Lanner announced a small embedded PC that includes an Intel Atom N270 processor, a 2.5-inch drive bay, and a CompactFlash slot. The LEC-2055 has a Mini PCI Expansion slot, three serial ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, and a VGA port, the company says.

Lanner says its new LEC-2055 is the second-smallest in its series of more than a dozen "LEC" all-purpose or in-vehicle box computers, of which we've covered many (most recently the LEC-5510 ). Which one of the devices is actually the smallest wasn't specified, but we believe it's the LEC-2300 , a DIN rail-mountable PC that uses a 1GHz Via Eden ULV processor.

The LEC-2055 measures 7.8 x 5.7 x 1.65 inches, runs fanlessly, and tolerates temperatures up to 131 deg. F, according to the company. It is designed to be hidden away behind screens, underneath seats, or mounted up high on a wall, and accepts input voltages ranging from 12 to 36VDC, Lanner says.

Lanner's LEC-2055
(Click to enlarge)

The device is powered by the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, so it goes without saying that it also includes the inevitable 945GSE northbridge, ICH7M southbridge, and maximum RAM capacity of 2GB. Fixed storage is provided by a 2.5-inch bay for an SATA disk drive and by a Type I/II Compact Flash slot.

According to Lanner, the LEC-2055 also includes a Mini PCI Expansion slot and a SIM slot, which together cater to installation of wireless local- or wide-area networking. A hinged door on the bottom of the device is said to provide access to these slots, as well as to an internal PS/2 connector, two additional USB interfaces, and an internal header for four GPIOs.

Externally, the LEC-2055 has two gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and two serial ports (RS232/422/485) on its front panel. The rear panel has another serial port (RS232 only), a VGA output, and a two-pin power input, Lanner adds.

Specifications listed by Lanner for the LEC-2055 include:

Processor -- Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz Chipset -- Intel 945GSE and ICH7M Memory -- up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM via single SODIMM slot Storage -- 2.5-inch bay for SATA devices; Type I/II CompactFlash slot Expansion: 1 x Mini PCI Express slot SIM slot Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet Other I/O: 1 x VGA 3 x serial (1 x RS232, 2 x RS232/422/485) 4 x USB 2.0 (2 external, 2 internal) 4 x GPIO 1 x PS/2 (internal) audio -- none Power -- 12~36VDC Operating range: standard -- 23 to 113 deg. F industrial -- 4 to 131 deg. F Dimensions -- 7.8 x 5.7 x 1.65 inches Further information

According to Lanner, the LEC-2055 runs Linux, Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows Embedded Standard 2009, Windows XP Embedded, Windows 7, and Windows XP. Pricing and availability were not detailed.

More information may be found on the LEC-2055 product page .

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .