Novel smart access control Panel PC with programmable all-around LED status illumination and Power over Ethernet
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, July 2020)

In this article we're looking at another of Winmate's seemingly endless number of Panel PCs. Most Panel PCs are work horses — displays mounted into a panel in a factory somewhere, serving as the human touch interface to programs and machines. It's important work, but Panel PCs aren't particularly exciting. You've seen one, you've seen them all.

But that's not the case with many of Winmate's Panel PCs. Sure, they may have very technical names, like the W10IB3S-PCH2LB that's the subject of this review. But Winmate, again and again, manages to make Panel PCs special. They might add big colorful pushbutton controls, or give them a slender stainless steel housing, make one for use on boats, and so on. So what did Winmate do this time?

They made a small 10-inch Panel PC that has a colorful LED light band all around the perimeter. That band can be red, blue, green or orange. And it can be programmed to show, at just a glance, even from a distance away, what the status is, or what the computer is doing. Why? And what is it good for?

Well, the W10IB3S-PCH2LB is meant to be used for access control applications, home automation, room management, anything you can walk up to, identify yourself, and then configure settings, get information, or whatever. There are also many timely applications in COVID-19 related health monitoring and access as Winmate can equip the units with vidcams and all sorts of sensors.

The novel lightband (which after our review has actually been modified to allow room for an optional camera and sensors) around the display could be green when the terminal is available, red when it is not, blue when it is doing a task, and orange when something is off. Or the colors could be used to indicate acceptance or rejection of requests or key entries. The possibilities that come with adding color for instantly visible status displays are endless.

The W10IB3S-PCH2LB is compact. Its roughly 10.4 x 6.7 inch footprint is about like that of an iPad. This panel fits almost anywhere. But the W10IB3S-PCH2LB is big enough to bring full-function Windows 10 power and whatever Windows software may run on it to the job.

As is often the case with Panel PCs, there are no buttons at all, not even for power. There's no need for that. All this panel must do is reliably and consistently run its custom-coded application(s). There is the customary responsive capacitive multi-touch, and should a keyboard be needed for a particular application or deployment, it can be done in software or via a compact physical USB keyboard.

All I/O is on the back of the panel, facing down. There are two RJ45 LAN jacks (one of them supporting PoE, Power over Ethernet), a 3-pin terminal block for conventional power, a legacy DB9 serial port, and two USB Type-A ports, one 2.0 and one 3.0.

There will hardly ever be a need for customers to open a W10IB3S-PCH2LB panel, but at RuggedPCReview we always show what's inside. Undo ten small Philips screws, and the backside comes off easy to reveal the usual meticulous and very sturdy construction you always find in Winmate products. Here it's a polymer/plexyglass front, a hefty cast aluminum back, and a steel chassis to mount all electronics on. There's the embedded-style roughly 4 x 5-1/2 inch motherboard, the usual dollops of silicone glue to keep connectors in place, and a variety of switches and expansion connectors common to PC style boards.

For processing, the Winmate W10IB3S-PCH2LB uses a quad-core Intel "Bay Trail" Celeron N2930 CPU. This is a reliable 64-bit 22nm chip that's been used in hardware for numerous embedded applications for a good number of years. It has a base frequency of 1.83GHz, and is capable of operating at burst frequencies up to 2.16GHz to quickly handle heavier loads. There's up to 8GB of RAM. Mass storage is via a 64GB M.2 SSD module.

The Winmate W10IB3S-PCH2LB looks like any modern tablet from the front, with a completely flat/ flush glass front that's easy to clean, an important aspect in today's world.

The housing is designed to be mountable in a variety of ways. There are the standard 75x75mm VESA screw holes for wall or arm mounting. There are also panel mount screw holes, yoke mount screw holes on the left and right for use with an optional desk stand, a special front side wall mount bracket, and there's even a glass wall mount kit.

As mentioned, the W10IB3S-PCH2LB supports PoE (Power over Ethernet) over one of the two RJ45 jacks. Depending on the type of deployment of these panels, PoE eliminates the need for power cables and power outlets. A PoE cable can be as much as 100 meter (330 feet) long, adding significant flexibility in placement.

The table below shows how the W10IB3S-PCH2LB relates to a couple of other small Winmate industrial devices we've recently had in our lab.

Small Winmate Tablets and Panels

Model	M900P	W10IB3S	M101BK
Introduced	2019	2020	2018
Screen size	7"/1024 x 600	10.1"/1280 x 800	8"/1280 x 800
Processor	Intel Celeron N3350	Intel Celeron N2930	Intel Celeron N2930
Clock speed	1.10GHz/2.40GHz	1.83GHz/2.16GHz	1.83GHz/2.16GHz
Digitizer	ProCap	ProCap	ProCap
Weight	2.2 lbs	2.5 lbs	3.0 lbs
Size (inches)	7.5 x 5.75 x 1.56	10.35 x 6.73 x 1.4	10.7 x 7.8 x 0.87
Sealing	IP65	IP65	IP65
Temp. range	-4° to 140°	0° to 122°	-4° to 140°F
USB	2 x USB 3.0	1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0	1 x USB 3.0
CANBus	Yes	No	No
Serial	1 x RS232	1 x RS232	1 x RS232
Vehicle power	9V~36V DC	12V DC	NA
PoE	No	Yes	No
Battery power	NA	NA	38/76 whr battery
PassMark 6.1 CPU	2,367.2	1,519.7	2,090.6
PassMark 6.1 2D	128.5	122.6	96.5
PassMark 6.1 Memory	416.6	418.1	472.9
PassMark 6.1 Disk	1,829.4	2,598.9	2,611.6
PassMark 6.1 3D	126.1	141.8	143.4
Overall PassMark 6.1	1,112.8	1,039.6	1,201.4
PassMark 9 CPU	1,170.6	1,705.0	1,606.3
PassMark 9 2D	241.6	180.0	183.4
PassMark 9 Memory	814.8	724.0	718.8
PassMark 9 Disk	1,863.4	2,005.0	2,339.9
PassMark 9 3D	NA	161.0	162.3
Overall PassMark 9	NA	740.0	738.6
Overall CrystalMark	94,536	122,568	115,689

Ruggedness

Bottom line: Winmate W10IB3S-PCH2LB Panel PC

With the W10IB3S-PCH2LB 10.1-inch touch panel computer, Winmate offers something unique and special. It's an iPad-sized full function Windows PC designed specifically for use in smart access control situations and applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated the need for a variety of health monitoring solutions in business and public places. The W10IB3S-PCH2LB is uniquely suited for such applications (for more info on Winmate's health monitoring solutions, see here).

The panel's ability to use Power over Ethernet means it can be mounted almost anywhere, no need for power outlets close-by.

The unique programmable color piping around the perimeter of the display can serve as a very noticeable status display, an additional user interface component, or for any number of other timely and innovative purposes. -- Conrad Blickenstorfer, July 2020

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Winmate, founded in 1994, is a Taiwanese company with a worldwide presence. Specializing in industrial display technologies and solutions, Winmate also branched out into Tablet PCs, digital signage, rugged Mobile PCs, embedded automation controllers, marine grade displays and computers, and Panel PCs such as the W10IB3S-PCH2LB 10.1-inch S Series HMI shown here.

Contact Winmate:

Web: www.winmate.com
Inquiry: www.winmate.com/quick-inquiry.asp