R&TTE updated list of harmonized standards

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A new list of harmonized standards for the Radio and Telephone Terminal Equipment directive (R&TTE) has been published in the official journal.

Get a copy of the list here.

Visit our European Conformity Assessment page for this and other lists of harmonized standards updated regularly.

This information can be found at the EUR-Lex web site providing access to European Union law.

FCC publishes rules on use of new measurement standard for Part 15 devices; it’s official.

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The FCC released today, Public Notice DA 09-2478, clarifying the use of ANSI measurement standards for Part 15 devices.

For many years now ANSI C63.4 has been the measurement standard for Part 15 devices, covering both unintentional and intentional radiators. This is now changing.

If you’ve been following the EMC and Regulatory Compliance blog, you may recall the post made on September 15th regarding the publication of the new ANSI C63.10-2009 measurement standard for unlicensed wireless devices. Not to over simplify the process, but that publication was only the first part, of a two part process required to make it official; the FCC would need to publish the new standard in the rules and allow its use.

Public Notice DA 09-2478 provides for the following;

For unintentional radiators, subject to Part15.31(a)(3), you may use either ANSI C63.4 2003, or 2009.

For intentional radiators subject to Part 15.31(a)(3), measurements may be made using ANSI C63.4 2003 or 2009, or, the new ANSI C63.10 2009 standard.

In any event, the standard employed must be identified consistent with 47 C.F.R. § 2.947 (b).

This step now allows the faster pace, rapidly evolving world of wireless devices to be treated individually with respect to testing, and not lumped together with the simpler unintentional radiators. The new rules give clearer guidance on how to test specific types of radio devices, and this also lays the groundwork with respect to testing future developments in wireless technology.

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IEEE EMCs Lecture - An Overview of Chip Level EMC Problems

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Join the Orange County IEEE EMC Society chapter in December, when Dr. Sergiu Radu, Principal Engineer at Sun Microsystems, will present “An Overview of Chip Level EMC Problems”

The CPUs and the VLSI chips are the primary sources of electromagnetic noise in all electronic equipment. Reducing the electromagnetic noise at source level is usually the best and the most economical solution. The presentation discusses typical interference mechanisms associated with CPU/VLSI, as well as mitigation methods at die-level and package level. Among the aspects discussed are some power distribution issues, on-die decoupling, package capacitors, routing aspects, the impact of back-bias and forward-bias, and the impact of die-shrinks on the EMI performance of the VLSI chips.

Visit http://ieee.org/oc-emc for more information on this invaluable free lecture.

Or Contact jklinger@ieee.org for details.

ISN for ITE telecom line testing

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On November 11^th, 2009, the VCCI Council of Japan issued notice describing the restrictions on the use of Impedance Stabilization Network (ISN) to be used for the measurement of telecommunication ports conducted EMI. Although this information is published in the current CISPR standard, the VCCI Council will only begin to deal with the filing of reports on telecommunication port conducted emission from April 2010. Currently, a great deal of confusion abounds on the proper selection of the ISN for telecom measurements. This notice helps to clear up some of that confusion.

As implied, the document describes the acceptable types of ISN, suitable for the measurement of telecom line conducted EMI. Most notably, the document comes with warning notes about using certain types of ISNs with certain quantity of balanced pairs. Get a copy of the notice.

> 1GHz testing for Japan

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It’s known for several months now, that the European Union has deferred implementation of EN55022:2006 +A1:2007 until October 2011.  But what about others that implement CISPR standards for EMC

EN55022 is the emissions specification for Information Technology Equipment, or ITE. It is a derivative if CISPR22. The A1:2007 amendment adds the requirement for testing from 1GHz to 18GHz, depending on the operating frequency of the product under test.

However, in Japan, the current Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI Council) rules call for mandatory compliance with the CISPR 1GHz to 18GHz test band by October 2010. The news here is that, so that Japan can be harmonized with Europe and other countries, It has been presented at a meeting in London, that the intent of the VCCI is to defer the 1-18 GHz requirements until October 2011.

