For about the same price, you can get a used Panasonic Toughbook on eBay.[1] Those are rugged even with the cover open, and faster than a BeagleBoard.
I've been buying EeePC 1001px machines on eBay for under $40 for some semi-embedded work. I put Xubuntu on them, and they get the job done. If they break, I'm out $40.
If you're going to build stuff for outdoor use, coat the electronics with a waterproof silicon conformal coat.[2] (Mask the connectors first.) This will prevent corrosion on the coated parts. Automotive and marine electronics usually get this treatment at the factory, but, annoyingly, mobile devices usually don't.
Toughbooks are awesome. I've used several CF-19s over the years for geologic mapping, and they're excellent though a little heavy. The rubberized keyboard kind of sucks and the one I have now has a backlit keyboard which is great for working in the tent at night, but could be a point of failure if you use it in heavy rain.
The integrated GPS receivers are quite nice for mapping as well as navigation. It's cool having the geologic map open in QGIS with the little arrow showing you where you are as you drive. If, you know, you're in to that sort of thing.
"So I tapped into the wealth of Maker experience I’ve accumulated over the last few years and build a new one, using a single board computer, some extra peripherals, and a 3D printer. And I shoved the whole thing into a Pelican case. Say hello to the BeagleBox, a dirt cheap, tough-as-nails field computer for about $200."
Anybody can get a mass produced piece of equipment if they spend money. Not everyone can re-purpose cases, then hardware and convert it into a usable device, that is cheap, hackable and fit for purpose. I have to read this article again.
I appreciate Animats' comment, and it's on topic. I recently saw someone using a Toughbook but didn't have time to stop and ask about it.
And like you say, not everyone can re-purposes cases and hack and convert things. So it's nice to see "if you're into this, you might also like to know about ..." comments.
It's fine to build a tool for the sake of building, but if you want to present it as effort-saving you need to compare it to what you can buy if you know where to look.
The core of this is a $60 system. It does not save money over a $40 laptop that you could put in the same waterproof box.
And what does 'hack-ability' mean in this context? It's not easier to replace any parts on the beaglebone. Swapping the screen is easier; nothing else.
If I were funding a science expedition, I think I would prefer that people use an off-the-shelf item, even if it's a little bit more, than spending time hacking something together. In grad school, a labmate of mine pointed out that supporting a junior researcher costs ~$200/day (with tuition, stipend, and benefits), so if spending $200 on an experiment or piece of equipment would save a day of work, it's usually worth it. I'm not saying it's not useful to have people who can do the hacking, but you want them to spend their time hacking things that can only be hacked.
Indeed one could, but then it wouldn't be upgradeable. The BeagleBox needn't be Beagle powered forever.
> coat the electronics with a waterproof silicon conformal coat.[2] (Mask the connectors first.)
Thank you very much for this recommendation and link. My own custom portable computing project [0] has certain aspirations to all-terrain viability, but I hadn't yet investigated water proofing.
As for the build like this, there is always the option to throw in a lot of modular battery capacity. With waterproofing it would be great for outside long running no grid projects.
I would like to see a reasonably fast machine that has a really great keyboard, which is lightweight yet incredibly tough. Basically take the insides of an ultrabook, but put them in a case that exploits the additional thickness for super-enhanced durability without added weight. Take an ultrabook but tradeoff thickness for durability.
I have a backpack. I can take a thicker laptop. Give me one that's 10x more robust!
Out of curiosity, how thick of a machine would you be willing to accept? The Toughbooks are around two inches deep and still require professional laptop industry component packing knowledge to fit everything, but doubling that dimension yields lots of DIY flexibility, and Pelican makes cases of many sizes.
Also, what kind of keyboard would you prefer? I havebecome increasingly enamored with 60%, 50%, and even 40% mechanical keyboard kits, which I suspect would be easier to make robust (such as silicone-waterproofing the contacts, as per Animats suggestion above) than retrofitting an assembled full sized (104 key) keyboard.
They're okay, but the keyboards are not great and you can kill them in outdoor industrial contexts. Those flimsy port doors will snap off and any flying particulates will bring it down eventually.
I've been buying EeePC 1001px machines on eBay for under $40 for some semi-embedded work. I put Xubuntu on them, and they get the job done. If they break, I'm out $40.
If you're going to build stuff for outdoor use, coat the electronics with a waterproof silicon conformal coat.[2] (Mask the connectors first.) This will prevent corrosion on the coated parts. Automotive and marine electronics usually get this treatment at the factory, but, annoyingly, mobile devices usually don't.
[1] http://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-ToughBook-CF-30-MK3-Rugged...
[2] https://www.techspray.com/d-3-fine-l-kote.aspx