******************** ARCHIVED 8 APRIL 2002 at request of martin rowe says is out of date and would like to take his email address off of it ****************************** ************** Electronic Directives FAQ

Electronic Directives FAQ

The electronic directives are applicable to several boat components and accessories. In addition, many of the questions and comments in the FAQ (frequently asked questions) apply to the Recreational Craft Directive as well.

The electronics field is much more "into" the internet than the boat builders. They have created the internet newsgroup sci.engr.electrical.compliance to deal with the issue of electrical compliance with standards. This approach would have / could be an excellent way for boat builders to address their concerns about the Recreational Craft Directive, except, many boat builders are not yet online.

A Mr. Bill Lyons at IEEE has with the assistance of several other people (listed at the bottom of this page) used the newsgroup and additional information to create a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file that is posted on the sci.engr.electrical.compliance newsgroup. The FAQ is updated in the newsgroup about once a month. It is also posted on the net at http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html. http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html. We suggest you read it on the newsgroup or their web post to get the "official version". We have noticed their web site is not updated as fast as the newsgroup site. Since some of you have trouble accessing the newsgroup and their web site seems busy at times, we reproduced his 15 June 1997 edition below.



Supersedes:  <863709519snz@lyons.demon.co.uk>                               #
Last Posted: Thu, 15 May 97 15:18:39 GMT                                    #
URL:         http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html
Textfile:    http://www.lyons.demon.co.uk/seecfaq1.txt


       FAQ: SOURCES OF EMC AND SAFETY COMPLIANCE INFORMATION - PART 1
                      First posted:  April 17, 1996
                     Fifteenth issue:  June 15, 1997                        #


CONTENTS - PART 1 (THIS PART)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.1   Introduction
1.2   Journals devoted wholly or mainly to EMC and safety compliance
1.3   Conferences and Exhibitions
1.4   Listservers
1.5   WWW Sites
        1.5.1  Non-commercial
        1.5.2  Commercial Web sites carrying useful EMC/safety information
1.6   Standards Organizations
1.7   Specifications for Safety and EMC Compliance
1.8   Books and Guides
1.9   CE Mark
1.10  Australia and New Zealand
1.11  Official & Quasi-official Advice

CONTENTS - PART 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.1   The sci.engr.electrical.compliance newsgroup
        2.1.1  Background and History
        2.1.2  Charter and Rationale
        2.1.3  Guidelines
2.2   European Voltage Harmonisation
2.3   Commonly-asked Questions and Answers about the EMC Directive
2.4   The Low Voltage Directive (LVD)

      Acknowledgments


1.1  INTRODUCTION
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to sci.engr.electrical.compliance (s.e.e.c).

This is  the  FAQ  for  the  sci.engr.electrical.compliance  newsgroup.  It 
supersedes  the  "Pre-FAQ:  Sources of EMC & Safety Compliance Information" 
which was posted to sci.physics.electromag monthly from  January  15,  1996 
until April 4, 1996 pending the establishment of the s.e.e.c newsgroup.  

Since  some  newsreaders  have  difficulty  with  articles  approaching  or
exceeding  approx  64k  in  length,  this FAQ has now been divided into two
parts.  This is Part 1.

This  FAQ  was  created  by,  and  is  currently maintained by,  Bill Lyons 
<Bill@lyons.demon.co uk> or <w.lyons@ieee.org>,  who  welcomes  suggestions 
for additions or amendments.  

It  will  be posted to s.e.e.c approximately monthly,  with pointers in the 
following related newsgroups: 

     sci.electronics.misc                sci.electronics.design
     sci.engr.electrical.sys-protection  sci.physics.electromag
     alt.engineering.electrical

and the following mailing lists:

     emc-pstc@ieee.org                   treg@world.std.com
    
The latest issue of this FAQ is archived at:

             http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html

PLEASE  ADVISE CORRECTIONS OF ANY ERRORS YOU MAY DETECT,  OR SUGGESTIONS OF 
ADDITIONAL USEFUL INFORMATION, AS INDICATED AT THE END OF THIS FAQ.  

N.B. A  hash  mark  (#)  in the right-hand margin indicates new or modified
     information since the previous issue.


1.2  Journals devoted wholly or mainly to EMC and safety compliance
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Additionally many,  perhaps most,  electrical/electronic journals  include 
articles, sections or features on EMC/compliance)   NB: L = UK pounds 


APPROVAL - "The engineering guide to European quality, standards 
    and regulations" 
    6 issues per year - UK L39, EU L48, RoW L55 p.a.

M & M Business Communications Ltd
Lime Tree House, Lime Tree Walk, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1YH, UK
Adrian McLeod, Editor
Tel:    +44 (0)1732 746 616
Fax:    +44 (0)1732 746 617
email:  approval@cix.compulink.co.uk
URL:    http://www.cix.co.uk/~approval
Subscriptions/advertising: +44 (0)1732 746 616


COMPLIANCE ENGINEERING
    "The magazine for international regulatory compliance"
    Bimonthly, no charge to qualified persons 
One Tech Drive, Suite 215, Andover, MA 01810, USA 
email:  ce@ultranet.com
URL:    http://www.ce-mag.com
Phone:  +1 (508) 681-6600                                                  
Fax:    +1 (508) 681-6637
Subscriptions:  on-line (see email address and URL above) or
Phone:  +1 (508) 681-6627 (Kelly-Ann Riley)

Constance Brown, Publisher (email cbrowne@ultranet.com) 508-681-6642
Mark Jurgen, Assistant Editor (email mjurgen@ultranet.com)
Editorial Board, Bill Fiske, Dag Bjorklof, Roland Gubisch, Ph.D.,
  Spencer Hutchens, Robert Martin, Paul Scicchitano, Don Sherratt
Production, Lisa Holovnia
Advertising Managers, Mike Costa, Mike Mintzer, Carolyn Belanger
Standards and Publications, Patricia LeBlanc


COMPLIANCE ENGINEERING, EUROPEAN EDITION
    No charge to qualified persons

Unit 10, Mansfield Park, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8PY, UK                    
Phone:  +44 (0)1483 488 408
Fax:    +44 (0)1483 488 447


EMC ENGINEERING EUROPE
    Published 6 times per year

Miller Freeman plc, Miller Freeman House
30 Calderwood Street, London SE18 6QH, UK
Phone:  +44 (0)181 855 7777
Fax:    +44 (0)181 854 8814
email:  cz69@cityscape.co.uk
URL:    http://www.dotelectronics.co.uk/


THE EUROPEAN EMC JOURNAL
    Published 6 times per year (bimonthly from mid-February)
    UK:  no charge to qualified persons
    Europe/Rest of World: L50 per year (6 issues) incl post/packing

Nutwood UK Ltd, Mansel Court, Mansel Gamage, Hereford HR4 7LE, UK
email:  nutwooduk@msn.com
URL:    http://www.emc-journal.co.uk/
Alan E Hutley, Publisher
Dave Fynn, News & Features Editor
Phone:  +44 (0)1981 590481
Fax:    +44 (0)1981 590223
Malcolm A Burchall, Technical Editor
Phone:  +44 (0)1628 778446
Fax:    +44 (0)1828 788294


IEEE ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
    Quarterly: no charge to IEEE EMC society members.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA
Phone:  +1 908 981-0060
Fax:    +1 908 981-9667
Telex:  833-233
email:  member.services@ieee.org


IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA
Phone:  +1 908 981-0060
Fax:    +1 908 981-9667
Telex:  833-233
email:  member.services@ieee.org

Motohisa Kanda, Editor (NIST)


INTERFERENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER'S MASTER (ITEM) MAGAZINE
    Published twice annually as ITEM and ITEM Update
    No charge to qualified persons

Robert D Goldblum, Editor
R & B Enterprises, 20 Clipper Road,
West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2721
Phone:  +1 610 825-1960
Fax:    +1 610 825-1684
email:  rbent@pipeline.com


INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT SAFETY NEWS (ISSN 1040-7529)
    "The Newsletter Devoted to Product Safety Compliance"
    Published six times a year

Product Safety International (PSI)
PO Box 1561-PFAQ, Middletown, CT 06457-8061, USA
Phone:  +1 860 344-1651
Fax:    +1 860 346-9066
email:  ipsn.pfaq@safetylink.com
URL:    http://www.safetylink.com
    "The Safety Link is the Internet's most comprehensive collection of 
    (electrical) product safety and standards links" 

Arthur E Michael, Editor


SAFETY AND EMC NEWSLETTER
    Published bimonthly.  L120/$208 p.a.

ERA Technology Ltd
Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SA, UK
Phone:  +44 1372 367014 (publication sales)
        +44 1372 367000 (switchboard)
Fax:    +44 1372 377927

Natalie Wood, Editor


1.3  Conferences and Exhibitions
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N.B. CD-ROMs, formerly listed here, are now included in Paul Bennett's
     "FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - Books and Guides" (see section 1.8)


EMC YORK '97                                                                #
CE Marking and EMC Conference and Exhibition                                #
University of York Heslington York YO1 5DD UK                               #
Monday 14 July 1997                                                         #
                                                                            #
Chris Marshman, York EMC Services Ltd, Department of Electronics            #
Tel:    +44 1904 434 440                                                    #
Fax:    +44 1904 434 434                                                    #
email:  enquiries@yes.york.ac.uk                                            #
URL:    http://www.emcnet.com/uoy/                                          #
                                                                            #
                                                                            #
1997 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY
Austin Convention Center Austin Texas USA
August 18-22, 1997

URL:   http://www.emctest.com/ieee97
Technical Papers & Program:  Edwin L Bronaugh, EdB EMC Consultants
  Tel: +1 512 258 6687          Fax: +1 512 258 6982
Exhibits: Mark J Prchlik, EMC Test Systems, L.P.
  Tel: +1 512 835 4684 ext 741  Fax: +1 512 835 4729
  mark.prchlik@emctest.com

Registration:
All About Meetings, 1650 S Pacific Coast Highway, Ste 209
Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA
Tel:   +1 310 316 5153 (questions only - no telephone registrations)
Fax:   +1 310 316 0713


10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY
University of Warwick, UK
September 1-3, 1997

L Hudson, IEE, Savoy Place, London WC2R 0BL, UK
Tel:   +44 171 240 1871
Fax:   +44 171 497 3633
                                                                            #
Further information about this event is available at:                       #
URL:   http://www.iee.org.uk/LSboard/Conf/EMC97/                            #
                                                                            #
The "call-for-papers" deadline has now passed and a provisional programme   #
will be added to the WWW pages shortly.                                     #


19TH ANNUAL EOS/ESD SYMPOSIUM
Santa Clara Convention Center CA USA
September 23-25, 1997

Koen Verhaege
Tel:   +1 609 734 2344
Fax:   +1 609 734 2565
email: kverhaege@sarnoff.com


EURO-EMC 1997
Sandown Park Exhibition Centre UK
October 7-9, 1997

Reed Exhibition Companies
Tel:   +44 181 910 7883
URL:   http://www.nepcon.co.uk/euroemc/


1998 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY
Denver Colorado USA

R Barry Wallen  +1 303 682 6600  bwallen@intellistor.com


1.4  Listservers
     ~~~~~~~~~~~
EMC-PSTC        EMC-PSTC Regulatory E-Mail Grapevine

                Hosted  by  the IEEE,  the EMC-PSTC is an informal group of 
                people  interested  in  Product  Safety   regulations   and 
                standards  world-wide,  networked electronically by mailing 
                list.  Its purpose is to provide a forum for the sharing of 
                public,  but possibly obscure Product Safety or  Regulatory 
                Compliance information, or related information with limited 
                natural  distribution.   All  mail  sent  to  the  Internet 
                address will be immediately echoed to everyone on the  list 
                by an automated list server.  

                for subscription info send email to:
                
                               majordomo@majordomo.ieee.org 

                containing in the body of the message only the words: 
                               info emc-pstc

                (no subject header needed)

                Information on EMC-PSTC is also available at URL
                http://uc.com/compliance_engineering/pstc_db.htm


TREG:           Telecom Regulatory E-Mail Grapevine (TREG)

                TREG   is   an  informal  group  of  people  interested  in 
                telecommunications regulations  and  standards  world-wide, 
                networked  electronically  by mailing list.  Its purpose is 
                to provide a forum for the sharing of public,  but esoteric 
                or  possibly  obscure  telecom  compliance information,  or 
                related  information  with  limited  natural  distribution.  
                Members need only send contributions to: 

                               treg@world.std.com

                All  mail sent to this Internet address will be immediately 
                echoed to everyone on the TREG list by  an  automated  list 
                server.  

                SUBSCRIBING  OR  UNSUBSCRIBING  -  Send  an Internet e-mail 
                request with the phrase "subscribe  treg"  or  "unsubscribe 
                treg" in it to: 

                               majordomo@world.std.com


BILLBOARD:      Billboard  is  a  telecom  newsletter published by Bill von 
                Alven of the FCC.  Bill is head of  the  United  States  of 
                America's  Federal  Communications  Commission CFR Title 47 
                Part  68  telecommunications   registration   section   and 
                publishes  an  informative industry newsletter on a monthly 
                basis.  To subscribe send: 

                               subscribe billboard
                 
                to:            majordomo@world.std.com


CONFORMITY      A Monthly Newsletter for Electronic Products

                Compiled by Jon Curtis,  Director of Engineering of Curtis-
                Straus  LLC,  CONFORMITY  is:  "A  free  monthly newsletter
                summarizing the  regulatory  issues  that  cross  my  desk.
                Since  I  also  distribute  treg  and  wish  treg to remain
                absolutely  non-commercial,   I  have  set  up  a  separate
                emailing  list  for  my newsletter." If you want to get the
                newsletter via email, you should send:

                               subscribe Conformity

                to:            majordomo@world.std.com
 

E-SAFETY        Electrical Safety Email List

                Rene Schmit <rene.schmit@crpht.lu> writes:

                I have just installed an email list for  discussions  about
                electrical safety (see charter below).

                        ------- e-safety Email List Charter -------

                The  purpose of this email list is the discussion of topics
                related to product safety in general and electrical  safety
                in  particular.   Possible  discussions  include   standard
                interpretations,   product   design   guidelines,   product
                certification, product marking and legal aspects.

                Typical  members of this list are product design and safety
                engineers,   test  house  engineers   and   standardisation
                commitee members.  Newcomers as well as experts are welcome
                to   participate   in  the  discussions.   This  list  will
                initially be unmoderated,  but this  could  change  in  the
                event  of  an  unacceptably  high  noise/signal ratio.  The
                number of subscribers is unlimited, a splitting of the list
                is however possible.  For  example,  a  separate  list  for
                household  appliances  and  information  equipment might be
                possible.