 

FCC Seeks focused comment on the sufficiency of current spectrum allocations

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From DA 09-2100, Sept 23, 2009;

“ In this public notice, we seek focused comment on the sufficiency of current spectrum allocations in spectrum bands, including but not limited to the prime spectrum bands below 3.7 GHz, for purposes of the Commission’s development of a National Broadband Plan (Plan) pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), and for related purposes.”

Get the full Public Notice

For information on FCC certification, or to file an equipment authorization grant, please visit our domestic certification page.

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ANSI standard published for testing unlicensed wireless devices.

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From the IEEE Web store;

C63.10-2009 American National Standard for Testing Unlicensed Wireless Devices

This standard is intended to cover procedures for testing the compliance of a wide variety of unlicensed wireless devices (also called unlicensed intentional radiators) including but not limited to: remote control and security unlicensed wireless devices, frequency hopping and direct sequence spread spectrum devices, anti-pilferage devices, cordless telephones, wireless medical unlicensed wireless devices, Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure devices, intrusion detectors, unlicensed wireless devices operating on frequencies below 30 MHz, automatic vehicle identification systems, and other unlicensed wireless devices authorized by a radio regulatory authority. The test procedures for new technology wireless devices will be added to future editions of this standard as soon as practical after consensus is achieved for compliance testing methods of the new devices. However, this standard excludes test procedures for unlicensed wireless devices already covered in other published standards, e.g., Unlicensed Personal Communication Services (UPCS) devices.

web site:

http://standards.ieee.org/prod-serv/index.html

EN55022:1998, ITE Emissions Standard Extended for Two Years.

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The European union published in the official journal today, a postponement of the cessation of presumption of conformity for EN55022:1998 with amendments A1 and A2.

The new date is set at October 1, 2011.

Essentially what this means is that EN55022:1998 and it amendments are valid for another two years, until 10/1/11, and that testing above 1 GHz will now be required in late 2011, instead of late 2010. With this extension, it is a real possibility that the requirements for above 1 GHz testing, as well as the site verification method can change significantly.

Several competing standards are on the horizon, one of which is a new standard for multimedia equipment CISPR 32 forecasted for publication by the IEC November 2010, which could potentially reduce the amount of product that falls within the scope of EN55022, and require significantly different test levels and methods.

For a link to the official journal publication on the extension of EN55022:1998;

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:197:0003:0003:EN:PDF

Or, download a copy of the official journal publication from our European conformity assessment page.

IEC EMC standards just published

A list of IEC Electromagnetic Compatibility standards published since 8/3/09

IEC 61000-3-2 Ed. 3.2 (2009-08)
Corrigendum 1 - Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Part 3-2: Limits - Limits for harmonic current emissions (equipment input current ≤16 A per phase)

IEC 61000-4-14 Ed. 1.2 (2009-08) Preview
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Part 4-14: Testing and measurement techniques - Voltage fluctuation immunity test for equipment with input current not exceeding 16 A per phase

IEC 62153-4-11 Ed. 1.0 (2009-08) Preview
Metallic communication cable test methods - Part 4-11: Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Coupling attenuation or screening attenuation of patch cords, coaxial cable assemblies, pre-connectorized cables - Absorbing clamp method

IEC 62153-4-12 Ed. 1.0 (2009-08) Preview
Metallic communication cable test methods - Part 4-12: Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Coupling attenuation or screening attenuation of connecting hardware - Absorbing clamp method

IEC 62153-4-13 Ed. 1.0 (2009-08) Preview
Metallic communication cable test methods - Part 4-13: Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Coupling attenuation of links and channels (laboratory conditions) - Absorbing clamp method

List provided by justpub@iec.ch

Europe EMC Quick Guide

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The European Commission posted a Quick Guide to the EMC directive 2004/108/EC on the europa web site. EMC Quickguide (April 2009)

This guide, while having no legal weight, should prove very useful for the detailed content, such as helpful links regarding EMC in the EU, a detailed matrix summarizing the requirements, and a sample declaration of conformity, complete with instructions.

You can find the guide at the above link, or along with other helpful information at our European Conformity Assessment page.

