Month: January 2019

January 29, 2019

Hardened Switches, for Vehicle Safety

If you’re a piece of switching electronics then the hot, dirty, oily, always moving environment of a military vehicle transmission is not a place you’d prefer to find yourself. After all some of these transmissions are in constant aggressive use and the crankcases get hot enough to fry eggs on. Add to that the constant exposure to hot transmission oil up to 150F, and if you’re most switches, you’re probably dreaming of a nice visit to Murmansk, on the Arctic Circle, doing some light duty as a dogsled horn.

In heavy duty transmission applications however, so called interlock switches are a critical part of safe operation. A typical such application is the detection of Neutral Safety in certain US Military Vehicles. This class of switch applications known as an interlock safety, is crucial to the safe operation of a 3 or 4 ton troop carriers or Humvee. The switch has to reliably detect when the truck is in neutral in order to enable other operations on or within the vehicle. No remote sensors will do for this application because to be really, really sure you are in neutral requires an actuator driven switch mounted in the transmission itself and thus exposed to the same punishing environment that any combat ready military vehicle is designed for.

CPI Switches Live in Hell, and Like it.

Specifically designed for punishing interlock applications in extremes of temperature and vibration are the CPI J4 Series Ball Switches below. Originally developed for military transports the switch has evolved and improved over decades of field use all over the world to become one of the most hardened solutions to interlock detection to be found anywhere on the planet.

The key to understanding the engineering beauty of the J4 can be summed up in two words: elegant simplicity.

As pictured the J4 boasts all stainless steel construction. While the switch can be procured in a ball or a plunger variation, the basic design is the same. At the heart of the J4 is a patented ball carrier design which prevents contaminates such as mud, dirt, ice, sand, dust, etc. from jamming the ball. The switch employ’s a patented double exclusion seal which actively removes contaminates from the housing during depression and release. This unique design effectively cleans itself and prevents early wear of contacts in a hostile environment. The switch is rated to perform from -50C to 185F and is one of the few switches in the world designed to operate while frozen in ice.

These switches are also ideal for heavy industrial equipment applications that are subject to the same conditions. The switches are completely submersible and are unaffected by water, salt spray, humidity, dirt, dust, sand, icing, oil, shock and vibration.

Just some of the applications for this switch have included:

Made in the USA too.

Our J4 Ball Switch and all our switches are painstakingly assembled right here in our factory in East Hanover New Jersey. As are all our products. It’s the only way to really have quality at this level and our competitors know it, having largely surrendered the field to us when it comes to these kinds of harsh duty applications.

Make the switch to CPI. Give us a call today to discuss your application.

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/NeutralSafetySwitches/ 

January 14, 2019

Liftgate Engineering for Work Trucks

Liftgate manufacturers need to contend with a great many variables as they seek to make their hydraulic lift assemblies operational on the widest possible variety of vehicles. Is it a pickup truck, straight truck, van, or trailer application being used? What are body widths? Will it be a swing up platform or a stowaway gate? What ground clearance and load must it support? Will it cantilever to support uneven ground? The list of considerations goes on well beyond these and fleet managers need to consider all them when designing liftgate solutions for their work trucks.

One thing however that seems to be more agreed upon are the requirements of the platform activation switches. These are typically mounted in a fixed position on or near the liftgate. As such they are often exposed to the same conditions as the outside of the vehicle itself, namely rain, mud, dirt, wind, vibration and temperature extremes. Given the propensity for operators to ride up and down on the liftgate, they are often designed to go for the ride too.

CPI Switches and Panels for Liftgate Control

Because CPI’s switch construction is truly waterproof, not just splash-proof or water resistant, we can create assemblies out of our totally submersible basic switches and stainless steel panels that are perfect for a wet outdoor environment.  Our assemblies are used in outdoor applications including lift gate up/down control, construction and mining equipment, as well as engine compartments in transit buses.

Most commonly used for liftgate control and positioning is our E1333 series dual pushbutton switch panel to raise and lower the lift gates. The E1333 provides a short behind the panel depth requirement making it usable in places where other switches can’t fit. The CPI switch also provides low assembly labor to install with its integral PEM nuts and its packard connector. Lastly as opposed to electronic switches that require power from the circuit to operate the discreet CPI switch is resistant to failures due to poor grounds and its high electromechanical endurance. In fact our “snap action” contact design has been tested to over 500,000 “contactor” electrical cycles.

Don’t worry about lead lengths either. Our switches and switch panels can be ordered from the factory at any custom lead length you need.

The ability of our switch to withstand abuse at the hands of an operator or mother nature, really sets our products apart for most outdoor applications. And with convenient custom or stock panels, there’s one less piece of engineering you need to do.

 CPI Custom Waterproof Switch Panels

Switch panels come in a variety of configurations: separate circuits, in-series, and in-series with interlock (to prevent both switches from operating at the same time).

We can produce multiple switch panels that also include additional electrical components such as LED indicator lamps per customer specification.

CPI Waterproof Switch Panel Features / Options

  • All-stainless brackets
  • 2- and 3-switch configurations
  • Custom wire treatments: wire-protecting tubing, wire restraints (tie wraps), wire tags
  • Switch & wire color variations available (minimums may apply)
  • Sealed connections available: Weatherpak, Deutsch, ITT Sure Seal

The Buck Stops with CPI Liftgate Control Solutions

Given our durability and worldwide leadership in waterproof switching solutions, it’s likely that our switches will be the last you’ll ever need for your liftgate application.  Give us a call today to discuss.

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/liftgate-engineering-for-work-trucks/