Both industrial PCs and regular computers are types of computers, and their main structure consists of a CPU, memory, and storage. However, due to their different applications, their designs differ significantly. Regular computers are primarily used for office work and entertainment, while industrial PCs are mainly used for industrial control. Their main differences are as follows:
1. Different appearance
Computers prioritize aesthetics and ease of placement. Therefore, most computers come in a tower-style case, typically equipped with only one power supply cooling fan, while the CPU and graphics card have internal cooling fans.
Industrial PCs, used for industrial control, face a variety of harsh environments. To prevent electromagnetic interference, their chassis are made of fully reinforced steel and conform to EIA standards, enhancing their resistance to electromagnetic interference. To prevent dust, the chassis typically employs positive pressure convection ventilation with two fans and dust filters at the air vents. For vibration resistance, industrial PCs utilize a bus architecture and modular design.
2. Different structures
The computer uses a configuration where the CPU, memory, hard drive, and graphics card are directly installed on the motherboard. This results in higher communication efficiency between the components. Furthermore, to better meet the needs of entertainment and office work, the computer's performance is generally quite high.
The industrial control computer adopts a bus architecture and modular design. It has a passive motherboard, and each component is a modular motherboard. The CPU motherboard must be inserted into a dedicated slot on the passive motherboard. Other modular expansion boards are inserted into expansion slots on the passive motherboard. The resistors, capacitors, and inductors on each module are designed with stronger anti-interference capabilities.
3. Different scalability
A computer's expandability depends entirely on the interfaces provided on the motherboard, which typically includes 2-4 memory slots, 2-5 hard drive interfaces, and 2-4 PCIe slots. However, industrial control systems require a wide variety of interfaces, so passive motherboards for industrial PCs have a much larger number of slots, allowing for expansion of up to 20 expansion cards.
4. Different software environments
The computers are mostly equipped with the latest Windows operating system, although Apple computers generally come with Mac OS. Software typically includes office suites, video playback, social media, and games.
Most industrial PCs are equipped with Windows operating systems, but to ensure compatibility with industrial control software, they often use older versions of Windows. On the software side, because industrial PCs are specifically designed for industrial control, they are installed with dedicated industrial control software.
