Why Choose TransPAC?

The TransPAC is a rugged, battery-powered portable workstation with a 17.3" display and up to 4 PCIe expansion slots. It supports standard COTS PC components (CPU, GPU, I/O cards, etc.) and includes features like hot-swappable batteries, multiple removable SSD bays, and an optional 1000-nit sunlight-readable touchscreen.

These capabilities make it far more flexible than typical rugged laptops, enabling use as a field-deployable desktop-class system. While it’s already popular in Testing & Measurement and NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) circles, there are many other industries and use cases that can leverage the TransPAC’s adaptability and performance.

Below, we explore these potential markets, highlight how TransPAC’s features provide key advantages in each, and recommend markets this unique portable computer.

Key Features and Their Benefits Across Industries

Up to 4× PCIe Slots – Flexibility & Customization

Having a motherboard with four PCIe expansion slots is arguably TransPAC’s standout feature. Unlike typical laptops or rugged tablets that have zero or one expansion slot (if any), TransPAC can house multiple add-in cards simultaneously. This opens the door to limitless customization:

• Data acquisition and control cards (Testing & Measurement)
• Network interface cards (NICs, Fiber optics, 10GbE)
• Video capture cards for broadcasting
• Industrial automation interfaces (CAN bus, PLC control)
• Military and avionics interfaces (ARINC, MIL-STD-1553)
• RF and communication equipment (spectrum analyzers, SDR)
• Cybersecurity and forensic analysis hardware (packet capture, encryption modules)

Different industries can thus tailor the TransPAC to their needs: a broadcast user might install three Blackmagic DeckLink capture cards for multi-camera ingest, while a cybersecurity analyst might install a dual 40GbE NIC and an FPGA card for line-rate packet processing.

Importantly, the range of compatible motherboards and cards is huge – from the latest consumer Intel/AMD CPUs to niche industrial motherboards with extended temperature ranges. This future-proofs the unit as well: as new PCIe cards or boards come out, the TransPAC can adopt them easily (no vendor lock-in). The 4 slots enable one portable unit to do the job of several separate systems, by hosting diverse functions all in one box. This is a major cost and convenience benefit to any technical customer who normally would need a full rack of equipment to get the same multi-card setup. ACME’s own materials underscore that "tailored configurations ensure systems are optimized for specific mission and industry requirements", made possible by their modular designs and in-house customization expertise.

In essence, the PCIe expandability makes the TransPAC a chameleon – it can be reconfigured for new tasks or evolving industry standards simply by swapping components, which is a strong selling point in all markets.

COTS Components (Standard & Industrial-Grade) – Versatility and Serviceability

TransPAC is built around Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, meaning it uses the same CPUs, RAM, GPUs, and peripherals found in mainstream PCs or servers (albeit optionally ruggedized versions). This has multiple advantages for the end user:

• Upgradability & Longevity: By choosing industry-standard components, users ensure continuous availability of spare parts, simplifying maintenance and servicing throughout the system’s lifecycle. This design strategy enhances system reliability, reduces downtime, and safeguards the user's investment by ensuring that the TransPAC remains dependable and serviceable for extended operational periods.
• Easy Maintenance: Spare parts are readily available and don’t require ordering expensive proprietary modules. In field deployments (military, industrial), having COTS parts means if something fails, a standard replacement part can be sourced quickly.
• Customization: Users can choose components that meet their specific needs or environmental requirements. If the deployment requires wide-temperature tolerance or conformal coating (common in oil/gas or defense), they can select industrial-grade variants of motherboards, storage, or memory that fit in the TransPAC. Conversely, if cost is a concern, standard consumer-grade parts can be used. This dual compatibility broadens the market appeal – the same TransPAC chassis can be outfitted as a budget-friendly system or a MIL-spec hardened system.
• Performance: By using cutting-edge PC components (Intel/AMD CPUs, etc.), TransPAC doesn’t compromise on performance compared to desktops. It can leverage the rapid advancements in the COTS PC market.

For many industries, especially IT and engineering-focused buyers, the COTS aspect translates to lower total cost of ownership and faster innovation adoption. You’re not stuck with whatever CPU a vendor soldered in; you can adopt next-gen tech when needed.

Despite being COTS, the system can meet tough requirements: for instance, using COTS doesn’t preclude meeting MIL-STD-810G for shock/vibration if the components are integrated and secured properly.

