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The challenges of power line inspection

  • Manual entry: Handwritten notes can be difficult to read or get lost. Data entry errors are possible.
  • Delayed data transmission: If inspection data is only passed on later, problems cannot be detected and rectified immediately.
  • Complex documentation: Reworking inspections on paper takes time and makes tracking more difficult.

The solution: RUGGED tablets for outdoor use

A robust RUGGED tablet – specially developed for use in demanding conditions – can make everyday work in power line inspection much easier. As an outdoor tablet, it is protected against dust, water, extreme temperatures and vibrations thanks to IP65 certification and is ideal for working in the field.

Our spo-comm RUGGED tablets make this easier:

  • the processing of digital checklists
  • Automatic reading of device information (e.g. via RFID)
  • Direct capture of photos or measurement data on site
  • upload the data immediately to a central system

This means that all information is available in real time – for quick decisions and targeted measures.

Key features of the spo-comm RUGGED tablets

RUGGED Tab 10 i5 for logistics robots

RUGGED Tab 10 i5 Entry

  • Robust 10″ tablet
  • Industry Tablet
  • -20°C to +60°C
  • 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1, 1x LAN
  • IP 65 Dust and water protected

RUGGED Tab 10 N5100 Entry

  • Robust, fanless 10″ tablet
  • Industrial and logistics PC
  • -20°C to +60°C
  • 1x USB 3.0, 1x SIM, 1x SD, 1x mini HDMI 1.4a
  • IP 65 and MIL-STD-810G certification
RUGGED Tab 10 N5100 for logistics robots

Localization via GPS can also offer advantages: This makes it possible to track which pipe sections have already been checked and how long the respective checks took. On this basis, work processes can be better planned and documented.

The recorded data can also be used to create so-called operating curves. These show how the condition of individual pipes develops over time – and help to identify maintenance requirements at an early stage.

Conclusion

The use of modern industrial tablets – especially rugged tablets for outdoor use – makes power line inspections more efficient, reliable and transparent. These robust solutions replace paper forms and simplify day-to-day work – to the benefit of network operators, employees and consumers alike.

Robust tablets from spo-comm not only simplify these processes, but many more. You can find more information about our tablets and their use cases on the overview page:

MORE ABOUT SPO-COMM RUGGED TABLETS

If you have any questions about our products, discover our website or contact our sales team:

CONTACT US
DISCOVER SPO-COMM MINI-PCS

How to arrange your personal consultation

Open the website and select the “Contact” section

Visit our website and navigate to the company > Contact.
Right at the top of the page you will find a prominent button labeled:

Consultation_1
BOOK A CONSULTATION

Click on the button and go to the date selection

Click on the button.

You will be automatically redirected to our booking page where you can choose a date.

Select date and time

Select a date and time that suits you.

The available days and time slots are displayed in black, the occupied ones in gray.

Enter contact details

In the next step, please enter your contact details in the fields provided.

The following information is required from you: Name, e-mail address, telephone number.

Describe your request (optional, but helpful)
So that we can optimally prepare for the conversation, you have the option of indicating your request or special wishes in a free text field – on the right-hand side, next to the contact details.

Whether you have questions about a specific Mini PC or are looking for a customized solution for your IT infrastructure – please let us know in advance.

Agree to the privacy policy and book an appointment

Please read our privacy policy carefully and agree to it before you make a final booking.

Click on the “Book” button to complete your appointment reservation with our spo-comm sales team.

Confirmation of appointment

You will be redirected to another page with your appointment confirmation and the selected appointment will be displayed. Here you can change or cancel the appointment if you have made a mistake.

You will also receive a confirmation e-mail with your booked appointment.

Your advantages at a glance

Fast appointment booking – online, uncomplicated, in just a few minutes

Flexible – choose a date that fits your calendar

Individual advice – whether mini PC for industry, digital signage, outdoor or a RUGGED tablet

Direct support – personal contact is irreplaceable for us!

Make an appointment now and get advice!

Whether you need robust industrial PCs for continuous use, compact mini PCs for digital signage or solutions for complex IT services – our experts will be happy to help you.

We look forward to receiving your inquiry and to working with you to find the best solution for your requirements.

TO THE CONSULTATION

What is the Intel vPro® platform?

The Intel vPro® platform is a combination of hardware and firmware technologies designed to improve the security, manageability and performance of business computers. It integrates features such as Intel® Active Management Technology (AMT) and Intel® Endpoint Management Assistant (EMA), which enable efficient remote management. It also offers comprehensive protection at hardware level with the Intel® Hardware Shield.

