Event Coverage

The Making of A Panasonic Toughbook

By Aloysius Low - 2 Oct 2010

Testing the Toughbooks

Testing the Toughbooks

This room is where Panasonic tests their Toughbooks.

Depending on the model of the notebook, there are certain rigorous tests that Panasonic has mandated for the respective models. To accomplish them, the hallway pictured above with various purpose-built machines is where the respective notebooks get sent to. Some of these machines test how the notebooks operate in high and low temperatures, while others test the notebook for dust resistance. One of the more visually impressive tests (and one where we were allowed to take pictures of) is the water resistance test. While the standard is to test for 3 minutes, Panasonic puts their rugged notebooks under 1.8 litres of water per minute for 15 minutes and you'll find the notebooks still working with nary a short circuit.

Most notebooks probably won't even survive less than 10 seconds under such a test, but Panasonic's Toughbooks are tested for up to 15 minutes.

Though the picture looks like there's ice on the notebooks, this enclosed test space is for dust testing. The notebooks looked really, really icky.

If you have accidentally dropped your gadgets before , be it your phone or notebook, the next test is really not for the faint of heart. The drop test drops the notebook from 26 different positions at a height of 90cm. From what we could see of the wooden block on the floor, the Toughbooks have done their fair share of damage but are still more then capable of surviving the procedure. Still, we couldn't help but wince every time we heard the loud crashing sound that follows each time a drop test was conducted. Ouch!

Moments before hitting the ground with a bang.

For a less strenuous test, we were brought to Panasonic’s own Anechoic Chamber that’s located right next to their factory. The chamber is used for testing the wireless emissions made from the notebook to ensure no stray signals are being emitted from the notebook. While it might sound a tad boring, it’s an important test because health regulations are in place to ensure no harmful signal leakage occurs to keep their prospective notebook users safe.

The anechoic chamber as seen from afar.

Inside Panasonic's Anechoic Chamber.

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