Xing,
Section 5.2.3 of IEC 60950 (2nd edition) shows how this
measurement is made for Class II equipment. This should
be the same in China's GB 4943? standard.
See the paragraph near the end of 5.2.2 describing that
for Class II, accessible conductive parts or metal foil
wrapped around the
I can only speak for ITE products per IEC 60950. Note that this
standard requires testing for safety at -10% and +6%, or 90V to
106V for Japan ITE rated at 100V only. Note that this must be
done for both 50Hz and 60Hz, both of which are used in Japan.
I am not aware of any stated 85V test
One way to generate a form of compliance to laser safety standards
is to obtain a CB Report based on, or including IEC 60825-1. Although
this is used largely as a means of proving conformity to the EU Directives,
I suspect it would be acceptable to concerned buyers world-wide.
George Alspaugh
Amund,
There are multiple countries that have Country of Origin (CoC)
marking requirements. Probably all for the same reasons, i.e.
tariffs, truth in advertising, etc. Many countries have their
own lists of countries from whom they will not accept imported
goods, usually for economic and/or
Vijay,
I have posted my opinions within brackets [ ] in your note below.
Wani, Vijay (V) vwani%dow@interlock.lexmark.com on 04/20/2002 08:38:51
PM
Thank you all for your valuable input. i apologize for late reply. i ordered
a copy of EN60950:2000. (thanks, Chris, George and
George,
Your associate may have only two choices for the U.S. and/or Canadian
markets for the protable version. Either will serve in both countries.
a) Submit the product to UL for a c-UL-us mark.
b) Submit the product to CSA for the CSA/NRTL mark.
For any fixed electrical device that is
Nick,
Thanks for your comments. However, I like to simplify things to their
essential ingredients. Whatever I may fail to understand, I do
understand that my products will have no import within EU states if:
1. They are designed with IEC 60950 and common sense in mind.
2. They are third
Nick,
To some degree, I beg to differ with your explanation,
particularly with the following:
It is these national regulations that have direct force
of law on manufacturers, traders and users of equipment
in that member state. It is not a matter of crossing
boundaries into the EU or between
There seems to be some confusion regarding U.S. product safety
regulations. It is not as complicated as some have made it
appear. I will try to simplify this topic.
First, the European Directives may be EU law, but they are only
directed to member states, not manufacturers, over which they
Your comments remind me of how FCC limits began a few decades ago.
As many may recall, in the days before real PCs, Playstations and the like,
Coleman and others began marketing ping pong games one could play on
their TV set.
Since TVs had no direct inputs at the time, the small game box fed
Steve,
If the products in question are going into U.S. workplaces,
they are bound under the OSHA requirements in the U.S. Code
of Federal Regulations to be listed by an NRTL, regardless
of the locale. Approved NRTLs can be found at:
http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html#nrtls
Chris,
Every set of existing rules has an intent, to be achieved by
following the letter of the rules. Personally, I always consider
meeting the intent far superior to meeting the letter of rules.
Example, the letter of the law says we must stop at stop signs before
proceeding. The intent is
Using an on-line acronym finder, I see that NAMAS =
National Measurement and Accreditation Service
There is a NAMAS website at:
http://www.smtl.co.uk/MDRC/NAMAS/about-namas.html
This describes process certifications, not product safety assessments.
From what I discern, they produce no
One of our OEM customers called me this morning with a question.
It seems that one of our European Union Declarations of Conformity
listed the Low Voltage Directive as 72/23/EEC, while others had listed
73/23/EEC. I replied that I was fairly certain that 73/23/EEC was correct,
but would check it
Wow!
This morning is the first time I've ever received postings from this
listserver
that were NOT in 10 pitch Courier font style, which is dull I
should know,
as my site has dealt with fonts for over forty years, beginning with the
IBM
typewriters, and now in printers.
Today I saw
Interestingly, if you go to : http://www.acronymfinder.com/
you will get 63 hits on CB. Only one is close to those
used in the certification field, i.e. Certified Bodies.
Both competent bodies and certification bodies have been
used for some time, and abbreviated CB. The true meaning of
CB
Dan,
Sorry about that. I should have checked first. The closest
I found on the site was The operating units of the CB Scheme
are the National Certification Bodies (NCB's).
