Contec has started selling the FLEXLAN(R) FX series "FXE4000-WP," a wireless access point with IP65 compliant dust and water resistance, from September 28, 2021. The FXE4000-WP can be used in harsh environments, such as factories with a lot of dust, due to its IP65 compliant dust and water-resistant structure. It can operate in different modes as an access point (parent station), station (child station), or repeater (relay station), making it suitable for IoT communication with machine tools and industrial robots, as well as for wireless LAN communication in outdoor environments like warehouses. The FXE4000-WP supports the high-speed communication standard IEEE802.11ac and is compatible with the secure encryption technology WPA3 standard. It also complies with the IEEE802.3af standard, allowing it to be installed in locations where power supply is difficult by using commercially available PoE power supply devices to provide power via LAN cables.

Contec will start selling the palm-sized computer "BX-321" from August 31, 2021. The new product is a successor model to the "BX-320 series," which has contributed to the miniaturization of various devices as a compact, fanless computer equipped with an Intel Atom processor and capable of being mounted on a DIN rail. Maintaining the same size and basic specifications, it is equipped with an external PCI Express (PCIe) expansion connector, allowing for the expansion of PCI/PCIe interface boards by connecting to our PCI Express Cable-based PCI bus expansion chassis. 【Main Features】 ● Contributes to the miniaturization of devices. Condenses computer functions and expandability into a compact size (94.0(W)×120.0(D)×74.7(H)) ● Usable as a controller for measurement/control/communication devices in the F&eIT series ● PCI and PCI Express boards can be added ● Can be mounted on a 35mm DIN rail ● Supports a wide range power supply of 10.8 to 31.2VDC ● Designed with reliability necessary for embedded applications

Contec has announced the start of providing WPA3-compatible firmware for its embedded wireless LAN board "FXE4000." WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) is a security standard announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance that offers more robust authentication and enhanced encryption compared to the increasingly popular WPA2. There are modes for both WPA3-Personal and WPA3-Enterprise, and the firmware being provided supports both modes. With the application of this firmware, the FXE4000 will become compatible with WPA3 in addition to WPA2/WPA, IEEE802.1X authentication, and the proprietary encryption technology WSL that can be used in conjunction with these. This will further enhance the security of wireless systems. Additionally, the firmware has measures in place against the vulnerability commonly referred to as "Dragonblood" in WPA3-Personal, so you can use it with confidence.

Contec Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Second Section, Securities Code 6639) has developed an industrial edge AI computer equipped with the NVIDIA(R) Jetson Xavier NX(TM), and will begin accepting orders for the "DX-U1200 Series (hereinafter referred to as the new product)" starting July 27, 2021. The NVIDIA(R) Jetson Xavier NX(TM) included in the new product features 384 Volta cores as its GPU, along with two NVDLA (NVIDIA Deep Learning Accelerator) units, enhancing deep learning performance. In comparisons during ResNet-50 inference execution, it can achieve approximately 5.5 times faster execution at FP16 precision and about 21.5 times faster at INT8 precision, which is advantageous for inference execution, thereby enabling faster edge inference execution for high-performance AI applications. The software environment comes pre-installed with Ubuntu, similar to various NVIDIA Jetson developer kits, and the NVIDIA JetPack(TM) SDK is available, allowing the execution of applications created with the developer kits.

Industrial equipment is now transitioning from dedicated design devices to a combination of general-purpose devices and general-purpose operating systems. When it comes to general-purpose OS platforms, Windows PCs are the go-to choice. By leveraging PC technology, a vast array of peripherals and software can be utilized, allowing for the rapid, easy, and low-cost development of industrial applications. However, stable operation is essential in industrial applications. The challenge lies in how to ensure availability as industrial equipment while taking advantage of the convenience of PCs. The features introduced here are realized at the BIOS level and are original functions unique to Contec, which develops all hardware, OS, and BIOS in-house. ● Supports power outage operation without shutdown: "Power Cut Protect(TM)" ● Fastest boot time of 8 seconds: "CONTEC Fast Boot" ● Locks OS boot with USB device: "Secure Boot USB Key" ● Backs up disk images from BIOS: "Disk Copy" ● Diagnoses devices from BIOS: "Self-Diagnosis" *For more details, please refer to the related links below or check the catalog.

Contec has newly added two models equipped with the "Power Cut Protect(TM)" function, which supports operation without shutdown, as a standard feature in the IoT Edge controller "CPS-BXC200 series," and started sales on June 29, 2021. The palm-sized, highly expandable IoT Edge controller "CPS-BXC200 series" has been developed into a total of eight models as IoT devices for edge computing, including models pre-installed with McAfee whitelist antivirus software and models compatible with the Edgecross platform. With the addition of the two new models featuring the "Power Cut Protect(TM)" function, the lineup now consists of a total of ten models.

