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Advantech ARK-1122 Embedded Box PC
Tiny, rugged, versatile fanless embedded industrial Box PC brings full Windows computing power into spots and locations where nothing else will fit
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer; photography by Carol Cotton)
IPC stands for Industrial PC, a kind of device that brings computing power into all the numerous areas where it's needed, but where deploying a consumer-grade laptop or desktop simply don't do. Industrial PCs usually consist of a compact steel box with cooling fins to eliminate the need for a potentially troublesome fan, and with embedded industrial-grade systems circuitry inside. Though compact, most IPCs are fairly heavy and bulky. Not so Advantech's ARK-1122 embedded Box PC.
Introduced in April 2013, Advantech calls the ARK-1122 "palm-size" and that's not just marketing hype. This little Box PC measures just 5.3 x 3.7 inches and it's about 1.7 inches tall. So if a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone fits into a palm, then the ARK-1122 Box PC does, too, because it's actually not even as long as the Galaxy S4. That is tiny for an industrial-grade, industrial-strength PC.
Yet, despite its comparatively tiny size, the ARK-1122 is a full-function PC. It runs Windows Embedded Standard 7 (or also Windows 7 Pro) on a 1.86GHz Intel Atom N2800 dual-core processor, providing performance that not so long ago was only available through Intel's high-end mobile processors. And despite the small size, the ARK-1122 has full-size, industry-standard ports and jacks, and not the fragile mini and micro versions of them. It doesn't use much power either. The Atom N2800 processor has a Thermal Design Power rating of just 6.5 watts (compared to 15 to 45 watts for mobile Intel Core processors), and only 3.5 watts for the also available 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor. That means no fan, a small power supply, and economical operation.
What all of this means is that embedded systems developers can deploy this little Box PC just about anywhere. Weight isn't much of an issue either as the ARK-1122 weighs just 1.44 pounds, less than the original iPad. For secure mounting Advantech offers a bracket that supports VESA, desk and DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm) rail mounts for easy installation.
So what is the ARK-1122 for? The application potential is almost endless. As if to illustrate that, Advantech actually offers three different versions of this little marvel. There's the ARK-1122C, targeted primarily at self-service applications. It uses the slightly less powerful Atom N2600 chip, but comes with four serial ports (including two that support RS232 as well as RS422 and RS485). There's the ARK-1122H targeted at digital signage applications. This one also has the N2600 chip, benefits from the platform's inherent ability to support two independent displays via VGA and HDMI, but offers mSATA as well as conventional 2.5-inch SATA hard disks for the high storage requirements in digital signage. Our review machine is the ARK-1122F that Advantech primarily designates as a data transmission gateway, with its dual gigabit LAN ports and dual PCIe slots (one half-size, one full-size) for WiFi and 3G modules.
The image below shows the top view and all four side views of the ARK-1122. The device consists of a steel chassis the system board is mounted on, and a large U-shaped heat spreader with fins machined from solid aluminum. The heat spreader is a thing of beauty, and meticulously machined. It conducts the heat away from the N2800 CPU via a postage-sized strip of heat-conducting material, and also dissipates additional heat through the device's metal frame. Note the clean and purposeful design and execution that facilitates easy integration as well as painless maintenance.
The device is precision-engineered and exudes quality, like a fine Swiss watch. Everything makes sense, down to the smallest detail. Advantech even uses identical small Philips head screws throughout the device. Anyone who's surviced an electronic device just to find seven different screw types and sizes knows how important that is.
In terms of functionality and connectivity, this little Box PC meets even advanced project requirements. Our review ARK-1122F was configured to offer the following external ports:
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x Serial RS232
- 2 x RJ-45 gigabit LAN
- 2 x Antenna WiFi
- Antenna 3G WWAN
- Power (12 Volt DC)
- 15-pin VGA video
- HDMI
- Audio line-in and line-out
The ARK-1122 is designed to run off mSATA solid state storage via an internal mini PCIe slot. Our review unit ran Windows Embedded Standard 7 on a 16GB Advantech industrial grade SATA II 3Gbps SQF-SMSS4 mSATA Flash module. The picture below shows once more just how small this Advantech Box PC is.
 The guts of the ARK-1122 are actually quite complex. There are two small circuit boards on top of each other, each with the type of connectivity and expansion and slots and connectors you'd find on a standard PC motherboard. So despite its very small size, the ARK-1122's guts are not hyper-integrated and concentrated into a sliver of a circuit board as is the case, for example, in the iPad; no, this is a real PC.
From a ruggedness standpoint, the enemy of embedded devices such as the ARK-1122 are usually temperatures extremes and shock/vibration. Since they are not carried around, the drop spec and IP rating (sealing against solids and liquids) that in part define the durability of mobile devices are essentially irrelevant. As a result, there's no IP number and no drop spec, but a wide operating temperature range (-4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit), as well as detailed shock and vibration test numbers.
To provide an idea of the relative performance of the ARK-1122, we ran our two standard benchmark suites, PassMark and CrystalMark. For comparison, we're also listing the results of other Intel Atom-based Advantech IPCs we have reviewed and benchmarked over the years.
