Automation Control Products to Ship its Industrial Thin Clients with Micron Servers

Automation Control Products (ACP; Alpharetta, GA) announced that it is now shipping its industrial thin client computer (ThinTerm) with Windows NT based servers made by Micron Electronics (Nampa, Idaho).

ACP integrated Thin Client/Server hardware with management software to deliver solutions designed to reduce cost of ownership for PC-based SCADA systems. According to ACP, it is also the first company to bring thin client technology into harsh environments.

Although ACP will still sell its clients individually, many customers want to be able to buy an entire system from a single manufacturer. The ACP supplied servers will be pre-configured with Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server, Citrix Device Services, and ACP's patent-pending ThinManager software in 5, 10, 15, and 25 client configurations. This gives users the quickest way to get thin client technology where no other thin clients can operate -- on the factory floor.

ThinTerm clients significantly increase system reliability when compared to a "white box" PC, at a lower total cost of ownership. ThinTerm industrial client boxes (model number TT21-100 ) cost $1,595 each, and have no moving parts, improving reliability. No floppy drive means that plant managers don't have to worry about data security, data corruption, or workers loading unauthorized software and viruses.

ACP's ThinTerm Industrial Client is compact (6.5 by 4.5 by 1.5 inches) with no fan or disk drives. It mounts almost anywhere, includes an integrated power supply, and is rated for 32 -- 140 F (0 -- 60 C). The unit has two serial and one parallel port, supports an XGA display at 1,024 x 768 pixels with 256 colors, and accepts PC-104 cards. Users can add I/O devices at the terminal to handle data collection and status monitoring.

If a ThinTerm client must be repaired or replaced, the new unit does not require the time and effort to load software, or to configure the new terminal. In the unlikely event that a ThinTerm unit fails during the first two years, ACP offers an unconditional two-year warranty.