Winmate MIL-STD-810G iCore Rugged Laptops

Winmate MIL-STD-810G Rugged Laptops
Powered by Intel Tiger Lake Embedded CPUs

Do you want to take your laptop into tough situations?
Do you often work outside or on-site?

If you do, then you may need a rugged laptop to support your working.
Read our guide about features you may need and how it will influence & help your decision.

The toughest of us thrive in hectic, demanding, or even dangerous environments. But finding a rugged laptop durable enough to keep up with us is a hard task. Water & dust ingress (even small amounts) can cause damage to a laptop used for an every day office desk environment. For more challenging environments, choosing the right laptop can keep you in motion – but you need to know what to look for and what’s going to suit your purposes.

Military Grade Rugged Laptops

MIL-STD laptops can withstand treatment to a level the military might subject it to; extreme temperature, humidity, shock, drop and vibration until it fails or malfunctions. Only the most rugged laptops earn MIL-STD titles identifiable via codes such as MIL-STD-461F and MIL-STD-810G to reflect this level of durability. Long-lasting materials are key to their survival.

Waterproof & Dustproof Ingress Protection

Working in wet or damp environments ? Even a stray jet of water can soak a laptop down to its motherboard and render it inoperable. However, laptops certified with ingress protection codes (IP) can withstand spills, submersion –  or even application of high-pressure/high temperature water jets. IP certification can also be provided to indicate the level of dust ingress protection, too.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) sets standards for dust and water resistance. You can find their IP mark on all kinds of electronic devices; from tablet devices to earphones.

The 1^st  digit in the IP reference refers to its solid particle resistance: dust, dirt and sand. The 2^nd  digit refers to liquid resistance: water, fluids and humidity.

By example, an ‘IP6X’ product certification means the device can adequately handle dust ingress, but water potentially poses a threat. An IP65 rating signifies dustproof and water-resistant, so water splashes are ok – but submersion would damage the device. A certification of IP67 provides dust proofing and also means that the device van be submerged up to 3 feet-3 inches (1m) for up to 30 minutes.

An IP68 certification can with stand submersion over 3ft 3in (1m). Depth and duration may vary by manufacturer and use – but depths of 4.9ft (1.5m) are typically standard. An IP69K certification rating means the device can handle high-temperature water at pressure.

Anti-Glare Screen to Save Your Eyes

Screen glare in sunlight can make work (literally) a headache. Industries such as construction, marine and logistics work outside in all weathers – so anti-glare technologies for TFT screens are a welcome solution.  Good screen readability relies on high-resolution as well as anti-glare – and low-resolution screens with low refresh rates can potentially lead to eye strain. To combat this, many current lap top solutions now come with full HD (1920 x 1080) screens – and can also double up a tablet device with multi-touch interactivity and are operable via gloved input for added flexibility around inside & outside working.

Securing Your Rugged Laptop

Whether you work in the military, healthcare, logistics or media, its likely you’ll want to keep your data private.

Choose a rugged laptop with encryption, secure locking, and Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The latter, TPM, secures your hardware with cryptology, ensuring unauthorised access to your hard drive isn’t an option.  A ‘Kensington Lock’ prevents physical theft of your device, anchoring your laptop to a table or secure point with a cable looped through a security slot. Simple, but effective the Kensington Lock has been in use since the mid-1980s and has proved itself as a long running security solution.

Encrypted removable solid-state drives (SSDs) add another layer of protection via physical compartmentalisation and if there is a security breach whilst in use, you can eject the SSD and protect your data with it.

Compatibility and Performance

You need processing speed to analyse vast datasets, render designs, and transfer files. A quad-core (Intel iCore) with speeds of 2.40GHz up to 4.20GHz will easily meet most tasks. Where memory is concerned, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities all increase abilities in multitasking, so choose a rugged laptop with optional RAM upgrades for future proofing.

Connectivity is crucial these days. High-speed WiFi and 4G LTE (even 5G) will keep you connected when you need it. Industries in and around logistics, military and transportation need GPS to locate personnel – and Winmate’s communication technologies have helped boost transport security in major cities such as Tokyo, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan – where dense population mean high levels of electrical & communication signal availabilities need to be negotiated.

Power Your “Tough Tech”

Power and durability are ‘two sides of the same coin’; PC devices deployed for remote working on-site require both.

Dual-battery design provides enough power for a full day of work and features such as dimmable LCD screens save power – but where Winmate rugged laptops really score are with their hot-swappable dual battery options.  

Compliant with rating and MIL-STD-810H for Public Safety and Military Applications

Fit for purpose, rugged laptops should conform with MIL-STD 810H, the durability standards created by the US Department of Defence that pinpoint the performance tests to ensure PC devices meet the specific requirements for various military-related purposes. They should also come available with pre-certification for Ingress Protection (IP) to define their resistance levels within environments where dirt, dust, moisture and water are prevalent.

Winmate Rugged Laptops are designed ready to meet all of the above; with all round IP65 rating protection, certification to MIL-STD 810H for shock, drop and vibration, these laptops demonstrate abilities in withstanding repeated knocks & drops, temperature extremes, altitude, humidity and water & dust exposure.

Winmate L140 Series – Intel Tiger Lake (11th Gen) Rugged Laptops

The L140 rugged laptop is powered via Intel’s 11^th Gen Core ‘Tiger Lake’ processors and Windows 10 IoT LTSC Enterprise operating systems. The L140 supports comprehensive wireless connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, BT, GPS/ GLONASS, and 4G LTE (optional) to users connected even in the most remote of locations. As standard, the L140 features a choice of sunlight readable 13.3” or 14” TFT display, 1920 x 1080 resolution – and provides options for optical bonding and anti-glare coatings to enhance display reading properties. Screen interaction is provided via a projective capacitive touch screen.

Winmate L140 series military grade laptops offer compact and portability in a robust form factor. The rugged notebook can tolerate the harshest environments while sustaining functionality. Suitable for the challenging work of the public sector (Police, Fire brigades, and Rescue Services) where other technology often fails.

What if you need more than a laptop?

We often see examples of field-based test or surveillance equipment based on a ruggedised laptop computer. If the application is located in a relatively benign environment the laptop or tablet can be a good solution. However, if the environment is prone to the extremes of climatic conditions then a custom solution may be a better way forward.

At BVM we’ve created a number of custom designs which are housed in a “Pelicase” for added environmental protection and transportability. They’re used in range of applications for deployments such as  :-

• Forensic analysers for drug testing by the military police
• Pile driving monitoring on construction sites
• Electrical shock simulation testing for aeroplane manufactures 
• Aviation fuel system flow monitoring on commercial & military airfields.

Our portable Pelicase solutions can be deployed with features such as one or two 7-17” TFT displays, attachable/removable keyboards and connection panels to bring out required i/o connectivity – along with choices of storage media, memory, operating system and integration of custom electronics of your own to enable the whole solution.

We like to make life easier ….

BVM supply a wide and diverse range of Industrial and Embedded Systems.
From Industrial Motherboards, SBCs and Box PCs, to Rack Mount computers and Industrial Panel PCs.

However, if you can’t find a solution that meets your needs from our wide & varied portfolio of standard products, speak to one of our team members around our bespoke design and manufacturing services. We can design a solution from ‘ground up’ – from concept to design – and through to system development and eventual mass production  manufacture.

You can either call us directly on +(0) 1489 780 144 and talk to one of the team | E-mail us at sales@bvmltd.co.uk | Use the contact form on our website