We exhibited at the "24th Embedded/Edge Computing Expo Spring," held from May 26 (Wednesday) to 28 (Friday), 2021, at Tokyo Big Sight, Aomi Exhibition Hall. We sincerely thank everyone who visited our booth. For those who could not attend and for those who could not see everything, please rest assured. The Contec booth is fully recreated at contec.com! Our navigator will carefully guide you through new products and solutions in industrial computers, measurement and control, and industrial IoT (YouTube video). You can also download the exact same materials (PDF version) that were distributed on the day of the event. The web allows you to take your time and thoroughly view the content of the explanation panels and posters from the exhibition booth. We encourage those who attended the event to also take advantage of this. Please click the related links below and take a virtual tour of the Contec booth online!

Contec has developed and started selling a fanless all-in-one industrial PC with a quad-core Intel Atom processor E3845 (Bay Trail) equipped with an analog resistive touch panel display, launching one model in the "PT-M series" and three models in the "PT-F series" on June 8, 2021. The new products are fanless touch panel computers featuring a quad-core Intel Atom processor E3845 (Bay Trail) with touch panel displays available in sizes of 7, 10.4, and 12.1 inches. They come with various expansion interfaces including 1000BASE-T, USB3.2 Gen1 (USB3.0), USB2.0, DVI-I, CFast card slot, RS-232C, and DIO. For installation on devices, users can choose between an open frame type and a panel mount type according to their application. The open frame type does not require a housing due to its robust frame design, allowing compatibility with a wide range of devices. Additionally, the panel mount type is IP65 compliant, preventing the ingress of dust and water droplets.

Contec has developed the "Panel Computer PT-V15WB Series" (hereinafter referred to as the new product), a fanless all-in-one industrial PC equipped with an Intel® quad-core CPU (Apollo Lake) that supports Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, and began sales on May 25, 2021. The new product features a quad-core Intel Atom processor E3940, achieving a fanless and spindle-less design, and is a VESA mountable computer for industrial applications with an integrated touch panel display. In recent years, as tablets and laptops have become widely adopted, the demand for smooth touch operations and multi-touch capabilities has also increased in the fields of industrial and business equipment (such as POS terminals, order terminals, and equipment operation terminals). The new product maintains the long-term stable supply and robustness characteristic of industrial PCs while achieving smooth touch operations comparable to tablets. It can be used in various industrial applications such as controllers for business devices, HMI terminals, printing machines, manufacturing equipment, pharmaceutical devices, and reception terminals, contributing to space-saving solutions.

The industrial IoT solution "CONPROSYS(R)" provided by Contec Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Second Section, Securities Code 6639) has been adopted by AGC Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section, Securities Code 5201, hereinafter referred to as AGC) for its automatic management system for raw materials, the "Smart Inventory System," which was developed by AGC. Since April of this year, AGC has been fully implementing the "Smart Inventory System" at its Kansai plant, advancing digital transformation (DX) in procurement operations such as planning and ordering, and expects to reduce working hours by 1,000 hours annually, along with the transmission of skills to workers. The "Smart Inventory System" is also being considered for deployment to other plants, primarily focusing on domestic glass factories.

Contec Corporation has developed a fanless, high-performance embedded computer equipped with the 9th generation Intel(R) Core(TM) processor (Coffee Lake Refresh-S) and compatible with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019. The "Box Computer BX-M2500 Series" will begin shipping in eight models sequentially starting in May 2021. The BX-M2500 features a 9th generation Intel(R) Core(TM) processor, with options to choose from Xeon E-2278GEL, Core i5-9500TE, Core i3-9100TE, or Celeron G4900T. It is an embedded fanless computer equipped with a variety of interfaces including dual LAN, USB 3.2, DisplayPort, DVI-I, RS-232C/422A/485, and DIO. It has two 2.5-inch SATA disk slots with a slot-in design and supports software RAID functionality. Additionally, it is suitable for high-definition image display applications with 4K output capability.

Contec Corporation has developed the "Touch Panel Computer PT-D07WA-110," a fanless industrial PC with an integrated 7-inch analog resistive touch panel, and began sales on April 20, 2021. The new product features a fanless touch panel computer equipped with a 7-inch analog resistive touch panel display and a quad-core Intel Atom processor E3845 (Bay Trail). The new product includes a built-in NFC card reader/writer (SONY(R) RC-S632/U1) that can be used for reception and access control management. It can be utilized for a wide range of applications such as My Number card reading terminals, unmanned reception terminals for desktop installation, hotel check-in terminals, and access control management terminals. By using the included stand, it can be installed in either horizontal or vertical orientation.

