Over the years the use of a red LED has been discouraged for use on products because "Red" was reserved for situations "hazardous to an operator". This resulted in the elimination of Red LEDs from keyboards and other devices. Clause 1.7.8.2 of EN 60950 specifically allows Red LEDs in areas where safety is not involved. As such I see no problem using the device in conjunction with a user operated switch. I think that was the intent of "permitting" red LEDs. Another point is that a Red LED is much different than the use of a Red indicator light.
Regarding my last posting on shielded cables not being allowed in Europe. I was misinformed. Apparently there are no longer any rules to this effect. The beauty of this discussion group is that I learn something every day. Rick [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Jim Eichner [SMTP:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, January 26, 1998 11:06 AM To: 'EMC-PSTC - forum' Cc: Rob Cameron; Jim Eichner Subject: Red Indicators and EN60950 Clause 1.7.8.2 of EN60950 says: "Where safety is involved, colours of controls and indicators shall comply with IEC73. Where colours are used for functional controls or indicators, any colour, including red, is permitted provided that it is clear that safety is not involved". There has been a thread on this in the past so I looked it up at RCIC and found that we never really talked about what exactly 950 means when it says "Where safety is involved" and "provided that it is clear that safety is not involved". The situation I am considering is an LED used in conjunction with a user-operable switch that is located in a control circuit (not a true on-off switch) and controls the output of a DC-to-AC inverter. When the switch is "on" the output of the inverter is enabled and 230Vac is present on the output receptacle of the inverter. Allowing the user to know at a glance whether or not there is 230Vac present on the output could be construed as a safety function. On the other hand, the user has no access to the 230Vac in terms of shock hazard (standard Schuko outlet for example), so one could argue that safety is not a function of this indicator. Q: What are your opinions? Can this LED be red and still satisfy the intent of EN60950? The problem is a conflicting U.S. standard that insists on a red indicator. We don't want to have to have a second version of the control panel to cover both standards. Thanks for your help. Regards, Jim Eichner Statpower Technologies Corporation [email protected] http://www.statpower.com Any opinions expressed are those of my invisible friend, who really exists. Honest.
