Big Apple Transit Apps: Q&A with Chassis Plans

Michael (Mike) McCormack, president of Chassis Plans, used to see monsters. And not the imaginary kind. During his recent conversation with EECatalog about the factors that led the New York Transit Authority to select his company for a number of its applications, McCormack recalled that as a U.S. Air Force Airborne Communications Engineer, “I saw computers that were huge monsters and now I see that my phone has more processing capability than those computers did.” McCormack made the recollection to support his argument that technology will continue to evolve. That won’t necessarily mean a situation where as it evolves every company has the same technology, he said.  But should that happen, according to McCormack, the differentiators will be “service and support and reliability.” Excerpts from the interview follow.

EECatalog: Let’s start with a quick thumbnail of Chassis Plans.

Mike McCormack, Chassis Plans: We are a manufacturer of computer hardware and everything related within that space, so it could be a computer, it could be a single board computer, it could be an LCD display, it could be storage arrays, rugged switches, pretty much anything that you could imagine [as being part of] a computer hardware environment that could be used in a noncommercial environment.

Chassis Plans has a military background and then moved as well into industrial  applications such as mass transit, robotics, factory applications, offshore oil and gas, mining—where you are not in a controlled environment.

EECatalog: How are you defining “commercial”?

McCormack, Chassis Plans: Commerical is someplace where the HPs, the IBMs the Dells play. They don’t require a long road map. They don’t require revision control; they don’t require some sort of physical or environmental ruggedness.

EECatalog: Unlike, for example, the systems that the New York Transit Authority contracted with Chassis Plans to provide.

McCormack, Chassis Plans: Yes, the [transit] environment is a lot more challenging. If you are sitting there in a kiosk in New York City, and you’re a single board computer embedded in a ticket kiosk, you might have trouble with that system surviving once it gets up into high summertime temperatures or winter temperatures that are below freezing.

We design systems specifically manufactured to meet that kind of environment [temp extremes] [Chassis Plans systems] have thermal dynamic properties that allow them to survive in a very hot or cold environment, and where you might have dust and dirt at the same time.

Click here for the full interview!

Big Apple Transit Apps: Q&A with Chassis Plans

Chassis Plans is Moving!

Chassis Plans is Moving!

Chassis Plans Supports F35 Joint Strike Fighter

Chassis Plans has a long history of supporting complex military programs by providing custom rugged computer and display systems.  We’re proud to include the F35 Joint Strike Fighter in that list.  The attached photo shows an F35 on the flight line at Elgin AFB with the engine running while a technician monitors the aircraft systems with a Chassis Plans’ custom portable computer.

Every F35 that has or is flying is connected to one of these custom 3-screen portable computers prior to flight.  The F35 is fly-by-wire and every system can be accessed, manipulated and tested via a bus which is brought out to the right side of the aircraft.  The Chassis Plans’ systems were there for initial manufacturing test in the factory, tests of the initial prototypes at Edwards AFB in the Mojave Desert, CA, and test and configuration of all the deployed aircraft world-wide.  This includes the STOL version deployed on Navy carriers.

The Chassis Plans’ portable system is used for aircraft configuration, firmware upload, flight data download, etc.

These are highly customized systems designed and built specifically for this program.  Custom communications boards are installed to communicate with the aircraft via three connectors on the side of the aircraft.  At one time, during initial flight testing, Chassis Plans provided an additional 3 LCDs which mounted to the top of the portable computer to provide a total of 6 17″ 1280×1024 displays.

These systems are used in a wide variety of harsh environments.  Flight lines and carrier decks are not known for being climate controlled.  While the prototypes were at Edwards AFB, they were connected to one of these portable computers for engine start inside the shelters, the computer was disconnected and tossed into the back of a pickup truck which was driven to the end of the runway, then reconnected to the aircraft for final preflight testing.  Not a smooth ride.

There is an Australian 60 Minutes segment about the F35’s for Australia which can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zn0FHDhEK4 .  At 6:18 into the story, there is a shot of the Chassis Plans portable computer with people clustered around debugging an aircraft issue.

Contact Chassis Plans to inquire how we can work with you to solve your application problems with our custom solutions.

Photo courtesy of Northwest Florida Daily News.

Chassis Plans Supports F35 Joint Strike Fighter

Chassis Plans" COTS Journal Article on Gorgon Stare & ARGUS-IS

COTS Journal has published an article written by Chassis Plans on the Gorgon Stare and ARGUS-IS imaging systems mounted on the General Atomics’ Reaper UAV aircraft.  Featured is a Chassis Plans’ custom integrated transit case data transportation system.  See UAV Data Imaging Solutions Push Limits of Embedded Technologies, David Lippincott, COTS Journal, April 2016.  

The Predator, the first large UAV from GA, has a single camera ball on the nose providing a limited field of view.  It has been likened to looking at the battle space through a straw.  Gorgon Stare provided a much wider coverage area with tracking of up to 10 targets.  ARGUS-IS provided a 50 sq KM coverage area with up to 65 tracked targets.  This much improved battle space awareness provides huge benefits in the global war on terror.

