Fleetcore Rugged Mobile PC

Editor Review

Ease of Set-Up:

Documentation Completeness and Clarity:

Hardware Completeness and Quality:

Meets Expectations:

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Overall rating:

Time to Complete

Prerequisite Skills

 You can easily load and run Windows software.  If you want to use the I/O ports you must know how to program Windows applications.

What We Liked

 Excellent hardware. Easy to set up and use. Rugged enclosure with all connections on the front panel. Accepts a wide range of DC voltages. East of setup for Windows applications.  Internal GPS receiver a big plus for mobile use.

What we Didn't Like

 Documentation lacked key information about how to access I/O ports. Although Octagon provides drivers, the documentation is sketchy and lacks example code

Full Review

 Octagon Systems has a new computer, called the Fleet-CORE Mobile Computer, for engineers who need an all-in-one package that lets them run Windows XP, Windows Embedded (Standard), or Linux on an Intel x-86 Atom N270 processor. The computer comes in an enclosure that can withstand rough handling, and unless you want to add an I/O or multifunction board, you needn't open the case.

The Fleet-CORE hardware includes external and internal connectors that let users expand its capabilities and easily connect with external devices.  And because all external connections, even power, come through the front panel, you can mount the computer in tight places without worrying about rear-panel access. Two LAN connectors, four serial ports, and four USB ports simplify connections to other equipment. I particularly liked the USB connectors that include a receptacle for a small screw used to securely hold SeaLATCH-type USB connectors in place.

In addition to the communication ports, the Fleet-CORE computer provides eight digital I/O pins on a DI/O connector and audio I/O lines on an AUX connector that also has an "odometer" input line. During hardware and software development work, you can connect a keyboard and mouse to the computer through the USB ports. And a VGA port makes it easy to connect to a monitor.

The front panel also includes four female/female SMA connectors, one of which connects to an internal u-blox-brand GPS receiver that requires only a external antenna, which comes with the computer. Even in my basement office, the receiver easily tracked as many as 10 satellites. The GPS receiver connects to the main computer board via a 10-pin USB connector added for just this type of device. Octagon installs the u-blox u-center application so you can see the GPS receiver's results in graphic form. And you then know the computer runs properly. The GPS receiver indicated my proper longitude and latitude.

Given the GPS receiver, the odometer, and the name Fleet-CORE Mobile Computer, it's a good bet Octagon created this computer for engineers who plan to use it in a vehicle. The odometer input will accept a series of pulses you can set to track distance at a rate from 40 to 200K pulses per mile, depending on the external odometer you use. The computer can operate from eight to 36 volts DC and it dissipates between five and 13 watts.

On the software side, the computer comes with an AIM BIOS in a 512 Kbyte block of on-board flash memory and Windows Embedded (Standard) on the flash drive.  So right away you have a computer that runs a familiar operating system you can use to load files and software into the on-board 4-Gbyte flash drive. The Fleet-CORE computer also includes 1 Gbyte of RAM. (You can install Linux on this computer, if you choose.)

Internal connectors let engineers add a PC/104-Plus card, a Mini PCI, or a Mini PCI Express card. So if you need additional I/O lines or a special functions, you can probably find a suitable card to add.  You might have to machine holes in the removable rear panel for extra connectors, though. If you add a cellular-modem card you can use one of the three "open" SMA connectors to wire in an external antenna.

The computer has an internal PS/2 connector for a keyboard or mouse, so I unscrewed the front-panel fasteners and the two screws underneath the enclosure and pulled out the boards. Then I attached a PS/2 keyboard, a VGA monitor, and a USB mouse and connected the external power supply (provided).  The computer started right away and asked for the Windows administrator password, which I didn't have. Then I remembered computers often come with no password, so I pressed Enter and got to the Windows Embedded screen.

Next I connected the upper LAN port to my lab network and quickly connected to the Internet.  The computer came with a Sierra Wireless Watcher program that doesn't do anything because the computer package didn't include a Sierra wireless modem. But, that made me wonder if I could connect an old Linksys wireless USB "stick" to the computer and connect to my home network.

I plugged in the Linksys WUSB100 unit and realized I needed the drivers, which I copied onto a USB thumb drive and moved to the Fleet-CORE computer.  The drivers loaded and the WUSB100 picked up my network right away and again connected to the Internet.  All in all, a successful test.

I didn't have an opportunity to try the digital and audio I/O ports because first, I'm not a Windows application programmer, and second, the Octagon documentation lacks details necessary to program and use the I/O ports. That dearth of information caused me to rate the documentation low.  Without this information, programming and developing code could become a chore--if you could do it at all.

Although the 25-page "Fleet-CORE Technical Manual" describes the many connections and provides tables of pin outs, it lacks key technical information. The odometer input description, for example, doesn't provide a minimum pulse-width specification or an input-voltage range. And the manual offers no information about how to control the eight I/O lines with software.

The technical manual refers people to a "Fleet-CORE Programmer's Guide," but as of early October 2010, that document does not exist.  Perhaps Windows-application programmers will know how to access the I/O ports, but without more information and some demonstration code, I don't understand how they would start.

I also received "Windows XP Driver for Octagon Digital I/O implemented on Altera CPLD PCI device EPM 1270." a 10-page paper that provided information about register settings and addresses for various ports, but it lacked information about how to access the regiester with a program.  An overall set of documentation, including several program examples, would help engineers get up and running without a lot of back-and-forth communications with Octagon tech-support people. Octagon does supply drivers, but I found not information about how to use them.

Octagon has created a nice Windows- or Linux-based computer for mobile applications that lets engineers add cards to expand I/O, graphics, or communication capabilities. But before I can recommend this product, the company needs to revisit and expand the documentation and instructions it provides. Without more information, using this computer could be rough going.

Samples & Tutorials

None provided.

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