Like most such websites, there may actually be a definition
somewhere if one looks at enough pages, but I won't tout it
CB = Certification Bodies
See www.cbscheme.org for excellent info on CB Scheme.
Roman, Dan dan.roman%intel@interlock.lexmark.com on 02/12/2002 09:40:23
AM
Please respond to Roman, Dan dan.roman%intel@interlock.lexmark.com
To: emc-pstc%majordomo.ieee@interlock.lexmark.com
What are your thoughts on this issue?
The prevailing ITE safety standards (e.g. IEC 60950) require markings
that include the manufacturer's name, trademark, or identification
mark (section 1.7.1).
It is not uncommon for a manufacturer to allow another company to
market their products under
It occurs to me that many folks are not aware that there are many
different TUV agencies authorized to issue the German GS certificate.
In other words, not all agencies with TUV in their title have the
same country laboratory recognition.
The Standards Council of Canada lists TUV Rheinland of
Divine,
I do know that Mexico uses 127V nominal, and standard U.S. type plugs,
both two blade and two blade with ground pin. You do NOT have to
provide three pin plugs unless device is Class I. See Mexico at:
http://www.panelcomponents.com/guide.htm
NOM is more of an import certification
Richard,
We have largely used UL and CSA or c-UL on our office and consumer
printers, so I do not have experience with the use of other NRTLs
for the U.S. and Canada.
However, for the U.S. OSHA establishes acceptable NRTLs, and the
CFR uses the words NRTL, so I do not see how an electrical
Allen,
I agree with your comments. Hi-pot is not, and never was, a reliable
safe/unsafe test. It merely finds component and/or finished goods
whose processes may have crept to non-compliance. For example, xfmrs
whose internal creepage/clearance distances between windings have crept
over
Update on Dr. Paul provided by a colleague:
Clayton retired from U of K, however, he resumed his teaching at
Mercer University. Shortly after moving to Georgia and beginning a
teaching position at Mercer, he received an endowed chair, given by
former United States Ga. Senator Sam Nunn at
A word about Dr. Paul
From 1981 to 1993 I managed several of our lab functions, including EMC.
At the time, Dr. Paul taught EMC courses at the University of Kentucky,
in Lexington, where our (then) IBM lab was also located. As a result,
we were able to hire Dr. Paul as an EMC consultant
Kim,
Here is my understanding:
EMCVCCI member = CISPR 22 compliance + cert
non-member = no certification or confirmation
Safety ITE should comply to IEC 60950, but no certification
ITE AC/DC adapters required to obtain cert + PSE mark
George
A few observations..
APS--An APS camera is one that uses Kodak's patented Advanced
Photo System film cartridge. The only big difference from other
35mm film cartridges is that you just pop it in and close the lid.
It self winds. No film trailer to fool with.
Electronics--An APS camera's
Scott,
You are correct in pointing out that the CB Scheme is geared
to IEC standards, not EN standards or any other local country
equivalent of IEC standards.
We ask our suppliers to obtain a CB Report which stipulates
compliance to IEC 60950 (whatever edition and amendments) and
the country
I am posting this notice of Don Bush's death, as he was an EMC
pioneer, and one of my employees from 1981-1993.
Donald R. Bush recently passed away of cancer at the age of 59.
Don received his MSEE at the University of Louisville and joined
IBM in Lexington, Kentucky in 1965. At the time he
Cecil,
This site http://www.panelcomponents.com/guide.htm lists U.S. and
Canada as 120V and Mexico as 127V.
We normally rate our printers as 110-127V, if not going to Japan.
However, I have seen single value ratings of 115V and 120V on models
going to these countries without issues brought to
Note that vehicle warranties merely assert that the named
parts or systems will be replaced by the dealer (or authorized
repair shop) at no cost if they go bad. They do NOT guarantee
that they will not fail within the stated time/mileage.
For example, suppose the brakes fail, or air bag
Can anyone help me? I need to find the relevant EMC standards for IT
equipment when it is supposed to be deployed in the following Asian
countries: Korea (CISPR 24/22 ??), Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China
(CNS 13438 ??), Taiwan and Japan (VCCI (V-3/97-04) ??). If you have a
link to a
I think the issue is that the lamp is not an EMC regulated
device. In fact, in Europe, ITE conducted emissions must
be regulated so as not to cause desk/room lights to flicker,
as in when a fuser lamp in a printer kicks on.
