AP Series
Automation PCs
Industrial-grade automation PCs built for vision systems, production lines, and edge gateways. Run your critical software 24/7.
Fanless & Fanned Options · Compact edge or full-scale modularity
11 Expansion Cards · Network, serial, CAN, digital I/O, analog, wireless
-20°C to 60°C · Industrial rated, 24/7 operation
Configured and shipped from Norwich, UK
AP Series
Built for Automation
-20 to 60°C
Operating Range
DC 12–24V
Power Input
24/7 Rated
Continuous Operation
Since 2006
Rugged PC Heritage
About the Range
What is the AP Series?
Our AP Series are industrial x86 computers for automation and control. Two products: a compact fanless unit for edge locations, and a modular platform where you configure the CPU and expansion cards for your application.
Both run Windows or Linux with no proprietary software or licensing costs. Built and tested in the UK, then shipped configured. You get support directly from the engineers who built it.
Compact Fanless Unit
Fanless design, no moving parts. Operates –20°C to 60°C. DIN rail or wall mount. For edge gateways, HMI panels, and protocol bridges.
Modular Platform
Select your CPU. Add up to 11 expansion cards for network, serial, CAN, digital I/O, analog, wireless, or storage. Active cooling. Same industrial specifications as the compact unit.
Product Range
Purpose-Built Industrial Computing
Mount it on a DIN rail or integrate it into your equipment. Run it fanless or with active cooling. Add as much I/O as you need or keep it simple.
Compact Edge Gateway
Processor
Intel Celeron J6412 · 4 cores / 4 threads · 2.0–2.6 GHz
10W TDP · Fully fanless · No moving parts
Networking & Serial
3× Gigabit Ethernet ports · RS232 + RS485 for legacy equipment integration
Mini-PCIe expansion slot for Wi-Fi, 5G, or 4G modules
Display & USB
HDMI + DisplayPort outputs · 4K @ 60Hz support
3× USB 3.1 ports for peripherals and expansion
Memory & Storage
1× SO-DIMM DDR4 slot · Configurable up to 32 GB
1× M.2 2242 SSD · 64 GB to 2 TB options
Industrial Specifications
Operating temperature: -20°C to 60°C · Vibration tested to IEC60068
DIN rail mountable or wall mount · DC 12-24V input with protection
Dimensions: 138 × 102 × 48 mm · Weight: 1.06 kg
Configurable Platform
Processor
Intel Core 10th/11th generation · i3 to i9 options · LGA1200 socket
Up to 65W TDP · Active cooling for sustained performance
Connectivity
2× Gigabit Ethernet · 2× RS232/RS485 selectable with auto flow control
Mini-PCIe expansion (Wi-Fi, 5G, 4G)
Display Outputs
VGA (1920×1200 @ 60Hz) · HDMI (4K @ 60Hz)
4× USB 3.0 · 1× USB 2.0 for dongle
Memory & Storage
2× DDR4 SO-DIMM · Up to 32 GB total
1× mSATA bay · 1× M.2 SATA (2280) · 2 TB combined maximum
Industrial Specifications
-20°C to 60°C operating · IEC60068 vibration tested · 20G shock rated
DIN rail or wall mount · DC 12-24V with overcurrent/overvoltage protection
Size: 200 × 154.5 × 57.6 mm · Weight: 1.9 kg
Expansion Card Options
11 expansion cards available · Full specs in the catalogue below ↓
Industrial Grade
Built for Industrial Environments
The AP Series is designed for factories. Built to run 24/7.
DIN Rail or Wall Mount
35mm rail clip or wall bracket. Ships with standard mounting hardware.
DC 12–24V Input
Cabinet power with overcurrent, overvoltage, and reverse polarity protection.
-20°C to 60°C
IEC60068 vibration and shock tested. No climate control required.
No Software Lock-In
Windows, Linux, Ubuntu. No proprietary software, no licensing costs.
Engineering Support
UK-based support. Direct access to engineers who know your system.
Machine Vision & Quality Inspection
Power real-time defect detection, dimensional measurement, barcode reading, and optical character recognition at the inspection point. The AP Series handles multi-camera setups with flexible I/O expansion. Choose the right combination of network ports, digital I/O, and analog outputs to match your line speed and triggering requirements.
Direct Camera Integration
Power and control vision cameras over network connections without external switching infrastructure.
Synchronized Triggering
PWM outputs and digital I/O for precise lighting control and timing across your vision system.
Inline Process Control
Digital inputs and outputs to trigger reject gates, conveyors, and downstream automation based on inspection results.
Best suited: In-line quality inspection, AOI systems, defect detection, barcode/OCR verification, vision-guided assembly.
