Vehicle Mount Terminal Or Tablet - Which Is Better For Forklift Installations? Part 2: Power Supply Management

This month we continue with part two in our three part series looking at issues that create requirements when selecting a computer for forklift mounted applications. In Part 1 we looked at data collection and how that process influences the selection of a tablet or vehicle mount terminal (VMT). In Part 2, we explore the requirements and issues with power management between the forklift and the VMT or Tablets.

DC to DC power conditioning is a critical requirement when connecting any electronic device to the electrical system of a forklift due to the large variation in system types and large amounts of electrical noise found in these systems. Managing power for forklift installations is based on the different types of forklifts available including; gas, diesel, propane or electric. These types of forklifts are usually sorted into two categories; combustion and electric.

Combustion categorized forklifts can be 12 or 24 volt based electrical systems, while electric forklifts can be 24,36,48, or 72 volt electrical systems. Vehicle Mounted Terminals (VMT) typically include an internally integrated DC to DC power supply, which provides the electrical isolation and filtering required to protect the computer electronics. Since this is a standard feature, costs are included in the quotations and the power supply has documented performance history. VMT vendors have likely been installing forklift computers for several years and will provide the engineering expertise both pre & postsale to ensure a long-term power management strategy.