RE: CE marking components... a breath of fresh air...
Excellent review Peter! I would add one thought for you to comment on. My company routinely ships its products in pieces to be assembled at a customer site due to size and complexity. We toyed with the idea of adding the phrase Part of a CE compliant system on the shipping containers. Comments (good bad!)? Charles Grasso EMC Engineer StorageTek Tel:(303)673-2908 Fax(303)661-7115 -- From: Peter E. Perkins[SMTP:peperk...@compuserve.com] Sent: Monday, April 14, 1997 1:37 PM To: PSNetwork Subject:CE marking components... a breath of fresh air... PSNet Editorial, Educate Your Customers from Test Measurement World/April, 1997 by Martin Rowe, Technical Editor A reader who works for a component manufacturer told me that his customers want his company to place the CE marking on its components. (The CE marking indicates compliance with European EMC and Low-Voltage Directives.) The reader says his customers think that designing products with CE-marked components will ensure that the products will meet the standards. He also claims that should a product fail compliance testing, the customer can blame failure on any non-CE marked components. I'd like to inform that customer that components can't officially carry the CE marking. The CE marking applies to systems and subsystems available for sale to end users. Components are excluded. Manufacturers shouldn't place all blame for testing failures on component manufacturers. Even if the components in a design have excellent EMC and safety characteristics, a product can still fail compliance testing. Components can't compensate for a poor board layout, lack of proper shielding, and improper grounding. Another problem with putting a CE mark on components is that the end user might assume that a board or system filled with CE-marked components meets the requirements for the marking. Therefore, installing CE-marked components in your product can be deceptive. So what should this company do? Should the company place the CE marking on its components, adhering to the belief in Rule number one: the customer is always right. Rule number two:see rule number one? Should the company lose sales because it insists in not lulling customers into a false sense of security? Perhaps the company should try to educate its customers. The component manufacturer can explain to its customers why components can't carry the CE mark. The company should encourage its customers to design for EMC; its customers must understand that the burden for EMC and safety compliance fall on them. The trick is to make it clear that the company isn't just trying to pass the buck to the customer. If your company busy components to build into its products, you shouldn't insist that those components have the CE marking, and none should. If your marketing department or upper management thinks that having products loaded with the CE-marked components makes the products better, tactfully inform them that they're wrong. If you want your products to pass compliance tests, you'll have to design them with compliance in mind. - - - - - submitted by Peter E Perkins Principal Product Safety Consultant Tigard, ORe 97281-3427 +1/503/452-1201 phone/fax p.perk...@ieee.org email visit our website: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/peperkins - - - - -
RE: VCCI labelling
Here is a brief summary of a public VCCI meeting that was held in Santa Clara, California on March 17, 1997, which I attended. Five VCCI officials from Japan made presentaions to the audience relative to the changes in their VCCI standards that become effective April 1, 1997. They provided a draft copy of the revised standards and then proceeded to highlight all of the changes made. The VCCI informed the audience that the final versions of the revised standards will be distributed by VCCI sometime in late April (but they said the new standards still become effective April 1). The affected standards are listed below: 1. V-2/97.04 Regulations for Voluntary Control Measures 2. V-3/97.04 Technical Requirements 3. V-4/97.04 Guidelines for Test Conditions for Equipment under Test 4. V-4/97.04 Appendix II: Test Site Evaulation using Shortened Dipole 5. Misc Forms Application Procedures for Registration of Measurement Facilities These draft revised standards were issued by: VCCI Shiba-koen Sanada Bldg 2nd Floor 5-12 Shiba-koen 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokoyo 105 Tel: 03-3434-8809 Fax: 03-3434-8837 http://www.vcci.or.jp/vcci/ Hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Manny Barron Tandem Computers, Inc. ORIGINAL ATTACHMENT SENT 04-05-97 FROM SMTPGATE @MAILMN (gra...@louisville.stortek.com) It s in their AGREEMENT OF VCCI FOR ITE document V-2/96.03..Beware though - I understand that they are revising this agreement AGAIN - I'll keep you posted. Charles Grasso EMC Engineer StorageTek -- From: Arthur Poolton (MEPCD)[SMTP:arth...@apricot.mee.com] Sent: Friday, April 04, 1997 6:54 AM To: Grasso, Charles (Chaz); 'EMC Group' Subject:RE: VCCI labelling Does anyone have samples of the new label ? -- From: Grasso, Charles (Chaz)[SMTP:gra...@louisville.stortek.com] Sent: 04 April 1997 01:06 To:'EMC Group' Subject: VCCI labelling I noticed that the VCCI have changed their labelling requirements for ITE. How long before we have to use the new label? We still have a lot of the old label.