                How to subscribe:
                Send email to: majordomo@dorado.crpht.lu
                Subject:       None
                Message:       subscribe e-safety

                In return, you will receive your subscription confirmation   

                How to write a letter to the 'list':

                Send a simple email to the following address

                               e-safety@dorado.crpht.lu


1.5.1 WWW Sites - Non-commercial
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STANDARDS ORGANISATIONS:                                                    #
  ANSI                         http://www.ansi.org/docs/home.html           #
  BSI                          http://www.bsi.org.uk                        #
  ETSI                         http://www.etsi.fr                           #
  IEC                          http://www.iec.ch                            #
  ISO                          http://www.iso.ch                            #
  ITU-T                        http://www.itu.ch                            #
                                                                            #
AEDC - The Australian Electronics Development Centre's
       EMC homepage:           http://www.aedc.com.au/emc

Approval:                      http://www.cix.co.uk/~approval

    "The engineering guide to European quality, standards and regulations"

    Includes DTI (UK) guidance notes on the EMC Directive and the LVD, and
    a list of EMC standards at http://www.cix.co.uk/~approval/emcstan.htm

Compliance Engineering:        http://www.ce-mag.com

Defence Research Agency, UK (aerospace EMC)

     http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/gs66/index_fr.htm
                                                                            #
The European EMC Journal       http://www.emc-journal.co.uk/

A draft version of the new "Commission Guidelines" for EMC  can be found at
                               http://www.emc-journal.co.uk/newguide.html

   WARNING!  read with great caution:  contains numerous errors
   ~~~~~~~
European Organisation for Testing and Certification (EOTC):

                               http://www.eotc.be/
                               email: ticqa@eotc.be

Federal Communication Commission (FCC), USA:
                               http://www.fcc.gov/oet/info/rules

     FCC rules and regulations on-line (downloadable free)

A list of EMC test labs on file with the FCC is available at URL:

     http://www.fcc.gov/oet/info/database/testsite/

IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society:
                               http://www.emclab.umr.edu/ieee_emc/

Jet Propulsion Laboratory      http://emlib.jpl.nasa.gov

Low Voltage Directive - full text:
                               http://www.safetylink.com/lvd.asc

National Electronics Technology Centre (NETC),
Forbairt, Dublin, Ireland
                               http://www.netc.ie/

National Physical Laboratory, UK (RF/MW news, incl. antenna calibration)
                               http://www.npl.co.uk/npl/cetm/rfmwnews

National Weights and Measures Laboratory, UK:
                               http://www.dti.gov.uk/nwml

Northeast Product Safety Society, Inc:
                               http://www.safetylink.com/npss.html

PQ-Chat (Electrotek PQ-net):   http://www.electrotek.com

Regulatory Compliance Information Center (RCIC):
                               http://www.rcic.com/

Rudi Logghe <rlogghe@club.innet.be> maintains an interesting EMC page
     covering Standards and Directives, Consultancy, Universities and
     Manufacturers at: http://www.club.innet.be/~year2138/emc.htm

Safety Link:                   http://www.safetylink.com

     "The Safety Link is the Internet's  most  comprehensive  collection of 
     (electrical) product safety and standards links" 

Spectrum Management Agency (Australia):    

     http://www.sma.gov.au/spectrum/comply/emc/index.htm

     The Australian EMC Framework (downloadable free)

Test & Measurement World       http://world.std.com/~techbook/emclinks.htm

     "Links to  info  on the EMC Directive.  The links are to noncommercial 
     sites where you can find technical info such as what are the standards 
     applicable to  the  EMC Directive.  Also a link to the column 'Can You 
     Afford the CE Marking?'" 

University of Missouri-Rolla Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory
                               http://www.emclab.umr.edu

University of Warwick ATC EMC Group (esp. automotive EMC testing)
                               http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~esrjo/robert.html


1.5.2 Commercial Web Sites carrying useful EMC/safety related information
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     BABT (British Approvals Board for Telecommunications:
                               http://www.babt.co.uk/

     Claude Lyons Limited      http://www.lyons.demon.co.uk/epsma.html
     CE Marking on Power Supplies  -  Guidance from the EPSMA  (see also
     Section 1.11 of this FAQ, "Official & Quasi-official Advice")

     Compliance Online - a monthly electronic newsletter for environmental
     regulatory compliance.    http://www.ieti.com/taylor/compliance.html

     Conformance               http://www.conformance.co.uk
     Includes a full list of the 'CE Marking Directives' and the UK 
     legislation which enforces them.

     Emcnet                    http://www.emcnet.com
     
     EMC acronyms              http://www.emcnet.com/emc4.htm

     EPL Ltd.                  http://www.epl.co.uk
     Telecoms/EMC/safety approvals info & telecoms test equipment

     Horrocks Technology
     http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Horrocks_Technology
     Info on European Regulatory and Policy Documents on disk or CD ROM.

     KTL - info on LVD and EMC http:/www.ktl.co.uk/ktl/cemark.htm

     Patton & Associates, Inc  http://www.patton-assoc.com
     The CE Mark and Network Connection Mark along  with  instructions  for
     size  and  placement  can  be  down  loaded.  Patton intend to add the
     ability to down load all Approval Marks listed on this page as soon as
     time permits.

     List of EMC standards:
                        http://www.rfi.co.uk/wwwrestricted/StdBull_OJ.htm

     Summary of EMC issues     http://www.compulink.co.uk/~duchess/emc.htm 

     Technology International  http://www.TechIntl.com
       (CE Marking & Quality)

     TUV Product Service       http://www.tuvps.com

     Westbay Technology        http://www.emcnet.com/westbay/westbay1.htm
       (demo versions of low cost pc emc packages can be downloaded)


1.6  Standards Organizations
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - Organisations

     Most recently posted to sci.engr.electrical.compliance on 09 Feb 1997.

     Maintained by Paul E Bennett <peb@transcontech.co.uk> who will welcome 
     additions and amendments.  

     URL: http://world.std.com/~techbook/stdsorgs.htm


1.7  Specifications for Safety and EMC Compliance
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     1.7.1 FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - European Standards 
                       
           Most recently posted to sci.engr.electrical.compliance on 09 Feb
           1997.

           Maintained by Paul E Bennett  <peb@transcontech.co.uk>  who will 
           welcome additions and amendments.  

           URL: http://world.std.com/~techbook/standard.htm

     Note:  AMERICAN STANDARDS : EASTERN EUROPEAN STANDARDS
     Some  US  and  Eastern  European  standards are mentioned in this FAQ.  
     Paul Bennett comments: "The few that appear here may be candidates for 
     an eventual separate individual FAQ for each of the global  areas.  It 
     is  desirable that others should take on this task (preferably if they 
     live in the area of the globe concerned)." 

     1.7.2 FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - North American Standards
         
           Volunteers to generate and maintain this FAQ are required.

     1.7.3 FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - R-o-W Standards

           Volunteers to generate and maintain this FAQ are required.

           Note: A partial listing of Australian / New Zealand standards is
                 given in section 10 below.


1.8  Books and Guides
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     FAQ: Safety and EMC Compliance - Books and Guides
        
     Most recently posted to sci.engr.electrical.compliance on 09 Feb 1997.

     Maintained by Paul E Bennett <peb@transcontech.co.uk> who will welcome 
     additions and amendments.  

     URL: http://world.std.com/~techbook/cebooks.htm


1.9  The CE Mark
     ~~~~~~~~~~~ 
     A copy of the CE-MARK  in PCX format  is available by an email request
     to Jeremy Turner <Jeremy@srscomp.demon.co.uk>.  

     The CE Mark logo is also available from BABT at
                     http://www.babt.co.uk
     in their "Logos and Approval Marks" page
                     http://www.babt.co.uk/graphics.htm

     (The logo  shows  the  CE  mark complete with Notified Body number and
     "crossed hockey sticks",  but you can easily edit it to  suit,  as the
     file expands  into 17 or 18 different file formats,  which should suit
     everybody's software!)


1.10 Australia and New Zealand
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     NOTE:  Much thanks to Chris Healy <chris@jna.com.au> for the following
            updated information.

New Zealand has had EMC regulation for some time,  and Australia introduced
mandatory  requirements  for all electrical products first offered for sale
from the first of January 1997.  While both countries use the C-tick  as  a
compliance   mark,   the   regulations   for  each  country  are  currently
independent.  A recently signed MRA between Australia and New Zealand will,
at  some  time in the future,  result in mutual acceptance of technical and
regulatory requirements,  thus requiring the establishment of compliance in
one country only.

The regulations in Australia and New Zealand are both based on Declarations
of  Conformity,  with  the  party  responsible  for  the  declaration being
resident in the applicable country.  This requirement is similar to the  EU
requirements.

Australia
~~~~~~~~~
The  Australian  regulations  came  into  force on 1 January 1997,  for new
products. The regulations will apply to all products from 1 January 1999.

The Australian requirements are to:
     Establish a sound technical grounds for compliance;
     Make a Declaration of Conformity;
     Prepare a compliance folder of technical construction file; and
     Label the product.

Ref.  Government Notices:
Radiocommunications Standards (Electromagnetic Compatibility) No.1 of
1996, and
Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling - Incidental Emissions)
Notice.
Electromagnetic Compatibility Fremework, Information for Suppliers (1996)

All  market  sectors  are  covered:   commercial,   residential  and  light
industrial,  installation/maintenance,  automotive,  heavy industry  (power
transmission and large scale, manufacturing).

Applicable emission standards are:-

AS/NZS 4251 Generic
AS/NZS 1044 Household Electrical Appliances, Portable Tools &
                    Similar Electrical Equipment
AS/NZS 1053 Sound & Television Receivers & Associated Equipment
AS/NZS 2064.1/2 Industrial, Scientific & Medical Equipment
AS/NZS 2557 Vehicles, Motor Boats and Spark Ignition Engine Driven
                    Devices
AS/NZS 3548 Information Technology Equipment
AS/NZS 4051 Fluorescent Lamps & Luminaires
AS/NZS 4052 Microwave Ovens

No time frame has been set for the introduction of immunity standards.

Note:  Where EMC requirements are a part of other regulators' requirements,
the SMA will accept the specific sector regulators requirements in place of
the SMA requirements. For telecommunications, EMC has been removed from the
new  Telecommunications  Bill  currently  before  Parliament  and  due  for
enforcement from 1 July 1997.  The current AUSTEL requirement (AS3548 class
A) will continue until 1 January  1998,  then  be  replaced  with  the  SMA
requirements.

There  are  two marks for use on products for denoting compliance under the
EMC Framework.  These are:

     1)      The C-Tick mark:

This mark is intended for general use on  products  to  declare  compliance
with  EMC  regulations.  The C-tick mark is also used by AUSTEL in place of
the "AUSTEL PERMITTED" on Telecommunications Products.

     2)      The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM):

The Regulatory Compliance Mark is a general mark indicating compliance with
regulations.  The RCM is accepted by the SMA as an alternative  to  the  C-
tick.  The  rules for use of the mark are specified in joint Australian and
New Zealand Standard:

AS/NZS4417  Marking of Electrical products to indicate compliance with
            regulations.

Currently there are three parts to the standard
Part 1      General Rules for use of the mark
Part 2      Specific requirements for electrical safety regulatory
            applications
Part 3      Specific requirements for electromagnetic compatibility
            applications.

There is also activities to extend the mark to use  on  plumbing  products,
radio transmitters, telecommunications and medical products.

The RCM mark is currently accepted  by  the  Australian  electrical  safety
regulators  as  an  alternative to their certification marks.  The catch is
that compliance with the requirements of  the  SMA,  AND  certification  by
Electrical  Safety  regulator  are required before the RCM can be used.  In
fact,  all parts of AS4417 relevant to a  product  must  be  complied  with
before the RCM can be applied.

Both  these  marks can only be used in Australia with the permission of the
Spectrum Management Agency.  Pro Formas for application to  use  the  marks
are obtained from:  Manager, Radio Communications Standards
                    Spectrum Management Agency,
                    PO Box 78 , BELCONNEN ACT 2616
                    Fax: +61 6 253 2424
Or down loaded from the SMA web site, URL: http://www.sma.gov.au

Details  on  the  EMC  Framework for Australia may be obtained from the SMA
website listed above, specifically
        http://www.sma.gov.au/spectrum/comply/emc/index.htm
or by fax or E-mail (emc@sma.gov.au) to the SMA.

Information on Australian/NZ EMC standards and Framework is also  available
at:     http://www.aedc.com.au/emc

