Tough Books? Pshaw.
Dyvion
Back in Sunny Florida!!Registered User regular
Back in Sunny Florida!!Registered User regular
I'm curious if any of you have actually encountered a lap top that can withstand field use and not fall to pieces. I work in an organization that has roughly 120 Panasonic Tough Books, and only about 40 of them are usable after a year. It is also essential that there not be small pieces involved (which has caused numerous incidents). We're pretty fed up with what we've gotten from panasonic, as users. And I must preface this with the fact that I am in no way involved with the decision making process. But I want to know if you have encountered a laptop computer that can be even remotely considered reliable. I'm talking falling from up to 25 feet in the air onto concrete and staying together(without small pieces coming off), completely useable; Multiple times. Taking any weather you can throw at it (including extreme rain, cold/ice, heat). Being completely submerged in oil based fluids for up to a minute. Our tough books were marketed to us being able to take those conditions. And they can't. (Including the hilarity of the LCD screens freezing, while in use.)
Have you seen a laptop that can take it?
Have you seen a laptop that can take it?
Steam: No Safety In Life
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
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PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
seriously though? a laptop that can take THAT much? maybe you don't need laptops
Yeah... that's the problem. They're -supposed- to be mil spec. And they were marketed to us that way.
Before this we used little plastic binders, with pages held in by 7 punched holes. The pages were 5" by 8" (I know, because I cut many, many of them from 8.5" by 11" paper). And we had 3000 of them. The laptops were supposed to give everyone the ability to have all of these books at there disposal when they were working. With over 20 work 'stations' (using the term station loosely) and many many different jobs to accomplish at each 'station' the books became unpractical. The miracle laptops stepped in to save the day. Now we're worse off because we're not allowed to use the paper copies anymore (they were all permanently disposed of) and we're down to less than 1/3 of what we need to actually accomplish our... job.
What about an e-book reader? Are there any of those that are tremendously tough? We don't actually -need- a laptop per se, that's just what won the contract.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Drop Test
The Drop test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5, Procedure IV (Transit Drop Test). The Toughbook notebooks were sequentially dropped in non-operating mode, onto each face, edge and corner for a total of 26 drops from a height of 36 inches. The drop surface was defined as two-inch-thick plywood over a steel plate over concrete. The Toughbook notebooks were visually inspected after each drop and a functional check (boot-up into Windows) was performed after each drop.
Results
The Toughbook computers boot Windows® following each drop.
Vibration
The Vibration shall be performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 514, Procedure I, Category 24 (Minimum Integrity Test) for the non-operational condition and Category 20 (Ground Vehicles) for the operational condition. The unit should be clamped to an aluminum plate (approximating rigid mounting), and subjects to the following levels of vibration:
Non-Operational (from Figure 514.5C-17 of MIL-STD-810F) 0.04 g2 /Hz at 20-1000 Hz, -6 dB/Octave at 1000-2000 Hz, 1 hour/axis duration.
Operational (Figure 514.5C-1 of MIL-STD-810F) 0.001 g2 /Hz at 12.5 Hz, 0.034 g2 /Hz at 20~40 Hz 5.70E-06 g2 /Hz at 200 Hz, 1 hour/axis duration simulating 1000 miles of transportation.
The hard disk drive was spinning during the operational test. A functional test was performed between each axis of testing, to catch any potential failures. The operational test was conducted using the vertical axis power spectral density (worst case condition for amplitude), as the orientation of the test item during transportation is not known.
Results
All units passed the vibration test without incident.
Water Resistance
The Water Resistance test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 506.4, Procedure III (Drip). The test items were subjected to this test with the LCD open and the unit operating, but with ports closed. The Toughbook PCs were opened following testing to inspect for water intrusion.
Results
The Toughbook computers continued to operate during and following the 15-minute water drip test. There was no evidence of water intrusion.
Humidity
The Humidity test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 507.4 (Aggravated). The test items were tested for operation near the conclusion of the fifth and tenth cycles. Each cycle was one day (24 hours) and the entire test was performed over ten days.The temperature was cycled between 86 and 140°F with the relative humidity at 95% constant.
