Compact industrial PC with 19-inch touch panel
(by Conrad Blickenstorfer)

noax Technologies is a Germany-based developer and manufacturer of industrial touch panel PCs with offices in Europe and the United States. The company, which makes its own proprietary all-in-one motherboards, has many years of experience in the development and production of completely sealed industrial touch panel PCs without external fans. The panels are designed to be resistant to heat, cold, moisture, dust, vibration, shock, acids and detergents.

The noax "Compact Series" Industrial PCs use a cast aluminum enclosure, a plastic front, and a structure/nano-structure paint finish. They are designed as tough, reliable, and user-friendly space-saving panel computers for diverse environments including metals and plastics processing, warehouse logistics, agriculture and forestry, mining and drilling, and in specialized underground and tunnel construction.

The C19 Industrial PC measures a relatively compact, for a panel computer, 17.8 x 15.3 x 4.6 inches and weighs a fairly light 22 pounds, less than half of the S19 steel version. It is a completely sealed, fanless system with a large, high resolution SXGA (1280 x 1024) 19.0" TFT display with integrated resistive analog touch panel and automatic brightness control. The touch screen allows for simple operation via custom software applications and virtual keyboards. There are also 20 programmable function keys on the front of the PC, in combination with four function keys (on/off; brightness; contrast; special function).

The fanless C19 industrial computer is built to withstand mechanical stresses and environmental factors and it can easily be cleaned and disinfected. Sealing is IP65 for the front panel, and up to IP65 for the entire unit, depending on the type of connection cover used.

The C19 can be ordered with a choice of an Intel Celeron M 723 or a Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor with Intel GMA4500MHD graphics, has a wealth of on-board interfaces including two serial RS232, six external and two internal USB 2.0 ports, a legacy LPT port, digital video, optional WiFi, and easy expandability through two mini PCIe card slots as well as two standard PCI slots that can be used for two PCI or PCIe cards for easy integration of various peripheral devices. The C19 also has a special secured USB port on its front that can be used for transferring data or software updates. A dedicated noax NSetup tool can be used to lock/protect that port so that only authorized users have access through it.

A special Micro-Controller is standard in all noax industrial PCs. It performs a variety of monitoring, controlling, and statistical tasks such as temperature control, backlight control, or counting operating hours, and it can be adapted to customer requirements. noax also uses a proprietary touch controller for automatic panel control and readjustment.