Apparantly the proper functioning of lighting takes precedence
over
Rich,
Your scenarios are excellent at proving my point that it is largely the
unregulated devices amongst us that are the true source of EMIC,
i.e. electromagnetic incompatibility.
Thanks, George
Rich Nute richn%sdd.hp@interlock.lexmark.com on 01/03/2002 02:19:38 PM
To:
The key word in EMC is compatibility. This implies that electrical and
electronic
equipment are (ideally) designed so that each can operate normally in the
presence
of another. This requires limiting both the emissions and sensitivity of such
devices.
Historically, only a limited number of
Chris,
I like your innovative thinking! When I once managed our acoustics
lab, we had both a semi-anechoic chamber and a reverberation chamber.
The SAC was similar to those for EMC, in that the walls were designed
to absorb all sound waves striking them, so that sound pressure at a
point near
Once upon a time, before we were spun off from IBM, and I was the
EMC manager here, I faintly recall that the IBM Boebligen lab in
Germany had an OATS facility. I also faintly recall that snow on
the rooftop did impact the measurements needed.
Note that OATS structures are normally
Gents and Ladies,
I would like your input on the exact requirements of the subject resolution
to ITE office products. We have multiple inkjet and laser printers certified
in Argentina under the most recent requirements, viz. tendering of a CB Report
with product sample if requested. Our
Chris,
As I understand it, there is no standards requirement on how or were or
if a OK hi-pot mark is required. An initial factory inspection for
a ITE product (UL, CSA, TUV,...) will usually require that the hi-pot
process in place ensures no walk-arounds, but does not require marking.
Actually, Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian economist.
He observed that 80% of the economy was driven by 20% of the
consumers, i.e. 20% of the customers account for 80% of the
turnover.
Two decades ago I was involved in an effort to create a data bank
of IBM typewriter service
There is a UL mark acceptable for the U.S.
There was a c-UL mark, acceptable to both Canada and the U.S.
The more correct mark from UL for the c-UL mark is now the
c-UL-us mark, i.e. circled UL with small c outside lower left of
circle and small us outside lower right of circle.
I have never
A word of history on Class I vs. Class II, as I understand it.
In the beginning there was no such thing as earth grounding in
homes and offices for the needed electrical appliances. The
equivalent of our present double insulation was required to prevent
against electric shock.
When
Several years ago I had the need to explain this same issue.
Similarly most of the inquiries came from the U.K. Here are
some exerpts from a white paper done to address this issue:
***
This document addresses the nature and safety of two-wire
ITE products.
The international
John,
Allow me to comment further on this issue. I seem to remember
a saying that goes The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
By the same token, I have always expressed within my area of
influence that the truest test of our internal ITE safety
policies, practices and processes is field
When I managed EMC during the 1980's, we were fortunate
enough to hire Dr. Paul as a consultant during the summers for
a few years. He taught EMC courses at the local University of
Kentucky.
We learned a good deal more about theory from him, while he
learned a good deal more about EMI from
There are at least two possible definitions of this term. Under the
60950 standards, these would be the components listed by an approving
agency deemed to be safety critical. The other is any part, listed
or not, that contributes to the overall safety of the device. For
example, a metal
I saw a piece on on this type of mower on one of the Dateline or other news
formats.
The one displayed also had the ability to be operated remotely by the owner to
trim
etc. In this case, the hand held transmitter would be an intentional radiator.
George Alspaugh
--
FCC looks at things like price, where advertised, where sold. If any of these
look a lot like other consumer ITE, the verdict will be Class B.
If it is advertised only in periodicals such as Forbes and the WSJ , and sold
only through high end ITE outlets, to mainly buiness clients, then it
Gary,
It was always my understanding that house fuses/breakers were to protect
all the upstream stuff, e.g. service entry box, external transformers etc.
They cannot realistically protect downstream stuff, as they have no
knowledge of how much current is too much for a given appliance.
