NIACO Industrial Fanless PC — NCI Series

Industrial Fanless Computing for Automation, Control and Industrial Environments

NIACO NCI Series is a family of industrial fanless computers designed for industrial automation, monitoring, control, HMI and other applications where reliable computing, industrial connectivity and long-term operation are important.

The NCI platform combines fanless operation with industrial I/O, dual LAN connectivity, serial communication and flexible hardware configuration. The product family covers current-generation industrial computing platforms as well as selected legacy configurations retained for specific industrial and HMI applications.

Industrial Computing Without Active Cooling

NIACO NCI Series is designed as a fanless industrial computing platform. The fanless architecture removes the need for an active cooling fan and supports applications where continuous operation, reduced moving parts and a clean industrial computing architecture are important.

NCI systems can be used as industrial computers, automation computing platforms, HMI computers, monitoring and control nodes, machine-side computers and application-specific industrial computing platforms.

Designed for Industrial Connectivity

The standard architecture of the current NCI models includes the following industrial interfaces:

2 × LAN
2 × COM
4 × USB 3.0
2 × USB 2.0
2 × HDMI

The exact implementation is model-dependent. Selected legacy and application-specific NCI configurations use a different I/O architecture, including 6 × COM, 2 × Gigabit LAN, m-SATA, SATA and mini PCIe.

Dual LAN Connectivity

Current NCI models provide 2 × LAN as part of their standard connectivity architecture. Dual network connectivity can support industrial systems that require separate network connections for control, monitoring, machine communication or organizational infrastructure.

Serial Communication

Current NCI models provide 2 × COM for industrial and serial communication requirements. Selected legacy/application-specific configurations provide 6 × COM for systems with a higher number of serial-connected devices.

USB and Display Connectivity

The current NCI architecture includes 4 × USB 3.0, 2 × USB 2.0 and 2 × HDMI. These interfaces support connection of industrial peripherals, service equipment, operator interfaces and displays according to the application.

Environmental Configuration — CR / CRC / CRD

Where environmental or mechanical conditions require additional consideration, NCI configurations can be selected from the CR class options listed for applicable models.

CR — industrial configuration for demanding application environments.
CRC — coated-board configuration intended for applications where humidity, acidic atmosphere or corrosive conditions are important considerations.
CRD — enhanced board/connection protection intended for applications where vibration and mechanical stress or increased mechanical robustness are important considerations.

CR, CRC and CRD availability is model-dependent and should be confirmed for the selected configuration.

Memory, Storage and Wireless Configuration

RAM, storage and Wi-Fi can be treated as part of the customer configuration layer where applicable. The final configuration should be selected according to the software, workload, storage requirement and communication needs of the application.

Power

NCI power configuration is selected according to the required resources and model: 12V DC — 3A / 5A / 7A / 9A.

Model Code → Base Hardware → Customer Configuration

NIACO defines NCI products through three layers:

Model Code — identifies the base NCI platform and processor generation/class.
Base Hardware — defines the core computing platform and standard interfaces.
Customer Configuration — defines applicable RAM, storage, Wi-Fi, CR/CRC/CRD and other application-specific requirements.

NCI Product Family

The NCI family currently contains 18 product pages/configurations for the website:

Applications

Industrial Automation
Industrial Monitoring & Control
HMI & Operator Interfaces
Machine and production-line computing
Data acquisition and industrial communication
Control-room and operator-station computing
Application-specific industrial systems
Legacy HMI and industrial control systems where the listed legacy models are required

Product Documentation

Detailed technical documentation and model-specific information should be reviewed according to the selected NCI model and configuration. For an application-specific requirement, NIACO can review processor performance, memory, storage, communication interfaces and environmental conditions before defining the applicable configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCI Series?

NCI is NIACO’s Industrial Fanless PC family for industrial computing, automation, monitoring, control and HMI applications.

Does NCI have dual LAN?

The current NCI models listed in the main family use 2 × LAN. Selected legacy/application-specific models use 2 × Gigabit LAN.

How many COM ports does NCI have?

Current standard NCI models provide 2 × COM. NCI53-X, NCI58 and the application-specific NCI512 configuration listed on this page provide 6 × COM.

What are CRC and CRD?

CRC refers to a coated-board configuration for environments where humidity, acidic atmosphere or corrosion are important considerations. CRD refers to enhanced board/connection protection for vibration and mechanical stress. Availability depends on the model.

What power supply does NCI use?

The NCI power configuration is 12V DC with 3A, 5A, 7A or 9A selected according to resource need and model.

Can NCI be configured for a specific application?

Yes. Applicable models can be configured through the Model Code → Base Hardware → Customer Configuration structure.

Need Help Selecting an NCI Configuration?

If you know the application but are not sure which NCI model or configuration is appropriate, define the required processor class, software, RAM, storage, communication interfaces and environmental conditions. NIACO can then identify the applicable NCI platform and configuration.

NIACO Industrial Fanless PC — NCI