Enclosures protect fire engine monitoring systems

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 2, 2007

Spelsberg's new Gti and TK series enclosures are now being used in the latest Intellitec MV control systems for monitoring the status of doors, equipment and warning systems on UK fire engines.

Spelsberg's new Gti and TK series enclosures are now being used in the latest Intellitec MV control systems for monitoring the status of doors, equipment and warning systems on UK fire engines.

The enclosures provide the environmental protection required for a tough life in the field and the flexibility in terms of assembly and integration needed for the bespoke control systems.

The removable side panel design of the new Gti enclosures facilitated customisation for cable glands, whilst the low-profile TK series provided the ideal panel space saving for use in tool lockers.

Due to constant demands for increased efficiency and safety, fire-fighting practices on modern engines have become more complex.

As a result, it has also become more important that crews can monitor the exact stage operations are at, without interrupting the actual job.

Many county fire crews are adopting the latest technology from the Wirral-based control systems specialist Intellitec to achieve exactly this.

Their innovative new systems allow engine drivers to keep track of team operations via voice modules and warning lights that are activated by light sensors on cab doors, and contact sensors on the pump bay and boot locker roller shutter doors.

The Intellitec system is a programmable multiplex control panel featuring LED user interfaces designed to make it obvious to driver and crew when it is safe to leave an incident and must function reliably even if the cab is subjected to environmental hazards such as smoke and water.

Due to their IP65 sealing and impact resistance, Spelsberg's new Gti enclosures have been specified to house the control systems for the doors, equipment and storage areas within the fire engine cab.

A clear lid and deep enclosure space leaves plenty of room for the circuit boards, breakers and associated wiring and the good visibility for monitoring LEDs to be incorporated into the boards for remote inspection without crew members having to open the box to investigate faults.

The Gti boxes also feature a unique design function whereby users can easily remove side panels for ease of customisation and fix them back into place with a pin system, removing the need for complicated jigs.

"Due to the flat detachable panels, we could easily machine holes for six cable glands of three different sizes in-house", explains Paul Smith Managing Director of Intellitec.

"The way the Gti enclosures are designed provides the greatest surface area possible to locate cable glands and also offers greater flexibility as the side panels match other units from the same series, making the number of different control panel configurations almost limitless".

"The quick-fix pin system allowed us to quickly assemble units while retaining the required IP65 ingress rating and the tough polycarbonate construction has ensured they have withstood the rigours of life inside the crew cab".

It is also vital that crew and mechanics can see how the vehicle is running and predict maintenance issues that may delay response times and in turn endanger lives.

It is therefore an essential aspect of modern fire engines that water levels, system temperatures and fuel and lubrication levels are closely monitored.

Spelsberg's latest Polycarbonate TK 2518 series enclosures are now used in the tool cabinets onboard the fire engines where they contain the control and monitoring systems for a broad range of sensors located throughout the vehicles.

Their low-profile, IP65 ingress protection and durability made them ideal for this application.

Specially designed for tough control system applications in off-highway vehicles and factory machinery, the enclosures have ensured that monitoring systems are easily accessible yet remain functional despite the day to-day rigours of the job.