Since the end of December 2011, Tranquil have been developing and enhancing anodised finishing processes for its range of CNC cut PCs.

In April 2012 the main development phase was completed and the professional line was completed. The line is now capable of finishing high numbers of units, to very high standards. 

The 19 stage line ensures that every unit receives the same treatment, with exact timing and temperature control.  The final treatment ensures optimal cooling for the systems as well as a deep protective and decorative surface. 

Anodising is by no mean a new industrial process, it’s been around since 1923, for protecting sea plane parts – then in 1927 the process of using sulphuric acid was patented.  In simple terms the process causes or ‘grows’ aluminium oxide on the surface of the aluminium, this is done by passing very high currents at low voltages and carefully controlled temperatures between the aluminium part, and a (lead) cathode whilst being submersed in a suitable electrolyte (sulphuric acid). 

This ‘growth’ is very porous initially, before it is sealed, and accepts coloured dyes.  It not only provides a protective barrier to the aluminium, it also is extremely hard!  It also greatly enhances the cooling effect of the aluminium surface.  The ultimate cooling surface is known as a ‘black body’ a very matt black material that gives off (emits) the most heat per square meter of surface – careful and specialised anodising can actually improve the ‘black body’ effect still further!  There is a huge amount of science behind black body cooling (ie Wien’s displacement law)

By very carefully controlling chemical balances, temperatures, process times and cleanliness it is possible to get very close to the perfect ‘black body’ and that combined with very high surface areas (typically over 300,000 sq mm on Tranquil systems) means systems operate without the need for force air cooling (fans) but do not heat up excessively – even when using powerful CPUs!

All units are normally satin black but a small number of ‘coloured’ pilot runs have been completed, with attractively finished machines in purples, and orange.

Tranquil’s controlled processes ensures that finishes are excellent and consistent – ie as seen on the front panel of a high end Audio system component…

Or here..

Tranquil PC will soon be making available fan less systems built around the very latest 3rd Generation Core Processors (Ivy Bridge) from Intel

What’s all the fuss about? Let’s see what Intel are saying:

The only thing more amazing than Intel technology is what you’ll do with it.

It’s time to introduce you to the processor advance of the year – the new 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ processor family. The new Generation of mobile and desktop processors delivers speed and performance, improved responsiveness, amazing built-in visuals and brand new security, productivity and manageability tools for business.

The First Wave

Catch the first wave of 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ processors. Released this Spring is a new quad-core line-up including 3rd gen Intel® Core™ i5 and i7 SKUs as well as unlocked SKUs for enthusiasts. Watch out for the second wave of dual-core 3rd gen Intel® Core™ processors later in the year, including new 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i3 and i5 SKUs.

Why 22nm Makes a Difference

3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors use new Intel 3D tri-gate transistors and 22nm process technology to give your customers faster, smarter, more efficient computing with improved media performance.

Up to 12% faster for typical workload performance compared to 2nd gen Intel® Core™ processors

Up to 10% faster overall CPU and turbo improvement using the new 22nm architecture

Up to 50% better thermal performance compared to 2nd gen Intel® Core™ processors

The exciting feature for Tranquil products and our customers is the 50% better thermal performance, along with 10-12% faster operation – this means cooler systems (or the same thermal performance before, but with faster CPUs) and lower operating costs!

Watch this space for more information on the new CPUs, when Tranquil will be integrating them to our products, and how you can upgrade your existing Tranquil system to these new CPUs.

Tranquil PC  April 2012

Case Study (IT-P2NO) – To design and deliver a miniature high performance media player.

The client requirement was to design a unit that could be stand alone, or be installed in a rack (2 units side by side).  The device would be used to playback network hosted HD Video files via HDMI.

The unit had to be silent, and extremely rugged (as it would be deployed in mobile applications including marine) 

The product was also to be one in a series of 3 appliances, and cosmetic detailing would flow across the 3 units, the frontal detail of the edge ‘bars’ would ensure compliance to the family of products.

