Hands On: ARMOR 3600 by OtterBox
by Al Pepling, LS
OtterBox's Armor 3600 is claimed to be "waterproof-crushproof-dustproof"
and it "fit 99% of PDAs." Does it live up to these
claims? Suffice it to say that it withstood the mild bouncing
of my 220-pounds when I stood on it!
Although Compaq manufactures a "hard case" for the
iPAQ, it is only big enough for the iPAQ itself. There is
not room for the iPAQ connector or the instrument-to-iPAQ
cable. Actually, I had to use an instrument-to-9 pin serial,
null modem adapter, gender changer, and the nine-pin serial-to-iPAQ
connector to make it work. It connects externally through
a rubber-covered port which is open during use. Most of the
connector is external. A project was started, perhaps 17 points
on a busy highway collected, and the iPAQ refused to collect
any more data. With no backup data collector, the balance
of the data was collected the way I used to do it, with hand
notes!
Worse, upon return to the office the iPAQ would not even charge
or dump the data. Jiggling the connector finally got it to
download the coordinate file but not the raw file. I had to
copy the notes over by hand from the screen and got a low
battery warning as well. Closer inspection revealed that the
"male wafer connector" at the iPAQ's bottom was
broken where it entered the case and it had to be returned
to the factory for repair. The connector is roughly five to
six times longer than the "male wafer connector"
it attaches to, and by pulling on the collection cord, five
to six times the pressure is exerted on it. (This is enough
pressure to crack it and render the connector useless.) My
advice to those contemplating the use of the PDAs is to purchase
a more sturdy environmental case for your particular unit.
This problem is very similar to the HP48GX 4-pin problems
that led to the development of the environmental case for
it.
All That You Need
There are other more suitable cases available and one of them
is the subject of this article. OtterBox also makes other
environmental cases, even for the iPAQs, which some enterprising
software companies and manufacturers have modified for use
with their products. The Armor 3600 does not need any modification
at all in my opinion. The basic box and available accessories
seemingly are all that you will need. It is bigger than a
stand-alone PDA, yet ergonomically comfortable.
The Armor 3600 is made of "indestructible" reinforced
ABS plastic. Rubber overmolding provides a secure comfortable
grip. Molded into the exterior is an exterior stylus holder.
Molded into the top portion of the case is a groove with a
synthetic gasket material. The mating "male" groove
is molded into the back portion of the case. This is the system
that keeps the case waterproof. There are two entries, one
at the bottom of the case and one at the top. Each one of
them uses a similar gasket design to maintain waterproofing.
Each accessory that is put into the top or bottom is held
in place by a U-shaped, tapered clip that holds the accessory
tight against the gasket.
Please note that while the Armor 3600 is designed to be waterproof,
and to keep the interior of the case dry when subject to rain
and moisture, it is not designed for underwater use! One website
I visited reported that OtterBox's Armor 3600 kept the author's
iPAQ dry even under pressure from the kitchen sink faucet
and from a garden hose stream.
The locking bar with fasteners is also molded into the back
portion of the case and at each of the four rounded corners.
The fasteners are lever cam operated catches that use the
"toggle effect" to exert pressure on the hook to
remain closed when in the closed position. The quality of
design and materials is evident in the use of steel pins (rather
than plastic lugs) that allow the mechanism to pivot. Threaded
brass inserts receive screws to "lock" the locking
mechanisms in place. These prevent accidental operation of
the clamps. (Hint: Put a dab of Loctite on each one and you
can see if your box has been tampered with in the field.)
The PDA is held in place by crossing, adjustable straps and
then cushioned by an expandable foam pad. For a thicker PDA,
or those with accessory sleeves, a deeper back is available
from OtterBox. In my particular case the Deep Box model was
what I needed. The kit that I examined included a Through-the-Box
Con-nectivity kit, a Through-the-Box pod (or module) kit,
a Neck Lanyard Kit, a Belt Clip, a Screen Replacement Kit,
a compact flash pod, and external accessory mounts.
The through-the-box connectivity kit has several openings
of varying size, with rubber plugs or stoppers for the holes
you do not use. The neck lanyard permits the free use of hands
when using a non-robotic instrument. The Through-the-Box POD
kit for is for cable connection. At the moment I have no need
of the external accessory mounts but I'm glad to know that
they are available for my future GPS purchases.
The screen replacement kit includes three new clear screens,
durable replacement gaskets for the case and the screen, and
a new shock-protecting foam insert. Screen replacement is
as easy as removing the old screen and gasket, placing the
new screen over the opening, and "rolling" the gasket
and screen material into the slot in the case.
The nearly indestructible Armor 3600 will hold most any PDA
currently in use. It's about the same size as many of the
dedicated data collectors. Since many of the PDAs double as
GPS controllers and GIS data collectors, outfitted with the
proper software, you have increased versatility and the ability
to just change the device inside the box. The Armor 3600 from
OtterBox performs as advertised and gives the most protection
of any device I have used thus far. This is one hands-on subject
that I may just keep my hands on!
© 2007 MicroSurvey Software Inc. MicroSurvey® is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 
