Delivering future interface technology OJ Electronics

DELIVERING FUTURE

INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY

OJ Electronics is a Danish company that is a market leader in the design and manufacture of electronic control systems for HVAC applications, power and underfloor heating. The company continues to see strong growth through the creation of its innovative and sustainable interface products and advanced drive solutions. Philip Yorke reports.

For more than 55 years OJ Electronics has been developing electronic controls for HVAC, power, and underfloor heating applications. During this time, it has accumulated in-depth expertise on applicationspecific solutions and know-how. This enables the company to create highly innovative, standard and customised solutions that support and build on its customers’ success. OJ’s focus is on developing and producing products of the highest quality, utilising advanced design, functionality, reliability and intuitive operational options.

The company is headquartered in Sønderborg, Denmark where its products are available through a broad network of global distributors. Today OJ Electronics is committed to developing intelligent solutions that ensure maximum comfort with minimal energy consumption.

The company’s products help create intelligent and energyefficient solutions for indoor climate management – whether it is for controls for electric or hydronic floor heating, or HVAC controls and power applications.

New future-ready solutions

Earlier this year, OJ Electronics launched an entirely new interface for its advanced DV drive product range. Known as the OJ-DV-HMI35T, this latest addition to the OJ family is a touchscreen panel with a user-friendly graphical interface, specially developed for operating the OJ-DV range. It’s made using the latest technology, making it fully ready for any future challenges.

Preben Jessen, product manager at OJ Electronics said: ‘We felt it was time to update our handheld interface for our Drive range, and as always we set out to do it properly. When designing the OJ-DV-HMI-35T, we focused on making it as user-friendly as possible. This holds true of the big stuff, like the decision to provide a large touchscreen, but also of the finer details like the structure of the menu. Users will find that it’s very easy to navigate”.

Greater scope

The scope for future updates is an important point for Preben Jessen: ‘This is quite a major update of the Drive interface – it’s an entirely new piece of technology, not just an overhaul – and so we wanted to make it as future-ready as possible. It was created using the very latest components available, and as a result we have the option of adding more functions over time. It all depends on where the industry is headed and what our customers require, but the OJDV-HMI-35T is certainly ready to face any new challenges!’

‘Easy installation is always a key concern when designing new equipment,’ says Jessen, ‘and in this case, Modbus is a major help: the panel communicates with the OJ-DV unit via a Modbus interface, which is about as easy as it gets. In terms of physical

installation, the bumper cover has two magnets, so on a metal surface you can simply click it in place. Of course, we’ve also included a hole for hanging it on a screw if that’s what the situation calls for”.

Jessen concludes by pointing out another small, but important aspect of the design: ‘We always consider the realities of everyday life when we make new solutions, so the OJ-DV-HMI-35T panel comes with a silicon bumper cover to protect it against bumps, oil, dirt and drops from heights of up to one metre”.

Value-added floor thermostat

According to OJ Electronics, the new, digital MTD3 electric floor heating thermostat provides much more than the traditional basic thermostat, such as advanced Eco-design and EN 50559 compliance. The new MTD3 raises the bar for basic thermostats with its large display and expanded functionality. This enables contractors to stand out in the basic thermostat market.

With the new MTD3, customers get a highly functional thermostat that meets the demands of the European Eco-design directive – which means that you no longer need to use high-end products with functionalities that users may not require. That’s why OJ calls this a true ‘Digital Thermostat’. In addition, EN 50559 compliance is often required in major tenders – and with the MTD3 you have access to an affordable product which fully meets the requirements of this standard.

With typical thoroughness, OJ’s MTD3 has been field tested for an entire year in more than 100,000 installations. It proved to have a return rate of just 0.07%, thus clearly demonstrating its high quality and ensuring that any expenditure on complaints and claims is likely to be minimal. Furthermore, the new MTD3 comes with a blind cover, making it ideal for public spaces where access to thermostat

adjustments could be restricted, such as institutions. This in addition, will open up new market opportunities for many customers.

It is also possible to obtain MTD3 thermostats very quickly today as the company offers small volume production and fast delivery quotas. As a result, customers can keep their inventory levels low and free-up capital.

Simply better

OJ Electronics has also launched a new member of the DRHX family of drives for rotary heat exchangers. Designed for constant speed, the new variant was created with simplicity of operation in mind. Jessen commented, “The constant-speed variant was conceived thanks to popular demand. Many of our customers expressed a wish to have a very simple, constant-speed drive for rotary heat exchangers, so of course we complied.

“It’s basically a pared-back version of the existing DRHX range, making it ideal for those situations where you don’t need variable speed, but simply a reliable drive for your rotary heat exchanger. And we expect it to be very popular with many customers, not least in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets.”

The new, simpler DRHX model is part of OJ Electronics’ overall strategy to offer a more comprehensive choice: ‘We want our customers to be able to find what they need from us. So we regularly expand our product ranges to match the latest requirements from the market. Sometimes, that means adding – or inventing sophisticated new technology” Jessen added. n

For further details of OJ Electronics’ latest innovative products and services visit: www.ojelectronics.com