My product is battery powered. Does it have to comply with IEC 60950?What is the difference between IEC 60950, IEC 950, UL 1950 and EN 60950?
My product has been approved to the 2nd edition of IEC 950. When will I have to update the approval to IEC 60950 3rd Edition?My product uses LEDs as indicator lights. I've heard these are considered as
lasers. Are there special requirements?My product was tested in the past.
I need need to make some modifications to the product. What do I need to do to ensure continued compliance?Should my design use a power supply (or transformer) that already has approvals from recognized laboratories?
My product is battery powered. Does it have to comply with IEC 60950?
It is sometimes assumed that battery powered products are 'safe'. This is not the case. A short circuit in a battery powered product may result in very high currents and a fire
hazard. IEC 60950 also covers mechanical and other risks that may be present in battery powered products. It is true that such products do not fall within the scope of the
European Union's Low Voltage Directive, but even in this case the manufacturer should be able to demonstrate that the product complies with the applicable standards for
product liability and other reasons. For more information see Basic Principles and Regulatory Issues.
What is the difference between IEC 60950, IEC 950, UL 1950 and EN 60950?
IEC 60950 was written under the auspices of the IEC, the International Electrotechnical Commission, and published by the same body. Previously the standards was numbered IEC 950, and is still often referred to as such. It has been adopted by many countries, with national deviations, as their national standard. Examples are EN 60950 (European Union), UL 1950 (USA). For further information see National Variants.
My product has been approved to the 2nd edition of IEC 950. When will I have to update the approval to IEC 60950 3rd Edition
Although IEC 60950 3rd Edition has been published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, it will take some time for this version to become adopted by the various
national bodies as national standards. Even when adopted there is likely to be a transition period during which approvals to the previous version of the standard remain
valid. We provide information on these issues in our Newsletter.
My product uses LEDs as indicator lights. I've heard
these are considered as lasers. Are there special requirements? Amendment A11 of EN 60950 (European Union) requires that LED's that are within the scope of EN 60825-1, can be
demonstrated to comply with this standard. You should try to get documentation from the manufacturer showing that the LED's you use do comply with this standard. You should
ask your Test House for their policy on this issue, as this requirement has not been applied consistently in the past. For the USA, CFR 1040 does not include requirements for LED's.
My product was tested in the past. I need need to make some modifications to the product. What do I
need to do to ensure continued compliance? It is good practice to have a person responsible for
reviewing any changes to your product from the point of view of compliance. This person should sign off every change to the product. He should liaise with your test house
to see whether retesting is necessary or a change is required to the test report. If you are subject to factory visits, the inspector has the right to revoke your license to 'mark'
the product if it differs from the product tested. A particular source of problems is the substitution of safety critical components. Your test report specifies the manufacturer
and model number of such components, and your license becomes invalid if you substitute a second source. You should try to plan second sourcing in advance and have
alternate components included in the initial testing of your product.
Should my design use a power supply (or transformer) that already has approvals from recognized laboratories? This is basically a question of costing. If the power supply (or transformer) that you intend to use is declared by the
manufacturer to be compliant, but does not have third party approvals, you will have to bear the cost of the approval as part of the approval of your product. If you have custom
requirements, or you have a high volume product, you may be able to reduce costs by taking the upfront costs of approval upon yourself, and paying a lower per unit price. If
you do this you must ensure that you have full control over the construction and components used in the power supply or transformer. If the manufacturer changes the
specification in any way, your approval will become invalid. You should also have thorough incoming inspection procedures. If you chose to use power supplies or transformers which
are already approved, make sure that the approvals are accepted by your chosen test house. Beware of statements such as 'designed to' or 'conforms to'. These are declarations by the manufacturer and are
unlikely to be accepted by test houses as proof of compliance. |