Production Line Control & Assembly Automation
Run your control software (soft-PLC, SCADA, or custom applications) on industrial-grade x86 hardware. Connect legacy equipment, drives, and field devices through multiple communication protocols without ripping out what already works.
Industry-Standard Control Software
Deploy CodeSys, Ignition, WinCC OA, or build your own. Works on a platform designed for industrial environments.
Legacy Equipment Integration
Serial ports and fieldbus connections let you keep your existing PLCs, drives, and instrumentation running without replacement.
Motor & Device Control
CAN Bus and fieldbus protocols handle motor controllers, AGVs, and real-time automation directly from one system.
Best suited: Production line coordination, packaging, conveyor control, assembly automation.
Edge Computing & Data Collection
Collect data from sensors, PLCs, and field devices right where they are. Compact and fanless, so you can mount it anywhere and leave it running. Handle network traffic across multiple segments without needing extra switches. Serial connections work with older field devices. Add Wi-Fi or 5G/4G with an expansion slot for remote sites that can’t get ethernet.
Multiple Network Segments
Separate operational technology, IT, and management traffic without additional network gear.
No Moving Parts
Fully fanless design means no filters to clean, no fans to replace, no service calls needed.
Remote Access
Expansion slot supports 5G/4G/LTE modules for sites without reliable network infrastructure.
Best suited: IoT gateways, protocol bridging, remote monitoring, data concentration at the edge.
AGV, AMR & Mobile Robotics
Power autonomous vehicles and mobile robots with direct CAN Bus control. Connect motor drivers and vehicle subsystems without intermediate layers. Serial connections handle navigation sensors and safety controllers. Isolated digital I/O manages emergency stop circuits and safety interlocks.
CAN Bus Motor Control
Direct communication with motor drivers and vehicle propulsion systems.
Sensor Integration
Multiple network ports connect LiDAR, cameras, and onboard systems in real time.
Built for Harsh Environments
Vibration and shock tested for mobile deployment, operates from -20°C to 60°C.
Best suited: AGV main controllers, AMR navigation systems, autonomous logistics, warehouse robots.
HMI & Operator Panel Stations
Power touchscreen interfaces and monitoring dashboards. Support dual displays so operators can watch live production on one screen and detailed diagnostics on another. Works with industry-standard HMI software without vendor lock-in. USB connections handle touchscreen input on industrial panel mounts.
Multiple Display Outputs
HDMI, Display Port and VGA outputs run primary and additional displays simultaneously.
Touchscreen Ready
USB input for industrial touch panels and custom operator interfaces.
Any HMI Software
Run whatever you already use. No proprietary software, no licensing restrictions.
Best suited: Operator terminals, production dashboards, process monitoring, live visualization.
Deployed Everywhere
More Applications
The AP Series works everywhere. Control cabinets, edge sites, mobile systems, operator panels. One platform.
Packaging & Bottling
Control labelers, fillers, and cap equipment with precision timing. Vision inspection checks print quality and fill levels in real time.
Energy & Battery Storage
Monitor inverters, battery management systems, and power distribution via serial connections.
Lab & Test Equipment
Connect measurement instruments, data loggers, and calibration equipment. Collect and log test results automatically.
Logistics & Sorting
Route packages with barcode readers and vision systems. Triggers sort gates and conveyors based on scan results.
Building Automation
Manage HVAC, lighting, and access systems from a fanless unit. Runs silently in ceiling voids and wall cabinets.
PLC Replacement
Run CodeSys or IEC 61131-3 software to replace aging PLCs. Full I/O expansion handles real-time automation.
Technical Data
Specifications & Expansion Cards
Full base specifications for both products, plus the complete AP500 expansion card catalogue.
CPU
Intel® Celeron J6412 · 4C/4T · 2.6 GHz
Soldered · Fixed
Intel® 10th/11th Gen Core™ · LGA1200
i3 · i5 · i7 · i9
CPU Options
N/A — fixed
10th Gen: i3-10100, i5-10400, i5-10500
11th Gen: i5-11400, i7-11700, i9-11900
TDP / Cooling
10W · Fully Fanless
Max. 65W · Embedded Fan
RAM
1× SO-DIMM DDR4-3200 · up to 32 GB
8 / 16 / 32 GB
2× SO-DIMM DDR4 · up to 32 GB
8 / 16 / 32 GB
Storage
1× M.2 2242
64 GB – 2 TB
1× mSATA + 1× M.2 SATA 2280
64 GB – 2 TB
Ethernet
3× Intel GbE
2× Intel GbE
Serial
1× RS232 + 1× RS485
2× RS232/RS485 (switchable)
USB
3× USB 3.1
4× USB 3.0 + 1× USB 2.0
Display
HDMI + DP · both 4K60
VGA 1080p + HDMI 4K60
Expansion
1× miniPCIe + SIM
Wi-Fi / 5G / 4G
1× miniPCIe + SIM
Wi-Fi / 5G / 4G
Dimensions
138 × 102 × 48 mm · 1.06 kg
200 × 154.5 × 74.6 mm · 1.9–2.6 kg
Power
DC 12–24V · 45W max
DC 12–24V · 120W base
Higher with expansion + PoE
Environment
-20°C to 60°C · 20G shock · CE/FCC B
-20°C to 60°C · 20G shock · CE/FCC A
OS
Windows 11 · Linux · Ubuntu · Debian
Windows 11 · Linux · Ubuntu · Debian
AP500 Expansion Cards
I/O Configuration Options
The AP500 is available with different expansion card options. Each configuration is a complete unit with its own SKU and frame design.