In fact, many defense and industrial computers succeed by using COTS and adding engineering design around it. ACME’s notes about modular and customizable systems for unique challenges reinforce this idea.

The TransPAC essentially combines PC versatility with rugged packaging, which should be a recurring theme in its positioning.

Hot-Swappable Batteries – Power Autonomy & Uninterrupted Operation

Portability isn’t just about form factor; it’s also about power. The TransPAC distinguishes itself by being battery-powered (with four 81 Whr Li-ion packs) even though it’s essentially a full workstation. The batteries are hot-swappable, meaning you can replace them one at a time without shutting the system down.

This feature delivers several important benefits:

• Extended Operation in the Field: Users can run the system for hours away from any outlet. With a total of 324 Whr (4×81) installed, the runtime might be a couple of hours under load (exact time depends on configuration). More importantly, with spare battery sets, it can run indefinitely – just swap batteries as they drain, similar to how professional video cameras operate. This addresses a top concern for field users. (In oil & gas, rugged device buyers specifically prioritize long battery life for remote work and the TransPAC provides a solution with its multi-pack design)
• Uninterrupted Service: In critical applications (military command post, network capture, etc.), you might have to move the computer or lose generator power unexpectedly. TransPAC can keep running during transit or power source changeovers, avoiding any data loss or downtime. Hot-swap means even if one battery dies, you replace it while the others keep the system up – no reboot required
• Use Cases Enabled: Think of scenarios like forensic investigators processing data overnight in a location with no power, or a broadcast crew streaming live while walking around an event – battery operation makes these possible. It essentially untethers high-performance computing from wall power

The batteries act like an uninterruptible power supply, protecting against outages. With 4× battery packs and a 220W supply, you can use the TransPAC in the field for extended periods. This sets TransPAC apart from competitors that might require external power for high loads.

Four Removable 2.5” SSD Bays – High-Capacity, Fast and Swappable Storage

Data is the lifeblood of many modern applications, and TransPAC’s storage design directly caters to data-intensive use cases. With 4 removable 2.5” drive bays, the unit can house multiple SSDs (or HDDs, if desired) that can be arranged in various RAID configurations or used as separate drives for different purposes. Some benefits include:

• High Capacity: With 4 drives, the total storage can reach tens of terabytes if using large-capacity SSDs
• Speed (RAID): Users can combine the drives in RAID 0 or RAID 10 for high throughput. For instance, in a network capture use, a RAID array of SSDs can sustain writing huge volumes of data at wire speed without dropping packets. Fast RAID storage is a key enabler for complex security analytics and forensics workloads
• Hot-Swap & Data Transfer: Because the bays are removable, it’s easy to pull out a drive and replace or offload it. In field operations, this means you can hand a drive to a courier or colleague instead of bringing the whole system back – e.g. after recording a day’s worth of UAV surveillance video, just swap the SSD and send it to HQ, while inserting a fresh one to continue working. Similarly, maintenance is easier: a failed drive can be replaced in minutes by the user
• Isolation of Data: Different projects or security levels can use different drives – e.g., a military user might have classified data on one set of drives and unclassified on another, swapping depending on mission, ensuring sensitive data is physically secured when not in use

TransPAC offers server-class storage capabilities in a portable package. Traditional laptops might have at most one or two drives and no RAID, so this is a clear differentiator. No more lugging external drives, no fear of running out of space mid-mission. These SSDs can be industrial grade as well – for extreme environments, one can use wide-temp or high-endurance SSDs to ensure reliability. The combination of capacity, performance, and removability makes TransPAC’s storage subsystem a strong product across multiple markets.

1000-nit Sunlight-Readable Touchscreen (Optional) – Field Usability & Ergonomics

Working outdoors or in bright conditions can be a nightmare with regular laptop screens. The TransPAC’s optional 1000-nit brightness touchscreen directly addresses this by providing a display that remains readable in direct sunlight. This is a big advantage for any field deployment: military operators in desert sunlight, broadcasters at a sunny sports event, utility workers repairing lines midday, or scientists in open terrain all benefit from a screen they can actually see.

The touchscreen capability adds intuitive interaction – in scenarios where using a keyboard/mouse is less convenient (or when wearing gloves, etc.), the touchscreen allows pinch-zooming on maps, tapping through software menus, or annotating data on the fly.