Results
The Toughbook PCs continued to boot up and operate following each test, and there were no visual anomalies.
Dust Resistance
The Dust Resistance test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 510.4, Procedure I (Dust). An operating temperature of 140°F was used for this test. The upper non-operating temperature of 140°F was incorporated into the test as this is the "default" temperature given by the MIL-STD-810F guidelines. Silica flour as defined by the test standard was used. Failure was considered to have occurred if moving parts bind or are blocked, or if contacts or relays malfunctioned. The units must have continued to function also.
Results
The Toughbook PCs continued to operate following dust testing. The keyboards were usable.
High Temperature
High Temperature tests were conducted in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 501.4, Procedures I (Storage) and Procedure II (Operation). Panasonic set the testing parameters as follows: 140°F Operational, 160°F Non-Operational
Results
The Toughbook PCs continued to operate during the operational test and to boot and operate following the non-operational test. There were no visual anomalies.
Low Temperature
The Low Temperature test was performed according to MIL-STD-810F, Method 502.4, Procedures I (Storage) and II (Operation). Panasonic set the low operating temperature at -20°F and non-operating temperature at -60°F.
Results
The Toughbook PCs continued to boot and operate following each test, and there were no visual anomalies.
Thermal Shock
The Thermal Shock test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 503.4. Panasonic set the high temperature non-operating temperature at 205°F and the low temperature non-operating temperature at -60°F. Three cycles were performed (high to low = one cycle).
Results
The Toughbook PCs continued to operate during the operational test and to boot and operate following the non-operational test. There were no visual anomalies.
The Toughbook PCs continued to boot up and operate following the test exposure cycles of thermal shock from 205°F to -60°F.
Altitude
The Altitude test was performed in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Method 500.4, Procedure I (Storage) and II (Operation). The altitude level used for both procedures was 15,000 feet (highest equivalent altitude given within MIL-STD-810F for cargo pressures of military aircraft).
Results
All Toughbook laptops passed the test without incident.
Full details of each test are contained in a test report that was produced by an independent, internationally recognized test laboratory.
I don't know of a single laptop designed for all of that kind of abuse. I honestly don't think it exists. If it did, someone, somewhere would of made a big deal about a special laptop that could.
If you have the cash, you might challenge ben heck to make you a prototype. www.benheck.com He may or may not be interested.
hehe. www.mylifeistough.com click the video at the top.
Well I know for a fact that it won't work at -20°F... I was using one at night and half of the pixels stopped illuminating. I've also used one in drenching rain for 3 hours and it operated just fine. I saw the results of one kicked off of a... high surface... and it ended up in two pieces. Admittedly, it was a bit greater than 36 inches... I 'can't get there from here' but I don't know if the model we used is the same as the one that passed those tests. Is that the only mil spec test available?
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Uh... I should insert a comment here about something... Oooh, I know, that chick you wouldn't sleep with was hot.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Makeup is a beautiful thing, my friend.
That chick you wouldn't sleep with... her friend was hot.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Hehe.. that's my roommate's ex, funny enough. Yeah, she's a great girl.
Our company uses laptops to access aviation manuals in the field, and they go to some pretty inhospitable locations, and take a lot of abuse. But the laptops themselves are usually just Toshiba or Acer generic, run-of-the-mill laptops. The key is how they're transported, though. Pelican Cases. The most rugged, reliable case for anything you'll ever find.
If most of the damage is occurring while the the laptops are actually open and being used though, I think you need to find some kind of alternative then. Or train your users not to act so carelessly with electronics.
If only. Well, hopefully someone higher than me is putting a lot of thought into this problem, because as it stands now we're just pouring money down the drain. They've tried holding users accountable for the condition of the laptops, but that only goes so far. I do really like the tether idea though, and I'll be submitting that one. Thanks seaborn111.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
So, interesting story since it directly relates and is funny as hell. My cohort in crime went to a conference where several vendors were showcasing new test equipment. Basically these people stand in their booth, assault you as you walk by, and try to convince you that their new stuff is EXACTLY what you need.
