Compact fanless embedded controller based on the Raspberry Pi 2 B board

Saelig has announced availability of the emPC-A/RPI - a compact, fanless embedded controller based on the Raspberry Pi 2 B board with Janz Tec add-ons to implement additional features needed for industrial applications. Intended for wall or DIN-rail mount, the emPC-A/RPI includes extra features that expand the usefulness of the Raspberry Pi computer, including a CANbus interface. The compact 24-pin multi-connector provides access to many of the emPC-A/RPI interfaces such as SPI, I2C, 8 x digital I/O lines, RS232/485, etc. Two USB interfaces are also available on the connector panel. The compact (4.0" x 3.8" x 1.2") and lightweight ( 0.9lb) emPC-A/RPI is powered by a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 BCM2836 processor with 1GB SDRAM. Built-in interfaces include: HDMI graphics, 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet, 4 x USB 2.0, Micro SDcard socket, CAN, serial debug (9-pin D-SUB), an RS232/485 Serial port, RTC with battery backup, 4 x digital outputs, and 4 x digital inputs (isolated from logic). The serial port is implemented by a SC16IS740 UART and supports either RS232 or RS485 (link-selectable). The CAN interface is implemented by an MCP2515 controller chip, and the CANbus signals support ISO 11898-2 (high speed), isolated from system logic. Input power requirements can accommodate a 9 - 32V supply. The emPC-A/RPI comes standard with pre-installed Raspbian operating system software. If the additional interfaces of the emPC-A/RPI (RTC, CAN, RS232/RS485) are required, then the Janz Tec emPC-A/RPI Raspbian-compatible driver package is also available. This enables the additional features of the emPC-A/RPI such as RTC, CAN, and RS232/RS485. The emPC-A/RPI is also available without software to allow the choice of an alternative Raspberry Pi 2 B compatible operating system. The use of CODESYS runtime control system software is also possible for the emPC-A/RPI. This is a soft PLC program created by 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH. Using this IEC 61131-3 programming system in combination with the Janz Tec emPC-A/RPI system makes it ideal for test and educational applications because the controller can make use of the additional interfaces the emPC-A/RPI offers, such as digital IO, CAN, RTC, and RS232/RS485.