Blog
UL 1741 Safety Testing of Inverters Includes Anti-Islanding Requirement
UL 16741 the standard for anti-islanding protection In the event of a power failure on the electric grid, it is required that any independent power-producing inverters attached to the grid turn off in a short period of time. This prevents the DC-to-AC inverters from continuing to feed power into small sections of the grid, known... Read More
ENERGY STAR Partner Meeting Discusses New Requirements for Lighting & Consumer Electronics
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR Partner Meeting was a couple weeks ago in St. Paul, MN and MET Labs was there. Following is a summary of key meeting discussions. New Requirement for Dimmable CFLs and LEDs The meeting agenda began with a roundtable, which was focused on dimmers. EPA has encouraged consumers... Read More
Hazardous Location Product Safety Certification Requirements for EU, China, Russia, Korea & India
This post is the second of two posts on hazardous location product safety testing and certification. The first post explored testing for UL/CSA, ATEX & IECEx. This post looks at certification requirements for particular markets/countries. North America In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) governs the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) program,... Read More
FCC Outlines Testing of Consumer Wireless Charging Devices at TCB Council Workshop
At the recent Telecommunication Certification Body Council Workshop in Baltimore, Kwok Chan and Mark Neumann of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology outlined testing and certification requirements for Consumer Wireless Charging Devices. Wireless charging devices are generally used to charge batteries in portable electronic devices via magnetic induction. Chargers can deliver... Read More
Hazardous Location Product Safety Testing Explained for UL/CSA, ATEX & IECEx
Safety testing and certifying products for hazardous locations is complicated, especially when a manufacturer is exporting to multiple markets. Following is a basic primer. For more detailed information or questions, contact MET Labs. Standards In countries with formal certification and a 3-zone system, the IEC60079 series of standards is commonly used, adopted as National Standards... Read More
ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Program Made Permanent for 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made the “Most Efficient” Program permanent for 2013. This ENERGY STAR program identifying the most efficient products has been in pilot mode since being introduced in 2011. In 2012, more than 1,400 qualifying models from over 50 manufacturers in 8 product categories were recognized as ENERGY STAR Most... Read More
FAA and EASA Accept RTCA/DO-160 Test Reports from Accredited and Non-Accredited Labs
Despite some reports to the contrary, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will accept RTCA/DO-160 commercial aircraft equipment test reports from accredited and non-accredited labs. Accreditation is a 3rd party assessment of a laboratory’s quality systems, processes, and documentation. Accreditation assures a minimum level of competence, but it does... Read More
NFPA 790 and NFPA 791 Now a Criterion for Field Evaluation Bodies
In the U.S. workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that all electrical equipment be safety certified. Many state, county and local jurisdictions also have similar requirements. However, equipment is sometimes installed that has not been certified or has been modified after installation. Then, a field evaluation may be necessary, as determined by... Read More
Alternative Site Validation Method in CISPR 16-1-4 Saves Test Labs Time and Money
Calibration and test labs both stand to save time and money when calibrating/verifying chambers, due to an update to CISPR 16-1-4. CISPR 16-1-4 Amd.1 Ed. 3.1 (2012) has replaced Ed. 2.0 (2007) for radio disturbance and immunity measuring apparatus – antennas and test sites for radiated disturbance measurements. The publish date was July 11, 2012.... Read More
For IT Equipment in Canada, ICES-003 Issue 5 Required by August 2013
For manufacturers of IT Equipment (ITE) selling in Canada, ICES-003 Issue 5 Information Technology Equipment (ITE) – Limits and Methods of Measurement was published last month by Industry Canada. Until August 31, 2013, both Issue 4 and Issue 5 will be accepted. After that date, only Issue 5 will be accepted. Existing models in compliance... Read More
