Rugged Portable

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Fieldworks FW7500 – 1994

Fieldworks FW7500

Fieldworks FW7500 being run over by a car wheel

Fieldworks FW7500

Fieldworks were an early pioneer in rugged portable computers.  Their die-cast magnesium alloy cases were tough and durable, and their integrated handle meant carrying an FW7500 around wasn’t too arduous.

FW7500 magnesium shell - unpainted

Magnesium shell

6 ISA or 3 ISA & 3 PCI slots

Fieldworks FW7500 Slots

ISA Slots

The slot configuration was novel and space efficient as three slots ran in each direction, in a staggered array.

From the Field-works.com website of 1997:

  • Rugged – 100G Operating Shock
  • Expandable – Up to 6 ISA/PCI cards
  • Upgradable – Up to 128MB RAM
  • Customizable – Configured to Order

The first Field WorkStation designed especially for field professionals requiring high-powered mobile computing in a lightweight rugged platform.

A choice of 486DX4 100MHz or Pentium processors provides state-of-the-art speed under AC, battery, or 12VDC input power. Integrated 4X CD-ROM option; type I, II, III, or IV PCMCIA card expansion; 128 MB (Pentium) on-board RAM; VGA color screen; ISA/PCI card expansion slots and the unique FieldWorks Field MousePadTM technology make the 7000 Series WorkStations the logical choice for integrated field automation systems.

High strength and low weight is achieved through the use of a magnesium and aluminum chassis designed much like today’s aircraft spaceframe/skin concept. The WorkStations meet military standards for shock and vibration. All internal components are isolated by way of shock mounts.

The patent-pending backplane card cage design allows up to six ISA slots, or three ISA and three PCI slots on Pentium systems. In addition, the 7000 Series offers a dual removable hard drive option and an Integral type I-IV PCMCIA slot, which permits the use of credit-card sized removable hard drives, RAM, fax-modems, LAN adapters and other functions without using a card cage slot.

Features

Multiple CPU Options – 486DX4 or Pentium; 100/133/166 MHz

  • PCMCIA Slot – Type I – IV
  • 4X CD-ROM Drive Option
  • Sealed Mouse Pad Pointing Device
  • Magnesium Chassis with Internal Suspension Mounting
  • Battery Options
  • Worldwide AC/DC Power
  • Removable Hard Drive Options
  • 800 X 600 Display Option including Sunlight Readable Active Matrix
  • 1.44 Floppy Drive

Face it — computers don’t just sit on desks anymore. Not only do business users shuttle them between office and home, but field professionals use them in demanding environments to service equipment or install complex communications systems while keeping in touch with home base. Enter FieldWorks platforms — designed to house all tools a user needs in one rugged package. FieldWorks provides the “rugged toolbox” that accommodates communications technologies including wirelesss, data acquisition hardware, and test instrumentation for real-time information transfer and efficient problem solving. FieldWorks is the only computer manufacturer that addresses the needs of those professionals who demand rugged, expandable, upgradable and customizable computer platforms. Here’s a sample of the many applications requiring FieldWorks rugged computers:

Rugged computer used for aircraft maintenance

Aircraft maintenance

Commercial and business aircraft maintenance groups use FieldWorks computers to interface with onboard aircraft computers to troubleshoot and diagnose data communications problems within the aircraft.

Utilities, mining crews, telecommunications test crews, and field service fleets use FieldWorks rugged computers in their work to expedite installation, repair, and troubleshooting.





Field WorkStations with special software and hardware help law enforcement officers collect fingerprints and background information from a centralized database. FieldWorks computers are the only platforms certified by National Crime Information Center (NCIC) 2000 for law enforcement use.




Medical and telemedicine applications require high reliability and precision for applications from instrumentation and monitoring to remote video conferencing.





Service bay applications in automotive, trucking and heavy equipment maintenance require FieldWorks computer platforms to provide parts inventories, electronic technical manuals, and wireless on-line LAN link.  Society of Automotive Engineers





The military and government use FieldWorks rugged computers for operations and training, field service, field Local Area Networks (LAN), field wireless communication and video conferencing, navigation, satellite communication, surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and many others.

 

Fieldworks were purchased by Dolch computer systems in April 2005.