Questions and Answers                                                       #
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                       #
Following are excerpts from a letter received by Douglas  Scott,  principal #
compliance  engineer  at ECRM Inc <sdouglas@ecrm.com> from David Brumfield, #
Assistant Manager of  the  Radiocommunications  Standards  section  of  the #
Australian Spectrum Management Agency.                                      #
                                                                            #
Question #1                                                                 #
Who  is considered the Australian Importer or Australian Agent?  Our dealer #
who may or may not have an office in  Australia?  The  first  customer  who #
buys  one  of our products?  Could this be one of our employees in our Hong #
Kong or United Kingdom  offices?  To  my  knowledge,  we  do  not  delegate #
authority  for  anyone  to  act as our representative except in the case of #
selling our products.                                                       #
                                                                            #
Answer #1                                                                   #
"In accordance with the EMC requirement any person of company who imports a #
product whether by direct mail, sea container or air cargo and that product #
is intended for sale in Australia,  that person or company is the  importer #
and the product is subject to the EMC compliance requirements.              #
                                                                            #
On  this  point  do  you  envisage  individuals  or companies bringing into #
Australia your product for their own use?  If the product is  brought  into #
Australia  by  a  single  customer and is not intended for sale on the open #
market here then the product is exempt from the EMC framework."             #
                                                                            #
Question #2                                                                 #
What if we do not have anyone resident in Australia?  Who is it  that  must #
"hold the Declaration"?                                                     #
                                                                            #
Answer #2                                                                   #
"The  agency  does not insist that you have somebody resident in Australia. # 
The onus for responsibility for placing a product on the market is  on  the #
importer.  You may assist this importer by providing sufficient information #
to support a declaraion of conformity with the standard by the importer."   #
                                                                            #
Question #3                                                                 #
Is  our  Declaration issued for the CE Mark an acceptable substitute for an #
Australian version?  Would it be  if  we  added  the  reference  to  AS/NZS #
3548:1995 to our existing declaration?                                      #
                                                                            #
Answer #3                                                                   #
"The  declaration  of  conformity  must  be in the Australian format and be #
signed by a responsible person resident in Australia."                      #
                                                                            #
Question #4                                                                 #
Our existing certification label contains our name and address  along  with #
the  CE  and  CSA  marks as well as the appropriate safety information.  Is #
that acceptable for the labeling requirements?                              #
                                                                            #
Answer #4                                                                   #
"The existing labelling would  not  meet  our  requirements  and  would  be #
deficient in important information such as the C-Tick mark and the identity #
of   the   importer.   This   agency  requires  that  information  for  the #
traceability of the product and its importer,  particulalry at the time  of #
audit  of  an importer's compliance folder.  The legal information relating #
to this requirement can be accessed on our web page."                       #
                                                                            #
Question #5                                                                 #
Is the use of the C-TICK marking mandatory or optional?                     #
                                                                            #
Answer #5                                                                   #
"The use of the C-Tick is mandatory for products placed on  the  Australian #
market."                                                                    #
                                                                            #
Question #6                                                                 #
How  do  I  deal  with  private  label products?  We have arrangements with #
several other companies that sell our  products  under  their  own  labels. # 
Sometimes  the certification label I apply has our name on it and sometimes #
the label carries the name of the private label company.  In both cases  we #
may ship direct to the end-user.                                            #
                                                                            #
Answer #6                                                                   #
"If  the  product is shipped direct to the end user and is not intended for #
sale on the open market then that product is exempt from the EMC framework. # 
However,  if it is sold at a later  stage  the  product  will  need  to  be #
labelled, and the end user becomes the importer and he would be required to #
establish a compliance folder. See point 1."                                #
                                                                            #
Question #7                                                                 #
If necessary,  will you issue a "Supplier Number" to our company in the USA #
and allow the Declaration to be held here at the main  office  with  copies #
held in the UK and/or Hong Kong?                                            #
                                                                            #
Answer #7                                                                   #
"A supplier code can not be issued directly to an overseas company.  If the #
overseas   company  has  an  Australian  office  or  Australian  subsidiary #
domiciled in this country the supplier code would be issued to that company #
or independent importer in Australia.  The declaration  would  need  to  be #
signed  by  the  Australian connection and be made available when requested #
within 10 days of the request."                                             #
                                                                            #
Question #8                                                                 #
Would you please send me a complete  copy  of  your  handbook  on  the  EMC #
Framework for Residential, Commercial and Light Industry?                   #
                                                                            #
Answer #8                                                                   #
"Full information about the EMC framework can be found on this agency's web #
page  http://www.sma.gov.au/.  A hard copy of the"Information to Suppliers" #
is enclosed."                                                               #
                                                                            #
                                                                            #
New Zealand
~~~~~~~~~~~
In New Zealand,  the regulations class equipment into levels,  0 being low-
risk  products,   1  being  most  other   products   except   transmitters.
Declarations for level 1 must be lodged including a fee with the Ministry.

Labelling for EMC compliance is voluntary in New Zealand,  Declarations are
mandatory.  Where labelling is used,  the C-tick mark and the RCM  mark  as
listed for Australia are acceptable, however the requirements for using the
mark are slightly different.

Contact:  Senior Technical Officer (Regulatory)
          Communications Division, Ministry or Commerce
          PO Box 2847, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
          Fax: (64)04-473 2489

Further  information  may  be  obtained  from  the  New  Zealand Government 
website, and specifically from the following documents:
     http://www.govt.nz/comms/rsm/pib18.html - For general information.
     http://www.govt.nz/comms/rsm/rfs50.html - For Standards.

In the UK,  information about Australia and New Zealand can be provided  by
Ian Clasper, GAMBICA, Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment London SE1 7SW
Tel: 0171 793 3050  Fax: 0171 793 7635  email: iclasper@gambica.org.uk
URL: http://www.gambica.demon.co.uk


1.11 Official & Quasi-official Advice
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UK DTI (Department of Trade & Industry):

Business in Europe Hotline      0117 944 4888
  (for EMC Information Packs, LVD Booklet etc)

DTI Guidance Notes on the EMC Regulations
                http://www.cix.co.uk/~approval/dtiemc1.htm

Electrical Equipment (Implementing the LVD) Guidance Notes on the
  UK Regulations July 1995
                http://www.cix.co.uk/~approval/lvdgd.htm

CE/EMC CLUBS - UK

Scotland:       Paisley         0141 848 3415
N. Ireland:     Lisburn         01846 623 102
England/Wales:  Sunderland      0191 515 2000
                Salford         0161 278 2700    dmd@tscsubsl.demon.co.uk
                York            01904 434 440    cpb@yes.york.ac.uk
                Pontypridd      01443 482 482    101337.1147@compuserve.com
                Birmingham      01527 595 066
                Derby           01332 661 461 X3246
                Swindon         01793 783 137    100551.2117@compuserve.com
                Oxford          01865 784 888
                Hemel Hemp'd    01442 230 442
                Basingstoke     01256 851 193    jp@rfi.co.uk
                Leatherhead     01372 367 029    conferences@era.co.uk
                Canterbury      01227 763 414
                Liverpool       0151 231 2052    nowrec@Livjm.ac.uk
Helpline for the South East     0990 168 186     fax 01372 374 074
Automotive                      01203 348 541    beadman@mira.co.uk


CE MARKING - ADVICE FROM BEAMA

Third Edition, February 1996  L10.00 (non-members), L6.00 (members)
BEAMA, Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SL, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 171 793 3035  Fax: +44 (0) 171 793 3054


CE MARKING ON POWER SUPPLIES - Guidance from the EPSMA
