A rugged computer is designed to operate reliably in harsh environments like vibrations, extreme temperatures, and dusty or wet conditions. They have protective casing that allows them to last a long time, even after internal components stop working. Rugged computers are built with the fastest available processors and maximum RAM in order to ensure they remain useful for as long as possible, especially for military applications. Their protective casings are also very expensive, so the goal is for the entire computer to have a long lifespan before requiring repairs.

1. Rugged Computer
(Military)
By Kai , Lucy , Deanna & Taylor
Group 10

2. What is it
O A rugged computer is a computer
specifically designed to operate reliably in
harsh usage environments and conditions,
such as strong vibrations, extreme
temperatures and wet or dusty conditions.

3. Essential Components:

5. Are they future proof?
O Rugged computer's are future proof because they
have a protective cases so they will only break
when the parts of the computer inside stop working
but otherwise they last for ages.
O When you build them they should be the fastest
they can be , for example , with 16 GB of RAM
because you want it to last for as long as possible .
Especially if they are using them in the military
then they need them to be fast for bombs , etc.
O Rugged casing is also very expensive and once its
on the computer you cant get it off so you want the
computer to last as long as it can so you don’t
have to dismantle the case to fix it.

6. The CPU
CPU stands for Central Processing Unit.
This is the brain of the computer which does all the processing and
calculations on data inputs and provides output on screen or printer.
The CPU consists of several functional units , such as:
O The control unit - The control unit provides the timing and control
signal to all operations of the computer. It controls the flow of data
between the microprocessor and memory.
O The arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) Performs arithmetic operations (addition ,
subtraction , multiplication and division)and logic operations. Logic
operations test various conditions to encounter during processing and allow
for different actions to be taken based on the results..
O It also uses the Fetch-execute cycle to help different pieces of data be
stored and carried out:
O Fetch - The CPU uses the virtual hardware path called the Address Bus ,
The CPU places the next item into the Address Bus to be fetched. The data
from this address then moves to the main memory into the CPU by
travelling along the hardware bus called the data bus. The Program counter
copies the address to the next instruction into the Memory Address Register
(MAR).
O Decode - The CPU then needs to make sense of the instruction its just
fetched. The CPU is designed to understand a different set of commands
which are called the 'Instruction set'. Each make of CPU has a different
instruction set. The CPU decodes the instruction and prepares various
areas for the next step.
O Execute - This is when data processing takes place , the instruction is
carried out on the data and the result is stored in a register. The Program
Counter is reset and the CPU sets itself for another cycle.

7. Hard Drive
O An internal hard drive is built into the computer and
without this your computer wouldn’t be able to
operate.
O They are designed to store all data , files and
media within the computer.
O As your computer runs,
its processor is
constantly performing
calculations on the data
stored on the computer.
The faster the
processor is, the faster
your computer will run.

8. Heat Sink
O A heat sink is a device
that allows the transfer of
heat away from the heat
source and is attached to
the source to reduce the
heat within their safe
running temperature
limits
O Nearly all
microprocessors in
computers use a heat
sink to transfer the heat
of the CPU to the
aluminium which lets the
heat into the air.

9. The Mother Board
O A motherboard is also
known as a main board,
system board and logic
board.
O The function of the
computer motherboard
is to act as the main
circuit board that
connects and
communicates to all the
devices and
components attached.
O The motherboard also
facilitates the
communication of
devices with each other.

10. RAM
O RAM stands for
Random Access
Memory.
O It is computer's main
memory where
programs, application
software, and data are
stored. The size of the
RAM (measured by
kilobytes) is an
important indicator of
the capacity of the
computer