Introduction
If you intend to take your industrial tablet PC into an extreme environment, make sure it has an IP rating of 54 or higher. The industry currently honors an IP67 minimum for its best professional tablets.
Tablet PCs do not receive a much attention in the tech press, because they represent a niche market within the bigger and more fiercely competitive tablet market currently dominated by Apple's miracle iPad. The experts note that iPad and RIM's ready-for-launch PlayBook live in a gray area between smartphones and full-function tablets, but they emphasize netbooks fall far short of the performance and durability standards for industrial tablet PC's. In its latest discussion of industrial tablet PCs, CNET experts explained, "IDC breaks the devices down into media tablets and tablet PCs. A tablet PC has an x86 processor, runs a desktop OS, and has a screen size anywhere from 5 inches to 21 inches. [An industrial tablet PC looks] like a laptop with a screen that twists that you can close and write on with a stylus." CNET highlighted Asus Fee PC T91 and Dell Latitude XT as prime examples of reliable professional tablet PCs.
An "IP" rating raises the standards and stakes
In electrical jargon, "IP" stands for "International Protection Rating," and it may refer to users' safety or a product's tolerance for environmental hazards and rough use. In the case of industrial tablet computers, IP ratings generally give consumers reliable indications of a devices' water-resistance, dust and dirt protection, and impact-tolerance, assigning tests and measurements by number and letter codes. As a rule of thumb, only high-end industrial tablet PCs will have IP ratings, and the higher the number, the more robust the tablet and its components.
Panel PCs for rugged everyday use set the first IP standards
Law enforcement agencies, first responders, and healthcare systems first attempted widespread deployment of industrial tablets just after the turn of the millennium, typically using panel PCs which incorporated an LCD or touchscreen into the same enclosure as the motherboard and essential circuitry, maximizing product integrity and promoting user friendliness. Manufacturers tested and rated these first generation industrial tablets at IP54, indicating "water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects." The rating also indicated "Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented," but airborne particulates cannot enter in sufficient quantities to compromise the machine's operation; and the case and seals resist puncture by most wires, screws, and nails. Perhaps most importantly, IP54 assures the machine will survive impact from the drop of a 200g object from 35 cm height.
CNET points out that high-end IP-rated tablets now conform with IP67 standards, meaning they are considerably more water-resistant, more tightly sealed, and substantially more impact-resistant than their predecessors. CNET authorities say IP67 models are perfectly waterproof at the front panel and explosion proof for installation in exceptionally hazardous environments. "Makers can tailor-make industrial panel PCs to the performance requirements and budget considerations of buyers through the use of different processors and OS. Most entry-level models are designed with VIA processors and Linux platrforms," CNET says.
Quaduro Systems, a manufacturer and distributor of IP54 rated Tablet PCs provides mobile IT solutions to the trade all over the world, and it's flagship Industrial Tablet PC known as the Quadpad v12 can be seen undergoing various different industrial tests.
