At Taipei’s Computex 99 (last June 1 – 5), Advantech, LTD. introduced its latest member of the panel PC family: the PPC-150T. This multi-function panel PC incorporates the latest 15" TFT LCD technology and is built with focus on public information terminals. Furthermore, its flexible panel, wall and swing arm mounting options make it an ideal integration solution for both outdoor and indoor public kiosks.

The PPC-150T is a full-featured, integrated multimedia computer with a large LCD display. At a resolution of 1024 x 768 and a dot size of 0.297mm x 0.297mm, its 15" color TFT LCD provides a very fine picture quality and high luminance for viewers. In addition, it features an Intel Pentium^® MMX based CPU board, a 24x CD-ROM disk drive, a floppy disk drive, and a PCMCIA slot. The on-board 10/100 Base-T Ethernet interface makes this product Internet ready for networking.

The PPC-150T derived from the previous model: the PPC-140T - the panel PC equipped with a 13.8" TFT LCD. Last September, the PPC-140T was bestowed the award for "Best Hardware System" at the 1998 Comdex Asia show in Singapore for its innovative design and comprehensive functionality.

Easy to integrate and easy to use have been the major principles in designing the PPC-150T. As a result, there are four serial ports, two USB ports, an Ethernet interface, a parallel port, and a game/MIDI port for a better connectivity. There are also mic-in, line-in and line-out connectors for various audio functions. Moreover, the built-in touchscreen makes it a user-friendly and intuitive human-machine interface. The PPC-150 can be equipped with either an analog resistive or a SAW touchscreen, depending on the kind of application.

Its removable front bezel makes LCD and touchscreen maintenance much easier than before. In the past, a defective LCD or touchscreen required the application engineer to remove the back cover of the panel PC, remove the power supply, as well as the CPU board, LCD and finally the touchscreen to fix the problem. The new mechanical design will save the technician a lot of time on fixing and replacing damaged parts (if any).

In conclusion, the PPC-150T is a product especially designed for system integrators who are hunting for a PC-based solution that is compact, yet has a wide connectivity, has multiple functions, and is highly flexible in terms of installation and configuration. In the meantime, this product has to comply with all kinds of industrial standards in order to guarantee 24-hour operation under harsh environments.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Advantech is an industrial computer company with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, and has offices and distribution centers worldwide. It is an innovative, prolific company, which introduces dozens of new PC-based automation and control products each year. These products include data acquisition and control systems, modular industrial computers, industrial PC cards, panel PCs, signal conditioning modules, communication modules and industrial control software.