It would be nice if I could tell you that every solution we propose to our customers is the result of meticulous research by our technicians who, after examining the customer’s requirements, pull a rabbit out of the hat with surprising and unexpected proposals.
The truth is that this is not always the case… Sometimes the customer comes to us with requirements that lead us to discover solutions we had never explored before and that spark a new idea. This is the case with this server, which we immediately liked for its compact and playful shape and which we appreciated for the balance between space occupied and performance.
The customer came to us with a specific request, with no tolerance on the specifications. They work in video surveillance, and the first non-negotiable condition was the 4-slot Hot-Swap drive bay that allows hard drives to be replaced, added or removed without having to power down or restart the system.
Murphy’s Law would have left no room for error: if a PC used for video surveillance is switched off to change the drives, in the five minutes it takes to turn it off and back on again, two robberies, a murder and a road accident would occur. So, Hot-Swap it is!
The challenge: maximum performance in a compact space.
In the world of industrial PCs, striking the right balance between compact size, computing power and storage flexibility is one of the most complex engineering challenges. When an industrial application (in this case, recording video surveillance data) requires the management of a continuous volume of data or the control of a multi-screen workstation (this PC is connected to four monitors), hardware selection cannot allow for compromises and must meet all the project requirements.
It is with this objective in mind that the Kimera Cube was born: an industrial-grade solution in a “cube” format designed to combine the modularity of a mini NAS server with high-performance computing power. A PC that delivers server-level performance in a small footprint and, thanks to industrial-grade technology, ensures robust hardware and long-term availability of the same PC model.
Ultra-Compact Design, Without Compromises
Designed around an engineered server-derived chassis based on a specific customer request, the Kimera Cube packs an extraordinary amount of resources into extremely compact dimensions: just 194 x 200 x 270 mm.
Despite its small footprint, the internal architecture can accommodate:
1. Up to 4 front-extractable Hard Drives/SSDs.
2. 1 additional internal SSD/HDD drive for the operating system.
3. Industrial Mini-ITX motherboards configurable with up to latest-generation Intel® Core™ i9 processors.
4. A dedicated graphics card via a low-profile expansion slot.
Hot-Swap Storage: Guaranteed Operational Continuity
The real strength of the Kimera Cube lies in data management. Thanks to the 4-slot Hot-Swap drive bay (compatible with 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA/SAS drives up to 12Gbit/s), hard drives can be replaced, added or removed without having to power down or restart the system.
Why Is Hot-Swap Technology Critical in Industry?
- Zero Downtime: In production or security environments, shutting down a machine to replace a failed drive means interrupting the workflow. Hot-Swap eliminates machine downtime.
- Fast Maintenance: The front door with a lock protects against unauthorized access, while still providing technicians with immediate access to individual drives equipped with a security key.
- Sequential Archiving: Ideal for periodic extraction of production logs or video recordings to be archived offline.
Multi-Monitor Management: Up to 4 Displays Simultaneously
Thanks to the integration of dedicated graphics cards or the optimisation of motherboard outputs, the Kimera Cube can support up to 4 independent monitors simultaneously.
This feature makes it the ideal choice for:
- Control Rooms and NOCs: Simultaneous display of telemetry data, network maps, PLC parameters and business metrics.
- Advanced Video Surveillance Stations: Management of high-resolution IP video streams split across multiple screens for 360° coverage.
- Complex Digital Signage: Control of multimedia installations deployed in public or commercial spaces.
Main Technical Specifications
| Component / Feature | Kimera Cube Specifications |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 194 x 200 x 270 mm |
| Material | Heavy-duty 1.0 mm steel |
| External Drive Bays | 4x 3.5″ / 2.5″ SATA/SAS Hot-Swap (up to 12Gbps) |
| Internal Drives | 1x 2.5″ for OS/System Drive |
| Supported CPUs | Up to Intel® Core™ i9 |
| Video Outputs | Up to 4 simultaneous monitors |
| Front Ports | 2x USB 3.0, HDD/Network/Power Status LEDs |
Ideal Application Areas
- Video Surveillance & NVR (Network Video Recorder): Security camera streams require both computing power for video decoding (provided by i9 processors or dedicated GPUs) and high storage capacity in RAID with hot-swappable drives.
- Field Mini Server / Edge Computing: Perfect for installation inside small rack cabinets or directly on the factory floor, where limited space must accommodate virtualisation services or local databases.
- Machine Edge and Automation: Thanks to the robust hardware and lockable front door, it protects sensitive data while maintaining a minimal footprint on the work island.
A Mini Server Without Taking Up the Space of a Traditional Server
- Video surveillance is not the only possible scenario. When we got our hands on this chassis, we experimented a bit, and the Kimera Cube is perfect for use as a mini server.
The combination of Mini-ITX, Intel Core processors, multiple storage units and extremely compact dimensions allows it to be installed in locations where a standard tower server would be too bulky.
Depending on the configuration, it can be used, for example, as: - a file server;
- a storage server;
- a server for business applications;
- a local data collection server;
- an edge server;
- a data acquisition and archiving machine;
- a server dedicated to vertical software;
- a supervision workstation with local storage.
The advantage, once again, is not having to allocate a large amount of space to the machine.
Kimera Cube: compactness, flexibility, and power.
The Kimera Cube demonstrates that it is not necessary to choose between compactness, flexibility and power. By combining the features of Hot-Swap removable NAS storage, support for 4 displays and top-of-the-range performance in a cubic format, the Kimera Cube is suitable for a wide range of applications where high performance and limited space must coexist.
From the client's request to the final solution
This is the story of how the Kimera Cube became one of the flagship products in our catalogue. All that remains is to tell you how the story began: the customer contacted us because they regularly purchase other servers from us for their projects.
A custom-developed configuration
When they submitted this request, they clearly told us that they needed a comparison in terms of configuration and price but were satisfied with their existing supplier.
It goes without saying that if you focus solely on price, whether as a supplier or a customer, you can end up hurting yourself. All we did was put together our best offer, as we always do. It turned out to be interesting, and we have already delivered the first 15 Kimera Cube units.
Speak with a technician about your project.
Do you have a project and would like a comparison to optimise it? Our technicians are ready to help you understand whether we can truly assist you.
Speak directly with one of our technicians:
Phone: +39 0429 653281
Email: info@kimeracomputers.com
Want to see the Kimera Cube in our technicians’ hands? We’ve posted a video on YouTube. You can watch it by clicking the preview below.
