(Click here for a larger view of Advantech's Mars-3100S)While Advantech calls the Mars-3100S semi-rugged, it says the device can withstand a three-foot drop onto a steel surface while operating. It also meets a bevy of
MIL-STD810F standards, as specified below, for vibration, shock, and temperature resistance. In addition, it is water and dust resistant to the IP54 standard.
Featuring a 10.4-inch touchscreen, the device has a five-way controller, three programmable hotkeys, a screen rotation key, and a button that turns wireless networking on and off. It also has a unusual "logon" button, says Advantech.
The Mars-3100S uses a 500MHz AMD LX800, with northbridge and southbridge functionality provided by the Geode CS5536 companion chip. The tablet comes with 512MB of 400MHz DDR RAM, occupying the device's single SODIMM slot.
As noted, the Mars-3100S targets Windows XP Embedded, and comes with a 4GB flash disk on which the operating system has been installed. A 2.5-inch shockmounted hard disk is optional, and this could presumably be used to install Windows XP Professional.
Standard interfaces include a 10/100 Ethernet port, a nine-pin RS232 port, USB 2.0, and VGA output. As for wireless, 802.11b/g is included with the device; Bluetooth and GPRS/EDGE WAN functionality are both available via optional modules.
Features and specifications listed by Advantech for the Mars-3100s include:
- Processor -- AMD LX800 clocked at 500MHz
- Memory -- 512MB of 400MHz DDR RAM in single SODIMM slot
- Display -- 10.4-inch touchscreen display
- Keys:
- 5-way controller
- 3 programmable hotkeys
- Screen rotation key
- Logon button
- WLAN power switch
- Wireless:
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g
- WAN -- GPRS/EDGE (optional)
- Bluetooth 2.0 (optional)
- Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
- Other I/O:
- 1 x RS232
- 1 x USB 2.0
- 1 x VGA
- 1 x mic in
- 1 x headset jack
- Battery type and life -- 3600 mAh lithum-ion battery pack, provides 3.5 hours of operation
- Environmental specifications:
- Operating temperature -- 0 to 50 deg. C (MIL-STD 810F Methods 501.4 and 502.4 Procedure II)
- Thermal Shock 1.5 - 5 deg. C/minute over 0 to 50 deg. C range (MIL-STD810F-503.4)
- Water/dust resistant (IP54 equivalent)
- Drop tolerance -- 3 foot free drop to steel while operating (MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5 Procedure IV)
- Mechanical shock (Terminal sawtooth, MIL-STD-810F method 516.5):
- 0perating: 20g, 11ms
- Non-operating: 40g, 11ms
- Dimensions -- 9 x 8.8 x 1.5 inches (229 x 224 x 37mm)
- Weight -- 4.6 pounds
Advantech did not provide pricing information for the Mars-3100S, but it is available for immediate shipment, according to the company.
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