Importance of 60601-1 Certification for Medical Tablets

Importance of 60601-1 Certification for Medical Tablets

In the medical field, the general standard IEC 60601-1 is a widely accepted benchmark for medical electrical equipment. It deals with the basic safety and essential performance functions of medical electrical equipment and aims to ensure that no electrical, mechanical, or functional failure poses an unacceptable risk to patients or operators.  Compliance with the standards described in the manual (including newer editions) has largely become a mandatory requirement for electrical medical equipment in many countries, so adherence to it is paramount to any company manufacturing or selling such equipment.

Tangent takes safety standards very seriously for its line of medical tablets, ensuring that they not only meet those requirements, but also offer durable, full-featured, and user-friendly devices. Tangent offers five different medical tables, made to suit a variety of hospital technology needs, and range from nine inches to thirteen inches. All come standard with anti-microbial surfaces, at least an IP54 rated casing, a sleek, but rugged design to withstand the demanding environment of medical facilities, and of course is certified on the 60601-1 standard for medical equipment safety.

 

t13-13-inch-antimicrobial-tablet

The T13 thirteen inch medical tablet features the Intel Core i7 or i5 CPU, a projected capacitive touchscreen, full slot smart card and SD card readers. Optional features include RFID reader, front and back cameras, 2D barcode scanner, a 4G LTE module, detachable keyboard, charging cradle, and mounting accessories like a desktop charging cradle, and wall/vehicle mounts with VESA 100 ratings. Another great option for added mobility is a hand strap for the medical tablet and\or an integrated stand.  The IP54 rating on this means its protected from dirt, dust, oil, other non-corrosive substances and splashes of water. This workhorse is perfect for users that are on the move and need a reliable, clean, easy-to-read device.

M10i-10-inch-fully-rugged-tablet

The M10i ten inch medical tablet takes safety and durability ratings to a whole different level with being tested to MIL-STD-810G military standards and having an IP65 rated enclosure, making it safe to be sprayed and wiped clean without damaging the internal components. The MIL-STD-810G environmental testing proves that this tablet will excel throughout its service life in the medical industry by certifying that it can handle stress, vibration and shock. This is all in addition to the 60601-1 certification all Tangent medical tablets carry. This particular tablet features a 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i processor, and a high brightness multi-touch surface featuring a sun-readable Gorilla Glass panel and digitizer. Other features native to this impressive PC include a  hot-swap battery for 11-hours of uninterrupted operation, dual front and back cameras, TPM 1.2 support, WiFi and Bluetooth. It even has a docking port to easily make use of a monitor and keyboard. It’s an extremely full-featured medical tablet that’s ready to last a full day of work.

It’s tough keeping up with the rigorous standards of the day, especially in regards to medical equipment, but it’s a task that Tangent and its medical tablets happily take on and continuously work to improve.

The Difference Between a Thin Client and a Thick Client

The Difference Between a Thin Client and a Thick Client

Of all the jargon the tech world usually has for its computers and components, the name of thin and thick clients probably elicits the most accurate image of what they really are. A thin client  offers a bare bones, simplified approach to computing, in which the client system has no hard drive, moving parts, or locally installed applications. How is this possible? Quite easily actually! Thin clients are designed to connect remotely into a separate server or data center that does all the work in a virtual environment. Conversely, thick client PCs are full featured computers with all the standard hardware and locally installed operating system and applications. All the computing is done there on the workstation.

 

What’s the point of having a computing console that can’t operate autonomously? For one, security plays a huge role. All the data that is interacted with on the thin client is stored on the remote server. So if the computer were to crash or get stolen, there’s no threat of losing valuable or private information. Having your data and applications in the one location means that only the main server or server farm needs to be secured, rather than installing security software on every computer in the organization. These clients can do much of the same work that thick clients can, but with greater savings in space and cost. Thin clients excel in being easy to set up, easy for end users to utilize, and easy to administrate. In an office environment where users work with the same applications and processes daily, it’s an elegant solution.

