MCK-301-61 & MCK-301-85 Digital Temperature Controllers for Cold Chain & HVAC

When a Mechanical Thermostat Fails at 3 AM — Your Cold Chain Cannot Afford That Risk

Consider a refrigerated storage facility holding temperature-sensitive biologics during peak Indian summer, with ambient temperatures pushing 45°C. A mechanical thermostat drifts 4°C off its set point. By morning, an entire batch is compromised. This is not a hypothetical — it is a recurring reality across pharmaceutical cold chains, food-processing warehouses, and HVAC chiller plants operating in India's demanding climate. The solution is not a more expensive compressor or a bigger cooling unit. The solution is intelligent, microcontroller-based temperature control that never sleeps, never drifts, and never misses a defrost cycle.

Novatek Electro's MCK-301-61 and MCK-301-85 digital temperature controllers are purpose-built for exactly these scenarios — from cold storage and vaccine repositories to HVAC chiller rooms and food-processing refrigeration plants.

The Cement & Building Materials Cold Chain — An Overlooked Criticality

The cement and building materials industry may not be the first sector that comes to mind when discussing cold chains, but temperature management is mission-critical across several touchpoints in this ecosystem:

• Admixture storage — chemical admixtures for concrete (superplasticisers, retarders, accelerators) are temperature-sensitive and require controlled storage environments, typically between 5°C and 30°C, to prevent degradation or premature polymerisation.
• Ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants — chilled water systems and ice-batching plants are used to control concrete mix temperature, especially during summer months when aggregate and water temperatures must be actively managed.
• Construction site canteen & labour welfare — large construction campuses operate centralised cold storage and food-processing units for thousands of workers, requiring reliable refrigeration control.
• HVAC systems in precast and aerated concrete (AAC) plants — autoclaved aerated concrete curing chambers operate under controlled temperature and pressure; auxiliary HVAC systems maintain process-room ambient conditions for QA labs and control rooms.
• Warehousing of polymer-based building products — waterproofing membranes, adhesives, and sealants have defined storage temperature ranges that, if violated, result in physical and chemical property changes.

Across all these applications, the common engineering requirement is identical: accurate set-point control, automatic defrost management, compressor protection, and over-temperature alarming. This is precisely what the MCK-301-61 and MCK-301-85 deliver.

Novatek MCK-301-61 — HVAC & Room Temperature Controller

The MCK-301-61 is a microcontroller-based intelligent HVAC and room temperature controller designed for indoor temperature monitoring and climate device control. It operates on 220V–415V AC and accepts both PTC and NTC sensors, making it compatible with the broadest range of existing refrigeration and HVAC sensor installations.

Operating Modes — MCK-301-61

• Electric heater thermostat mode — for heating applications such as process rooms requiring temperature floors
• Air conditioning zone control thermostat mode — for HVAC chiller rooms and split/central AC systems
• Alarm conditions mode — triggers output relay and visual/audible alert on set-point breach
• Testing mode — allows commissioning engineers to verify sensor, relay, and alarm response without live process load

Compliance — MCK-301-61

The MCK-301-61 complies with IEC 60947-1 (Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear — General rules), IEC 60947-6-2 (Multiple function equipment — Control and protective switching devices), CISPR 11 (Industrial, scientific and medical equipment — Radio-frequency disturbance characteristics), and IEC 61000-4-2 (ESD immunity). Novatek Electro India holds CE certification for the MCK-301-XX family.

Price: ₹5,276 per piece (ex-GST) | GST @ 18% applicable extra

Novatek MCK-301-85 — Refrigeration & Cold Storage Controller

The MCK-301-85 extends the MCK-301 platform toward dedicated refrigeration plant control — cold storage rooms, vaccine repositories, food-processing blast chillers, and HVAC chiller systems. Like the MCK-301-61, it operates on 220V–415V AC with PTC/NTC sensor compatibility, and is CE certified under the MCK-301-XX product family.

