NEXCOM Elevates Building Signage to New Heights

Anyone that occupies modern, multistory buildings in Taiwan undoubtedly prefers the convenience and speed of elevators over stairs. For property and building managers, elevators provide safety mechanisms – and even advertising space. NEXCOM had the opportunity to provide the visual engine for elevator signage and operations in several properties, including hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings.

The computer needed to be budget-friendly and provide better performance over the typical consumer computer. As it would be placed atop elevator cars and thereby affected by movement and environmental changes, the computer required industrial-quality durability and a compact size. It also needed to have an assortment of I/O ports for display and maintenance uses. Most importantly, building requirements called for the computer to connect with alarm systems for safety reasons and the control room for content updates.

NEXCOM suggested the space-economizing NDiS B336R embedded computer. The fanless box PC’s reliable, quad-core Intel Atom^®  x7-E3950 CPU balanced cost and performance. In addition, the NDiS B336R was able to withstand undesirable operating conditions: its fanless nature meant that dust particles were less likely to enter the chassis and affect performance, while its operating temperature range of -10 to 60°C (with SSD) meant that it could tolerate severe temperature changes.

Fundamental I/Os included one RS-232 and five USB 3.0 ports. The RS-232 port linked to the floor display signal board, while one USB port connected to keyboard or mouse for servicing needs. Since safety was imperative, some clients also connected RS-485 input boards to receive fire and earthquake emergency signals. In addition, a RJ45 port provided a LAN connection to the control room for updating content, though an expansion port was available for optional Wi-Fi module.

The visual solution also included one each of DisplayPort and HDMI ports. Configured HDMI displays primarily showed content such as current floor levels and weather conditions, but also advertisements and infotainment for commercial properties. The DisplayPort was thus available to service a second screen.

With the NDiS B336R, NEXCOM once again demonstrates the versatility of its solutions and anticipates the needs of customers across all walks of life.

Application Diagram

Key Features for Application Needs

• 6th Generation Intel Atom^® x7-E3950 processor
• Dual video output (HDMI/DP support 4K2K resolution)
• Compact and slim design (H: 21.5mm)
• Wide temperature support
• Supports Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G module
• Fanless design