Base Unit
No expansion card. Slim chassis (57.6 mm). General-purpose compute, HMI, gateway.
4× GbE LAN
2x Intel GbE (4 total).
Multi-subnet routing, protocol conversion, network gateway.
CAN Bus
2 CAN 2.0 A/B.
Vehicle control, AGV, robotics, industrial fieldbus.
USB + CAN + DIO
4× USB 2.0, 2× COM, 2× CAN, 8DI/8DO (3750V).
Factory automation, multi-sensor AGV.
2× PoE + Strobe + DIO
2× PoE GbE, 4× PWM strobe, 4× trigger, 8DI/8DO.
2-camera machine vision with light control.
4× PoE + Strobe + DIO
4× PoE GbE (15W/port), 4× PWM strobe, 4× trigger, 8DI/8DO (3750V).
4-camera vision with strobe and reject I/O.
2× PoE + 32 DIO
2× PoE GbE, 16DI/16DO (3750V).
Vision with heavy digital I/O.
4× PoE + 32 DIO
4× PoE GbE, 16DI/16DO (3750V).
Multi-camera vision with extensive I/O.
4× PoE + Encoder + PWM
4× PoE, + 16DI (encoder), 16DO (PWM 1MHz).
Motion-synced vision for print/web inspection.
8× USB3 + Strobe + DIO
8× USB 3.0, 4× PWM strobe, 4× trigger, 8DI/8DO.
USB3 Vision camera systems.
8× PoE
8× PoE GbE (15W/port).
Up to 8 GigE Vision cameras from one box.
10× Serial + DIO + Relay
8× RS485, 1× GbE, 2× CAN, 16DI, 8DO, 8× Relay (3A).
Heavy industrial – Modbus RTU, multi-device serial.
Software Freedom
Runs What You Tell It To
Every AP Series unit runs standard x86 operating systems. Install your own software stack (SCADA, HMI, vision libraries, OPC UA, CodeSys) without proprietary runtime fees or vendor lock-in. Windows, Linux, or your choice.
Windows IoT Enterprise
Full Windows 10/11 IoT LTSC with long-term servicing, kiosk lockdown, and familiar toolchain.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
ROS2 compatible with Docker support and 10-year extended security maintenance.
Debian 13
Minimal footprint for headless deployments. Stable, predictable, and lightweight.
Nearly Two Decades Building Rugged Computers
19+
Years in Business
50+
Years Bowmonk Heritage
Configured & Shipped from the UK
Our Story
From Vehicle Systems to Industrial Automation
In-CarPC was founded in 2006 to build rugged computers for vehicles. Nearly two decades later, we’ve shipped thousands of systems to customers including Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Construction Equipment, Manchester Airport, Serco, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
In 2014 we joined Bowmonk Ltd, a family company with over 50 years in vehicle testing equipment. That partnership gave us engineering depth, production capacity, and a global platform to grow.
The AP Series extends what we’ve built. We take everything we learned making reliable, configured-to-order hardware for harsh environments and apply it to industrial automation. Same engineering team. Same Norwich production facility. Same attention to detail on every unit.
Norwich, UK production facility · Every unit built and tested in-house.
Configured to Order
Every unit is built to your specification. Choose RAM, storage, OS, and connectivity at order. Ships ready to deploy.
RAM & Storage
Multiple options from base to high capacity. mSATA or M.2 SSD storage.
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 5G/4G/LTE, SIM, and CAN Bus options available.
Warranty
2-year standard. Extended 3 and 5 year options for fleet and OEM.
Direct UK Support
Call us and speak to the engineer who configured your unit. Same team building rugged computers since 2006 for Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo CE, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Phone & Email
+44 (0)1603 485 153
[email protected]
Part of Bowmonk Ltd
Industrial instrumentation for 50+ years. Norwich, UK.
Single Units Available
Prototype and evaluation quantities welcome.
Interested?
Tell us your application, and we’ll recommend the right unit and expansion cards.