Note that besides the product safety issues, there are many
environmental issues with lithium batteries. Nearly every Euro
environmental acceptance form for our products asks if they
contain lithium batteries, and how these will be recycled or
reclaimed to avoid going to waste land fills.
Cecil,
It is my understanding that both of these countries accept CE marked
products, which attests to complying with the applicable EU Directives,
one of which is the EMC Directive.
There are several methods described in the Directives to justify using
the CE marking. Each includes a means
I suppose the only link between this listserver and the present topic
is that the chicken testing discussed pertains to some degree to
product safety.
One story made the rounds a few years ago about a railroad engine
manufacturer that wanted to perform some similar windshield tests on
it's
There are various OSHA defined levels of noise, beyond which the
employer must provide ear protection, regular checkups, etc. with
increasing levels. However, the first level is about 85dBa or so, about
that for the oprtator of a gas powered lawnmower .
With one exception, I know of no
In the late 1960's I was working on what became IBM's first copier.
We made frequent use of NESA glass, a PPG product. This consisted
of an ultra-thin gold layer deposited on glass sheets. We could perform
photoconductor light-discharge experiments by coating the PC on the
gold surface, and
Whoa,
Too much misleading information!
The China safety standard is GB4943-1995 and mirrors IEC 60950
except for testing required at -/+10% of rated voltages, vs. the -10/+6%
of IEC.
China EMC standard is GB9254-1998 and equal or similar to
CISPR 22.
The dominant certification agency mark
Here is my understanding. For EMC, Japan has only the VCCI, which
is the Voluntary Council for the Control of Interference. It is optional to
belong, but members must meet the equivalent of CISPR 22.
Until now, AC/DC adapters required safety certification and the use of
the Dentori-T mark
Clarification.
I believe the matrix posted earlier contains some possible
errors and omissions.
China does NOT accept the CE mark, but requires CCIB
and/or CCEE certification depending on the product and
country of origin.
The Czech Republic is not yet in the EU, and may not yet
accept
Jody,
I seem to recall that CE is for European Community but in Frech, i.e.
Communite European. You can try looking around the EU website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/newapproach/legislation/guide/legislation.htm
George
Jody Leber jleber%ustech-lab@interlock.lexmark.com
Amund,
I believe some additional clarification is warranted.
UL and CSA are private agencies and do not determine what is
acceptable to market goods (ITE) in their respective countries.
This is determined by government bodies.
The U.S. OSHA has approved multiple Nationally Recognized
Testing
First, I am no expert on accelerated life testing. However,
I do know that life testing depends a good deal on the nature
of the product. In other words, how will it be used, how often
will it be used, and what are its failure modes?
An electric pencil sharpener may be used only five to ten
Roughly one year ago, there were a number of excellent appends to
this listserver on the basis for hi-potting, and what is and is not proven
by the hi-pot test. The recent discussion makes these of current interest
for those wanting a better understanding of the electric strength tests
cited
Raymond,
The standards (e.g. IEC 60950 section 5.3.2) allow production hi-pot
testing to be reduced to 1 sec., but does not address any change in
voltage, up or down. It usually takes more than 1 sec. for a hi-pot
to ramp up, stabilize, then ramp down. We used to use about 3 secs
to ensure
Earlier exchange.
In Europe, there are no longer any 'national approvals' like the old
SEMKO etc. There is ONLY the Low Voltage Directive, and the European
Standards (ENs) that have been 'notified' in the Official Journal as
providing evidence of compliance.
Not so,
Don,
IEC 60950, section 5.3, is specific regarding electric strength
testing. It does not require testing between secondary circuits,
as it is the primary to secondary, and primary to ground insulation
that provides protection against electric shock. Type testing is
performed for 1 minute,
When I managed both EMC and power supply design groups in the '80's,
I found the many tech magazine ads for open frame power supplies quite
amusing. These always stated that the power supplies met FCC and other
EMI requirements. How were these tested? A dummy d.c. load does NOT
impose a
As I recall, our facility (IBM at the time) first dealt with field ESD issues
long before there were the present FCC EMI rules for digital devices.
This was back in the '60's.
At the time we made typewriters, some with internal magnetic cards for
storing typed documents. In low humidity
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) owns DEMKO. You may be able to use the
DEMKO / UL connection to your advantage. However, I am not sure that UL
does any EMC testing / verification.