FCC National Broadband Plan Staff Workshop

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In support of the Federal Communication Commission’s efforts to deliver a National Broadband plan to Congress in February 2010, the FCC is announcing the first in a series of staff workshops. The public can participate in person at the Commission headquarters, or online. Registration is required, see http://www.broadband.gov/ws_egov.html for details.

Speakers include, among others, Vivek Kundra, U.S. CIO and former Washington, D.C CTO . His topics will include

· Insight into how his “IT Dashboard” and “Apps for Democracy” increased civic participation and made the government more efficient.

· How government investments in cloud computing and telepresence might result in improved performance while accelerating American broadband leadership.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was signed into law on February 17, 2009, directed the FCC to submit a National Broadband Plan to Congress by February 16, 2010 that “shall seek to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal.”

Link to announcement of Commission action: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-292517A1.pdf

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FCC investigating the removal of Google app from Apple’s app store.

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The FCC is interested in understanding how the Google application operates  in addition to knowing the nature of why Apple removed the application from the App Store.

Three letters were issued by the FCC on July 31st, one to AT&T, one to Apple, and one to Google.

Letter to AT&T concerning Apple's rejection of the Google Voice for iPhone Application. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1737A1.pdf

Letter to Google concerning Apple's rejection of the Google Voice for iPhone Application. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1739A1.pdf

Letter to Apple regarding Google Voice and related iPhone applications. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1736A1.pdf

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Canadian requirements covering RF Exposure

Industry Canada publishes RSS-102, Issue 3.

RSS-102 -Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus (All Frequency Bands) Issue 3, June 2009

Changes From Preface of document:

1. Section 1: The scope of this standard has been revised.
2. Section 3: Procedures for SAR probe calibration and system verification for measurements between 150 MHz and 300 MHz have been added.
3. Section 3.1.1: Procedures for SAR evaluation for 3-6 GHz have been added.
4. Section 3.1.3: SAR test procedures for devices containing multiple transmitters have been specified.
5. Section 3.1.4: SAR test procedures for 3G devices, 802.11 a/b/g transmitters, laptop computers with built-in antennas on display screens, as well as licensed and licence-exempt modular transmitters have been specified.

See link for copy:

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf09545.html

EN 60601-1-2:2007, Version required, or not?

EN 60601-1-2:2007 is the Medical electrical equipment collateral standard for Electromagnetic Compatibility requirements and tests, harmonized under directive 93/42/EEC (medical devices).

While this standard has a date of publication of February 1, 2008, it as no fixed date of withdrawal replacing EN 60601-1-2:2001 +A1:2006. Therefore, A1:2006 remains valid until all related part 2-X standards have been withdrawn.

However, when Part 1-2 is used, not in conjunction with a related part 2-x standard, EN 60601-1-2:2001 +A1:2006 has an effective Date of withdrawal (DoW) of September 12th, 2009.

That is to say, compliance must be demonstrated against the 2007 version after 9/12/2009 for appliances not covered under a particular Part 2 standard.

Amendment of Part 15 Rules

REGARDING NEW REQUIREMENTS AND MEASUREMENT GUIDELINES FOR ACCESS BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE SYSTEMS/CARRIER CURRENT SYSTEMS, INCLUDING BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE SYSTEMS.

Request for Further Comment and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking responds to a DC Circuit Court of Appeals remand of the Commission's Report and Order for further consideration and explanation of its decision.

by REQUEST FOR FURTHER COMMENT.
(Dkt No. 04-37 03-104 ).
Action by: the Commission.
Adopted: 07/16/2009 by FNPRM. (FCC No. 09-60). OET

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-60A1.doc (Word DOC)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-60A1.pdf (PDF)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-60A1.txt (TXT)

89/336/EEC No Longer Valid

Per Article 15 of the new EMC directive, and effective from today, July 20, 2009, all imported products falling within the scope of the EMC directive will need to demonstrate compliance with 2004/108/EC, and indicate as such on the Declaration of Conformity (DoC).

Please see “The New EMC Directive And The Impact Posed To EU Market Entry” for brief summary on the new directive.