Well, my cohort here got wrangled by one of these guys and he's just going on and on about how awesome this new gadget in his hand is, and especially how tough it is and how it will last forever. Now, for us, especially for handheld equipment, it MUST actually be tough, this shit falls 30 feet sometimes on accident. Well, the sales guy hands it over to my cohort and my cohort looks him dead in the eye and says "it's toughened?"
"Yep," says salesguy.
My cohort drops it straight onto the concrete floor right there at his feet and it shatters into hundreds of pieces. The guy's only demo model.
His eyes got HUGE and he starts stuttering a little in disbelief.
My cohort says, "Not really that tough."
And continues walking on.
The guy is just staring at the floor.
Good lord it was the most hilarious thing ever and I don't think I'd believe it had I not seen it. The expression of the guy was just disbelief. Heh.
Good luck in your search ;-)
No, his demands are simply unreasonable even if he were a representative of a military force. It's completely and totally absurd to insist that it's the laptop's fault for breaking after falling 25 feet. Put the fucking things on a tether or start firing people who can't manage to not kick a laptop off of a 25 foot high platform. I work in a facility that has people on 20 foot skyjacks doing work regularly and no one ever drops anything. I'm not even being facetious here, it's less than once a year because it's a huge lapse in workplace safety to be that careless and we hold people accountable to their actions like any reasonable employer should.
Your problem is people. Stop trying to solve people with technology, you'll never accomplish anything better than a stopgap measure and let's face it: It's going to be an expensive and inadequate stopgap given your specific problem.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I really am enjoying the suggestions though (apart from the people bit, which is understood, believe me) and please, keep the ideas/models coming... I'll go digging and see if I can find which exact model we use.
e: Found it. So Called Toughbook Until I read the specifications I had totally forgotten about the 'pressure sensitive touch screen'. About 1/3 of the touch screens stopped working in the first week. Almost none of the touch screens work now. Also it states that the LCD screen is visible in daylight... yeah, if you hold your hand directly over what you're reading. Also the battery life is listed as 7 hours... but that's not even close to realistic. We've got literally hundreds of batteries, and pretty much everyone checks out three of them for their shift (which is generally 10 to 12 hours long).
e2: I'm seriously wondering about our warranty here, and why half of these things haven't been returned.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Dell's XFR-630
Message from USGS about Xenocom's Rough Rider I experience in the field
GoBook MAX
Some stuff to get you looking around on the laptops. All I found were stories because I'm too lazy to go get the actual page from the manufacturer.
Also, to the folks saying you've got people problems... True, but you all obviously don't live in the real world yet. Shit happens and gets broken despite the BEST trained people. I would MUCH rather this piddly $4000 laptop falls off the wing instead of, say, THE PERSON. They cost a lot more to fix. Or if they drop a quarter million dollar box. Or drop the engine. You guys seem to think that dropping the laptop is the worst thing that can happen. Not so much. It's piddly.
Computerworld Laptop Bashing
The small flap on the power cover that came off of the toughbook is fairly common with our laptops as well... but not just on the power cord cover... Using these laptops on equipment where even the smallest of foreign objects means possible death and destruction, I'm surprised there have been no fatalities yet. We even went so far as to loctite -every- screw on -every- one of them because they fell out too often.
I guess the laptops not working is only part of the problem, and I apologise for not making that clear in the OP. So I guess there really -isn't- anything out there yet.
The article makes for interesting reading... like the rugged laptop that stopped working after being submerged in water. And I thought toughbooks were bad.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
might i recommend a fall arrest lanyard? they probably have a hell of alot of them already if people are working in the air already. When they get the weight, they dont just jerk to a stop; instead they gradually stretch to reduce the sudden stop.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/19/mobile-demand-proves-its-xtablet-pc-can-be-used-as-a-hammer/
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/latit/topics/en/latit_atg?c=us&l=en&s=gen
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx?c=us&cs=04&id=latit_xfr_d630&l=en&s=bsd&~tab=bundlestab
But I agree with what some people are saying above, NO computer is built to withstand the conditions you're expecting them to withstand here, outside of NASA. Not even military equipment is that tough. Teach your fucking users to respect the equipment a little better. You know, try NOT dropping a three thousand dollar piece of equipment 25 feet onto concrete.
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