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Clean-Cab dust free enclosures

The common home/office PC has been used in the factory environment, even though it is not designed to cater for the harsh conditions. As a result, a number of so-called ‘Industrial PC’s’ (IPC) have been developed. These special machines are supposed to provide protection against mechanical damage, vibration, electromagnetic fields and the ingress of dust and moisture.

Most IPC's are simply conventional PC's in a 'ruggedised' enclosure. Almost all IPC’s on the market today try to keep dust out using fans and filters to create a positive pressure within the computer housing. To do this a fan draws air into the enclosure via a filter - and this is the problem as it needs to be cleaned regularly. Even when in perfect condition, the filter still allows small amounts of dust to continuously enter the enclosure. The enclosure becomes an expensive vacuum cleaner, storing the dust inside the enclosure.
At DrakEng, we have designed our Clean-Cab products to address these crucial issues. Our Clean-Cab is truly maintenance free. Simply place your cost effective, leading technology office PC hardware into the Clean-Cab, you achieve what conventional IPC’s have been trying to achieve - at significantly lower cost.

The levels of protection and cooling are as follows :

Clean-Cab : Dust free operation, cooling via natural radiation and convection through the cabinet walls. Suitable for environments where ambient temperature is < 35degC.

Clean-Cab with Air2Air: An enclosure with an air to air heat exchanger. This allows the enclosure to be used in environments up to about 40 degC.

The system is extremely versatile as all connections to the PC are made via Peripheral Connector Plates. These are seperate from the main housing, allowing many combinations of connections to be ordered.

Operation

The office PC is connected to the outside world via a set of extension cables secured to a peripheral connector plate provided. These provide easy access for the user on the rear face of the enclosure. A number of different peripheral connector plate configurations are available to cater for most types of PC's on the market today.

The PC is then placed inside the Clean-Cab, with access to the stiffy and CD ROM drives through a top hinged swing door. The door is spring loaded and lockable. The status of the top lid may be monitored via the potential free contacts provided on a 25 pin D-Sub connector on the rear of the enclosure. The enclosure temperature may also be monitored via a thermostat to provide warnings for over temperature. These signals may be fed into existing data acquisition equipment if required.

Features

Accommodates most standard PC sizes
Complete set of interconnection cables
Nominal IP54 rating
Sturdy steel construction, treated for corrosion resistance
High quality powder coated finish
Computer aided manufacture to high standards
Affords excellent protection from dust and mechanical damage
Access to removable media via lockable front access hatch
Door 'open' contacts
Thermostat overtemperature output

Key Benefits

Simple to install - It fits most PC's
You can use the most up to date office PC hardware in your plant NOW
You no longer have to buy old technology ie conventional "Industrial PC's" for almost double the price !
No more maintenance, the system is designed to monitor itself, and only asks for attention if it needs it !
Provides a measure of protection against theft and pilfering.
Reduces breakdowns and extends equipment life
Outward appearance of computer is maintained - allowing re-use in offices when upgraded in plant.
Original equipment warranties not affected.
Clean-Cab's are re-usable, reducing subsequent computer upgrade costs.

Clean-Cab components

Send mail to info at drakeng dot co dot za with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 07, 2005