It’s not too difficult for a substation automation company, based in Hebei, China, to find industrial computer manufacturers. The challenging task was finding a partner who was capable of providing low-cost customized solutions to meet their needs.
The Challenge
This company needed a cost-effective communication platform that could be customized based on their requirements, and integrated with their substation monitoring system. In addition, the platform had to be reliable and robust since it would be used in harsh conditions.
The Solution
This company contacted Lanner after learning about its communication platforms from the Lanner website. After consulting with Lanner’s product development team, this company decided to go with the LEC-3110, a fanless 1U rackmount communication platform with an Intel® Atom D525 processor.
LEC-3110
The LEC-3110, is an energy-efficient embedded communication platform designed for high surge ESD automation environments, such as substations, power generation, SCADA applications and building automation. This industrial-grade platform has a solid chassis design with a fanless interior, allowing it to be dustproof and increasing the product lifespan. The LEC-3110 also includes a screw-locked power plug that provides a reliable and secure power connection. The LEC-3110 has passed a series of temperature, shock, and vibration tests, including the EMC regulation, IEC-61850-3, and has Level 4 certification from the China Electric Power Research Institute.
The LEC-3110 comes with the following features:
- Onboard Intel® Atom™ D525 (1.8GHz)
- Standard rackmount 1U height
- Support Dual power input
- Clear LED indicators in front panel
- 6x GbE LAN
- Optically isolated serial and I/O ports: 2 for LEC-3110A,10 for LEC-3110AU8
Lanner was also able to fulfill a customization request of using a -48 VDC power supply with an input voltage range from 24 VDC to 48 VDC.
Substation Monitoring System
The substation monitoring system consists of a central station and several monitoring stations. The LEC-3110 platform is utilized at the monitoring station where it collects real-time data and transmits this information to the central station through an Ethernet channel. Figure 1 illustrates the communication between the central station and a single monitoring station.
Figure 1. Communication between the central station and monitoring station
The Result
With integrating Lanner’s LEC-3110, this company can now access remote data and monitor their substation equipment. With the reliability of LEC-3110, the company saw a reduction in maintenance and engineering costs, helping contribute to the company’s bottom line. The company recognized the success of this project and has initiated several other projects with Lanner.
LEC-3110 Overview
The LEC-3110 consists of rackmount 1U fanless communication platform with Intel Atom D525 (1.8GHz) processor. This is a popular platform for Wind Power Generator, Power Supply Monitoring System and Power Automation Industrial communication.
Lanner’s LEC Series of x86 industrial platform are known worldwide for reliability and flexibility. In addition to the industries already mentioned, industry leaders in digital signage, In-Vehicle computing, Power Plant, Substation and Automation Control have used the LEC series for their hardware requirements for over a decade.
