, especially at the beginning.  

At spo-comm headquarters, the Mini-PCs have also been put through their paces for compatibility with Windows 11. These mini PCs are already fully tested and can be ordered with Windows 11 in our online store:

BOX J4125

CORE 2

NINETEEN Q370

Special case Vehicle-PC: How does it work?

How does the power connection of a vehicle PC differ from the standard and what are its functions? What features do vehicle PCs need to have?

The basic function of the power input is the same as for any other Mini PC: It supplies the PC with power! However, this is not so easy when using a PC in a vehicle. When a vehicle is started, so-called voltage peaks occur, which must be balanced out. This is ensured by a special wide range current input from 9 to 36 volts, sometimes even up to 48 volts. Find out here what other functions and tasks a vehicle PC has and why it is so important that it is cooled without a fan, among other things.

spo-comm Mini-PCs with a wide range power input can be found in our RUGGED series, which are equipped with 5-pin connectors (see Fig. 1). In addition to the connections with 5 poles, there are also connections with 3 poles (see Fig 2), such as on our MOVE Q170.

Wide range vs. standard: differences

A standard power input usually comes with an external 19V power supply unit. The wide range connection can even withstand up to 48 volts; in most cases, the power supply unit is screwed on and is not external. The power connections also differ enormously in terms of appearance; the vehicle PC distinguishes between 3 and 5-pin Phoenix sockets (usually in green), whereas the DC IN socket is usually used for the standard.

Other power inputs: standard and switch cabinet

In addition to the special power input on the vehicle PC, there are of course other connections for other applications, for example in control cabinets or the classic standard.

spo-comm Mini-PCs with wide range power input

Our product portfolio includes a variety of systems with a wide range of power inputs with three and five poles. The Phoenix sockets are used in the PCs of the RUGGED series, the MOVE N3160 and the new NOVA R680E.

The standard power input for Mini PCs

What exactly is the standard for Mini PCs when it comes to power inputs? Then we are talking about a standard external 19V power supply unit, which can be connected to the socket using a Schuko or Euro plug. The wattage of the respective power supply units is normally between 65 and 90 watts. The more powerful the computer is, the more wattage it requires.  

A good example of this is the KUMO V high-end computer, which is equipped with an Nvidia RTX2060. A 330W power supply unit ensures that the computer receives sufficient power so that the PC can be operated without any worries.

Features of the power connection

Despite its less spectacular title “Standard”, this power connection is not entirely without other functions. 

Depending on the manufacturer and intended use, a distinction is made between a screwable and a non-screwable connection. A plug with a screw-on power supply unit can be recognized by the nut that can be seen on the power input on the outside of the housing (see Fig. 1). The fact that a power input can be screwed in is particularly important in the industrial sector, as this prevents the cable from being accidentally pulled out (described in more detail in this article). The sealed connection also prevents external influences such as dust or moisture from entering the inside of the system.

The power supply units are included with most of our Mini PCs. PCs are usually equipped with a DC-IN plug, which is a hollow plug that is mostly used to supply power to devices with direct voltage. The standard connections are also usually visually identical.  

Other power inputs: Vehicle PCs and control cabinets

Of course, there are also special power inputs for unusual PC applications. If a mini PC is used in a vehicle, voltage peaks must be intercepted accordingly and in a control cabinet it is important that the computer works flexibly with the different control cabinet configurations and therefore also with the different power supply solutions. In the second part of this series, we take a closer look at the power input on the vehicle PC.

spo-comm Mini-PCs with a standard power input:

The common Mini-PC models such as the entire WINDBOX series, BRICK series or the BOX series are supplied with standard power inputs. The power supply unit is also included in the scope of delivery.  

Discover the WINDBOX range

Discover the BRICK series

Discover the BOX series