Have anyone got any news regarding the mandatory date for harmonics
requirement in Europe?
I heard 2 stories, one says 1.1.2001 and the other says 1.1.98, which of
those are true?
Any comments please!
Best Regards
Vi Van
EMC engineer
Mitsubishi PC
Hello from San Diego:
With regard to the effective date for EN 61000-3-2, I have
the attached information.
I have deleted names and affiliations from the attached
information. I think the content stands by itself, and does
not need the several authors noted as to their contributions.
Certainly enough information is provided such that the data
can be independently confirmed (and should be if you choose
to take any action based on this information).
Best regards,
Rich
--- Forwarded mail from xxx
From: xxx
To: xxx
List-Post: emc-pstc@listserv.ieee.org
Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 10:48:26 +0200
Subject: ANSWER: Status of EN61000-3-2
: The attached e-mail originates from x, who
is one of
my colleagues on the UK national committee, so I can vouch for its
authenticty. The UK has indicated its support for the delay in
application. I do not know how many objections must
be registered for the decision to be reversed.
ATTACHMENT -
As a consequence of the uncertainty caused by the legal dispute between the
Commission and CENELEC over certification clauses in standards, which is
now largely resolved, and the recent acknowledgement that both standards
need at least clarification of their texts, CENELEC BT
(Technical Board) at their recent 91st meeting, decided to delete the
1998-06-01 introduction date for the above-mentioned standards in respect
of products which were outside the scopes of the earlier EN60555-2 and
-3. Both standards would therefore come into effect for *all* products
on 2001-01-01.
According to BT procedures, such decisions have to be subject to a delay of
one month, during which time any national standards committee of a
member state may enter an objection. At least one such objection has been
received.
While it can be argued that the deletion of the 1998 date must cause
harmonic pollution levels in the public mains supply to persist, many
people consider that the effect of the 1998 introduction would have been
very small. Reasons for supporting the deletion include:
* Both standards have been found to have interpretation and implementation
problems, which are being considered in CENELEC and IEC at present. The
results of these studies, which may not be completed until quite late in
1997, may well alter many decisions on whether equipment does or does not
meet the requirements. (It is to be proposed to CENELEC that no existing
certifications should be invalidated as a result of the review processes.)
* For products which cannot meet these standards, it was always intended
that IEC1000-3-4 and -5 would give alternative routes to conformity, but as
Reports they cannot do this. IEC1000-3-5 has been converted into a
standard, IEC61000-3-11, but this has not yet even reached 1CD circulation,
so it cannot be ready by the middle of 1998. IEC1000-3-4 itself is at the
CDV stage, but is still controversial and cannot possibly be converted into
a standard and published by mid-1998. Non- conforming equipment would thus
be forced to be modified to conform (if possible) from 1 June 1998 until
IEC61000-3-11 and the converted IEC1000-3-4 standard are published as ENs,
when it would be permitted to meet relaxed requirements! In fact, the
alternative routes to conformity were originated *precisely because* it was
recognized that some product types cannot economically be modified so as to
meet IEC1000-3-2 and/or -3: extremely costly new technology would have to
be introduced.
* For products rated at over 16 A per phase, there will, in the absence of
the 'missing' standards, be controversy among regulatory authorities as to
whether this means that no limits apply or that the limits in the Reports
apply and the costly and time-consuming Technical Construction File route
to compliance has to be followed, simply because they are 'Reports' and not
'standards'. Effectively, the TCF route would be a mere formality
for'promoting' them from Reports to standards, at very considerable cost.
* The main sources of harmonics are television sets and desktop computers,
perhaps together with some other domestic appliances, which are already
exempt until 2001.
The UK Permanent Delegate to CENELEC BT will be very fully briefed on the
UK position for the next BT meeting, in July. It is suggested that industry
representatives in all CENELEC countries should try to ensure that their
Permanent Delegates to CENELEC BT are equally fully briefed
on industry views on this matter.
: The CENELEC Technical Board (CLC/BT) decided in
its March meeting to