The MCK-301-85 is specifically targeted at applications requiring automatic defrost cycle scheduling and compressor cycling logic — the two most critical control functions in any refrigeration loop. Improper defrost timing is the single most common cause of evaporator icing, compressor short-cycling, and premature compressor failure in Indian cold chain installations.

Price: ₹5,275 per piece (ex-GST) | GST @ 18% applicable extra

Key Technical Specifications — Side by Side

How the Refrigeration Control Loop Works — Engineering Perspective

In a typical cold storage or vaccine storage refrigeration system, the MCK-301-85 manages a closed-loop control sequence that most site engineers know in principle but often underestimate in complexity:

1. Temperature monitoring — PTC or NTC sensor continuously reads evaporator/room temperature and feeds it to the microcontroller.
2. Compressor ON/OFF cycling — when room temperature rises above the set point plus differential, the controller energises the compressor contactor. When temperature drops to set point, it de-energises. A minimum OFF-time delay prevents short-cycling, which is the primary cause of compressor winding burnout.
3. Defrost initiation — based on timer or temperature differential, the controller initiates a defrost cycle: compressor is stopped, defrost heater (where present) is energised. The evaporator is allowed to clear frost accumulation.
4. Defrost termination — when evaporator temperature rises above the defrost termination set point (or timer expires), defrost heater cuts off and a drain drip-off delay begins before the compressor restarts.
5. Alarm management — if room temperature exceeds the high-temperature alarm set point for a defined duration, the alarm relay is activated, triggering hooters, SMS gateway inputs, or BMS integrations.

The MCK-301-61 handles the analogous loop for HVAC zone control — managing split AC or chiller units, fan coil units, and auxiliary electric heaters in process rooms, quality labs, and office blocks within cement plants and large construction complexes.

Quick Selection Guide — Application vs Recommended Model

Relevant IS/IEC Standards for Cold Chain & HVAC Temperature Control in India

• IEC 60947-1 — General rules for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear (MCK-301-61/85 compliant)
• IEC 60947-6-2 — Control and protective switching devices (MCK-301-61/85 compliant)
• CISPR 11 — Radio-frequency disturbance characteristics for industrial equipment (MCK-301-61/85 compliant)
• IEC 61000-4-2 — ESD immunity standard (MCK-301-61/85 compliant)
• IS 1476 (Part 1 & 2) — Thermostats for automatic control of temperature in domestic refrigerators (reference standard for refrigeration control equipment)
• IS/IEC 60335-2-89 — Safety requirements for commercial refrigerating appliances with incorporated or remote refrigerant condensing units or compressors
• ASHRAE 90.1 / NBC 2016 (National Building Code) — Energy performance requirements for HVAC systems in commercial and industrial buildings
• WHO PQS E003 — WHO performance, quality and safety specifications for cold chain equipment including temperature monitoring (reference for vaccine storage deployments)
• FSSAI Cold Chain Standards — Temperature maintenance requirements for food storage under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Why Novatek Electro India?

• ✅ ISO 9001:2015 Certified — quality management systems audited and certified; every MCK-301-61 and MCK-301-85 unit leaves our Delhi facility under documented production controls.
• ✅ CE Certified — the MCK-301-XX family carries CE marking, confirming compliance with European electromagnetic compatibility and low-voltage directives — a benchmark of product quality recognised internationally.
• ✅ Made in India, Engineered for Indian Conditions — designed to operate reliably across India's extreme ambient temperature range, voltage fluctuations, and high-humidity environments without de-rating.
• ✅ 30+ Years of Field Experience — Novatek Electro has been manufacturing electrical protection and control devices for over three decades, with the MCK-301 platform proven across thousands of refrigeration and HVAC installations.
• ✅ Pan-India Distributor & After-Sales Network — products available through authorised distributors, panel builders, and OEM partners across India, backed by technical support at sales@novatek-electro.in and +91-7840054744.

Frequently Asked Questions — MCK-301-61 & MCK-301-85