Interesting and worrying. Does EN60950 call up flammability requirements for polymeric enclosures? If not, I guess I had better look for a PC with a NRTL mark as well as a CE mark - and then check it is V-0 rated.
You may be amazed to know that while UL6500 (safety of audio visual products) calls up flammability requirements for all product enclosures, the current edition EN60065 only requires the back and ventilated parts of television receiver enclosures to made of "slow burning material or better a fire retardant material". There is no requirement for other products such as amplifiers, CD players etc. The next edition of EN60065 addresses the problems of enclosure flammability but there must an awful lot of highly flammable hi-fi equipment out there. Think twice before placing that yuletide candle on top of your hi-fi stack. Regards Chris Colgan EMC & Safety TAG McLaren Audio Ltd mailto:chris.col...@tagmclarenaudio.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Art Michael [SMTP:amich...@connix.com] > Sent: 20 January 2000 14:48 > To: emc-p...@ieee.org > Subject: Open Letter re ITE Flammability (Source is NAFM) > > > Hello all, > > Recently my attention was drawn to an open letter from the National > Association of Fire Marshals, detailing their concerns with 94-HB > enclosures, which - according to tests they initiated - can be readily > ignited by external sources. > > A quote from their letter: "In November and December of 1999, SP (the > Swedish National Research and Testing Institute) tested five computer > monitors - all of which had been or are available to consumers. Three of > the five were made with fire-resistant plastic housings. Repeated > attempts to ignite these monitors failed. Two of the five monitors were > made with HB rated plastic housings. A SINGLE MATCH IGNITED EACH OF THESE > QUICKLY." > > [The emphasis in the last sentence is mine] > > The NAFM letter can be viewed at: <www.firemarshals.org/openletter.html> > > My interests were piqued and the subject-matter served as the basis for an > article in the current issue of Int'l Product Safety News. To further > this discussion, I ask you to read the open letter and then ask yourself; > > A) What is your company's business practice ? Do they, 1: Just meet the > requirements (per a given standard) ? or, 2: Strive to provide > equipment that is "safe" beyond the requirements of the standards ? > > B) Should ITE (and other) product safety standards be concerned with > external sources of ignition. > > C) Do you agree that ITE should be singled out for scrutiny, given that > children's bedrooms (the impetus behind this open-letter), and in fact, > whole households, are replete with easily ignited materials. > > Regards, Art Michael > > Int'l Product Safety News > A.E. Michael, Editor > 166 Congdon St. East > P.O. Box 1561 > Middletown CT 06457 U.S.A. > > Phone : (860) 344-1651 > Fax : (860) 346-9066 > Email : i...@connix.com > Website: http://www.safetylink.com > ISSN : 1040-7529 > > > > > --------- > This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. > To cancel your subscription, send mail to majord...@ieee.org > with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the > quotes). For help, send mail to ed.pr...@cubic.com, > jim_bac...@monarch.com, ri...@sdd.hp.com, or > roger.volgst...@compaq.com (the list administrators). > ===================================================== Authorised on 01/20/00 at 17:38:33; code 37f48bf367698790. ********************************************************************** The contents of this E-mail are confidential and for the exclusive use of the intended recipient. If you receive this E-mail in error, please delete it from your system immediately and notify us either by E-mail, telephone or fax. You should not copy, forward or otherwise disclose the content of the E-mail. TAG McLaren Audio Ltd, The Summit, 11 Latham Road Huntingdon, Cambs, PE18 6ZU Telephone : 01480 415600 (+44 1480 415600) Facsimile : 01480 52159 (+44 1480 52159) ********************************************************************** --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to majord...@ieee.org with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to ed.pr...@cubic.com, jim_bac...@monarch.com, ri...@sdd.hp.com, or roger.volgst...@compaq.com (the list administrators).