thin-client-Z600-fanless

Tangent offers three thin clients to meet a great variety of needs. First is the sleek and impressive looking Z600. This computer is seamlessly built into the base of a 21” LED Backlit LCD display. It doesn’t look like a thin client is present at all on this lightweight machine! The slim LCD has full HD 1080p for an enhanced viewing experience, and a fanless operation means the system provides a very silent working environment. The client has four USB 2.0 ports, audio jack, and an ethernet port. For an added measure of security, a Kensington lock is affixed to the back of the monitor. The low wattage CPU promotes efficient energy consumption without compromising on performance. 

z400-performance-end-client

The Z400 thin client offers support for dual monitors, making it perfect for users that need to multitask. The diminutive machine can be mounted vertically or horizontally and is a featherweight at 0.8lbs. The TI ARM CPU provides a high performance experience while still maintaining energy-saving value. Like Tangent’s other thin clients, the fanless design boasts reliability and noise-free operation. The  Z400 has four USB 2.0 ports, two DVI (digital video interface) ports, an ethernet port, and audio jack.

z400-performance-end-client Thin-Client-160-mainfront

The Thin Client 160 is a compact, but mighty product in this line. It’s also quite a versatile one with options for wireless networking and VESA-compliant mounting, along with the durable and fanless construction that Tangent is known for. The client provides a DVI (digital video interface) port and a VGA adapter for optimal display experience on high resolution displays. The Thin Client 160 also has four USB 2.0 ports,  and audio ports for line-in/mic and line-out/headset. The powerful and energy-efficient VIA 1GHz x86 processor will ensure that all remote client functions can be handled with ease.

All About In-Vehicle Computers

All About In-Vehicle Computers

A computer mounted in a vehicle doesn’t sound like the most obvious place for it, but in reality, it’s an essential part of many industries’ daily functions. For example, mobile surveillance computers provide tracking, information gathering, and monitoring for emergency response vehicles such as police cars and ambulances. Vehicle mounted mini PCs are employed as informational and entertainment systems in taxis, airplanes and public transit, not to mention personal entertainment systems in passenger cars. In-vehicle GPS and 4G communication systems are widely used for fleet management and long-distance trucking operations.

 

Once you get to thinking about it, the need for durable, reliable, and space efficient mini PCs for vehicular use is quite far reaching. The environments they are integrated into are demanding, jarring, prone to lots of wear and tear, and leave little room for downtime or error. At first blush, specialized applications like this sound intensive and cost prohibitive, but with a good set of requirements and Tangent’s impressive line of rugged mini PCs, the opportunities are boundless.

tankRugged Tank

The starring feature of Tangent’s Rugged Mini PCs are their extremely sturdy and functional design. The fanless operation promotes longevity and keeps the PC very quiet. Also, having no moving parts allows for a greater temperature range at which the unit can operate safely. This is a big deal when you consider how much the temperate can vary inside a vehicle. The Rugged Tank Mini PC can operate at up to 153° F and as low as -4° F. The fins on the PCs case aren’t just for looks either, they are quite adept at keeping the unit’s temperature as cool and stable as possible.

 

The next issue that’s often encountered with in-vehicle computers is the constant vibration, jolts and bumps felt during driving. For a person it’s annoying, but for most computers it’s quite potentially damaging. The Tangent Rugged Mini PCs’ extruded aluminum chassis is shock and vibration resistant, and many come with mounting brackets that are VESA standard compliant. The effort into keeping these mini PCs stable and reliable will provide the confidence to use the systems over most any terrain. Many in the Rugged series also come installed with watchdogs timers. Watchdogs add critical monitoring features that allows the system to detect and recover from system failures on its own.

ruggmini-L1Rugged L1

Another common challenge encountered is space. Real estate within a vehicle is already pretty tight, so a mini PC needs to be compact and lightweight while still offering most of the same features and outputs as a full sized computer. Tangent’s Rugged Mini PCs are all under 10 pounds and not much longer than a pencil. The Rugged E2 comes in at 4.6 lbs while the Rugged L1 is a featherweight at 2.9 lbs. Options for input/output ports range from 1 to nearly 30 on the PCs in the series, as well as a wide range of options for memory and even wireless capabilities; they are extremely versatile to fit the job and still be cost effective to the consumer. If there’s a need for an in-vehicle mini PC, Tangent has a product to suit it perfectly.