Penny And Giles JC8000 Sensitivity Helps Win Massey Ferguson Control Contract

Penny + Giles Ruggedised JC8000 Joystick Controller Explaining the requirements for the new joystick, GRAMMER EiA Electronics’ programme manager Marko Boving says that Massey Ferguson wanted a joystick controller with differentiated outputs on all the axes and an overpress function that would provide the positive feedback that is so important to Massey Ferguson’s customers.

As a leading system integrator GRAMMER EiA Electronics is working with customers around the world to create ergonomic operator working environments for tractors, excavators, wheeled-loaders and fork-lift trucks. The company’s multimedia operator interfaces, similar to BMW’s i-Drive on road cars, are typically operated from its standard arm-rest range using custom joystick and handle solutions.

And this, as Marko Boving explains, is why GRAMMER EiA Electronics works closely with Penny + Giles.

“Penny + Giles already has an excellent range of joysticks, handles and interfaces so we don’t need to develop our own such products. Consequently, we rely on their expertise from initial development right through to production. For this project we were asked to supply an alternative to a current Massey Ferguson joystick, with a specific requirement that it should provide the same feel and functionality. We passed a very detailed product and systems brief to Penny + Giles and they developed a joystick to our specification.” He says.

An important element of the brief was the need for overpress functionality in every axis with improved feel on the shorter stroke, in order to achieve more direct and positive feedback. Penny + Giles latest ‘ruggedised’ JC8000 joystick controller already had the independent axis functionality built into its design and features a spring on each axis, which helped to achieve the desired forward and right directional operation as well as the operator feel that the customer wanted. The joystick always returns to centre but when it is pushed forward or right it provides a ‘click’ to let the operator know that his instruction has been achieved. The vehicle electronics system from GRAMMER EiA Electronics recognises the overpress decision and translates it into a machine action e.g. return-to-dig or return-to-load.