TRICORDER, 2404

screenshots are from [#171 and #172 Endgame]

Federation Starfleet tricorders have become more compact and user-friendly over a period of development (see SHIP: TRICORDER: Index for data on Voyager tricorders including operating instructions and a brief development history). Tricorders access a wide range of data and they also record, store, and process sensor-derived information. Being portable they are an extremely handy device and are standard issue on away missions. When Admiral Kathryn Janeway travels back in time from 2404 to 2377 to try and bring Voyager home early, she takes with her items of 25th century Starfleet technology (see Article: Admiral Janeway's shuttlecraft - Index), including a tricorder. She has already used this tricorder to help her obtain an experimental device called a chrono-deflector from a Klingon called Korath. She uses Korath's device to open a gateway into the past.

The design of the tricorder used in 2404 is similar to the TR-590 mark X version used by Voyager's crew between 2371 and 2377, but its overall size is even smaller when both deployed for use and in its shut-down state. A number of the touch-sensitive controls and interfaces have been repositioned or resized within the interior housing, although many of the controls carry the same naming conventions found on the earlier version of the device. The 'clam shell' design approach to the tricorder is still in use, with the smaller lower section folding upward and inward to fit seamlessly with the slightly larger upper section when the tricorder is closed and unused. Folding shut, the interior controls are not exposed to accidental activation while being carried and the highly resilient shock-proof material comprising the outer casing means that the tricorder can be safely and easily transported in one hand into a wide range of environments and still function normally. One of the biggest differences between the 2404 tricorder and its Voyager predecessor is the colour. Previous versions of the tricorder in use between 2369 and 2377 are light grey, but the 2404 version is black. The styling of the newer tricorder is more slimline than the earlier versions, suggesting advancements in components and electronic systems in the latter part of the 24th century. The tricorder is easily and quickly deployed by a switch on the edge of the larger upper section which flips open the lower lid and instantly powers up the device, with various sensor lights and indicators immediately relaying information to the user.

During her inspection of the Klingon Koroth's experimental chrono-deflector in his laboratory, Admiral Janeway needs to check the piece of equipment extremely quickly, and the rapid response of her tricorder gives her all the information she needs to take the device, much to the surprise and fury of the Klingon who thus finds the bargain he planned to renege on being boldly enforced. A fast sweep of the tricorder over the surface of the device feeds information to the primary screen located in the upper section of the tricorder, and by placing a transporter locating device on the side of the chrono-deflector Admiral Janeway uses the unit to initiate remote transport back to her shuttlecraft.

Other differences which the 2404 tricorder has compared with earlier versions illustrate the advancements made in the latter part of the 24th century. The upper and lower hinging sections of the tricorder are several millimetres thinner than the older version, but the width remains almost the same along with the extended lip on the upper half into which the angled bottom surface of the lower section folds into. An activation switch is incorporated into the top left inner ledge of the lip, which forms the thickest part of the entire tricorder, yet it is ergonomically shaped and easy to hold with one hand. A single comm. button replaces the older comm. transmission array found on the lower section of the 2377 design, and is adjacent to the systems function switch. The removal of the corn transmission panel is partially replaced by a smaller touch-sensitive pad at the bottom centre of the 2404 tricorder's lower section which also doubles as the record button for information, replacing the image record panel from the bottom part of the older design. Another difference is the size of the primary information screen, which has been enlarged to cover over one half of the device's upper section. This incorporates touch-sensitive reconfigurable controls similar to the ones found on starship consoles, and can be programmed to relay a wide amount of information such as scan analyses and the internal configuration of devices. Directly below the high visibility screen is a narrow metallic grille from which the various electronic confirmation sounds issue, with a small red/blue switch to the right. The hinge mechanism consists of three separate joints connecting the two halves of the tricorder, and are designed in such a way that the lower edges of both sections butt together to form a completely flat integrated surface during operation. The smaller lower section includes a much narrower secondary monitoring screen, with the familiar GEO, MET and BIO device input buttons located beneath it. Library access and control over the tricorder's sensor systems are positioned to the side and below the device input buttons, with the recessed red glowing emergency button identically positioned on the middle right as the older unit carries it directly above the interior/exterior buttons.

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