Hello all, I had responded earlier today to a query on the e-safety listserver regarding practices concerning the 230V-240V question in the UK. At the suggestion of Rich Nute, I forward it to the emc-pstc listserver.
I recalled seeing the following item on A-Pex Int'l's website. The site is difficult to traverse because it is principally in Japanese (the home of A-Pex is Japan). However a number of the links at their site have good resource material in English (due to the source's of the material being other than Japan). This undated article, appears to be from a DEMKO source. A link to A-Pex Int'l can be found on the Safety Link's Product Safety Sub-section. The Safety Link is at: http://www.safetylink.com Regards, Art Michael, Editor - Int'l Product Safety News --------------------------------------------------------------------------- (From the Website of A-Pex International) [LINK] 230V or 240V in Great Britain? CMXÍ230V©240V©H At the last CCA-meeting an attempt was made to explain how to handle the rather confusing state of the 230 V vs. 240 V problem in Great Britain in the future. On the basis of information received from the British certification bodies BEAB and BSI, the following can be stated: 1. The nominal voltage in the UK is 230 V. 2. In reality the real voltage remains 240 V. It would cost 15-20 milliard GBP to change this. It will not be changed in the near future. 3. The British Retail Consortium says that the British consumers may reasonably espect that all products have a satisfactory level of safety under normal and foreseeable use. This means that products sold in Great Britain should be safe at 240 V as well. Thus, products sensitive to higher voltage should be tested to 230 V + 10 % (or 240 V + 6 %). 4. Products should be marked 230 V and may be marked 230 V/240 V or 230 V-240 V if they have been tested according to this. The 230 V-240 V shows consumers and retailers that the 240 V requirement has been observed. 5. As a small comfort, testing at 230 +/- 10 % will presumably be standard around the year 2003. 6. BEAB and BSI expect that the standardisation body will ask for a national deviation registred for test (230 V +/- 10 %). 7. The British certification bodies cannot certify products which for safety reasons should be tested at 230 V + 10 % and in fact only are tested at 230 V + 6 %. îñ}gbNXÖßé@@@îñJeS[Ê INDEXÖßé
