Crystal Group Releases White Paper on Hyperconverged Infrastructure Bringing Enterprise Cloud to Tactical Environments

Crystal Group Inc., a leading designer/manufacturer of rugged computer hardware, has released a new white paper that shares insight on how branch military organisations and industries are utilising hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) to better manage, provide access to, and protect valuable data collected in extreme tactical environments found in the field, at sea, in the air or in space.

The sheer amount of data being generated, shared, and stored is at an all-time high - and is continuously growing. Professionals in the office and in the field, are increasingly relying on information gleaned from these growing data sets to get the job done.

HCI consolidates multiple devices in a single cluster and adds advanced software to take advantage of the Internet of Things, the cloud, and resource virtualisation. Ruggedised HCI systems tightly integrate enterprise cloud capabilities with high performance computing, networking, and storage hardware to deliver a compact, deployable data center.

The white paper, "Hyperconverged Infrastructure Brings Enterprise Cloud to Tactical Environments" presents insight into:

• How ruggedised HCI systems can provide significant cost savings compared to the cost of acquiring and maintaining three separate systems – leading to speedier return on investment
• How ruggedised HCI systems provide the benefits of large capacity, small SWaP, rapid deployment, scalability, continuity, and security
• And how to select ruggedised HCI systems

Download Crystal Group’s white paper, “Hyperconverged Infrastructure Brings Enterprise Cloud to Tactical Environments” in PDF format at http://go.crystalrugged.com/e/141931/white-papers-/3qz8md/97706659.

For further information in Australia & New Zealand, please contact Metromatics on +61 7 3868 4255 or sales@metromatics.com.au

Or for outside this area, please contact Crystal Group directly 1 319-378-1636

Crystal Group releases new white paper on "Direction Finding and Locating Systems that require Rugged Electronics"

The ability to detect, analyse and locate sources of radio-frequency signals has become increasingly important in many use cases. Direction finding and locating systems, also known as radio direction finding devices, are typically used in aerospace and defence, public safety, homeland security, law enforcement, and other fields to detect and locate electronic signals.

The white paper, "Direction Finding and Locating Systems Require Rugged Electronics,"  by the Crystal Group outlines the latest rugged computer and network technology for deployment in hostile environments of extreme temperature and vehicle-caused shock, including an explanation of how signal detection technology works and the potential benefits.

To download this valuable document, please click this link https://www.crystalrugged.com/white-papers/

For further information on the Crystal Group Products in Australia and New Zealand, please contact Metromatics +61 7 3868 4255 or sales@metromatics.com.au  Outside this area, please contact Crystal directly on +1 877 279 7863

White Paper: How to implement redundancy for more reliable ethernet I/O Systems

Acromag presents a guide to using Ethernet media redundancy in order to create a backup communication path which allows your system to survive a break in the network cable.


Systems are often safeguarded only by duplicating components such as power supplies, software file systems, and computer hardware. This white paper will explain what "media redundancy" is and, through clear diagram and instruction, how you can manage your system's communication with this approach.

For further information in Australia & New Zealand, please contact Metromatics on +61 7 3868 4255 or sales@metromatics.com.au

For outside this area, please contact Acromag directly on +1 248 295 0310 or solutions@acromag.com 

The White Paper has landed - on gathering rotary torque sensor with encoder data

If you’ve ever had a hard time interpreting the encoder output from your Rotary Torque Sensor then this technical document from Futek might mean a lot to you.  

They have written a white paper where you’ll discover:

• How the USB520’s performance reduces the negatives of traditional platforms. 
• How the USB520 easily integrates in Rotary Torque Sensor applications.  
• How to get maximum value from one USB solution.  

Check out their  white paper here. 

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us back an email. We’ll be happy to answer!

Australia & New Zealand - Metromatics +61 7 3868 4255

Anywhere else - Futek +1 949 465 0900

Signal conditioning and the importance of isolation

Acromag one of our valued partners is in the business of signal conditioning. 

They manufacture circuits that amplify, isolate, filter, and convert one signal form to another. Most of these circuits also provide electrical isolation. But added isolation has a cost and customers sometimes question their need for isolation, or fail to recognise the need for adding isolation in their application. 

Attached is a white paper written by Acromag which covers the basic aspects of electrical isolation, what it does for you, why you need it, and how to test for it.

Click here for further information on the Importance of Isolation in Signal Conditioning

Acromag White Paper: Signal Conditioning, Getting the Most for Your Money

A variety of plant, process, and instrumentation engineers, along with systems integrators, regularly face the difficult task of shopping for signal conditioners. Their goal is to obtain the highest quality conditioner for the lowest possible price. Sound simple enough? Well, it isn't. Few of the decisions that must be made are of the black and white variety. Most involve various shades of gray. The problem is, the selection of the wrong shade can result in the purchase of inadequate equipment, or equipment that will quickly become obsolete.

Pre-purchase system planning that includes a clear definition of the system requirements is the first step in the selection process. As a minimum, you should determine sensor input, type of output, isolation needs, power requirements, physical dimensions, and acceptable performance criteria.

Acromags latest article reviews signal conditioning equipment features such as accuracy, adjustability, isolation, surge withstand capability, RFI/EMI protection, packaging, and repairability. Where possible, it also examines the relative importance of various features.

For further information and if you are in Australia or New Zealand, please contact Metromatics on +61 7 3868 4255 or sales@metromatics.com.au

If you are outside this area, please contact Acromag directly on +1 248 295 0310 or solutions@acromag.com

How to Build a Rugged COM Express System White Paper

Designed specifically for the MIL-AERO market this flexiblehardware platform provides you with off-the-shelf, advanced technology to satisfy a multitude of project requirements.

Getting Started

1. The processor is the starting point for your system, and the XCOM-6400 Processor Module built for performance and efficiency is an excellent choice. Type 6 interconnects and an Intel® 4th Generation Core i7/i5 CPU delivers high-performance processing for digital, signal, and image processing applications. The rugged SODIMM hold down mechanism allows up to 16GB of high-speed DDR3L memory to be securely fastened without the limitations of soldered-down memory.
2. ACEX4600 Type 6 COM Express Carrier Cards are offered in three variations, depending on how many PMC/XMC expansion sites you require. 
3. Customize and expand your system with PMC or XMC boards to meet your specific requirements. 
4. The ACEX-FP I/O front panel has MIL-DTL-38999 cylindrical connectors for interfacing to the outside world.
5. Filter incoming power with the front panel power filter ACEX-FP-PF. 
6. An Engineering Design Kit, ACEX-4600-EDK, provides an easy and quick way to go from lab development to production.