GridCase (stylized as GRiDCASE) is a line of rugged tablets and laptops by Grid Systems Corporation released as a successor of the

GRiD Compass The Grid Compass (written ''GRiD'' by its manufacturer GRiD Systems Corporation) is one of the first laptop computers. History Development began in 1979, and the main buyer was the U.S. government. NASA used it on the Space Shuttle during th ...

line.

History

The first model was released in 1985. The notable model - GRiDCASE 1535EXP - is a

rugged ''Rugged'' is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language romantic action film written and directed by Mahesh Gowda and produced by Arun Kumar A. The film caption is "Neenu Malagisiruva Goriyolage Nanninu Jeevathavagiddene". This Movie was launched in Nove ...

laptop designed for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

to be used in space, and becomes the first rugged portable PC to attain full

TEMPEST Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

accreditation from the NSA.

Models

Former line

GRiDCASE 2

1985; low-contrast LCD screen with green background (instead of orange/yellow plasma screen with black background on a

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

laptops). This model was based on a MSDOS 2.11 and a bunch of apps burned on ROM that fit in the ROM tray in front. GRiDCASE 3 screen

GRiDCASE 3

1986; returning to a plasma screens (but with red/orange text color and wide aspect ratio). The internal power supply can be ejected and a battery-pack is installed in its place. 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-3

= GRiDCASE 3
Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

= 1986; the rugged version of GRiDCASE 3 with electromagnetic protection. 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-tempest AEG Olympia Olyport 45 (6981097672)

GRiDCASE 1520

1988; can be equipped with plasma or LCD screen. Was based on a

286 __NOTOC__ Year 286 ( CCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Aquilinus (or, less frequently, year 1039 ...

CPU. 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1520

GRiDCASE 1530

The modification of 1530 - the Grid GRiDCASE 1535EXP is a

laptop with a

80386 The Intel 386, originally released as 80386 and later renamed i386, is a 32-bit microprocessor introduced in 1985. The first versions had 275,000 transistors CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, an ...

, an optional

80387 x87 is a floating-point-related subset of the x86 architecture instruction set. It originated as an extension of the 8086 instruction set in the form of optional floating-point coprocessors that worked in tandem with corresponding x86 CPUs. Thes ...

floating point processor Floating may refer to: * a type of dental work performed on horse teeth * use of an isolation tank * the guitar-playing technique where chords are sustained rather than scratched * ''Floating'' (play), by Hugh Hughes * Floating (psychological ph ...

and up to 8

Mbyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is MB. The unit prefix ''mega'' is a multiplier of (106) in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes ...

DRAM Dynamic random-access memory (dynamic RAM or DRAM) is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both typically based on metal-oxi ...

. It was first flown into space in December 1992 on the

STS-53 STS-53 was a NASA Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' mission in support of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The mission was launched on December 2, 1992, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Crew Mission highlights ''Discovery'' c ...

for use of the

HERCULES Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

geolocation Geopositioning, also known as geotracking, geolocalization, geolocating, geolocation, or geoposition fixing, is the process of determining or estimating the geographic position of an object. Geopositioning yields a set of geographic coordinates ...

device. The another modification - the Grid GRiDCASE 1537EXP - has another screen (640x480 instead of 640x400, but with less physical size). The power input is 100-240 V AC 50/60/400 Hz, 80 W. The 400 Hz utility frequency is common on

airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...

s and submarines. 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1537e

GRiDCASE 1550

1990; This model has integrated pointing device, an was based on a Intel 80386sx processor. The 1550sx wersion has 4M RAM, have a 100 M hard disk, a 1.44 M floppy drive, a hardly visible B/W VGA-LCD screen, a built in 2400 bps modem and weights 5.5 Kg (12 lbs.) without battery or power supply. 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1550sx

Tandy GRiD laptops

In the period from 1990-1994, the Tandy Corp. together with the GRiD Systems Corp.produced the following models: GRiD 1450SX -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-1450sx GRiD 1810 -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-1810 GRiD 1660 and 1660C -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-1660 GRiD 1680 and 1680C -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-1680 GRiD 1720, 1750, 1755 -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-1755 GRiD 4025N and 4025NC -3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-4025nc

GRiD Defence Systems GRiDCASE

Reintroduced in 1995 line.

GRiDCASE 1580

Also have Tempest version (1580T). Pentium and

pointing stick A pointing stick (or trackpoint, also referred to generically as a nub or nipple) is a small analog stick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in a computer keyboard. Like other pointing devices such as mice, touchpads or trac ...

(initial model, 1995) or Pentium II and touchpad (1580 XGA, 1998). 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1580 3D view:http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1580-tempest 3D view:https://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-case-1580-XGA

GRiDCASE 1590

GRiDCASE 1510

References

{{compu-stub Laptops History of computing hardware RadioShack