George
Kim Boll Jensen kim.jensen%eicon@interlock.lexmark.com on 08/14/2001
04:34:26 AM
Please respond
Well, this discussion has reached the point where I must add something
I read about some years ago. It goes something like this:
For many years, Russia was known to conduct many experiments involving
paranormal activity, probably to determine if there were any military value
in such phenomena
Dear KC,
In general, you will not find complete safety standards on the internet, as
these are typically sold by the international or country safety agencies.
You can use http://www.safetylink.com/ as an excellent directory to many
safety and EMC related websites. If you plan to market an
I appreciate the many on-line and off-line reponses you provided!
However, many have cited http://www.standards.com.au/
as the place I need. Unfortunately, I had already been there, done that,
and it is merely the amazon.com equivalent for Australia standards.
I don't need to order any
Fellow PSEs,
I need to ask a question about exporting a prototype AC/DC Adapter
to Australia for evaluation prior to official certification of the equipment.
It is my understanding that I need to contact the Standards Association
of Australia (SAA), but cannot find a website or other contact
My old Feller catalog shows a Euro plug rated 16A-250V.
It is listed as Type VII G, CEE (7) VII, 16A-250V. It is a three
wire (Class I) variety, with two male pins and a female ground
socket.
Since Feller (HQ in Austria) produces line cord sets, I would
guess there are 16A line cord sets
Doug,
My responses in brackets [] below.
Doug McKean dmckean%corp.auspex@interlock.lexmark.com on 06/08/2001
12:57:33 PM
Please respond to Doug McKean dmckean%corp.auspex@interlock.lexmark.com
To: EMC-PSTC Discussion Group emc-pstc%ieee@interlock.lexmark.com
Some discussions relative to CE marking and the EU
Directives tend to overlook a key point. The European Union
Directives are directed not to manufacturers, but to the member
states of the EU, establishing requirements for products entering
the EU via their borders. This is simply because the
Dan,
There is no CB mark. The CE marking is required for the EU,
indicating compliance with all applicable EU Directives for the product
involved. This is accepted by the 15 member states and by Norway,
Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Several Eastern European
countries are waiting
The Product Safety standards for ITE are generally based on the single fault
rule. That is, the device can withstand a single fault and still be safe. If a
Class I
(earth grounded design) device loses its earth ground path, for whatever reason,
internal or external, this is a single fault,
Enci,
Simply put, any electrical appliance marketed in the U.S. should
conform to UL standards. You did not state what type of product this
is, so I cannot say what standards apply. However, in general, I would
be very surprised if any UL standard permitted a two wire plug on a
Class 1
Richard,
You cannot go wrong if you comply to IEC 60950 for both ITE and power
supplies for ITE. To my knowledge, the China standard is identical to IEC
except that testing is done to +10/-10 percent vs. the usual +6/-10.
If the units are made in China for use in China, you need CCEE
Some posts seemed to suggest that lowering the distribution voltage
could cause the power to increase. I doubt this can occur, as it would
require a new basic device with operating characteristics opposite that
of a resistor. As one posted noted, power = V**2 / R. So, as V decreases,
R would
The new Japan DENAN requirements are not completely clear,
and I know of no on-line source in English to clear up certain aspects.
For example, in the past, AC/DC adapters have required certification
and the application of the Dentori-T mark with cert. number. However,
there was no mandatory
Susan,
Simply put, a type certification is a 100% test by an independent
certification
agency against the applicable standard, of a single sample unit representative
of future production units. The key words are single sample.
Typically, forthcoming production units are tested during
Luiz,
If you go to www.safetylink.com you will find websites for some of
the country certification agencies you are interested in. I cannot
comment on EN60335-1 products as we do only EN60950
products.
George
Chris Maxwell chris.maxwell%gnnettest@interlock.lexmark.com on 05/01/2001
Rick,
My opinion based on my understanding of IEC 60950.
Whether an on/off switch breaks one or both sides of the line, the
equipment will be either on or off respectively, as either breaks the
electron path.
It is true that breaking only one side may leave the electronics hot
if the
This is merely a comment on the distant past regarding ESD.
I joined IBM in 1963, well before the present FCC regulations for
EMI of ITE and other digital products operating at 10kHz or above.
