EN 61326-1 Product Family,
Laboratory, measurement, and control equipment within the scope of EN
61326-1 does not require surge testing until reaching the definition of
Long Lines (see clause 3.6) which is NOT 10 meters, but does include lines
that can leave the building.
This is an important point. By instructing the user to not wire the
interface outside of a building and limiting the maximum cable length,
surge testing can be dropped from your test plans. Even better, it also
encourages the customer to seek a better solution to connecting buildings.
Copper based networks or industrial I/O busses should avoid being routed
outdoors in favor of a media converter allowing the use of a purely fibre
optic cable. This dramatically reduces the threat of a lightning induced
RF field, plus yields other odd benefits such as elimination of ground loop
potentials.
Proponents of trying to meet the surge requirement on copper interfaces are
encouraging the use of copper wiring between buildings which, in my
opinion, is risk to both connected equipment and anybody in contact with
the equipment at the moment a surge (or direct strike) occurs.
Best Regards,
Eric Lifsey
Compliance Manager, National Instruments
USA 512-683-8474, Fax 512-683-8880
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