More about vPro® at Intel®

Advantages for industrial mini PCs

  1. Compact performance for demanding environments
    Industrial Mini PCs are designed for use in harsh environments where space and power consumption are limited. The integration of the Intel vPro® platform enables these devices to offer high computing power and reliability despite their compact size – ideal for applications in manufacturing, automation and logistics.
  2. Enhanced security
    With Intel® Hardware Shield, the vPro® platform offers multi-layered protection that detects and defends against threats at the hardware level. This is crucial for companies that process sensitive data and need to be protected against cyber attacks.
  3. Efficient remote management
    Thanks to Intel® AMT and EMA, devices can be monitored, maintained and even restarted in the event of system crashes regardless of location – even if the operating system is no longer responding. This reduces downtime and lowers operating costs.
  4. Long-term stability and compatibility
    The Intel Stable IT Platform Program(Intel SIPP) ensures that hardware and software components remain compatible over a longer period of time – an advantage for companies with long-term planned IT structures.

vPro® Essentials, – Enterprise or – Evo™ Design?

This Intel platform is available in different versions – each adapted to the requirements of different company sizes and application scenarios.

  • For smaller companies, vPro® Essentials offers basic security and management functions.
  • vPro® Enterprise is aimed at larger IT infrastructures and offers comprehensive remote maintenance, hardware protection and stability.
  • With vPro® Enterprise for Chrome, there is also a variant for ChromeOS devices.
  • While vPro® with Evo™ Design is specially designed for particularly powerful, mobile notebooks – ideal for hybrid work models.

A closer look at the versions helps to find the right solution for individual requirements.

Practical example: Use at a medium-sized mechanical engineering company

A German mechanical engineering company with over 200 employees was looking for a solution to better network its decentralized production sites. The previous industrial PCs did not offer sufficient remote maintenance functions, which led to costly downtimes in the event of system failures.

After the introduction of devices with Intel vPro® compatibility, the situation changed fundamentally:

  • Centralized remote IT maintenance: Using Intel® AMT, the IT department was able to completely remotely control PCs in factory halls 600 km away – including BIOS access.
  • Faster recovery: A defective PC no longer had to be replaced – out-of-band management meant that an IT technician could get the system up and running again remotely within a few minutes.
  • Security compliance: With Intel® Hardware Shield, the company’s security guidelines were also enforced on machine controllers for the first time, as BIOS accesses could be logged and secured centrally.

The result: average downtime was reduced by 65% and maintenance costs fell by more than 30% in the first year. In addition, the IT department was able to use the time gained to tackle more strategic projects in the areas of automation and predictive maintenance.

An interesting article on this topic can be found at it-techblog.de.

Conclusion and spo-comm Mini-PCs with vPro® compatibility

The integration of this Intel platform in industrial mini PCs offers companies a powerful solution to make their IT infrastructure secure, efficient and future-proof. Especially in distributed industrial environments with high security and maintainability requirements, these systems offer real added value.

The following of our spo-comm systems are compatible:

If you have any questions about this or other topics, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact spo-comm
Discover the entire spo-comm range!

embedded world 2025 in Nuremberg

Where? Booth 1-389 (Hall 1, Booth 389)

When? 11.03. – 13.03.2025

Members of our team will be on site at the stand on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

More details

In cooperation with ConSys, we will be exhibiting at the msi-ipc stand and providing a few insights into our product portfolio in digital form – more precisely, into the mini PCs that we have been distributing as a long-standing msi partner. Visit our stand and experience our spo-comm products live, talk to our experts about current trends and innovations and gather inspiration for your next project.

We are looking forward to a good exchange and hope to see some familiar and new faces!

If you have any questions about your visit to the fair, please contact us:

CONTACT US

Exchange rates have changed significantly in recent months, which has also affected the purchase price of some of our Mini PC models. In order to take these developments into account, we have to adjust the prices of certain products in our range.

Price adjustment for the following Mini-PCs

The Mini PCs listed here now have a new entry-level price:

  • WINDBOX III Ultra: from 945€
  • BRICK N305: from 800€
  • NOVA R680E: from 1290€
  • NINETEEN Q670E: from 1275€
  • ONE H610: from 690€
  • ONE i5: from 595€
  • ONE J6412: 325€
  • SQUARE 18: from 1175€
  • SQUARE 21: 1275€
  • RUGGED Tab 10 N5100 Entry: from €920
  • RUGGED Tab 10 i5 Entry: from 1635€
  • RUGGED Tab 8A Entry: from €505

Important for our customers:

Existing offers and ongoing projects remain unaffected by this adjustment. Anyone who has already received an offer or is involved in an ongoing project can continue to rely on the previous prices.

