Solar power is bringing computer power to places where it has never been available before. It is now possible to install information kiosks, school PCs and monitoring stations in locations where the power grid does not yet reach. Tourism and education are two of the many applications that can be improved using the power of the PC, driven by the sun.
Tourist locations can now have solar powered information kiosks that provide not only information about the site, its history and points of interest but also commercial information about local hotels, B&Bs, craft outlets and much more.
Rural schools can benefit from the teaching power of PCs and broaden the horizons of rural learners using the energy of the sun to drive the PC. Learners can use PC learning applications and the Internet to achieve results not previously possible, and teachers and learners have information available to them that was never available from the limited text books provided.
Monitoring of dams, forests fire stations and other remote installations using solar power and low-power PCs enables 24/7 monitoring and better reporting without onsite manpower.
Low-power embedded PCs and panel PCs are the key to these types of installations because they reduce the power required from the solar panels and battery storage systems. The cost of the battery storage systems and solar panels can be high, so reducing the power consumed by the PCs reduces the overall cost significantly.
Embedded PCs with power usage of only 10 Watts and panel PCs that consume less than 20 Watts are available for solar driven installations. The VIPRO VP7815 is an example of an entirely fanless panel PC featuring a 15” TFT LCD and resistive or capacitive touch screen, an ideal solution for a variety of industrial and commercial scenarios, especially advanced outdoor applications. Power consumption, depending on configuration, is less than 20 Watts.
For more information contact Henry Hugo, Centurion Micro Electronics, +27 (0)21 851 4904, henry@cme.co.za, www.cme.co.za
From idea to intelligent product TRX Electronics
Computer/Embedded Technology
Mouser Electronics has announced a new eBook in collaboration with Arduino – From Blink to Think: How Arduino UNO Q Helps Designers Go from Idea to Intelligent Product.
Read more...Think Diamond Long-life COM-based SBCs Electronic Products Design
Computer/Embedded Technology
A COM-based SBC combines the flexibility of a standard computer-on-module (COM) with a baseboard offering additional I/O, expansion sockets, power supplies, and I/O connectors. The result is a highly flexible, highly expandable, feature-dense product that can be adapted to the widest range of applications, offering maximum product lifetime.
Read more...Next-Gen Min-ITX motherboard Vepac Electronics
Computer/Embedded Technology
Adding to AAEON’s extensive industrial motherboard portfolio, the Next-Gen MIX-Q870A1 is the company’s most advanced Mini-ITX board to date.
Read more...Rev 2.0 PolarFire FPGA ethernet sensor bridge Altron Arrow
Computer/Embedded Technology
Smaller, multi-camera platform enables scalable Ethernet architectures for NVIDIA Edge AI systems, while lowering power, cost and integration complexity.
Read more...Intelligent video processing Rugged Interconnect Technologies
Computer/Embedded Technology
The CHARM150AGX is based on a NVIDIA AGX Orin embedded processor, which incorporates a multicore ARM processor and powerful AI/ML accelerator.
Read more...Nordic expands nRF Cloud with firmware vulnerability scanning RF Design
Computer/Embedded Technology
nRF Cloud identifies vulnerabilities in firmware and shows exactly which deployed devices are affected, empowering device manufacturers to address EU Cyber Resilience Act requirements.
Read more...Arrival of the Epic-PTH9 Vepac Electronics
Computer/Embedded Technology
AAEON introduces the EPIC-PTH9, a compact 4-inch industrial single-board computer powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (formerly Panther Lake) processors.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version