As I recall, the predominant EMC problem in those days was ESD
between operators of office equipment
Luiz,
You can couch the following topics in whatever buzz words are in vogue
in your company, but I see the following list as the Product Safety cycle
of activities:
- Understand the applicable global product safety design standards.
- Establish any desirable company product safety
You have raised a very important question that many of us must deal with
in some way. I note you have received no replies via the listserver. I
know of no documented legal requirements for the incident investigation
process, although OHSA, CPSC, and others may have documented requirements
for
Has anyone noticed that postings to this listserver repeat several days later?
For example, Chris Colgan's question about switching NRTLs first posted about
3/6/01 appeared again this afternoon?
George
---
This message is from the IEEE EMC Society
Joe,
SMPS AC/DC adapters are not uncommon in the marketplace today.
With a SMPS, it is usually easy to cover the voltage range from 100-
127Vac or 100-240Vac. Any units approved for these ranges would
likely bear the Japan Dentori-T mark.
Our own external power supplies are provided as unique
David,
Here is my understanding based on an earlier discussion on this forum
and some of our business experiences. The agreement amongst many high
volt countries was on a 220-240V range. This implies a 230V nominal.
The 240V countires agreed, but never changed their nominals, as this
would
I recall from my days of managing EMC that the FCC does not allow a
manufacturer to declare if an ITE product is Class A or B. They look
at the price, and where the product is advertised and sold as well. If
the product is within the price range consumers are willing to pay,
advertised in
I believe the 2 designates TUV Rheinland. However, numeric designations are no
longer permitted, and are replaced by the logo and/or name of the testing
agency.
George Alspaugh
pmerguerian%itl.co...@interlock.lexmark.com on 01/31/2001 03:16:58 AM
Please respond to
I see no cETL listed at http://www.scc.ca/certific/colist.html
I did see ITS listed.
bolintic%dscltd@interlock.lexmark.com on 01/24/2001 04:52:35 PM
To: George_Alspaugh/Lex/Lexmark.LEXMARK@sweeper.lex.lexmark.com,
emc-pstc%majordomo.ieee@interlock.lexmark.com
cc:(bcc:
Allow me to make one addendum to my prior note before I get blasted
by the readers. I implied that virtually all traffic accidents are
due to bad drivers. I overlooked the infamous Firestone tire episode.
However, this does not alter my position. If you had a pie diagram
indicating the
Product safety is a relative term. It usually means that
a product meets the public's generally accepted level of risk
for the benefits it provides. My plastic coffee mug is quite
safe, aside from the stuff that I sometimes allow to grow
inside. My chain saw is a nightmare waiting to happen,
Richard,
Yes, most likely the adapter will require a safety approval. EMC is also
required unless the unit ONLY comes with its powered product, and is not
to be commercially available independently.
George
woods%sensormatic@interlock.lexmark.com on 01/15/2001 04:41:45 PM
Please
Courtland, you asked:
I would like to know the intent of TCF's for CE. There are numerous
standards such as Radiated Emissions, Conducted Emissions, ESD, Radiated
Immunity, Fast Transients, Surge, etc..., that apply. What actually is the
intent of the TCF? Is it to allow the manufacturer to
We might be trying to make a mountain out of a molehill here.
The basic intent of the various standards is to ensure that power
rating information is not easily rubbed off. The international
standards IEC/EN60950 (sec. 1.7.15) stipulate 15 second rub tests
using water and petroleum spirits. The
Dear Huu Dung,
Allow me to express my understanding of the standards, and various
practices.
Section 2.3.1 requires that SELV circuits must be safe to touch, even
after a single fault in basic insulation. As a result, SELV circuits
must be either double insulated from hazardous votages, as in
Bill,
From one of the PSB webpages: Administration of the Singapore
Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Registration Scheme.
The scheme is mandatory for all consumer products designated as
controlled goods.
The Singapore Productivity and Standards Board (PSB) requires us
to submit our
Tony,
My understanding is that there is no international equivalent to EN50116.
It is also my understanding that IEC 60950 incoporates the essential
production testing requirements of EN50116 for ITE, viz. earthing resistance
and electric strength.
But then I have been wrong
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