Patent ID: 8184437

Claim:
A modular equipment testing apparatus suitable for use in severe environments, the apparatus comprising a base computing unit, an interchangeable test instrument board, and an interchangeable equipment interface pod, wherein the base computing unit and the interchangeable test instrument board are sealed within an instrument case comprising a top panel displaying a touch-screen interface, a front panel with a sealable case access door, a back panel with a sealable equipment interface pod connector and a bottom panel formed of a heat conducting material; wherein the equipment interface pod comprises a sealable computing unit interface connector and one or more equipment interface connections; wherein the instrument case and the equipment interface pod, when interfaced with one another, form a hermetically sealed case such that environmentally sensitive components are protected within an interior of the sealed case; wherein the sealed case is capable of sustaining a drop of 1 meter to a solid surface and immersion to a depth of 0.5 meters in water without damage to the sensitive components or rupture of the sealed case; wherein the base computing unit and the test instrument board are cooled by means of conduction between heat generating components of the base computing unit and the test instrument board and the bottom panel functioning as a heat sink while maintaining a hermetic seal isolating the base computing unit and the test instrument board from an external environment; wherein the equipment interface pod is operable to provide a variety of connections between equipment being tested and the base computing unit; wherein the equipment interface pod is operable to be interchanged with another equipment interface pod with a different configuration to allow the base computing unit to function as a testing apparatus with different connections, while maintaining the integrity of the sealed case.