Monrad,
I have tested PCs with thumb drives attached and while most from reputable companies easily pass Class B emission limits I have had some of the freebie drives you get a trade shows and in the mail from vendors fail Class A limits. I should note that the good ones have a CE Mark and FCC Class B logo on them and the real bad ones only had some advertising stickers! Beware, you apparently get what you pay for. Dan From: Monrad Monsen [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 8:59 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [PSES] Approvals Required for USB Flash Drive or "Thumb Drive" What EMC and safety approvals are required for USB flash drives or "thumb drives"? We are preparing to source for re-sell some USB flash drives from another company that tells us that they are exempt. They have a Declaration of Conformity (DOC), but no supporting test reports. This seems flaky to me on many levels. Looking at the "USB flash drive" article in Wikipedia, the devices would have a 12 MHz clock oscillator, so I can't merely say it is passive memory. However, could the USB flash drive still be excluded from the scope of the European Union EMC Directive 2004/108/EC as inherently benign equipment? See section 1.1.4 within the "Guide for the EMC Directive 2004/108/EC". (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/electr_ quipment/emc/guides/emcguide_may2007.pdf) I would want the device tested for radiated emissions, as well as the EN55024 enclosure port immunity tests like RF radiated field immunity, ESD, and power frequency magnetic field immunity. I see that the LVD Directive 2006/95/EC limits its cope to equipment operating in the range of 50-1000VAC and a range of 75-1500VDC. (Article 1 of LVD Directive 2006/95/EC) However, "electrical components which are intended to be incorporated into other equipment and for which a risk assessment can be undertaken, such as transformers and electrical motors, are covered as such by the Directive and must be CE marked." (Section 9, "Guidelines on the Application of Directive 2006/95/EC") I would assume that this standard USB flash drive would fit this description. Please confirm what worldwide EMC and safety approvals and testing is required. I definitely plan to required some systems level EMC testing that includes the USB Flash Drive mounted on a server or PC, but I need to confirm what agency approvals are needed for the Flash Drive to be able to sell worldwide including the frequently regulated countries like USA, Canada, Europe (plus Turkey), Australia, Japan (VCCI), Taiwan, China, Russia, Argentina and Mexico. Thanks. -- Monrad L. Monsen Worldwide Compliance Officer Sun Microsystems [email protected] 303.272.9612 Office - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc Graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. can be posted to that URL. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <[email protected]> David Heald <[email protected]> - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc Graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. can be posted to that URL. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <[email protected]> David Heald <[email protected]>
