The Panasonic TOUGHBOOK FZ-40 rugged notebook has a unique series of accessory upgrades Panasonic calls the “xPAK”. This allows the user to upgrade their computer with new capabilities as their needs evolve. These upgrades are broken into four specific categories: Left Expansion Area, Right Expansion Area, Palm Rest Expansion Area, and Rear Expansion Area. The xPAK upgrades available in each expansion area are mutually exclusive within that expansion area. You can have up to 1 xPAK installed in each expansion area but you could not install two xPAKs into the left expansion area. One great benefit of the xPAK system is the ability to easily replace a port without having to send the computer in to the manufacturer or replace the laptop. It is fairly common for commercial users to have to insert a USB diagnostic tool or thumb drive several times a day. Consumer grade laptops are not made to have this volume of use for the ports. Rugged computers are and with these xPAK systems you can swap out ports in the field or replace them with ease saving you down time.
FZ-40 TOUGHBOOK Left Expansion Area
- FZ-VBR402M Barcode Reader
- This allows the rugged computer to have a 2D barcode scanner. This is very common for municipal use when a drivers license may need to be scanned. It is also frequently used in security check in locations or process quality control applications.
- FZ-VSC402U Insertable Smart Card
- This allows the rugged laptop to have insertable smart cards used for authentication. This is extremely common for enterprise, 2 factor authentication for CJIS police application, or military authentication.
- FZ-V2S400T2M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 512GB OPAL 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
- FZ-V2S401T2M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 1TB OPAL 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
- FZ-V2S402T2M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 2TB OPAL 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
- FZ-V2F400T1M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 512GB FIPS 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
- FZ-V2F401T1M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 1TB FIPS 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
- FZ-V2F402T1M 2nd SSD Drive
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a 2TB FIPS 2nd hard drive that can be installed for additional space.
FZ-40 TOUGHBOOK Right Expansion Area
- FZ-VSC401U Insertable Smart Card xPAK
- This allows the rugged laptop to have the Insertable Smart Card on the right side. There is also a Left Expansion Bay Insertable Smart Card reader available. It is beneficial to have the two types so the user can fully customize their use. They may need 2D barcode or DVD so allowing an insertable in another location adds to the full customization of the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK.
- FZ-VZSU1XU 2nd Battery
- This allows the rugged computer to have a 2nd battery. This is excellent as it allows for 10+ hours of continuous use.
FZ-40 TOUGHBOOK Palm Rest Expansion Area
- FZ-VFP402W Fingerprint (Active Directory)
- This allows the rugged laptop to have a fingerprint reader installed. Being compatible with Active Directory means a database of users can be kept and updated on a security server. This is beneficial when a company does not want to issue each person a specific computer and allow them to be used from a pool.
- FZ-VNF402M Contactless Smart Card
- This allows the rugged notebook to have a Contactless Smart Card reader installed. Contactless Smart Card readers are a very short range RFID tag, often the same or similarly to “NFC” technology found on cell phones.
FZ-40 TOUGHBOOK Rear Expansion Area
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FZ-VCN401U VGA + Serial (True) + LAN
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This allows the rugged laptop to have a 2nd LAN installed. This is helpful and often used in vehicle applications like License Plate Readers (LPR) where cameras send high amounts of data to the computer through an RJ-45 cable but another may be needed for internet connectivity. This also adds a VGA video connection and an RS 232 true serial connection.
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FZ-VCN402U USB-A +HDMI + Serial (True)
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This allows the Rugged computer to have a 2nd HDMI port, additional USB-A, and RS-232 True serial port.
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FZ-VCN403U USB-A x2 + HDMI
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This allows the rugged laptop to have 2 additional USB-A ports as well as an additional HDMI.
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FZ-VCN404W Fischer LAN with Metal Cap
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This allows the rugged notebook to have a Fischer USB port added. A Fischer USB port is a special kind of USB that threads into the device. It is more secure physically and used often in environments where there is moisture.
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USB-C + USB-A + HDMI
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This allows the rugged computer to have an additional USB-C and USB-A port. This may be one of the best xPak adapters for general use. The USB-C is the very quickly standardized port of preference for USB cables. It is faster and easier to use since it can plug in any way. The laptop also gains an additional HDMI port.