Available free of charge from
Matthew Towers - EPSMA Secretariat
The European Power Supply Manufacturers Association
Belgrade Centre, Denington Road, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 2QH, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1933 44 22 02  Fax: +44 (0) 1933 44 22 40
email: 106262.1066@compuserve.com

This document is now also available at
http://www.lyons.demon.co.uk/epsma.html


EUROPEAN LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MARKING OF MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
 
Free from The National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML)
Department of Trade and Industry, Stanton Avenue,
Teddington TW11 0JZ, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 181 943 7214  Fax: +44 (0) 181 943 7270
email: 100534.2720@compuserve.com

[See also details of NWML Home Page above]


"WORLD ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES"

Available from BSI (+44 (0) 181 996 7000) under reference TH20338, for L21.
It...  "Gives  supply  sources  and  household,  commercial  and industrial
voltage,  voltage tolerance and frequency for over 200 countries worldwide.
Also available as a wall chart (TH20329).


                         *** CONTINUED - PART 2 ***

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 E&OE: please post corrections/additions to sci.engr.electrical.compliance 
           or email to Bill@lyons.demon.co.uk or w.lyons@ieee.org 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------






Supersedes:  <863709662snz@lyons.demon.co.uk>                               #
Last Posted: Thu, 15 May 97 15:21:02 GMT                                    #
URL:         http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html
textfile:    http://www.lyons.demon.co.uk/seecfaq2.txt


       FAQ: SOURCES OF EMC AND SAFETY COMPLIANCE INFORMATION - PART 2
                      First posted:  April 17, 1996
                     Fifteenth issue:  June 15, 1997                        #


CONTENTS - PART 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.1   Introduction
1.2   Journals devoted wholly or mainly to EMC and safety compliance
1.3   Conferences and Exhibitions
1.4   Listservers
1.5   WWW Sites
        1.5.1  Non-commercial
        1.5.2  Commercial Web sites carrying useful EMC/safety information
1.6   Standards Organizations
1.7   Specifications for Safety and EMC Compliance
1.8   Books and Guides
1.9   CE Mark
1.10  Australia and New Zealand
1.11  Official & Quasi-official Advice

CONTENTS - PART 2 (THIS PART)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.1   The sci.engr.electrical.compliance newsgroup
        2.1.1  Background and History
        2.1.2  Charter and Rationale
        2.1.3  Guidelines
2.2   European Voltage Harmonisation
2.3   Commonly-asked Questions and Answers about the EMC Directive
2.4   The Low Voltage Directive (LVD)

      Acknowledgments


2.1  The sci.engr.electrical.compliance newsgroup
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.1.1  Background and History
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The desire for a Usenet newsgroup devoted to "compliance" matters  such  as 
EMC  and  safety  relative  to electrical and electronic equipment had been
expressed by a number of posters to various  newsgroups.  As  part  of  the
reorganization of the  sci.electronics.*  heirarchy  carried  out  by  Mark 
Zenier <mzenier@netcom.com>, he had prepared a draft Request for Discussion 
(RFD), and this became the basis for the establishment of s.e.e.c 

This is  the  FAQ  for  the  sci.engr.electrical.compliance  newsgroup.  It 
supersedes  the  "Pre-FAQ:  Sources of EMC & Safety Compliance Information" 
which was posted to sci.physics.electromag monthly from  January  15,  1996 
until April 4, 1996 pending the establishment of the s.e.e.c newsgroup.  

Since  some  newsreaders  have  difficulty  with  articles  approaching  or
exceeding  approx  64k  in  length,  this FAQ has now been divided into two
parts.  This is Part 2.

This  FAQ  was  created  by,  and  is  currently maintained by,  Bill Lyons 
<Bill@lyons.demon.co uk> or <w.lyons@ieee.org>,  who  welcomes  suggestions 
for additions or amendments.  

It  will  be posted to s.e.e.c approximately monthly,  with pointers in the 
following related newsgroups: 

     sci.electronics.misc                sci.electronics.design
     sci.engr.electrical.sys-protection  sci.physics.electromag
     alt.engineering.electrical

and the following mailing lists:

     emc-pstc@ieee.org                   treg@world.std.com

The latest issue of this FAQ is archived at:

             http://world.std.com/~techbook/compliance_faq.html

PLEASE  ADVISE CORRECTIONS OF ANY ERRORS YOU MAY DETECT,  OR SUGGESTIONS OF 
ADDITIONAL USEFUL INFORMATION, AS INDICATED AT THE END OF THIS FAQ.  

N.B. A  hash  mark  (#)  in the right-hand margin indicates new or modified
     information since the previous issue.


2.1.2  Charter and Rationale
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is extracted from the RFD (Request for  Discussion)  and  the
successful  CFV (Call for Votes) which resulted in the official creation of
s.e.e.c on 17th April 1996:-

Newsgroups line:
sci.engr.electrical.compliance - 
                              Laws, regulations and design for EMC, safety.


CHARTER: sci.engr.electrical.compliance

Discussions  on  the  laws,  regulations,  and  safety  approval procedures 
governing the production, design and marketing of electronic and electrical 
equipment, and the engineering techniques used to comply with them.  


RATIONALE: sci.engr.electrical.compliance

Discussions on how to manufacture electronic equipment that has to meet the 
various government regulations are occuring in several different newsgroups 
(sci.electronics.misc, sci.physics.electromag,  alt.engineering.electrical) 
and  various  persons  have expressed the desire to have a common location. 
(There is large interest in Europe and with companies who export  to  there 
due to recent European Union regulations.) 

The name is derived from the common name of  this  subfield  of  electrical 
engineering, compliance engineering.  


2.1.3  Guidelines
       ~~~~~~~~~~
This is an unmoderated newsgroup and in the interests of participants it is
hoped that the following guidelines will be agreed by users:

1.   This is a technical discussion newsgroup with subscribers  using  many 
     heterogeneous operating systems and platforms.  All postings should be 
     in plain  ASCII  text,  and  on-topic  relative  to  the  charter  and 
     rationale  of the newsgroup.  (It is helpful if you wrap text at about 
     70 characters/line,  so that  it  may  be  moderately  quoted  without 
     exceeding 80 characters.) 

2.   Exceptionally, if you feel you must post short binaries, such as small 
     schematics,  diagrams,  etc, they should be in compressed format (e.g.  
     TIFF, JPEG or postscript) not exceeding 10k.  

     Long binaries/graphics and long program  files  must  NOT  be  posted.
     Please  arrange  for  them  to  be available at an ftp or Web site.  A
     short announcement describing the nature of the  material  and  giving
     the URL where it may be accessed is welcome.  

3.   Announcements  of  conferences,  seminars,  courses,  exhibitions  and
     meetings  devoted  wholly  or mainly to compliance matters and related
     products are welcomed and encouraged,  as are short  announcements  of
     new books and guides.

4.   Commercial announcements  or "plugs" for products are not appropriate,
     but short announcement of the URLs of commercial  Web  sites  carrying
     details of products related to  the  purposes  of  the  newsgroup  are
     acceptable.  A  specific  recommendation  of a particular product as a
     solution to a problem is acceptable.

5.   Short announcements of job vacancies in the compliance/EMC/safety area
     are acceptable.  Postings of CVs are NOT acceptable.

6.   Normally,  postings should be signed.  However,  it is recognised that
     there  may  be  legitimate reasons for on-topic postings via anonymous
     remailers, e.g. if a matter is commercially sensitive.


2.2  European Voltage Harmonisation
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The  nominal European voltage is now 230V 50 Hz (formerly 240V in UK,  220V
in the rest of Europe) but this does not mean there has been a real  change
in the supply.

Instead, the new "harmonised voltage limits" in Europe are now:

                     230V -10% +6% (i.e. 207.0 - 243.8V)

in most of Europe (the former 220V nominal countries), and

                     230V -6% +10% (i.e. 216.2 - 253.0V)

in UK (former 240V nominal).

This is really a fudge and means there is no real change of supply voltage,
only a change in the "label",  with no  incentive  for  electricity  supply
companies to actually change the supply voltage.

To  cope with both sets of limits an equipment will therefore need to cover
230V +/-10% i.e.  207-253V.  This will actually become the  official  limit
for the whole of the EU in 2003.


2.3  Commonly-asked Questions and Answers about the EMC Directive
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frequently-asked  questions  and answers by Brian Jones,  EMC Consultant to 
Nutwood UK  Limited,  publishers  of  the  EMC  '97  Reference  Handbook  & 
Directory, Edition 2.  http://www.emc-journal.co.uk.  

The following information is believed to be correct at the time of going to 
press  (April  1997).  It is not possible to cover individual circumstances 
in general answers such as these, and caution should therefore be exercised 
in the use of this  information.  Any  changes  to  these  answers  due  to 
changed  circumstances,  legal  precedents  or  changes  to  Commission  or 
national guidelines will appear in the updates.  


Q1. Is Due Diligence tempered by cost?

A1. The  DTI  has  published  a  document  entitled "Minimising the cost of 
meeting the EC Directive on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)  89/336/EEC 
as  amended  by  EC  Directive 92/31/EEC." The second edition was published 
towards the end of 1995,  and  is  available  from  the  DTI.  It  is  also 
reproduced in the EMC Handbook.  This document sets out the minimum actions 
required  to  meet the legislation.  It has also been suggested that courts 
may take account of the value of the product,  or size of the  company,  in 
judging a case.  

The  manufacturer  should  satisfy himself that he has taken all reasonable
steps.  It would be sensible to carry out periodic emission testing if only
one sample was tested initially.  

The manufacturer takes sole responsibility for his  products'  performance,
and  must  be  prepared to justify the actions he has taken (or not) to the
enforcement authorities.  


Q2. How long can non-compliant goods in stock at the end of 1995 be offered
