Etnyre's road construction equipment is outfitted with OTTO Controls' grip and joystick solutions, which enable operators to spread material easily and are part of a customizable, CAN-based interface.

Spreading asphalt or chip sealing roads with a mixture of asphalt and aggregate requires specialized road construction equipment. E.D. Etnyre & Co. is known for being the world’s largest manufacturer of asphalt distributors and chip spreaders, and both vehicle types utilize OTTO Controls’ solutions to activate equipment functions.

“One of the things that sets our equipment apart in our field is the ability to customize our machines as well as the precision and the accuracy our machines have in spreading chips and applying asphalt to the road,” says Nick Frohmader, Director of Engineering for Etnyre, headquartered in Oregon, Ill.

Exacting distribution of material to the ground is enabled by OTTO’s joystick-driven controls and the overall human machine interface tailored to the operator’s needs.

Etnyre’s asphalt distributor vehicle has control panels in the cab of the truck and at the rear. When an operator begins a job, they often do stationary start-up work from the rear control panel, which is outfitted with an OTTO JHT miniature joystick. As the operator drives and sprays the ground, they see the same information and functions on the panel in the cab.

Using the JHT joystick with its center pushbutton, an operator can shift the sliding spray bar at the back of the truck from left to right and raise, lower and lock it in place.

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Find out more about OTTO's JHT mini joysticks and G3-B grips.

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The chip spreader also has two control panels, both in front of the operator’s seat. The steering wheel and engine controls are on a panel directly in front of the driver; the touchscreen display and accessory functions are on a panel to the right. A second operator can walk alongside the machine and use a wireless remote to control many of the same functions as the driver.

“While spreading rock, operators want to drive at a constant speed for best accuracy,” explains Tyler Braun, Product Engineer, Controls & Automation for Etnyre. “They move their joystick up to reach the speed they want, then can let go to have another hand available for steering and controlling other functions.”

“OTTO was the only company that had a friction-hold joystick with the features we needed,” Braun adds.

HTW thumbwheel switches on the chip spreader’s OTTO G3-B series grip adjust the height of the hitch that latches onto the dump truck, which continuously fills the rear hoppers as the chip spreader drives; the opening and closing of the bat wings that fold over the rear hoppers; and the width of the spread hoppers at the front of the machine that extend horizontally to cover the pavement. Separate OTTO switches on the joystick open and close the gates for spreading rock.

“It’s a very robust joystick that the operator can sense and feel quickly,” says Frohmader. “The beauty of this design is it combines all five functions in one location. This has been a huge improvement to our previous design where the operator may have had to search for the different switches to do these functions.”

Additionally, the joystick’s CANbus J1939 output makes it easier for Etnyre’s electrical installation team. “Because this is CAN,” says Braun, “it only requires four wires into our control panel: power, ground and CAN high/low for the signal. Previous controls had to use multiple wires for each of these functions.”

Interacting Inputs Improve Diagnostics

Thinking about how operators work is important when Etnyre engineers conceptualize future improvements. Based on customer input, Etnyre has moved commonly used functions to easier-to-reach locations and ensured that operators have a place to rest their hand while maintaining full control. And after speaking with customers about the panel operating the equipment gates, Braun says, “It was very clear this part of the controls had to still be physical switches instead of buttons on the touchscreen. Switch position is always visible.”

The machines’ touchscreens play an important role in coordination with the physical controls: The joysticks and switches are tied into the machine’s computer, which centrally gathers information from multiple data points for operational performance alerts and improvements that are displayed on screen.

“OTTO provides variable feedback throughout the entire range of motion on the joystick,” says Frohmader. “We’ve been able to use this to improve our diagnostics, as well as create a customizable experience for the operator.”

As opposed to discrete operational inputs on previous equipment models, everything now interacts in Etnyre’s redesigned control system. All inputs, including the joystick’s voltage levels, provide constant and direct feedback, which can be monitored throughout the operation.

“With all the different inputs reading together,” says Frohmader, “we can use the relationships to determine whether there may be a faulty voltage supply or some other problem on the machine. We’ve been able to use the joystick multiple times to diagnose problems that aren’t even related to the joystick itself.”

Customers also appreciate the flexibility to customize switches per operator preference. A thumbwheel switch on the chip spreader joystick that is set by default to move the spread hopper, for instance, can be quickly changed on the driver’s touchscreen to a different function.

That type of easy change is also reflected in Etnyre’s relationship with OTTO. On both machines, OTTO engineers have worked alongside Etnyre’s engineers to customize controls to meet customer requirements and plan for the next generation of machinery.

“One of the things we’re looking to do as we evolve is increase our technological footprint on our machines, and OTTO is a great partner to help us do that,” says Frohmader.

Watch the video about how Etnyre's equipment runs with OTTO Controls.