Posted by John Keller

HIAWATHA, Iowa, 16 Feb. 2012. Crystal Group Inc in Hiawatha, Iowa, is introducing the RE0412 rugged computer for embedded computing in airborne and ground-mobile applications where performance, ruggedness, and reliability are imperative.

The RE0412 features an Intel mini-ITX board, i3 (Desktop) CPU, DC power inputs from 18 to 36 volts DC, one fan for air-over-components cooling with 8000-hour mean time between failures, and conformal coating options for humidity protection.

This rugged embedded carbon fiber chassis computer for avionics and vetronics applications measures 3.13 by 10.76 by 8.13 inches and weighs 3.8 pounds. The rugged computer has as many as two 2.5-inch solid-state drives, a PCI Express x16 expansion slot, and as much as 16 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM.

The rugged computer operates in temperatures from -40 to 55 degrees Celsius with full CPU load without throttling. MIL-STD-810 vibration and shock performance testing is in progress, followed by MIL-STD-461 CE102 and RE102 testing.

"The RE0412 came out of the UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] and soldier deployed markets," explains Jim Shaw, Crystal Group's executive vice president of engineering. "The emphasis was on light weight and low power. We are seeing a significant amount of interest in the ground vehicle market due to the extreme thermal performance and durability."

For more information contact Crystal Group online at www.crystalrugged.com.