The inForce hardware device serves several purposes in a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing line:
- Acts as a gatekeeper between two pieces of equipment on an assembly line—conveyors or assembly equipment.
- Interacts with SMEMA-compliant manufacturing equipment to prevent or allow a PCB from proceeding to the next machine on the line based on validation received from FactoryLogix.
- Ensures that a valid barcode was read from a PCB, that the board in question belongs at that location, that the board won't exceed the batch quantity, that the downstream equipment is set up correctly, that all entry conditions have been satisfied, that no line stop is currently active, and there are no workstation restrictions.
inForce 2.0 runs Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Core and a purpose-built Universal Windows Application. The following table describes the device's main features and connections.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 4 USB ports | The ports are used for barcode scanners and input devices such as a keyboard or mouse. |
| HDMI port | Use this port to connect an (optional) monitor. InForce 2.0 is designed to run in a "headless" environment where a single Windows 10 computer monitors an entire line of inForce devices. |
| Built-in serial (RS-232C) port | Use this port to transfer scanned and validated barcodes to other pieces of equipment. |
| Audio via a USB-connected speaker | The Windows IoT Core OS does not support HDMI Audio at this time. |
| Barcode scanner support | Most HID compliant USB barcode scanners will work with inForce 2.0. There are several key advantages to using HID scanners, the most significant of which is the ability to discern which scanner (top side vs. bottom side) is sending the barcode to the inForce unit. |
