For the engine bay of the very same CNH machines that are to use the Carrier, MTA engineers developed a new power distribution box to protect the electrical circuit and provide a more rational layout for current tractor applications.
Ideally, the Power Box should be installed directly on the battery, in line with the need to place electrical system protection as close as possible to the power source. A tractor's battery, however, is exposed to strong mechanical vibration, and the starter motor was selected as a more appropriate location. In fact, placing the Power Box on the starter motor provides undisputable benefits in terms of a simpler, optimized layout of the electrical system. Developing the new Power Box required intensive testing at our laboratories, with several different mechanical, vibration and environmental tests to confirm the product was up to the high quality standards required by CNH. To supplement the testing process, resistance to heat and to the aggressive fluids encountered in the engine bay was also tested. Also available is the option to include a BDS (Battery Disconnect Switch), to meet the increasing demand for this application in the agricultural and earth moving machine industry. The BDS is a product developed by MTA in light of the lack of availability on the market of solutions able to offer the performance required by new vehicles. With respect to the competitors, it provides improvements from a technical standpoint (smaller mass and takes up less space) with consequent economic savings. MTA manufactures 2 different battery disconnect switch: one to reset manually and one have the automatic electric reset too. For the first one, when the battery circuit is interrupted by an outside factor, such as the crash of the vehicle, the resetting has to be done through the intervention of an operator, while, with the electrical reset battery disconnect switch, the signal that resets the circuit is managed by an electronic control panel, without having to lift the hood. Another application example is the management of the electrical circuit for fuel economy purposes and reduction of polluting emissions, paired with the engines start&stop system during brief stops, in addition to the management of the battery charge status during long downtimes for laying up the vehicle. This feature provides for the use of the battery disconnect switch on RVs (travel trailers/motor homes) and boats. Finally, the new system is able to isolate the electrical circuit under a load of 190 A (with peaks at 1500 A) at 9 -16 V, passing from one functional state to another in a maximum of 5 ms, without the need for power supply in stand-by. Production commencement is scheduled for 2009. Initially, the product will be distributed throughout Europe, with a view to expand production volumes in the event the product is adopted by CNH USA in its machines for the North American market.