The customer, based in Northern Europe, was looking for a high-quality single board computer to build its 72-inch passenger information system for a local rail transit project. Considering that the passenger information systems must be operated outdoors, the embedded board needs to be highly reliable with an extended operating temperature for use in extreme weather conditions. Moreover, the fanless operation, low power consumption and small form factor are must-have features.

• Fanless operation and compact-size design
• Flexible configuration and expandability
• Wide operating temperature range from -40°C to +80°C in outdoor environments Intel® Xeon®-based platform with IEC-60601 compliance

Axiomtek has proposed the CAPA310, a fanless, feature-rich 3.5-inch embedded SBC powered by the onboard quad-core Intel® Atom® x5-E3940 processor (Apollo Lake). It comes with a small form factor, fanless design, dual-view display, and multiple expansion interfaces to meet customers’ needs. The dual-view display includes one HDMI port and one LVDS, with optional VGA, making the SBC a cost-effective choice for the passenger information system. With a wide operating temperature ranging from -40°C to +80°C, the embedded SBC is suitable for solutions that function in outdoor or extreme weather environments.

Considering the locations of the deployment include outdoor environments, the passenger information systems need extended operating temperatures to ensure stable and non-stop operation. Axiomtek’s CAPA310 was installed inside the system to receive and display real-time information. This Intel® Atom-based embedded board provides high computing capability to meet the requirement of presenting real-time travel information, public announcements, and advertisements to passengers. To accommodate harsh outdoor operating conditions in Northern Europe, its capability to operate under low-temperature conditions must be addressed strongly. Dual independent displays, rich I/O interfaces, support for DDR3L up to 8GB, and of course industrial-grade reliability make this compact embedded board ideal for passenger information system requirements.

The passenger information system is 72-inch and provides a variety of infotainment. While the screen is big, the heat it generated could affect the system’s operation if the SBC consumes too much power and causes heat. So, the SBC should be low-power and generate little heat and it was one of the key features that the customer chose the CAPA310. Also, the CAPA310 is equipped with a display interface that provides high-resolution images. The system has an antenna that receives real-time information to be displayed from the control room via wireless connectivity.

•  3.5-inch compact size and fanless operation
• Quad-core Intel® Atom® x5-E3940 processor (codename: Apollo Lake) onboard
• One DDR3L SO-DIMM for up to 8GB of memory
• Two USB 2.0, four USB 3.0, and one PCI Express Mini Card slot for wireless connection
• ZIO connector supporting USB, PCIe x1, LPC and SMBus signal
• Wide voltage DC input from 12V to 24V
• -40°C to +80°C operating temperature range

Axiomtek offers SBC in various form factors and performances for different demands. But providing products with high quality is just the basic standard for Axiomtek. More than that, as a leader in industrial PCs, Axiomtek provides long product life support for customers therefore the whole procurement can be deemed as cost-effective in the long term. When customers encounter technical problems, they can get real-time technical support and fast response from the experts via a customer-exclusive support site.