Contec has developed HAT-sized boards (seven types) for utilizing Raspberry Pi® in the fields of factory automation (FA) and measurement control, which will be released sequentially as the "CPI series." Raspberry Pi can be expanded with HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) boards that stack connect to the 40-pin GPIO header on the board, allowing for additional functionality. Until now, dedicated HATs have been designed for various projects such as education and experimentation. However, the HAT specification allows only one stackable board, making it challenging to apply in the field of measurement control, where the number of I/O points varies by system and a wide variety of signals need to be handled. Contec has now developed a multi-tier connection compatible HAT-sized board that expands the HAT specifications, and by commercializing it as a general-purpose product, we aim to solve these challenges. Additionally, we are simultaneously developing a general-purpose RAS function expansion board that adds the availability and maintainability of industrial computers to Raspberry Pi, proposing new application scenarios for Raspberry Pi.

Contec Co., Ltd. will launch the dedicated Windows terminal "LPC-200A Online Qualification Confirmation Terminal Model" on March 24, compliant with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Requirements to be met by qualification confirmation terminals." The terminal will be shipped with the recommended operating system for online qualification confirmation terminals, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019 LTSC, and Microsoft Edge (Chromium version) as the default browser pre-installed. Additionally, a dedicated model with applications provided by the Social Insurance Medical Fee Payment Fund pre-installed is scheduled for release in April 2021. It is equipped with two high-speed gigabit LAN ports, designed for separate network configurations for online billing and in-hospital/in-office networks, as well as a high-capacity SSD (Solid State Drive) to run facial recognition card readers and dedicated applications smoothly. It comes with a vertical stand and VESA mount kit, allowing installation in limited reception areas such as under or behind monitors.

Contec has developed a USB-connected I/O unit that allows for flexible combinations of I/O, and has started accepting orders for the new product in the PC-HELPER series of PC measurement and control components, the "Modular USB I/O Unit CC-USB271-CPSN4." When there are different operational circuits or sensors at a single endpoint and the overall number of I/O points is low, it is possible to configure the I/O unit by combining I/O modules with the net signal input/output points, which can reduce costs compared to conventional USB I/O units. The new product is a compact modular USB I/O unit that connects to a Windows PC's USB port using an attached USB cable (USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A to Type-C). It can use up to four versatile and low-cost signal input/output I/O modules from the Ethernet-based remote I/O "CONPROSYS(R) nano series (currently available)." Additionally, it can be powered via USB cable from a Windows PC. It features a safety design that alerts users with an LED flash if the power consumption exceeds the power that can be supplied by USB bus power.

Contec Corporation has developed a fanless embedded PC equipped with the "Power Cut Protect(TM)" function, which supports power-off operation without OS shutdown, achieving a thickness of approximately 30mm and a size comparable to A5 paper. Orders for the "Box Computer(R) BX-T210" began on February 2, 2021. The new product features a high-performance quad-core CPU while maintaining a slim and compact size of approximately A5 paper thickness (30mm), and it operates within a temperature range of -20 to 70°C. It excels in vibration resistance (5G) and shock resistance (100G), making it widely usable as a controller or operation terminal for industrial equipment that requires environmental durability. It complies with export and safety standards such as CE marking, FCC, VCCI, and CCC (scheduled for April), as well as UL (scheduled for April), allowing for standalone export as maintenance parts. The new product is equipped with a new feature called "Power Cut Protect(TM)" that protects data from power failures and prohibits writing to storage, enabling safe power-off without shutdown processing.

Contec has developed an industrial edge AI computer equipped with the NVIDIA(R) Jetson Nano(TM), and will begin accepting orders for it under the name "DX-U1100" starting February 1, 2021. The "DX-U1100 series" features the NVIDIA(R) Jetson Nano(TM) module and is a versatile industrial edge AI computer focused on practicality. It is equipped with 2x Gigabit LAN, HDMI, 2x USB, general-purpose I/O, and RTC (real-time/calendar clock), achieving flexible installation and environmental resistance, making it suitable for practical applications with confidence. The software environment comes pre-installed with Ubuntu, similar to the Jetson developer kit, and the NVIDIA JetPack(TM) SDK is available, allowing you to run applications created with the developer kit. In April 2021, we plan to release a higher model, the "DX-U1200," equipped with the NVIDIA(R) Jetson Xavier(TM) NX as the second installment.