Re: Four Layer board optimum design guidelines.
Matt or Anyone: Do you know why I received four (4) copies of this interesting problem??!! I seem to be getting duplicates from time to time but 4? On 14 Apr 97 at 18:17, Mat Mahmoudi wrote about, Four Layer board optimum design gui: We are developing a 1500W power factor corrected power supply. Using a Boost converter in the front end, switching at 100 KHZ to achieve power factor correction. We have about 4 working prototypes, however these units have to be modified to meet the requirements of EN61010 for creepage distances. As a result of this, we have decided to change the layout of the power board to ensure compliance to EN 61010 . In order to maintain proper distance between primary and secondary traces and also to have sufficient trace width for power carrying traces up to 12amp ,We are forced to change the power board design from 2 layers to four layers. However, we are not sure the order of these planes. For example, we can put the output of the Boost converter usually 380-390V Dc bus,which carries 4 amp dc, at the component side( top external layer) and place its return at solder side (bottom external layer). We can then place all other traces such input AC lines,Power traces, +/-15 vac logic supplies and all other signals in the two remaining internal layers or planes. I am not sure if this the best arrangement, because our PWB designer is indicating that these planes ( +390v dc bus its return) are usually placed as internal layers and not as external layers. In addition, we have two current sense signals which are very sensitive and we presently using Co-axial cables to carry these signal. I am not sure with 4-layer boards and additional shielding ,if I can eliminate the CO-axial cable and find a proper plane to place these signals. I appreciate any comment regarding this matter. Best Regards Mat Mahmoudi Best regards, Terry J. Meck Senior QA/Test Engineer 215-721-5280 tjm...@accusort.com Accu-Sort Systems Inc. Telford, Pa USA
NPSS, Inc. Dinner 4/23/97, Charles Ludolph to speak
Hello all, If you are, or plan to be in the Boston area on April 23rd, you may be interested in the following NPSS, Inc. Dinner/Meeting ThanX and regards, Art Michael (For the Northeast Product Safety Society) -- Forwarded message = Who: Northeast Product Safety Society, Inc. P.O. Box 651, Boylston MA 01505-0651 What: 3rd Annual NPSS, Inc., Membership Recruitment Dinner - which affords members the opportunity to meet socially and to introduce prospective members to the Society, its members and its programs. When: April 23, 1997 Registration 5:00 pm Dinner Program 6:00 p.m. Speaker QA 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Dinner Closes 9:30 p.m Where: Radisson Inn Marlboro, 75 Felton St., Marlborough MA The Speaker: Charles Ludolph, Director, Office of the European Union and Regional Affairs, Int'l Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Mr. Ludolph chairs the U.S. government committee on Standards, Testing and Certification of the European Union which is charged with developing policy towards European standards initiatives and dealing with Mutual Recognition agreements. He has been with the U.S. D.O.C., since 1971 and has been involved with European Union concerns since 1983. The topic:The Status of U.S.-EU Mutual Recognition Agreements Their Impact on Conformity Assessment in the U.S. Dinner: A Pasta Festival Buffet will be served at 6:00 p.m. The dinner is free to members of the Society, and $15.00 to all others. Membership in the Society is $28.00 per year (Membership includes the dinner). Reservations: Dinner reservations are necessary; Please contact: Dick Silvernail, Sequoia Systems Phone: 1-508-480-0800 Ext 1343 Fax: 1-508-481-2418 Email: r...@sequoia.sequoia.com Background: The Northeast Product Safety Society, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1988, its stated purpose is the Advancement of theory and practice of product safety and allied arts sciences and the maintenance of a high professional standing among its members. Further information about the Society and its programs can be found on its website at: http://www.safetylink.com/npss.html
FAQ: Sources of EMC Safety Compliance Information
FAQ: Sources of EMC Safety Compliance Information This is to let you know that I have just posted in two parts the 13th issue of the above FAQ to the newsgroup for regulatory/compliance matters and EMC and safety specifications and testing, sci.engr.electrical.compliance The FAQ will also be available at the following URL: http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html Hope you find it useful: suggestions for additions or corrections are welcomed. -- Bill Lyons - b...@lyons.demon.co.uk / w.ly...@ieee.org = Claude Lyons Limited Brook Road Waltham Cross Herts EN8 7LR England Leaders in Voltage and Power Control - Precise Electrical Instrumentation Tel: +44 1992 768 888 Fax: +44 1992 788 000 Telex: 22724 CL LTD G email: i...@lyons.demon.co.uk URL: http://www.lyons.demon.co.uk =
