Updated October 2026

Yellow tracked hydraulic excavator with a sealed black power distribution box mounted on its chassis frame, surrounded by mud, dust and a second piece of construction equipment in the background
Tracked excavator with a sealed distribution box on the chassis frame.

The NBX‑961 is the reference build. The NBX‑971 is published for the same machine class at the same IP65, without CAN on the harness pin-out.

Three things that change on an excavator

What changes Truck PDB (typical) Excavator PDB (NBX‑961)
Dust & sealing IP54 – IP65. IP65 sealed enclosure plus sealed connectors.
Temperature Quoted per program. Full −40 to +85 °C — one machine model across export regions.
Connector strategy Set by the harness drawing. Standard build: four TYCO 1670901-series housings. Other sealed families when the drawing asks.

1. Dust

Excavator job sites generate fine particulate at concentrations a truck never encounters. The published sealing on the NBX‑961 is IP65. Which class belongs on an exposed, dusty machine is on the IP ratings guide; how a sealed distribution box is built is in the sealing notes. Dust ingress isn't just a contamination problem; fine conductive dust at a connector pin can cause intermittent faults that look like loose connections during diagnosis. The enclosure and the connectors are sealed together.

Sealing and cleaning are separate questions, though. A lance between shifts is not an IP67 line — put that duty and its test method in the specification. The boundary sits on the IP ratings guide.

2. Temperature range

An excavator may be working in Saudi Arabia at +50 °C ambient one month and Mongolia at −30 °C the next, often the same machine model exported through different channels. The PDB needs to operate at the full −40 to +85 °C range without changing behaviour. Gasket compound, fuse holder retention, connector lock force, and busbar coefficient of thermal expansion all need to be specified for that range.

If a supplier quotes a PDB without a clearly stated full working temperature range, ask for it.

3. Connector strategy

The NBX‑961 enclosure stays fixed when the harness family changes.

Vibration

The NBX‑961 and the NBX‑971 publish the same line, a 10–500 Hz sweep. It is the published test, not the motion at the cab, the swing platform or the undercarriage.

Where the NBX‑961 fits

Sealed integrated power distribution box with a clear lid over a colored fuse row and sealed multi-pin automotive connectors on both sides
Sealed integrated distribution box of this class — clear lid over the fuse and relay layout, and sealed automotive connectors on the harness exit.

The NBX‑961 excavator integrated box combines fuse, relay and harness-junction functions in a single sealed enclosure:

  • IP65 sealing with a continuous gasket and pressure-equalising vent.
  • Full −40 to +85 °C working range; storage −40 to +90 °C; V-0 flame retardancy.
  • Reference build of 18 mini-blade fuses plus 7 spares, one ISO relay and seven mini-280 relays.
  • Blown-fuse indication.
  • Twelve cab-electronics functions in that build, among them start, pre-heat, work lights, wipers and air conditioning. The layout and the function set change with your circuit diagram.
  • Sealed automotive connector families on the harness exit, configurable per program.
  • Same IATF 16949 quality system that covers our truck PDB programs (see IATF 16949).

What the program team should send us

To quote an excavator PDB, the most useful information from your side is:

  • Machine class and target tonnage (e.g. 20-tonne hydraulic excavator).
  • Mounting location on the machine (cab, swing platform, undercarriage).
  • The vibration profile at that mounting point, or the test standard the programme already uses.
  • Number of fuse circuits and required current rating per circuit.
  • Number of relay channels (low-side or high-side, current per channel).
  • Connector preference, if specified by the OEM harness drawing.
  • Annual volume and start-of-production target date.
  • Region(s) of deployment — to confirm the working-temperature target and any regulatory requirement (e-Mark / SASO / FCC, where these are available upon project requirement).

Drawings and 3D models are welcome and shorten the design-in cycle considerably. They can be sent via the contact page, by email to sales@yltronics.com, or directly via WhatsApp.

Common questions

Can a truck NBX‑957 be used on a 5-tonne mini-excavator?

Sometimes — for very small machines with tyred wheels and a passenger-style cab the operating envelope can be close to a light truck and a body-cavity PDB can be a candidate. For an exposed position on a mini-excavator, start from the IP65 NBX‑961 or NBX‑971 instead.

What about loaders, graders, dozers?

Wheeled loaders, motor graders and crawler dozers are construction machinery. NBX‑961 and NBX‑971 are both published for that class, at IP65. Pick the NBX‑961 when the box needs CAN on its harness pin-out.

What's the lead time?

For an existing NBX‑961 configuration: standard sample lead time, mass-production lead time per program. For a new configuration that requires connector changes or layout changes: APQP / PPAP timeline negotiated with the program team.

For machinery-program drawings or a vibration / sealing strategy quote against your harness, please use the contact page or WhatsApp — typical reply within one business day.