ETSI Standards Published

ETSI EN 302 264-1 V1.1.1 (2009-06) Short Range Devices; Road Transport and Traffic Telematics (RTTT); Short Range Radar equipment operating in the 77 GHz to 81 GHz band; Part 1: Technical requirements and methods of measurement

ETSI EN 302 264-2 V1.1.1 (2009-06) Part 2: Harmonized EN covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of the R&TTE Directive

Technical Reports, not harmonized standards,  but of possible interest:
ETSI TR 102 763 V1.1.1 (2009-06) Short Range Devices (SRD); Technical characteristics of Detect-And-Avoid (DAA) mitigation techniques for SRD equipment using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology

ETSI TR 102 651 V1.1.1 (2009-06) Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN); 5 GHz high performance RLAN; Guide to the implementation of Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)

ERO invites comment

ERO invites comment on ECC Report 137: Introducing greater flexibility in the current regulatory structure with a view to taking forward convergence and harmonization in the ECC
http://www.ero.dk/C1A7F777-8817-4121-90B1-C8A46B753575?frames=0

Closing date 8/24/08, Point of contact gulyaev@ero.dk

Safety requirements, European standards for personal music players

European Commission Decision of 23 June 2009 on the safety requirements to be met by European standards for personal music players pursuant to Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:161:0038:0039:EN:PDF

Note: the mandate under R&TTED/LVD is not yet available and so AP7 from Cardiff meeting cannot yet be actioned.  Meanwhile, NBs are advised to note this Decision when formulating opinions covering personal music players.

energy-efficiency labeling programs for office equipment

European Union -

Commission Decision of 16 June 2009 determining the Community position for a decision of the Management entities under the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficiency labeling programs for office equipment on the revision of the computer specifications in Annex C, part VIII, to the Agreement
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:161:0016:0037:EN:PDF

VCCI - Advanced notice of enforcement of new limits for conformity verification reporting.

From: http://www.vcci.jp/vcci_e/topics/new090701.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear VCCI members -

This is to remind you that the following previous notice given in V-3/2009.04 Technical Requirements will actually be enforced as stated.

“Enforcement of limits of conducted disturbance at the telecommunication ports is from 1st April 2010, and enforcement of EMI measurement above 1GHz is from 1st October 2010.”

Let us elaborate on this statement as follows to avoid any misunderstanding on your part. Note that “telecommunication ports” and “above 1GHz” are referred to as “category” in the explanation.

What is meant by this statement is that you are required to measure your ITE against the given limit for conformity verification report to be filed to VCCI on and after, not before, the given date per category. Also the limit will be inapplicable to products already filed to VCCI and distributed in the market before the enforcement date per category.

R&TTE one-stop notification procedure

Per the requirements of the R&TTE directive, manufacturers are required to notify spectrum authorities of member states of the intention to place products on the market that use spectrum not fully harmonized in the EU.

Follow this link for the Notification of the intention to place radio equipment on the market: one-stop procedure (OSN)

New FCC staff

FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ANNOUNCES STAFF
Read the full FCC News post; http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291782A1.pdf

New version of EN 61000-6-4

The following version of the specification will be mandatory 12/1/09

EN 61000-6-4:2007 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 6-4: Generic standards — Emission standard for industrial environments (IEC 61000-6-4:2006)

New version of EN 61000-6-3

The following version of the specification will be mandatory 12/1/09

EN 61000-6-3:2007 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 6-3: Generic standards — Emission standard for residential, commercial and light industrial environments (IEC 61000-6-3:2006)

Amendment of the Commission's Rules to Provide Spectrum for the Operation of Medical Body Area Networks

From the FCC EDOCS:

Released Date:
06/29/2009

Description:
Seek comment on allocating spectrum and establishing service and technical rules for the operation of Medical Body Area Networks

Documents:

