Testing Wireless Networks Featured Article

The Test & Measurement Product Group of Astro-Med, a manufacturer of specialty high-tech specialty printing systems, electronic medical instrumentation, and test and measurement instruments, asserted that its ToughWriter 4 Flight Deck Printer has received the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company will now be able to retrofit this printer into Boeing (News - Alert) 767-200, -300 and -300F Series aircraft.

According to the company, the ToughWriter 4 is the fourth generation airborne recorder and it uses the latest technology to provide the ideal airborne printing solution. From its high resolution, direct thermal printing process to the fast microprocessor to the upgraded PostScript 3.0 page description language, the printer is stated to offer anything one requires in a compact package.

It includes both ARINC (News - Alert)-429 and 10/100BaseT Ethernet ports to connect to Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting Systems (ACARS) and Electronic Flight Bags. Using this solution airline pilots will be able to get printouts of weather maps, approach plates, electronic charts and other graphical information. It can print a page within five seconds which means pilots can have fast access to critical ACARS messages. It is designed for both cockpit and cabin environments. The company claimed that ToughWriter 4 gives the clearest, most readable printouts of any printer in use today.

In a press release, officials with the company explained that the ToughWriter 4 flight deck printer gives B767 operators the safety, convenience, and added capabilities that are associated with modern cockpit printers, including high resolution, graphical printing. It replaces outdated, legacy flight deck printers, saving airlines a significant amount of weight. For new printer installations, the ToughWriter 4 gives pilots the ability to print text messages as well as graphics, and replaces the heavy flight bags that they used to carry on the aircraft.

The printer is available in multiple versions that fit the varying demands of commercial aircraft. It is also available with one or two Ethernet ports, particularly important if users have redundancy requirements or are printing from multiple sources.