I believe that some of the laptops the Army uses for Fire
Observation/Fire Support Centers  (FOFAC's) are ruggedized Pentium II's. The
specifications and standards for any Army  material item has to be Nuclear
hardened tested (HCI), electronic and magnetic field interference tested
(EMI), Chemical Agent Resistive Coated (CARC) among other things---Namely
the function requirements of the computer itself ( RAM, GiG's, Speed, etc).
    It is of little surprise that any off the shelf laptop's fail. I had a
$3000 Compaq off the shelf fail completely due to dust in the field within 3
days! My next laptop failed in Guatemala due to humidity of the monsoon
season.
    I know there are newer architecture systems already being used by the
Army than 486's that the Marines can use and upgrade to their standards. To
save money they could drop the HCI and CARC requirements, but the EMI is a
big item to pass. Without it, SGT Snuffy is happily typing away on his
laptop when he detonates a 500 lb bomb behind him from EMI crosstalk to the
nose fuze.  I work with Battle Tanks and deal with the Marine Corps quite
often about the Abrams tank.




Brian J. Van De Wal
Mechanical Engineer
Benet Weapons Lab, Tank Turret Branch
U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command
Watervliet Arsenal
Comm 518-266-4287
Fax 518-266-4851



-----Original Message-----
From: Bay State Circuits, Inc. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, April 09, 1999 9:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] computer upgrade


Dear Technetters

I have been approached by someone in the Marine Corps about finding someone
that can design, build, and assemble a pentium replacement board for some
old 486 ruggedized computers.  They were originally made by Litton and
Litton wants $3600 to replace the 486 board with a whopping 200Mhz pentium.
This Marine is trying to find a company that could do this for alot less and
hopefully with something more powerful than  200 Mhz.   The board is not a
standard pentium board.  It would have to be designed to fit this particular
case.  The computer is ruggedized to be used in the desert and woods.  Right
now the Marine Corps is using off the shelf Compaq laptops but after two
days in the desert they were experiencing failures  do to the dust and sand.
This ruggedized 486 was used very successfully in the desert and woods in
the past but now is of course to slow.

If anybody knows of any company that can do this type of thing I would
appreciate the contact.

Thank you
David
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>

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