We thank you for your understanding and are always available to answer your questions. It remains our goal to offer high-quality Mini PCs at fair conditions – even in times of economic fluctuations.

Discover our Mini-PC range!
Get in touch with us!

Deep learning vs. machine learning – what’s the difference?

Both machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are based on algorithms that learn from data. The difference lies in the complexity and structure of the models:

  • Machine learning mainly uses flatter models such as decision trees or linear regressions. These often require manual feature engineering, i.e. experts have to extract relevant features from the data.
  • Deep learning, on the other hand, is based on neural networks with multiple layers (“deep neural networks”). These networks learn independently which features are important and can therefore recognize more complex patterns.

A simple example: While a classic ML model defines image features such as edges or shapes by hand, a DL model can extract these features independently from the raw data.

More differences between ML and DL (TH Köln)
More about machine learning

How does deep learning work?

The system is based on neural networks inspired by the structure of the human brain. These networks consist of “neurons” that are arranged in several layers:

  • Input layer: Receives the data (e.g. image or text)
  • Hidden layers: Perform calculations to recognize patterns
  • Output layer: Delivers the result (e.g. classification or prediction)

Each connection between the neurons has a weight that is adjusted during training to improve accuracy.

Use of deep learning on mini PCs

Mini PCs can also run complex deep learning applications thanks to powerful hardware and optimized software. We have put together a few examples:

  • Image and object recognition: With deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow Lite or PyTorch, mini PCs can recognize faces or identify objects in real time. This is useful in surveillance systems or smart home devices, for example.
  • Speech recognition: Projects such as Jasper or DeepSpeech make it possible to recognize speech on mini PCs and convert it into text. This technology is used in voice assistants.
  • Predictive maintenance: In an industrial environment, mini PCs can analyze data from sensors and detect anomalies in order to predict maintenance requirements.

Deep learning on mini PCs offers numerous advantages, but also presents some challenges. The compact design of the mini PCs is an advantage, and the little helpers are also more energy and cost efficient than traditional servers.

However, there are challenges in terms of limited computing power and memory. However, special hardware such as AI accelerators (e.g. NIVIDIA Jetson Nano) can partially overcome these limitations.

Deep learning with spo-comm Mini-PCs

Deep learning with the NOVA R680E
NOVA R680E
Deep learning with the NINETEEN Q670E
NINETEEN Q670E
Deep learning with the CORE 5 Ultra
CORE 5 Ultra

Our product portfolio also includes the odd mini PC that masters deep learning with flying colors. Like our NINETEEN Q670E, for example, which should not be reduced solely to its 19-inch size, but also to what’s inside it. The NINETEEN impresses with an Intel® Core™ i5-12500T CPU, up to 65GB RAM and optional NVIDIA RTX graphics card. It also offers some special features, such as a PCIe slot for an additional graphics card, RAID array with multiple SSDs, iAMT, Wake on LAN and much more!

Discover the NINETEEN Q670E!

In addition to the NINETEEN, our new CORE 5 Ultra also impresses with its high computing power for data-intensive applications. With its namesake Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 processor, compact format and numerous features, it is suitable for numerous applications. Whether 24/7 operation, demanding visualization or control tasks or embedded applications, the CORE 5 Ultra gets the best out of itself with maximum connectivity and NPU !

Configure your CORE 5 Ultra!

Our NOVA R680E should also not be forgotten for deep learning. In addition to extremely high connectivity and PCIe slots, it has fanless cooling, which also makes it attractive for harsh environments. The NOVA is also shock-tested in accordance with IEC 60068-2 and has an anti-vibration design. Speaking of connectivity – to remain versatile, it is equipped with 4 video outputs (2x HDMI 2.0 and 2x DisplayPort 1.4a), four COM interfaces, four 2.5Gbps LAN ports and 10 USB 3.2 ports on the front and back panel.

Discover the NOVA R680E now!

Conclusion

Deep learning is revolutionizing numerous industries and is becoming increasingly accessible, even on mini PCs. From image and speech recognition to industrial applications – the possibilities are almost limitless.

