Sensata’s Smart-Tactor contactors improve system performance

Sensata Technologies recently introduced the new GXC and MXC series of Smart-Tactor contactors with CAN bus communication, which provide valuable data for improved system performance, reliability, and diagnostics in military, battery system, energy storage, commercial vehicle, and industrial applications, the company said.

Built on the GX and MX series from Sensata’s GIGAVAC product brand, this new series of smart contactors are easily integrated and simplify data acquisition, making them ideal for data logging, telematics, and predictive maintenance.

From fleet managers who need to monitor operations to engineers who are looking for more data or are working on prototype vehicles, one-off demo projects, or in R&D labs, the GXC and MXC series of CAN-based contactors are suitable for any system where real-time data is critical for analysis, safety, and reliability, Sensata maintained.

In comparison, power management solutions without CAN-enabled contactors require multiple sensors, as well as a separate data logger to capture and record all the information. With the addition of CAN communication, the contactor becomes part of the CAN backbone and allows all other CAN nodes to see the data and act upon it, helping to connect everything on the vehicle or system.

With the available database (.dbc) download file, system integrators can be up and running in minutes. Fleet managers, OEMs and integrators now can tap into the CAN bus to monitor current, terminal voltage, control voltage, temperature, state, and cycle count to make more informed decisions. The data can be analyzed for trends, fed to a telematics system, or used for system diagnostics, monitoring, and predictive maintenance. With these smart contactors, potential problems can be detected and resolved before a failure occurs, improving vehicle and application up-time.

“The addition of these new CAN bus-enabled contactors to our portfolio is an important part of our initiative to provide smarter, more connected, insight-providing components and solutions for a wide range of mission-critical and electrified applications,” said Nicholas Moelders, vice president of clean energy solutions at Sensata.

GXC and MXC contactors feature the following:

• Ability to program overcurrent trip points with timer delays for each trip point
• Configurable baud rate of 250k or 500k
• Rugged ceramic seal rated to 175°C, increasing performance during over-current conditions
• Hermetically sealed and designed to meet: UL1604 for Class I and II, Div. 2 and Class III for use in hazardous locations, IP67 for temporary water immersion for 30-min, IP69K for pressure washing, SAE J1171 external ignition protection, and ISO8846 for protection against ignition around flammable gasses

Visit sensata.com/products/gigavac-power-contactors-fuses for more information.