The value of a sunlight-readable screen is well-known in the rugged device market – and TransPAC is truly meant for field use (not just a luggable for indoor use). The large 17.3″ full HD screen (compared to say a 13” Toughbook) at high brightness can serve as a decent monitor for detailed work (like viewing high-res images, schematics, or multiple camera feeds) without needing an external display. It improves productivity and reduces eye strain outside.

Potential Markets and Use Cases

Test & Measurement / Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

"Efficient Pipeline Inspection with TransPAC Portable Workstation"

Customer Profile: A leading European inspection service provider specializing in non-destructive testing (NDT) of oil and gas pipeline infrastructure. The company performs regular on-site inspections, ensuring safety compliance and structural integrity in remote, harsh environments.

Challenge: Their previous solution involved multiple specialized, stationary measurement devices and laptops, each dedicated to different tasks such as ultrasound inspection, magnetic particle inspection, and radiographic imaging. These devices required significant setup time, frequent charging breaks due to limited battery life, and regular maintenance. Downtime due to device failures or battery limitations delayed inspections and increased operating costs.

Solution with TransPAC: By integrating TransPAC rugged portable computers equipped with specialized PCIe data acquisition cards (DAQ), the inspection provider consolidated multiple inspection tasks into a single portable workstation. Each TransPAC unit utilized:

• Multiple PCIe-based ultrasonic and radiographic interface cards, allowing simultaneous multi-channel inspection data acquisition.
• Hot-swappable battery packs, enabling continuous inspection without interruptions or external power.
• Four removable 2.5" SSD drives, providing high-capacity, rapid, and secure storage of inspection data, allowing immediate offloading and secure transport of sensitive data.
• Sunlight-readable 1000-nit touchscreen, ensuring clarity during daytime inspections in outdoor, open environments.

Results:

• Inspection Efficiency: Inspection time at each pipeline segment was reduced with seamless data acquisition and immediate data storage eliminating downtime previously caused by device switching and battery recharging.
• Enhanced Data Security and Mobility: SSD drives allowed technicians to safely carry inspection results from remote field locations to headquarters, improving data handling security and speed of reporting.
• Extended Product Lifespan and Investment Protection: Due to TransPAC’s rugged construction and use of widely available, standardized COTS components, the units demonstrated remarkable reliability and maintainability, even after repeated exposure to harsh conditions (temperature extremes, vibration, dust). Component replacements, when necessary, were straightforward, inexpensive, and rapidly performed onsite, extending the operational life of each unit significantly beyond traditional laptops or proprietary equipment.
• Reduced Operational Costs: Significant cost reductions resulted from simplified field logistics, minimized downtime, fewer maintenance interventions, and reduced device turnover. The overall investment payback period was less than one year, and inspection teams reported notably improved job satisfaction and productivity.

Public Safety, Law Enforcement & Emergency Response

In law enforcement and emergency response scenarios, portability and reliability of computing equipment can directly impact mission success. The TransPAC can fill roles such as:

• a field forensics station,
• a mobile incident command system, or
• a disaster recovery server.

For law enforcement, consider digital forensics at a raid scene: agents could bring the TransPAC to rapidly ingest and clone multiple hard drives on-site (using the 4 drive bays), while simultaneously analyzing surveillance DVR footage via an installed video capture or decode card. The system’s performance allows running forensic software that might otherwise require a full desktop tower, thus speeding up investigations.

For emergency response (natural disasters, search and rescue, etc.), the TransPAC can act as a mobile server or GIS workstation. Emergency teams could use it to run GIS mapping software, or as a communication hub with radio interface cards (for example, an SDR radio card or satellite modem could be added via PCIe). Because it’s battery-powered, it continues running even if generators temporarily fail, ensuring continuity of critical applications. The 1000-nit screen would allow a team lead to view maps or plans even under direct sunlight during daytime operations.

TransPAC can leverage standard security measures, TPMs, etc., and can run specialized encryption hardware in a PCIe slot for sensitive data. The device is an investment that can be used across different departments and scenarios – one day supporting a crime scene investigation, the next day out in the forest supporting a firefighting coordination effort, showcasing true cross-department adaptability.

Scientific Research & Field Survey

Scientists and field researchers often work in remote locations (like ecological field sites, geological surveys, archeological digs, or weather stations) where they need substantial computing power on-site.

The TransPAC can be positioned as a field lab workstation for these scenarios.