for sale?  Can such goods cross borders between Member States?

A2. There is no time limit in the UK,  but the  majority  of  other  Member
States will not allow non-compliant stock to be sold after the end of 1996.

The situation in other Member States is described in the section on 
legislation across Europe.  Whatever the stated position of the 
enforcement bodies in different Member States, it will become 
increasingly difficult to move non-compliant goods, and it is likely that 
proof of date of manufacture will be required.  


Q3. Is military equipment excluded in all Member States?  

A3. Military equipment  (apparatus designed for use as arms,  munitions and 
war material within the meaning of Article 223.1(b) of the Treaty of  Rome) 
is  excluded  from  the  UK  Regulations  provided  it  does  not  have  an 
alternative non-military use.  The laws are not  identical  in  all  Member 
States  of  the EEA.  The EMC Handbook will identify those where compliance 
with the EMC Directive is not excluded.  

Military equipment which finds its way onto the  open  market  (as  surplus 
goods,  for  example) may be caught by the UK Regulations since it would no 
longer have a purely military use.  


Q4. Who signs the  Declaration  of  Conformity  when  the  manufacturer  is 
outside the EEA?  

A4. The  manufacturer  may sign the Declaration of Conformity whether he is
located  inside  or  outside  the  EEA.   If  outside  the  EEA,  then  the
certificate  must identify the person within the EEA who is responsible for
placing the apparatus on the EEA market.  It is this person who  must  hold
the Declaration of Conformity at the disposal of the Competent Authorities.
A  manufacturer  outside the EEA may delegate his authorised representative
within the EEA to issue the Declaration of  Conformity  and  affix  the  CE
Mark.  Supply  to  an  authorised  representative  does not come within the
scope of the Regulations.


Q5. Who is an authorised representative?

A5. Someone,  or a  company,  empowered by the manufacturer to act  on  his
behalf.  For  his  own  due  diligence,  he  should  be  satisfied that the
information provided is sufficient to enable him to issue  the  Declaration
of Conformity, and that he is able to bind the manufacturer to commitments.

It  is  unlikely  that an organisation that simply imports goods would have
the contractual position to act as an authorised representative.


Q6. What constitutes an excluded installation?  

A6. In  the  UK,  excluded installation means two or more combined items of
relevant apparatus or systems put together at a given place (whether or not
in combination with any other item) to fulfil a specific objective, but not
designed by the manufacturer(s) for supply as a single functional unit.  In
effect, an excluded installation is a collection of compliant apparatus.

Thus a large installation supplied  as  a  single  unit  is  not  excluded,
whereas  one  supplied by a number of manufacturers is outside the scope of
the UK Regulations.  An example would be a production  area  in  a  factory
comprising  a  number  of  stand-alone  process stations each supplied by a
different manufacturer,  for  printed  board  populating,  flow  soldering,
ultrasonic welding,  etc.  Each process station would need a Declaration of
Conformity in its own right,  but the production area as a whole would not.
Interpretations may differ in other Member States.


Q7. How can large systems be declared compliant?  

A7. A  large  installation  supplied  by  a  single  manufacturer   may  be
considered  a system and comes within the scope of the Directive.  Only one
published European standard has so far addressed this  issue  (ETS 300  127
for  large  telecommunications equipment) and this is not harmonised.  Such
systems could be declared compliant via  the  Technical  Construction  File
Route.  Recent  draft  guidance  from  the  Commission suggests that if the
individual parts of the system are themselves compliant relevant apparatus,
and if the system  is  installed  in  accordance  with  the  manufacturer's
instructions,  this could be considered sufficient for the standards route.
It is for the manufacturer  to  assess  the  risks  in  deciding  the  most
appropriate course of action.


Q8. What constitutes a sub-assembly?

A8. Recent draft guidance from the Commission has clarified the definition,
and items which are designed,  manufactured and intended to form part of an
item of apparatus do not have  to  comply  with  the  Directive  (only  the
finished product must so do).  If, however, the item would perform a direct
function for an end user,  and is placed on the market,  then it is covered
by the requirements of the Directive.  A direct function is defined by  the
Commission  as  any  function  of  the  component  itself which fulfils the
intended  use  and  which  is  available  without  further  adjustment   or
connections other than simple ones which can be performed by any person not
fully aware of the EMC implications.


Q9. With contract manufacturing,  who is responsible for the Declaration of
Conformity?

A9. This should be a contractual matter to be agreed between  customer  and
supplier.  The authorities seem to have a relaxed attitude about who issues
the Declaration of Conformity providing the declaration is produced.  

Recent  draft guidance from the Commission suggests that a manufacturer may
subcontract design if he produces the product, or subcontract production if
he is responsible for the design and EMC performance,  without compromising
his manufacturing status.

Logically,  the  organisation  taking  responsibility  for  the  design and
performance of the product should be responsible,  but they  will  need  to
demonstrate  (via  Quality  Management Systems or otherwise) that they have
control over the manufacturing process as if the  they  were  manufacturing
the product themselves.


Q10. Is a custom-made one-off item "placed on the market"?

A10. The  UK  Regulations  make  use  of  the concept of supply rather than
placing on the market,  which makes  the  position  clearer.  Even  one-off
items are covered by the Directive, when they are supplied for an end user.


Q11. Is reconditioned second-hand equipment covered?  

A11. If  the  EMC  performance  of  the  product  is unaffected,  it may be
considered second-hand,  and the EMC Directive does not apply.  If  in  the
process  of  reconditioning,  the  EMC  characteristics  are  changed  to a
material degree then the reconditioner becomes a manufacturer and therefore
responsible for compliance with the Directive.  If the EMC  performance  is
improved from the original, then no further action is necessary.


Q12. Can  compliance  with  more  than  one  Directive  be  stated  on  one
Declaration of Conformity?

A12. Yes,  providing  all  the  relevant  information  is  given  for  each
Directive,  including the year of manufacture  for  certificates  declaring
conformity to the Low Voltage Directive.


Q13. Do software upgrades affect the validity of the CE Mark?

A13. There has been much debate on this subject,  and the consensus to date
suggests  that software changes should be considered in assessing whether a
re-evaluation for EMC is necessary.  From  an  emissions  perspective,  the
equipment  should have been exercised to a maximum extent,  possibly by the
use of a special program.  Analysis may show that the new software does not
exercise the equipment to a greater extent  than  that  tested  originally.
However,  changes  in  software can affect susceptibility,  particularly to
transients.


Q14. What degradation of performance is acceptable for immunity testing?

A14. The manufacturer may state this in the user  documentation,  providing
the degradation is acceptable  and  would  not  compromise  safety.  If  no
statement  is made,  then in cases of dispute,  the performance that a user
would reasonably expect will be used.


Q15. Does an assembly of CE Marked  sub-assemblies  make  for  a  compliant
product?

A15. Not necessarily.  There are sound technical reasons why this should be
so.  The final manufacturer takes responsibility for the EMC performance of
the completed product.


Q16. What is the responsibility of an installer?

A16. If the  installer is  not  the  supplier,  he  should  carry  out  the
installation in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.


Q17. How  do  I decide  if a printed wiring assembly should be CE Marked or
not?

A17. Boards  intended for an end user should carry the CE Mark, backed by a
Declaration  of Conformity.  Boards which are intended only to form part of
another system,  and intended to be incorporated into  a  finished  product
need  not be marked,  as they are components,  and outside the scope of the
Directive.


Q18. What  do  I  have  to do if I sell personal computers after fitting an
extra card to them?

A18. When this is done,  the person carrying out the act performs the final
stage  of  manufacture  of  the  product  as supplied to the end user,  and
therefore takes responsibility for the EMC performance of  the  whole.  The
assembler  should  request  details  of  the  assessment carried out on the 
plug-in card from the manufacturer of that product.  The Directive does not
require testing to be performed,  and assuming the basic computer  and  the
cards  are  CE  Marked,  the  assembler  may  be satisfied with some simple
derived tests to satisfy himself that the final product remains compliant.

This may not sufficient if the assembly consists  of  a  larger  number  of
modules  fitted to a box containing only a power supply or power supply and
mother board.


Q19. Can  a  user  upgrade  a  non-compliant  product  which was taken into
service before 1996?

A19. The modified product will be taken into service by the  user.  If  the
EMC  performance  has  been  altered  by  the  upgrade,  the  user  will be
responsible for the product meeting  the  protection  requirements  of  the
Directive (but does not need to meet the requirements for supply).


Q20. Do control panels need a CE mark?

A20. If  they  are  sold to an end user for him to integrate into a system,
yes.  If they are sold only to a machine builder who  assembles  the  final
product, no.


Q21. How can I show due diligence when assembling products and systems from
CE marked sub-assemblies or apparatus?

A21. It is difficult to offer general guidance here as  different  measures
will  be  needed  for  the wide variety of possible situations.  A computer
system assembled from finished products (i.e.  keyboard, mouse, monitor and
completed box containing boards,  disc drives and power supply) may need no
further assessment;  there is only one way these can be interconnected  and
they  will have been assessed as completed products by their manufacturers.
A machine consisting of PLCs, motor drives,  encoders,  sensors,  etc.  may
require a full assessment.


