Congatec completes IEC 60068 testing for compact processor

Global provider of embedded and edge computing technology congatec recently completed IEC 60068 testing for environmental sustainability for the conga-TC675r COM Express Compact Type 6 module.

Congatec said meeting the International Electrotechnical Commission’s IEC 60068 standard involves a rigorous test for extreme environmental conditions.

The conga-TC675r is a compact, application-ready embedded module with a rugged design for autonomous vehicles, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), critical infrastructure, industrial IoT, wayside installations, and other mission-critical systems.

“Embedded systems don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re deployed in wide-ranging real-world applications, with many of them operating in harsh environments,” said Jürgen Jungbauer, congatec product line manager. “Though application areas such as oil rigs, industrial robots, and autonomous vehicles may sound diverse, they demand consistent, reliable performance and long-term availability.”

Rugged design for extreme environments

With this testing, congatec demonstrated its compact COM Express module fulfills the stringent requirements of IEC 60068, which covers extreme cold and heat stress, humidity, shock, and vibration. The conga-TC675r also addresses the railroad industry’s IEC 61373 category 2 standard, which covers another layer of shock and vibration requirements.

Collectively, congatec said the conga-TC675r’s compliance with these standards ensures it can operate in some of the most demanding environmental conditions on Earth.

Features of the congatec-TC675r include:

• Based on 13th generation Intel Core processors (also known as Raptor Lake) with a hybrid design that combines performance-and efficient cores for optimized performance across different workloads.
• Extended temperature range of -40 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit
• Soldered RAM with in-band error-correcting code (IBECC)
• PCI Express Gen 4 and USB 4 support latest high-bandwidth connectivity options
• Soldered-on 6400 MT/s LPDDR5x memory enables performance and power efficiency
• Congatec aReady.VT Hypervisor supports consolidation of multiple workloads on a single module - such as real-time control, HMI, AI, and IoT gateway functions
• Available pre-configured with Bosch Rexroth ctrlX OS license and Ubuntu Pro, reducing time to deployment.
• Operational readiness at 10 to 85% humidity
• Fanless passive cooling based on heat pipes for heat dissipation. For extremely cold environments, congatec's new acetone thermal management is recommended

Congatec said these features make the module ideal for use in manned and unmanned rail and off-road vehicles for mining, agriculture & forestry, and other mobility applications. Critical infrastructure, security, railroad, and transportation use cases can also benefit from the module's robust design.

The congatec-TC675r is a member of congatec’s aReady.COM family of pre-validated and pre-configured modular hardware and software building blocks. Tightly integrated aReady.COM platforms include computer-on-modules (COMs), cooling systems, memory, and fully-licensed, pre-installed operating systems. The company said this approach can help streamline embedded development for faster time to market while reducing bill of materials (BOM) costs.