For example, a geoscientist doing a seismic survey can plug specialized data acquisition PCIe cards (for seismic sensors) into the TransPAC and record high-resolution data directly to the internal SSD array. The large storage capacity and fast SSDs mean they can capture continuous data for long periods and then swap drives to hand off data for analysis. With an available GPU, the TransPAC could even perform preliminary data processing or modeling in the field – useful for immediate insights (e.g. initial 3D seismic imaging or real-time data visualization) before leaving the site.

Field researchers can charge spare batteries at basecamp and then operate all day in locations with no accessible electricity, something standard desktops or workstations cannot do. The sunlight-readable touchscreen again is a valuable feature for outdoor science – whether it’s a wildlife biologist tagging animals in bright savannah sunlight or a geologist mapping terrain features on the screen, they won’t be struggling with glare.

TransPAC's modularity allows researchers to customize the machine for their project – today it might host a GPU for drone image processing, next month it hosts a special analog interface for a particle detector – all on the same platform. The key message is empowering research without the constraints of lab infrastructure: compute anywhere, without compromise.

Industrial Automation & Manufacturing

Manufacturing plants, industrial automation integrators, and robotics companies may find the TransPAC useful as a portable industrial computer for system commissioning, troubleshooting, or on-site demos.

Unlike fixed industrial PCs, the TransPAC can be moved around the factory floor or shipped to customer sites while still offering PCIe expansion for legacy I/O or motion control cards.

Consider a factory automation engineer who needs to interface with various machines: the TransPAC could host a PLC interface card, a CAN bus card, and perhaps a data acquisition card all at once, thanks to its 4 PCIe slots. This would allow one portable unit to simulate or debug an entire production line’s control system. The ability to use standard PC parts means the company can choose reliable industrial-grade add-in boards (with isolation, wide temp ratings) or even repurpose consumer-grade cards for less critical tasks – a flexibility not found in proprietary rugged tablets.

Another use case is in robotics: field robots or autonomous vehicles often need tuning and testing; a TransPAC can act as a human-portable server to run heavy compute workloads (like machine vision or Lidar processing) during testing, or serve as a robot control unit for demos (with real-time control cards installed).

Portability + power is a compelling combo for maintenance crews who move between facilities.

Network Security & Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity teams and network investigators often require portable yet powerful hardware to capture and analyze data on-site.

The TransPAC’s combination of multiple NICs (via PCIe expansion) and high-speed storage is ideal for these use cases. For example, in an incident response scenario, a team could bring a TransPAC to a remote facility to sniff network traffic, capture large data dumps, and analyze disk images without needing a data center.

With support for multi-Gigabit Ethernet cards or even fiber 10G/40G NICs, the unit can perform flexible network packet capture at 1G, 10G, 40G and beyond for traffic analysis and intrusion detection.

The 4 removable 2.5" SSD bays can be configured as a RAID array to record high-volume packet data or to store multiple terabytes of logs and forensic images. Equipped with fast CPUs, GPUs, and RAID storage, such portables deliver the computational power needed for in-depth malware analysis or AI-driven threat hunting on site.

TransPAC accelerates incident response by bringing enterprise-grade computing to the breach site.

Digital Media & Broadcasting:

• Multi-camera field streaming and live editing, using video capture cards
• Ideal for compact live video switchers, content encoding, or event broadcasting on-location

Defense & Aerospace:

• Portable command-and-control platforms, UAV/drone ground stations, and sensor fusion
• Single-slot GPUs for tactical displays or processing sensor data; other slots support critical communication and sensor interface cards
• Hot-swappable battery ensures continuous operation in remote and rugged environments

Oil & Gas, Energy & Utilities:

• Field analysis, diagnostics, and inspection tool in harsh environments
• Industrial-grade components for wide temperature tolerance; SSDs allow high-volume logging and fast data transfer
• Bright display ensures visibility even in direct sunlight; battery-powered operation crucial in remote locations

Conclusion

The above use cases are enabled by TransPAC’s rich feature set. The TransPAC rugged portable computer can be strategically positioned as a game-changing “workstation in a suitcase” for a variety of industries. Its unique blend of desktop-level performance, expandability, and field-ready features fills a gap between fragile consumer laptops and fixed industrial PCs.

Ready to transform how you work in the field? Contact ACME Portable today for more details and request your personalized offer!