The Eaton TD3100 is a robust wireless transceiver that provides reliable real-time control and monitoring of mobile and stationary hydraulic equipment. Featuring two-way communication and a 3-inch backlit FSTN monochrome LCD display with graphics capability, operators get instant machine feedback right at their fingertips. The compact belly pack design supports fully customizable control configurations including paddles, 2-axis and 3-axis joysticks, buttons, toggle switches, and potentiometers, all housed in an industrially robust, chemical-resistant plastic enclosure rated IP66 and IP67 for dust, powerful water jets, and temporary submersion.
On a construction job site, the control system in an operator’s hands has to be as tough as the equipment it commands.
Eaton knew the successor to their TD3000 controller would need to keep working in the toughest conditions a job site delivers, so they brought in PDE to design the rugged housing that would protect it.
Eaton’s TD3100 faced a set of constraints that leave very little room for error:
Adding a display, soft keys, and a modular battery interface to a well-known form factor without breaking what made it reliable is a harder problem than starting from scratch.
PDE took on the full mechanical design scope for the TD3100, working within Eaton’s established industrial design direction to deliver an enclosure built to absorb repeated drops, sealed-environment cycling, and chemical exposure without losing function.
The sealing strategy was redesigned from the ground up. Every interface, including the battery compartment, display window, control cutouts, and connector ports, received its own sealing analysis to hit IP66 and IP67 across the full assembly. Drop performance was addressed through wall thickness optimizations, internal rib geometry, and careful material specification for the chemical-resistant housing.
The modular battery interface required a new locking mechanism that could be operated reliably with gloved hands, survive repeated insertion cycles, and maintain IP67 at the battery-to-body joint. That requirement shaped the final latch geometry, which was validated for repeatable assembly at volume.
The charging cradle carried its own design problem. Contactless charging through the cradle base avoided the exposed contact surfaces that field environments tend to compromise over time. The cradle also had to physically retain the TD3100 through the kind of sustained vibration seen in truck-mounted crane installations, a requirement that shaped both the cradle geometry and the latching mechanism.