Careful attention had to be applied to create such a small device, including a low cost solid state HDD (1.8” style), especially as the unit housed a powerful Intel i3 CPU.

The client required frontal USB and IR RX ports along with a ‘white halo’ power switch, all of which were included in the design

The concept develops.. 

So the chassis was completed, and was accepted by the client.  It met performance, thermal, cost and MTBF targets.  The chassis picture below is a perfect copy of the CADCAM designed model.

The units are finished in our own specialised anodising department to ensure the surfaces are not only excellent at transferring heat from the units, but also are very tough and will withstand years of use.  The super matt black surfaces and heat fins are specially designed and finished to ensure 100% product effectiveness. 

Our new ‘slip’ additive to the final process stage now creates a ‘silky smooth’ feel to the matt black elevations.  It also reduces finger marking which can be troublesome on matt black surfaces.

The finished item (below) additionally sports a custom laser etched logo to the front.

Timescale from initial enquiry to delivery of the first sample was only 4 weeks.

If you are looking for a customised product for your organisation please contact us oem@tranquilpc.co.uk

Tranquil PC  March 2012

Case Study - To design and deliver a high performance Digital Signage solution for a national UK chain.

Our client required a thin, powerful, reliable and cost effective hardware solution to replace ageing PCs being used to deliver customer facing digital signage, as well as broadcast back office staff training etc.  The current estate was failing, mainly due to dust and debris fouling the fan cooled PCs - replacing the failed units with the same technology (fanned units) was not deemed wise, and an alternative had to be investigated.  Tranquil were contacted and invited to propose the alternative.

The estate of current installations numbers many thousands, and therefore the hardware had to be optimised for transport, ease of installation and robust operation.

Initially Tranquil offered a customised version of an Intel Atom CPU powered unit, but this proved not powerful enough for the multiple flash video decoding operations required.  The second solution, based on an Intel i3 CPU proved exceptionally able, but the cost was considered too high, and the product was rejected.  The third and final offer was based on the same customised chassis design of the i3 system, but was powered by a lower cost Intel G630T CPU, which proved more than powerful enough to handle the multiple video decoding requirements.

Not only did the custom design have to cool down the CPU and Intel Sandy Bridge chipset without fans, it also had to ensure the internal 2.5" spinning HDD remained cool and stable too.  This proved to be a further challenge, as the chassis was used to sink heat from the hot CPU - the same chassis is used to cool the HDD. The answer was relatively simple, and after newly designed 3D CAD models were subjected to thermal flow simulations an 'air wall' was introduced, effectively separating the two halves of the chassis, with only the minimal amount of material between them. The resulting unit can safely cool down the Intel CPU even when running at high load levels for many hours at a time, whilst not affecting the stability of the HDD.  

So the chassis was completed, and was accepted by the client.  It met performance, thermal, cost and MTBF targets.

Then followed final customisations, including the fitting of simple LEDs to the front surface, along with model and serial number markings to the front too.  As the unit is mounted behind a large screen, viewing the status LEDs and being able to see the serial number too, without removing the unit, or the screen was a real benefit.  The rear plate/ chassis were also customised with 4 mount points, so that the systems could be installed to existing wall/ mount plates easily and safely.

Additionally each unit was electronically serial numbered (in BIOS) along with other customised BIOS features to ensure fast deployment by the field as well as reliable asset tracking and servicing.

The units are finished in our own specialised anodising department to ensure the surfaces are not only excellent at transferring heat from the units, but also are very tough and will withstand years of use.  The super matt black surfaces and heat fins are specially designed and finished to ensure 100% product effectiveness. 

Timescale from initial enquiry to delivery of the first shipment (100's) was 10 weeks.

After an initial order of a few hundred units, further orders have been received, confirming the success of the project.

If you are looking for a customised product for your organisation please contact us oem@tranquilpc.co.uk

Images

1.  Initial Rendered (3D CAD)

2. Real unit - showing extensive CPU cooiling fins (approx 300,000 sq mm)

3.  Rear of unit