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MAINBOARDSMainboards in precision scalespull their weightPeter Hoser, Fujitsu Technology SolutionsThis article showshow modern precision scalesfor supermarkets are ableto weigh, organise, and orderin HD quality, with highreliability even under toughcircumstances due toembedded computer boards.Figure 1. The pictures of the products, weightand costs are shown coloured and in highresolution on the second screen of the scale. Place fruit on scale, press the correspondingbutton, take out sticker and hurry to the checkout– a scenario of mainly historical interestas the technology used today in the majorityof food scales in European supermarkets ismore sophisticated. Among the manufacturersof modern precision scales is the Portuguesecompany Balanças Marques. Since 1989, theyhave been producing and distributing completeweighing solutions for the commercial and industrialsectors on the Iberian peninsula, inEurope, and in Northern Africa. Balanças Marquesproduce, among other things, modernprecision and control scales based on Fujitsuindustrial Mini-ITX-Motherboard D3003-S1with AMD G-Series processors for supermarketsequipped with two displays for customersand employees. The fully developed productsalso include an integrated management softwarewhich is responsible not only for weighing,but also for a very wide variety of other taskssuch as taking orders, managing current accountsof customers and suppliers, and inventorymanagement.For precision and counting scales operated infresh food areas of shops, reliability even undertough circumstances such as moisture andhigh or low temperatures is a basic requirement.In refrigerated display cases, in the fruit andvegetable department, or at the check-out, thescales are not only subject to various levels oftemperature and moisture, but are also usedat a high frequency by customers and employees.Scales in the food sector need to operatereliably and continuously. Balanças Marqueshad repeatedly experienced problems withthe ruggedness and reliability of scales. Furthermore,the company wanted to reduce thenumber of components to cut costs, and tohave an internal LVDS on the platform. In additionto industrial scales, vehicle scales, loadcells, and customised weighing solutions, thePortuguese company, a part of the Jose PimentaMarques Group, manufactures precision scalesfor the food sector. The precision and controlscale BM5 has load capacities ranging from6/15 kg to 15/30 kg. It features touch technologywith an integrated management software(ETPOS) that was developed in-house. Inorder to operate it smoothly, we needed amainboard combining high quality with agood cost-performance ratio.The software makes it possible not only to displaythe weight but also to issue tickets forcustomers. Employees, on the other hand, cancheck current accounts which can be activatedthrough an RFID tag. Furthermore, the inventorycan be managed from the check-out byplacing orders, printing invoices, and accessingreports on previous purchases. The system automaticallygenerates statistical graphics ofdaily operations which can be transferred tothe back-office via wireless networks for furtherprocessing. All scales are connected with eachother, including the control scales at the checkouts– even the cash drawer can be connectedwith sensor feedback. In the retail market allresults must be recorded, this is mandatoryand can only make use of certified softwarelike ETPOS.Conventional desktop mainboards usually cannotguarantee the reliability and ruggednessunder adverse enviromental conditions thatBalanças Marques requires, as these boardsare neither designed for continuous operationnor for changes in temperature. This was thereason why, back in January 2011, BalançasMarques had equipped their scales with an industrialmainboard by Fujitsu, the Mini-ITXmainboard D2963-S, designed for digital signageand PoS applications. In April 2012, thecompany switched to the successor, the currentMini-ITX board D3003-S1. It is specificallydesigned for demanding applications in an extendedtemperature range and therefore complieseven more precisely with the requirementsof the customer. Several special features of themainboard ensure safe operation of the wholemachine. The possibility of system-independentremote maintenance can do away with costlyand time-consuming field service by a maintenancetechnician. Particularly with systemsinstalled in places that are difficult to access,May 2013 24