AUTOMATIC TRACK CONTROL WITH DX-1200

Compmall is a Spezialist for high-quality and individual industrial PCs. The product portfolio includes embedded boards, embedded PCs, panel PCs and GPU computers as well as 19″ systems available as barebones or complete systems. As a system integrator, compmall creates the best hardware architecture for the customer from standard industrial components, taking into account the total cost of ownership as well as best availability.

More traffic is to be transferred to rail in order to achieve climate targets. The rail network in Germany currently measures 38,400 kilometers and must be absolutely safe for traffic. Precise measurement of the track geometry is particularly important in high-speed traffic because there is only a small margin for deviation. Parameters such as track gauge, torsion, wear of rail profiles, the radius of curves, the vertical positions of the rails, etc. must be checked regularly. Track measuring trains are used for this purpose. 

One of the greatest difficulties is that the measurements have to be very accurate in order to draw the right conclusions. This requires a lot of experience and knowledge, as many factors have to be taken into account, such as weather conditions, track condition and speed of the train. If there is a need to react quickly to any problems, then the data must be collected and processed in real time. Another problem is the harsh environmental conditions, especially vibrations and shocks, to which measuring devices, sensors and embedded PCs are exposed. “Embedded PCs in railroads must be absolutely high-quality in design. Robust alone is not enough,” explains Uwe Turner, product manager at compmall. That’s why the new DX-1200 embedded PC is a favorite for deployments in rail vehicles. “Not only does it have the relevant certifications such as EN 50121-3-2 and EN 45545-2, but it is also MIL-STD-810G tested and is protected against reverse polarity, overvoltage and overcurrent.”

The A-coded M12 LAN connectors ensure reliable and secure connection to sensors and cameras. The unibody housing made of extruded aluminum dissipates waste heat to the environment, and from a 65-watt processor, an external fan is used that is screwed tightly to the chassis. This prevents overheating even with powerful processors, although no air is ventilated into the case’s interior. 

It’s all about performance 

The DX-1200 is based on 12th generation Intel processors. The spectrum ranges from Celeron G6900TE to Core i9-12900E. Two DDR5 SO-DIMM sockets allow the installation of 4800 MHz working memories up to 64 GB. The graphics chip depends on the processor: Intel Core i9/i7/i5 access Intel UHD Graphics 770, Intel Core i3 access Intel UHD Graphics 730 and Pentium and Celeron access Intel UHD Graphics 710. 

An M.2 E-Key slot supports Intel CNVi, so the DX-1200 gets WLAN/Bluetooth connectivity. SIM card integration is standard, so 4G data transfer is possible. “But usually the captured data is stored on the two RAID-capable SATA3 SSDs and read out on site. Two mSATA sockets could accommodate additional SATA3 SSDs if needed,” Turner said, describing the storage capacity. 

Thanks to the modular design, the standard interfaces audio, HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-I, RS-232/422/485, USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen2 as well as Gigabit Ethernet can be individually supplemented. Two mini PCIe slots and proprietary CMI modules are available for this purpose. Possible are 10 GbE ports, also as X-coded M12 connectors, additional GbE ports, digital inputs and outputs or additional RS-232/422/485, providing sufficient options to integrate scanners, sensors and cameras into the system. 

Info about DX-1200 https://www.compmall.de/DX-1200-R10-508819

Info about Embedded PC: https://www.compmall.de/Produkte/Embedded-PC/Embedded-PCs/

compmall GmbH

Unterhachinger Str. 75 – 81737 München

Tel. ++49 89 85 63 150

Email: info@compmall.de

Web: www.compmall.de