Q22. Is all laboratory equipment covered by the educational relaxation?

A22.  No. In  the  UK,  only  equipment  which  would not,  except  for the
provisions of Regulation 8,  comply with the protection requirements  under
normal  conditions  of  use,  and  which  is used in education and training
establishments for the purposes of experimentation,  learning or  practical
training, is covered by the modified application of that Regulation.

Test  apparatus,  designed  or  adapted  to  generate  or be susceptible to
electromagnetic disturbance is  covered  by  the  modified  application  of
Regulation  9,  and  must  not  create  disturbances  outside the immediate
electromagnetic environment of the apparatus.


Q23. Does the signatory of the Declaration of Conformity go to jail  if the
product is shown to be non-compliant?

A23. Not all offences under the UK Regulations could  result  in  custodial
penalties.   Only   Regulations  83  (contravention  of  a  prohibition  or
suspension notice),  84 (giving false or misleading information) and  86(2)
(impersonating an officer of an enforcement authority, have this penalty.

To  date,  no-one has been sent to jail in the UK for infringement of a New
Approach Directive.  It is possible that this could happen at some time  in
the  future  for a very serious breach of regulations,  but this is complex
issue of employment  law,  and  is  beyond  the  scope  of  these  answers.
Regulation 89 provides further information.


Q24. What happens when the signatory leaves the company?

A24. The certificate is still valid,  but signatory can no longer  be  held
responsible for the actions of the company he has left.


Q25. Are products which have previously been used by an  end  user  outside
the EEA, or by the manufacturer or wholesaler, considered second-hand?

A25. No.  To  be considered second-hand under the  EMC Directive,  products
must have been previously used by an end user within the EEA.


Q26. If an end user imports a product directly from a country  outside  the
EEA for his own use only, does the product require a CE Mark?

A26. Latest  thinking from the enforcement authorities is that the end user
takes the product into service,  and is therefore ensuring that the product
complies   with  the  protection  objectives  of  the  directive,   but  no
assessment, Declaration of Conformity, or CE Mark is required.  The product
has not been supplied within the EEA.


Q27. Which  directive  applies  to  products  intended  for use on forklift
trucks?

A27. These do not come under the automotive or agricultural directives, and
the EMC Directive applies.


Q28. What is the position with loudspeakers?

A28. Passive  loudspeakers  consisting  of  moving  coil  units and passive
crossovers inside a cabinet are benign electromagnetically,  although it is
understood that in Germany the CE Mark is required,  and there may be other
countries where the products cannot be sold without  the  mark.  The  large
permanent  magnet  of loudspeaker units can affect TVs and monitors when in
close proximity (unless magnetically-shielded) and this should  be  covered
in the instructions for use.


Q29. Are quartz wristwatches covered by the regulations?

A29. No,  they have been exempted  by  common  agreement  of  Member  State
Competent Authorities.


Q30. Are  there  any  requirements  for  instructions  for use to be in the
language of a Member State?

A30. The requirement  for products to be supplied with instructions for use
is  contained  within the Directive in Annex III,  but recent guidance from
the Commission has placed greater stress on the need for such instructions.
Regulation 5(6) applies in the UK.  It would seem  logical  that  if  there
must  be  instructions  for use,  the user must be able to understand them.
The  DTI  has  indicated  that  products  supplied  in  the  UK  must  have
instructions  in English;  it would be expected that of Member States would
insist on similar provisions.


Q31. When can a standard be used for self-certification under the standards
route?

A31. When it has been harmonised, i.e.  it has been published by CENELEC or
ETSI  and  transposed into a national standard in at least one Member State
and it had been listed in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
Note that to use this route, the harmonised standard(s) applied must make a
complete provision,  i.e.  they must cover  all  aspects  of  emission  and
immunity.


Q32. Where can I examine the standards?

A32. Most central reference libraries hold  copies  of  British  Standards,
which  includes  BS implementation of European Norms.  Those with access to
university or other academic institution libraries  may  also  find  copies
there.  Some  libraries  hold  copies as microfiche which is not so easy to
read.

Members of the British Standards Institution and BSI committee members  may
use  the  BSI  library in Chiswick free of charge (prior booking necessary)
but a charge is made for non-members.


BENIGN APPARATUS
This is "apparatus" as described in Regulation 7(2),  but  is excepted from
the  requirements  by  Regulation  17.  Benign  apparatus  is therefore not
"relevant apparatus".

Regulation 36(6) prohibits the affixing of the  CE  Mark  for  EMC  to  any
apparatus  which  is  not  relevant  apparatus.  A  CE Mark applied to such
apparatus would therefore be technically in breach of Regulation  85(1)(b).
It  is  understood  that the DTI has a relaxed view of this,  providing the
marking is not materially wrong.

There are,  however,  possible other problems with the affixing of the mark
to such apparatus, under the Trade Descriptions Act (see below).


COMPONENTS AND SUB-ASSEMBLIES INTENDED FOR FURTHER MANUFACTURING
Although  many  words have been written on this subject (including articles
in the EMC Journal) a closer examination of the wording  of  the  Directive
and the UK EMC Regulations has resulted in an amendment to the advice.

Components and sub-assemblies are not "apparatus" and are  not  covered  in
the  Directive or the UK Regulations.  It follows therefore,  that there is
no offence in the EMC Regulations for affixing the CE Mark to these items. 

However, by adding a CE Mark, a manufacturer is adding a trade description.
If the item were shown in some  way  to  be  not  in  conformity  with  the
protection requirements of the Directive, then the CE Mark could constitute
a  "false  and  misleading  statement"  and therefore constitute an offence
under Section 1 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.

Although there would be a technical breach,  it is possible that no  action
would  be  taken unless the description was false to a material degree.  If
the  item  was  shown  to  be  the  cause  of  relevant  apparatus  causing
interference or suffering a suscepibility problem, or indeed failing an EMC
test,  then  a  complaint  could  lead  to  a  prosecution  under the Trade
Descriptions Act.

By affixing the mark, therefore, the component or sub-assembly manufacturer
has possibly taken on liability for the EMC performance of his product.

As  components  and  sub-assemblies  are  not  required  to  meet  the  EMC
Regulations,  if they were not marked,  there would be no offence,  even if
they were shown to be the cause of an EMC problem as described above.

The advice from the DTI and the TSOs continues to be  that  components  and
sub-assemblies should not be CE Marked for EMC.


2.4 The Low Voltage Directive (LVD)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(a) A note from Alan M Hudson <hudson@msim.co.uk>

I'm not an expert on the LVD, but for what it's worth, I'll put down what I
believe to be correct (but may not be !!):

Yes - the LVD has been around since 1973, and is therefore in force now (so
you probably meet it now),  but the  CE marking requirement  only came into
play on 1 Jan 1997.

It  applies  to  equipment  operating in the 50 - 1000 Vac or 75 - 1500Vdc.
The only route to conformity is "Self  Declaration"  to  either  Harmonised
standards (in the OJ),  or if not relevant/available, then to International
standards, or if also not relevant/available, then to National standards.

There are some product-specific Harmonised standards around -  EN60950  for
ITE, and EN60065 for domestic equipment.

The  compilation of a "Technical File" is mandatory,  I believe (as opposed
to the EMC "Technical Construction File" which is only needed for  the  TCF
route to compliance).

You   may   want   to  check  out  http://www.ktl.co.uk/ktl/cemark.htm  and
http://www.safetylink.com especially http://www.safetylink.com/lvd.asc

(The last contains the full text of the Low  Voltage  Directive  -  Council
Directive 72/23/EEC of 19 February 1973).

(b) From Gerry McMahon, National Electronics Test Centre, Dublin,
    Ireland <mcmahong@iol.ie>:

Subject: Are you ready for the EU Low Voltage Directive ?

The EU Low Voltage Directive (LVD) will be mandatory from 1st January 1997.
In an effort to inform manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment
on the scope of the LVD, the National Electronics Technology Centre (NETC),
Forbairt [http://www.netc.ie/] maintains a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
page on the LVD at:

    http://www.netc.ie/lvdfaq.htm

Contact Person : Jackie Fitzgerald at NETC [fitzgeraldj@netc.ie]


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The s.e.e.c  FAQs could not have been prepared without the much appreciated
help and advice of many people. If I have omitted anyone from the following
list, please accept my apologies.

Paul E Bennett          peb@transcontech.co.uk
Eckard Blumschein       eckard.blumschein@e-technik.uni-magdeburg.de 
Ian Clasper             iclasper@gambica.org.uk
Kristin Eckhardt        eckhardt@techintl.com
Andy Gulliver           andy.gulliver@crossprod.co.uk
Chris Healy             chris@jna.com.au
Dr. Todd Hubing         thubing@ee.umr.edu
Alan Hudson             hudson@msim.co.uk
Alan E Hutley           nutwooduk@msn.com
Mark Jurgen             mjurgen@ultranet.com
Eric Lifsey             Eric.Lifsey@natinst.com
Mirko Matejic           mmatejic@foxboro.com
Ross McKay              inspect@asiaonline.net
Adrian McLeod           approval@cix.compulink.co.uk 
Gerry McMahon           mcmahong@iol.ie
Art Michael             amichael@connix.com 
David Patton            patton@primenet.com
David Perlmutter        Dave_Perlmutter@3mail.3Com.COM
Roger Prenger           prenger@phx.sectel.mot.com
John Quinlan            quinlanj@voicenet.com 
Martin Rowe             techbook@world.std.com
Rene Schmit             rene.schmit@crpht.lu
Douglas Scott           sdouglas@ecrm.com
Dr John Stockton        jrs@merlyn.demon.co.uk
Jeremy Turner           Jeremy@srscomp.demon.co.uk
Frank Warner            fwarner@dap.csiro.au
Tim Williams            elmactimw@cix.compulink.co.uk
John Woodgate           jmw@jmwa.demon.co.uk

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