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Advantech Intel Atom-based ARK Box PC Benchmarks and Comparisons
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PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
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Advantech
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Advantech
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Advantech
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Advantech
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Model
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ARK-1122
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ARK-DS520
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ARK-6320
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ARK-DS303
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Model (click pic for review)
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Year tested
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2013
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2012
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2011
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2010
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Intel Atom processor
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N2800
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N455
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D510
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N270
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CPU Speed
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1.86GHz
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1.66GHz
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1.66GHz
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1.60GHz
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OS Software
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WES7
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WES7
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XPE
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XPE
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Thermal Design Power (TDP)
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6.5 watts
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6.5 watts
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13 watts
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2.5 watts
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CPU Mark
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546.1
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248.7
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509.9
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252.6
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2D Graphics Mark
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NA
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71.3
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171.5
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158.7
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Memory Mark
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254.3
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220.4
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231.3
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227.7
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Disk Mark
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948.2
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445.9
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393.9
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459.4
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3D Graphics Mark
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57.0
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169.1
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95.6
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77.3
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Overall PassMark
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389.7
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226.3
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293.8
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232.6
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CM ALU
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11,474
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6,296
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10,829
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5,409
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CM FPU
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9,003
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4,033
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9,272
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4,671
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CM MEM
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8,757
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6,033
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6,527
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4,223
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CM HDD
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25,739
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7,827
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8,576
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8,221
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CM GDI
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1,271
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2,302
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2,370
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2,158
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CM D2D
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370
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2,936
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3,899
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2,230
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CM OGL
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8,016
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5,183
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709
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684
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Overall CrystalMark
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64,630
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34,610
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42,182
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27,596
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Note that even within closely related processor brands and families, benchmark results often yield confusing numbers (especially in graphics) and it often feels like comparing apples and oranges. In our experience of benchmarking many hundreds of rugged mobile and industrial computing devices, however, we've found that the overall bottomline numbers generally provide a good measure of actual perceived performance.
With the above in mind, it's quite obvious that Atom device performance has been steadily increasing, and the Atom N2800-based ARK-1122 is a rather competent performer. One other thing we've found to be of great importance to the performance of these kinds of system is the type of storage used. Often, using the right type of solid state storage can make significantly more of a difference to overall performance than the processor.
Like many Advantech embedded products, the ARK-1122 includes SUSIAccess software, a remote management API that can be used to monitor, configure, and control terminals in a centralized, real-time maintenance system. Our review system also included Advantech's Booting Manager, EWF (Enhanced Write Filter) Manager, and a FBWF (File Based Write Manager) utility.
As is, the three available configurations of the ARK-1122 provide an economical, super-compact full Windows computing platform that can be used for digital signage projects with its dual graphics channels and large storage, factory and machine interface operations with its multiple legacy ports, or data transmission gateway with its dual LAN ports and dual PCIe expansion slots. ANd that's just the beginning of its potential.
-- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer
Advantech ARK-1122 Embedded Box PC Specs:
| Status |
Added 06/2013
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| Type |
Embedded Box IPC
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| CPU Type |
1.86GHz Intel Atom N2800
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| Chipset |
Intel NM10
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| BIOS |
AMI EFI 16 Mbit
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| OS |
Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows 7 Professional, Windows XP Embedded
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| Memory |
Max 4GB DDR3 1066MHz in 1 204-pin SODIMM socket |
| Graphics Controller |
Integrated (640 MHz) |
| Watchdog Timer |
255-level timer intervals, software setup |
| Graphics Interface |
VGA and HDMI (1920 x 1200 pixel) independent displays |
| LAN |
2 x 10/100/1000 Mbps (Intel 82583V) LAN RJ45 |
| Storage |
Full-size Mini PCIe slot for mSATA storage module
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| Housing |
Aluminum with optional DIN-rail, VESA and/or wall mounts
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| Vibration |
With mSATA: 3 Grms, IEC 60068-2-64, random, 5 ~ 500 Hz, 1 Oct./min, 1hr/axis.
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| Shock |
With mSATA: 30 Grms, IEC 60068-2-27, half sine, 11 ms duration.
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| EMC |
CE/FCC Class A, CCC, BSMI
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| Safety |
CB, UL, CCC, BSMI
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| Operating temperature |
With extended temp. mSATA: -4° to 140°F (-20° to °60C)
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| USB |
4 x USB 2.0
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| Serial |
1 x RS232 serial |
| Audio |
HD Audio Realtek ALC892 chipset, line-in + line-out jacks |
| Communication |
Optional via Mini PCIe with SIM card holder |
| DIO |
NA |
| Size |
5.27 x 3.7 x 1.7 inches (134 x 94 x 43 mm)
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| Weight |
1.44 pounds |
| Power |
12VDC via adapter
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| Price |
Inquire |
| Webpage |
Advantech ARK-1122 page and intro press release |
| Datasheet |
Advantech ARK-1122 |
Advantech Corporation
13 Whatney
Irvine, CA 92618
Toll Free: 1-800-866-6008
Ph: 949-420-2500
Fax: 949-420-2501
ECGInfo@advantech.com
www.advantech.com
Advantech Co. Ltd.
No.1, Alley 20, Lane 26, Rueiguang Road
Neihu District, Taipei Taiwan 114, R.O.C.
Tel: 886-2-2792-7818
Fax: 886-2-2794-7301
www.advantech.com
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