Word : FCC-09-57A1.doc FCC-09-57A2.doc

Acrobat : FCC-09-57A1.pdf FCC-09-57A2.pdf

Text : FCC-09-57A1.txt FCC-09-57A2.txt

FCC Issues Citation

Vector Products, Inc. dba Vector Manufacturing, Ltd

Released Date:
06/30/2009

Description:
Issued an Official Citation to Vector Products,Inc. dba Vector Manufacturing, Ltd. for marketing in the US an unauthorized radio frequency device, the Vector iMobile VEC 429 FM transmitter in violation of Section 302(b) of the Communications Act

Documents:

Word : DA-09-1485A1.doc

Acrobat : DA-09-1485A1.pdf

Text : DA-09-1485A1.txt

EMC Directive deadline near

The EMC Directive 2004/108/EC, published December 31, 2004, and entering into force on July 20th 2007, thus replacing 89/336/EEC, has been on a 2 year transition period;

2004/108/EC Article 15

Transitional provisions

Member States shall not impede the placing on the market and/or the putting into service of equipment which is in compliance with the provisions of Directive 89/336/EEC and which was placed on the market before 20 July 2009.

Per Article 15 of the new EMC directive, and effective from July 20, 2009, all imported products falling within the scope of the EMC directive will need to demonstrate compliance with 2004/108/EC, and indicate as such on the Declaration of Conformity (DoC).

Please see “The New EMC Directive And The Impact Posed To EU Market Entry” for brief summary on the new directive.

Standards covering 5 GHz high performance RLAN equipment

From ec.europa.eu

Shortcomings in harmonized standards covering 5 GHz high performance RLAN equipment which is used in wireless local area networks: Please read the important note for interpreting the related RLAN harmonized standards. This note adopted pursuant to Article 5.3, first sentence of the Directive, will be published in all EU languages in the OJEU soon.

SRDs in 2400-2454 MHz - TCAM 26 clarified the scope of Sub-class 22

From ec.europa.eu

TCAM 26 clarified the scope of Sub-class 22 (SRDs in 2400-2454 MHz), its relationship with EN 300 328, and its legal regime for conformity. See the clarification document.

- Class 2 equipment is equipment for which Member States apply restrictions as indicated in Article 1.2 of the Decision.

Further classes may be defined. The Commission Services however intend to associate the same alert sign as contained in Article 1.2 of the Decision to new classes.

New version of EN55020

The following version of the specification will be mandatory 12/1/09

EN 55020:2007
Sound and television broadcast receivers and associated equipment — Immunity
characteristics — Limits and methods of measurement
(CISPR 20:2006)

New version of EN55015

The following version of specification will be mandatory on 9/1/09

EN 55015:2006
Limits and methods of measurement of radio disturbance characteristics of electrical
lighting and similar equipment
(CISPR 15:2005)

With this amendment due 5/1/10

Amendment A1:2007 to EN 55015:2006
(CISPR 15:2005/A1:2006)

New version of EN 61326-2-3

The following version of the specification will be mandatory 8/1/09

EN 61326-2-3:2006 Electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use — EMC requirements — Part 2-3: Particular requirements — Test configuration, operational conditions and performance criteria for transducers with integrated or remote signal conditioning (IEC 61326-2-3:2006)

New version of EN55022

The following version of the specification will be mandatory 10/1/09

EN 55022:2006
Information technology equipment — Radio disturbance characteristics — Limits
and methods of measurement
(CISPR 22:2005 (modified))

With the following amendment due 10/1/10

Amendment A1:2007 to EN 55022:2006
(CISPR 22:2005/A1:2005)

New version of EN55014

The following version of the specification will be mandatory on 9/1/09

EN 55014-1:2006
Electromagnetic compatibility — Requirements for household appliances, electric
tools and similar apparatus — Part 1: Emission
(CISPR 14-1:2005)

Aftermarket equipment intended for the installation in motor vehicles - Directive 2004/104/EC

EU member state authorities to drop the attestation certificate requirement as of October 2009

While aftermarket products intended for the use in vehicles may not require type-approval, according to 3.2.9, annex I, of directive 2004/104/EC, for the past 4 years, requirements existed that a notified body would be consulted to determine if aftermarket equipment is immunity-related, and if not, an attestation certificate would be issued. Here is the directive excerpt for this requirement;