Whether in research, industry or the smart home sector – mini PCs make deep learning more tangible and affordable. With the right combination of hardware and software, (almost) no AI application stands in the way!

Company vacation and last delivery in 2024

As every year, our office will be closed over the Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve from December 23 to January 6, 2025. We will be back for you from January 07, 2025!

Please note: Due to the inventory, the last possible delivery date is Thursday, 19.12.2023.

Price reduction BOX N6211

Our little digital signage wonder is now available from just €440.00 base price!

The BOX impresses with its Intel® Celeron® N6211 processor, passive cooling, extremely low power consumption of only approx. 13 watts and numerous expansion options.

The high quality in combination with the dimensions of only 115 x 76 x 27 mm make the BOX N6211 a prime example of a spo-comm Mini-PC!

CONFIGURE BOX N6211 HERE!

NINETEEN and NOVA are back!

The “N” in New and November currently stands for NOVA R680E and NINETEEN Q670E! The two well-known systems are back in the spo-comm product portfolio – now in an even more powerful design for a wide range of applications.

The NOVA R680E impresses with a wide range power input (8 – 48V), the extended temperature range of -10° to +50°C and an Intel® Core™ i5-12500T CPU with a performance of up to 6x 4.4 GHz. In addition, the device is shock-tested in accordance with IEC 60068-2 and, thanks to its anti-vibration design, can also withstand applications that occasionally get a little bumpy.

MORE ABOUT THE NOVA R680E

Our popular 19″ PC NINETEEN Q670E, which is especially designed for server applications, can now be optionally equipped with an NVIDIA graphics card! Thanks to a wide range of connections, hot swap, PCIe, iAMT, RAID and much more, it is equipped for a wide variety of applications.

CONFIGURE THE NINETEN Q670E

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

What is PCI and PCIe?

The PCI interface (Peripheral Component Interconnect) was developed in the 1990s as a standard for connecting various expansion cards to a computer system. It enabled efficient communication between hardware components. However, as technological development progressed, the original PCI interface became a bottleneck for modern, high-performance devices.

This is where the Express version comes into play. PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a further development of the previous technology, which offers much higher data transfer rates and better scalability. While PCI once worked with parallel data buses, PCIe relies on serial data transmission and offers several “lanes” that can be used in parallel. This leads to a drastic improvement in the speed and efficiency of data transmission.

Of course, you will also find one or two PCIe interfaces in our spo-comm product catalog. In addition to this port, our NOVA R680E offers some other interesting features!

DISCOVER THE NOVA R680E NOW!

Advantages of the interface for mini PCs

  • Higher data transfer rates
    Mini PCs benefit from the high bandwidth of the PCIe interface. Whether connecting a graphics card or an NVMe SSD for lightning-fast data storage, this connection is now the standard for fast, stable connections. The latest version, PCIe 5.0, enables data rates of up to 32 GT/s (gigatransfers per second) per lane, giving Mini PCs unprecedented performance.

    Outlook: It will be even more powerful with the upcoming PCIe 6.0 version, which is already within reach and promises transfer rates of up to 64 GT/s.
  • Flexibility and scalability
    The interface has a modular structure. This means that there are different configurations, such as x1, x4, x8 or x16, which support different numbers of data channels. Mini PCs, which are usually designed to be compact, can thus be flexibly adapted to different requirements without having to compromise on performance.

  • Compatibility and future-proofing
    Another advantage of PCIe technology is its backwards compatibility. This means that older devices with this interface can also be operated on newer PCIe slots. This makes the interface a future-proof solution that is ideal for mini PCs, as these are often in use for many years.

The next generation of data transmission

The next stage in the evolution of the PCIe interface is imminent with PCIe 6.0. This new version not only brings twice the data transfer rates of PCIe 5.0, but also more efficient error correction methods and even lower latency. For Mini PC users who need maximum performance in the smallest possible space, this is an absolute game changer. The newer version will make it possible to transfer even more data in less time, which is a clear advantage especially in data-intensive applications such as 3D graphics processing, machine learning and high-performance computing.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF PCIE 6.0

PCIe as a key technology for Mini PCs

The PCIe interface is undoubtedly one of the most important technologies for modern Mini PCs. It provides the necessary bandwidth, flexibility and future-proofing to meet the demands of today’s hardware. From powerful graphics cards to lightning-fast NVMe SSDs, the right PCIe interface can significantly boost the performance of your Mini PC.