I've been asked to review a handheld product for compliance with the 2009 edition of IEC 60335-1 (Household Appliances). This is not a standard that I normally work with, but it's the one I have been asked to use.
A question has come up regarding touch current. While the appliance is powered from a 3V battery, there is an internal circuit that steps this up to more than 60 volts. I'm finding that clause 3.3.12 of the 2009 edition of 60335-1 has some confusing wording about whether the presence of the internal 60 volt circuit would prevent the product from being treated as a Class 3 appliance, and would instead force it to be treated as a Class 2 appliance. My take on what clause 3.3.12 meant to say is that for a Class 3 appliance, accessible parts must comply with clause 8.1.4. Clause 8.1.4 allows non-SELV voltages on accessible parts, provided that a "protective impedance" is used. This is what seems reasonable to me, but it's not quite what clause 3.3.12 literally says. The present language is a bit self-contradicting. I've looked at how IEC 60950-1 and IEC 62368-1 treat the topic of touch currents, and both standards (particularly IEC 62368-1) seem to have a more modern and comprehensive treatment of touch current than the 2009 edition of IEC 60335-1. I'm curious to know whether there is any effort underway to update the touch current requirements in IEC 60335-1 to be more similar to what now appears in IEC 62368-1 for ITE and Audio/Video products. It would be helpful to know whether any relevant changes are in the pipeline. I'm aware that a 2016 edition of IEC 60335-1 has been published, but it's my impression that the touch current requirements are the same as those in the 2009 edition. Thanks, Joe Randolph Telecom Design Consultant Randolph Telecom, Inc. 781-721-2848 (USA) [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://www.randolph-telecom.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe) 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]>
