Introducing HARTING IIC MICA

Harting IIC MICA (Modular Industry Computing Architecture) provides existing machinery and systems with intelligence, making it possible to transform factories into smart factories, bringing to life the potential of Integrated Industry. Therefore, customers can design their production facilities to be more modular, affordable and less complex. Customers can also implement their Industry 4.0 projects - regardless of size or complexity - quickly and cost effectively.

Harting IIC MICA makes it possible to temporarily save, evaluate and process data directly within the machinery and equipment. With its modular open platform, the Harting IIC MICA can be customised as required, including the hardware, software and interfaces, bringing you into the world of Integrated Industry.

MICA functions as a small, robust computing unit between physical devices and the higher-level IT system. The cost-effective system allows you to run computing power at all levels as well as communicate with central IT systems and the cloud.

• Fast data analysis and decision-making at the field-level network edge
• Memory and collecting capability provides relief for computer centres

MICA is compact and even fits on an electrical cabinet DIN rail. With dimensions of 13 × 8 × 3.5cm, MICA can be installed discreetly and directly onto a machine to save real estate. The front panel can be customised with various connectors including M12 and USB to optimise network connectivity.

The IP 67 system is designed to withstand vibrations and extreme temperature fluctuations in harsh industrial and railway applications. MICA can be used in metallic environments and is resistant to dust and moisture. As there is no fan, it is maintenance free and servicing can be performed remotely through a web browser.

MICA's open source approach allows you to completely customise the computer, for example you choose the programming language and development environment.

MICA is a modular platform made from open hardware and software components. Unlike single-board computers, the MICA circuit board is divided into three parts - one of which is customisable to your application. The form factor and degree of protection remain unchanged after hardware adjustments.

Software applications run in virtual, Linux-based containers which hold all the necessary libraries and drivers. So incompatibility and dependency on existing packages are no longer an issue.

MICA can multi-task

MICA features a powerful 1GHz ARM processor, 1GB of RAM and 4 GB eMMC flash memory (plus an additional 32GB on a micro-SD card). Harting's virtual industry computing technology enables multiple programs to run in parallel within the virtual containers. These containers run in individual sandboxes which isolate and secure different applications from each other. This enables smart, multi-tasking to occur for productive operations.

The touch-optimised interface is implemented entirely in HTML5 and JavaScript. Designed for end users and administrators, the interface is simple and easy to use. This can be customised by developers without any special requirements.

Harting believes that the one-time investment for MICA is significantly lower compared with complete industrial PCs. Plus, MICA has:

• No licensing fees
• No leasing fees
• Inexpensive prototyping and development due to open development environment{

, even for multiple projects,Power consumption for the base version is less than 5W, therefore has low operating costs}.

For more information about the HARTING IIC go to www.harting.co.uk/mica/what-is-mica.