The Advantech TREK-520 In-Vehicle Computer

"Suitable" performance means as much as is required for the prospective jobs, no more and no less. With the TREK-520, Advantech resorted to a couple of tried-and-true RISC processors from Texas Instruments. The AM3703 and AM3715 ( see TI's product page) are part of TI's Sitara line of Cortex-A8 ARM processors that are compatible with the OMAP 3 architecture, have exceptionally low power consumption, and are available in extended temperature versions. The primary difference between the two is that the AM3715 has an integrated POWERVR SGX Graphics Accelerator for applications that require it. The chips support Windows Embedded CE and Linux, both of which are available from Advantech with the TREK-520. Why Windows CE and not full Windows? Because the size and complexity (and cost) of full Windows simply are not needed for the job.

Below you can see the TREK-520 from all four sides, as well as from the top, with the metal cover removed.

As is evident in the above image, the TREK-520, which measures just 6.8 x 5.3 x 1.73 inches inches and weighs just two pounds, is a very compact unit. Its strong, industrial-grade steel housing consists of two U-shaped halves. The lower half serves as the unit's chassis, with electronics and ports mounted onto it. The top half serves as the cover. The exterior of both halves is painted matte-black. Note the blocks of thermally conductive material sitting on top of several of the chips. These make contact with the housing cover which serves as a cooling sink.

What's not shown is the TREK-520 finned IP Protection Box (see picture to the right) that not only provides additional cooling, but also adds IP54 sealing, where the "5" means the unit is protected against dust, and the "4" that it can also handle water spray from all directions.

For access to the interior of the unit, remove eight small Philips head screws. The inside is neat and clean and well designed, as we'd come to expect from Advantech. The motherboard measures 170 x 130 mm, with some of its external ports mounted directly onto the board, and others connected via wires. Note that the TREK-520 has two SD Card slots. One of them (visible in the picture above) is externally accessible, the other is internal and holds the unit's OS that in our evaluation sample was on a 4GB industrial grade Advantech SQ Flash card. The unit's SIM card slot for GSM-based data communications is externally accessible (but protected by a screw-down cover) as well.

For I/O, the TREK-520 offers ample onboard connectivity for just about any task.

On the back side are:

• Audio Mic in
• Audio Stereo Line out
• 1 x DB9 RS232 serial port with optional 12V/1A on pin 9
• 1 x USB 2.0 Type B
• 1 x mini-B USB client
• 1 x VIO (Vehicle I/O, provides CAN Bus, J1708, isolated DI and DO)
• 1 x Smart Display port (provides power, LVDS, audio, UART, USB, power & reset signals)
• 1 x GPS antenna port
• 1 x WLAN antenna port
• 1 x WWAN antenna port

• LED indicator for power status
• LED indicator for GPS status/activity
• LED indicator for WWAN status/activity
• LED indicator for WLAN status/activity

The Advantech TREK-303H Smart Display

As is, the TREK-303H touch panel, which measures 8.25 x 5.7 inches and is 1.3 inches thick, is compact enough for tight spaces, yet the 7-inch display is large enough to be useful and easy to use in all sorts of fleet management and dispatch applications. It also has a tough but fairly light housing that is compatible with RAM mounting solutions so that customers can easily install it according to their requirements.

Below you can see the Advantech TREK-303H Smart Display from the front and all sides.

Additional thoughts about TREK-based Mobile Resource Management systems

It is hard to overestimate the potential benefit of mobile resource management. Intelligent fleet monitoring can revolutionize the way a business is run. In addition to basics like theft protection, dispatchers and fleet management know at any time where their vehicles are, what routes they have run, what the odometer reading is, and whether they are being used according to plan and policy.

An advanced system may not only provide vehicle location on a map, geofences, remote alarms and door unlocking, but also detailed history reports that can show hourly usage, violations, speeding, or many other parameters.

All sorts of special sensors can be used to retrieve information from the OBD-II onboard diagnostics system that has been mandatory in vehicles sold in the United States since 1996. OBD-II tracks dozens of vehicle functions, and that data could be used to provide fuel efficiency data, warn of potential vehicle and component failures or manage maintenance requirements. And the industry is just beginning to meld the up to now completely separate world of vehicle computers, generally known as ECUs (Engine Control Units), with computers and communication systems as we know them.

If all this sounds enormously complicated, it is and it's not. Installation of a GPS vehicle tracking system is inherently no more difficult than that of a car audio or navigation system. Setting up web-based tracking reports is simple as well, and can be done both for individual vehicles as well as for small and large fleets.

How much does it cost? That depends on the type and system as well as the software it comes with. Developers and systems integrators may use the rugged Advantech TREK platform to create simple or complex vehicle and fleet management systems. IT departments may build their own applications using Advantech tools and standard Windows development environments. TREK based systems may be deployed as inhouse applications, or sold as turnkey or subscription-based systems.

Mobile Resource Management and GPS-based M2M systems are becoming increasingly popular as they easily pay for themselves with the theft protection and peace of mind they provide. They can also generate potentially dramatic savings and increased efficiency in commercial fleet management applications.

In summary...