Ruggedness
Tough talk.
How we make our mobile devices so rugged.
A lot of vendors talk about ruggedness. Few go to the extremes that Psion Teklogix does to make our mobile computers support mobile workers shift after shift after shift in some of the toughest workplace environments in the world.
To us, toughness isn’t something you establish in a lab (though our devices spend plenty of time in testing). It’s something that’s proven every day in real-world deployments, in ports, warehouses, courier vans, freezers, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and airports.
Ruggedness means resistance to shock, vibration, scratching, extreme temperatures, water and dust – the things you find in most hostile workplaces. If any one of these is weak, the entire device is compromised.
Some vendors try to add ruggedness at the end of the production cycle. We design it in from the start, choose the best materials for the job and manufacture to maximize ruggedness. And after forty-plus years, we’re pretty good at it (some would say the best). Just a few examples:
Design
• Fewer pieces means less penetration of water and dust. Our designs minimize the number of case pieces and reduce seams and seals.
• Antennas are integrated for added protection (instead of protruding and catching on things).
• We increase the space between internal components to improve shock- and vibration-resistance.
• We reinforce scanning windows in the front and back.
• In the 7530 G2 freezer version, we put a little heater inside to keep the display bright and clear all shift long while minimizing condensation.
Materials
• Many of our outer casings are made from an alloy of ABS and Polycarbonate (the same polycarbonate used in riot shields). The ABS eliminates stress cracking.
Materials
• We prefer colored plastics to paint because it doesn’t scratch. When we do use paint, we give it a plastic coating for added protection.
• The H-gasket on the Ikôn and NEO not only seals the cases, it provides a natural bumper all around the unit.
Manufacture
• When we use screws, we calibrate the torque carefully. Too loose and the seal isn’t tight enough. Too tight and the seal can be distorted.
• Hard-capped keyboard keys are laser-etched from the back so the letters or numbers can’t rub off.
• The NEO screen sits inside a thermoplastic elastomer boot which seals it to the unit and protects against vibration and shock.
Testing
Psion Teklogix is known for our conservative claims. While some vendors are happy to stretch their ruggedness ratings, we always understate ours – and over-perform.
While we use the best third-party testing labs in the world, we’ve also invested millions in our own in-house testing facilities. This lets us test more often and at every stage of the design/manufacture cycle instead of just at the end.
Our own shock, vibration, ingress-protection (including vacuum tests), drop and radio test facilities have made a huge difference to the way our products perform in the field. Ask any customer.
When we do a drop test, we drop the unit 26 times on every face, edge and corner. The rules allow you to drop three different units a total of 26 times. We use one unit. If we get one failure, we reject the batch and go back to the drawing board.