 

Chassis Plans" COTS Journal Article on Gorgon Stare & ARGUS-IS

Chassis Plans at OilComm 2016

Chassis Plans Exhibiting Military Computer Systems at OilComm 2016

Chassis Plans will be exhibiting at OilComm in Houston, TX. The show will take place October 11 – 13, 2016, at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Stop by our booth #725 to see what we have on display.

 

Rugged Zero Client

The CPZ-156 is a high performance VMware optimized Zero Client utilizing the PCoIP Protocol for the ultimate in Security with no operating system or user accessible Non-volatile Memory. As a true Zero Client, this device requires zero configuration and management, and offer zero attack surfaces for viruses and malware. This provides the optimal user end-point for Virtual Desktop environments based on VMware Horizon with View.

CPX 24” Rackmount LCD Display

Chassis Plans LCD model CPX1-241 provides the best features in rugged monitor technology: 24 inch high-definition display with 1920×1200 resolution, rugged 5052-H32 aluminum construction, IR touch screen option with multi touch gesture recognition, bonded anti-reflective glass overlay, and an optional EMI filter overlay to support specific operational requirements.

Integrating Racks and Transit Cases

Chassis Plans can assist customers in selecting the right transit case for their project depending on their application and installed environment by selecting the right form factor of computers, displays and power supplies to adhere to the client’s requirements, including partitioning into multiple transit cases to satisfy maximum weight requirements per man-pack limitations.Rugged 1U Rackmount Computer.

Rugged 1U Rackmount Computer

Our M1U-20 computing platform is a high-powered system in a small form factor, appropriate for computationally-intense military applications. It has exceptional strength and built-in redundancy, is low weight, and contains our proprietary SysCool thermal management system to extend the life of the computing system, reduces power consumption, and lowers overall system noise levels.

Rugged 2U Rackmount Computer

Our M2U-20 computing platform can be used for many rugged, computationally-intense military applications, while taking limited rack space. It has exceptional strength, is low weight, and contains our proprietary SysCool thermal management system.

TFX Tri-Fold LCD Monitor

Within its 2U form factor the TFX fits three displays when folded. It features an extended temperature (-20 to +70C) option, a rugged 5052-H32 aluminum construction and so makes it an ideal product for military and industrial applications.

 

---

Stop by our booth (# 725) if you would like to meet our team and talk about these or other Chassis Plans products. Save time and contact us today to set up an appointment with one of our Area Sales Managers at the trade show:

858.444.4392 or annaw [at] chassisplans.com

---

For more information visit: http://www.oilcomm.com

Chassis Plans at OilComm 2016

Chassis Plans Launches Rugged Zero Client

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 22, 2015 — Chassis Plans (www.chassis-plans.com) has launched a Rugged Zero Client, which is a purpose built system for the Department of Defense. The thin client delivers the latest access technology in a rugged portable clamshell and is designed to meet increasingly stringent security mandates for desktop computing devices and complements Chassis Plans rugged virtualization solutions. The system is ideal for remoting users into mixed HSD, VDI or web-hosting environments and compliments Chassis Plans Rugged “Cloud in a box”.

Using PCoIP (PC-over-IP Technology) with the single purpose image decompression and decoding, Chassis Plans zero clients eliminates hard drives, graphics processors, operating systems, and applications/security software. Our zero clients offer the highest quality user experience and compared with the price of a loaded desktop or laptop. Chassis Plans Zero Clients is a simple small footprint will also last years longer than any OS-driven device because there is nothing to upgrade.

Chassis Plans Zero Clients do not require applications, patches, service updates, operating systems or antivirus software. All application data remains locked down in the rugged Chassis Plan server. Chassis Plans Rugged Zero Clients simply receive and decode encrypted image information, and are immune to viral attack. No sensitive application data ever reaches the endpoint; our zero clients do not store any application data. The encryption module uses AES 256 and NSA Suite B cyphers.

You can pair Chassis Plans Zero Clients with USB security authorization, a smart card or proximity card system or other single sign-on devices to comply with the highest security requirements including 802.1x network authentication.

About Chassis Plans

Chassis Plans is a design and manufacturer of servers, LCD displays, storage arrays designed and assembled in the USA for Military and Industrial applications.

For further information, call +1 800.787.4913 or email sales@chassisplans.com.

 

 

Download as PDF

Chassis Plans Launches Rugged Zero Client

Chassis Plans at the Port Hueneme Industry Expo 2016

Chassis Plans will be exhibiting at the 2016 Industry Expo in Port Hueneme, CA. The show will take place March 24, 2016 from 8:00am to 5:00pm at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division. Stop by our booth to see what we have on display.

For more information and to register visit: http://industryexpo.cikeys.com/

Chassis Plans at the Port Hueneme Industry Expo 2016