3.2.9. Components sold as aftermarket equipment and intended for the installation in motor vehicles need no type-approval if they are not related to immunity-related functions (Annex I, 2.1.12). In this case a Declaration of Conformity according to the procedures of Directive 89/336/EEC or 1999/5/EC must be issued. Part of this declaration must be that the ESA fulfils the limits defined in paragraphs 6.5, 6.6, 6.8 and 6.9 of Annex I to this Directive.
During a transition period of four years after coming into force of this Directive the responsible for placing on the market of such a product has to submit all relevant information and/or a sample to a technical service which will determine if the equipment is immunity-related or not. The result of the inspection shall be available within three weeks and not require additional testing. A document according to the example given in Annex III C shall be issued by the technical service within the same period. Member States shall report, by a date three years from the entry into force of this Directive, any cases of refusals on safety grounds. Based on the practical experience with this requirement and based on the reports submitted by Member States, it will be decided, according to the procedure referred to in Article 13 of Directive 70/156/EEC, and before the end of the transition period, if this document is still required in addition to the Declaration of Conformity.

This requirement will effectively come to an end in October 2009 with the adoption and publication of Directive 2009/19/EC. Click the directive number, or see this URL for a copy;
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:070:0017:0018:EN:PDF

New version of EN55011

The following version of the specification is mandatory as of 11/1/09

EN 55011:2007 Industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio-frequency equipment — Electromagnetic disturbance characteristics — Limits and methods of measurement (CISPR 11:2003 (modified) + A1:2004 (modified))

Amendment A2:2007 to EN 55011:2007 (CISPR 11:2003/A2:2006)

New Version of EN 50270

The following version of the specification is mandatory as of 6/1/09

EN 50270:2006
Electromagnetic compatibility — Electrical apparatus for the detection and
measurement of combustible gases, toxic gases or oxygen

IEC 61000-4-8 Ed. 2.0 (2009-06)

IEC 61000-4-8 Ed. 2.0 (2009-06)
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) - Part 4-8: Testing and measurement techniques - Power frequency magnetic field immunity test.

IEC Webstore link for more information.

RFID Hands-on Training Forum this week in Los Angeles

The following meeting may be of interest to some of you - UCLA WINMEC RFID Hands-on Training Forum in Los Angeles, June 19, 2009

http://www.winmec.ucla.edu/rfid/experience/Jun2009/

EU Low Voltage Directive, List of Harmonized Standards

Updated 6/5/09

A new list of harmonized standards for the LVD directive has been published. To download this list, and lists related to other EU directives, please visit Compatible Electronics' European Conformity Assessment page

EMC Directive, List of Harmonized Standards

Updated 6/5/09

A new list of harmonized standards for the EMC directive has been published. To download this list, and lists related to other EU directives, please visit Compatible Electronics' European Conformity Assessment page

Guide to the R&TTE Directive

April 20, 2009

The official user's manual for the RTTE directive is out. This document assists in the interpretation of the directive, as well as providing explanation and clarification on the most important aspects of the R&TTE directive.

Get your copy here!

EICTA Position on 2.4 GHz WLAN in the EU

Brussels, February 18, 2009

The European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Association, also known as DIGITALEUROPE, issues position on Information about restrictions for WLAN products operating on 2.4 GHz.

Download the PDF

NIST/FCC Hosted 2nd MRA workshop

Gaithersburg MD

Day 1 Highlights (5/5/09)

Having heard from representatives from the United States, Europe and Canada, it seems that a common theme of market surveillance and enforcement emerged from today’s talks.

FCC’s OET Chief Julius Knapp’s presentation focused on the future of telecom regulations in the US, where he outlined a hybrid licensing approach that required the use of a Contention-based protocol (CBP). This protocol will control how two or more devices attempt to access the same channel.

EU representative, Mark Bogers, presented two presentations, the first “the future direction of conformity assessment in a globalized economy” put forth that surveillance, rather than regulatory assessment by pre-market approvals is not only more practical, but necessary for a functioning system in a global economy. Mark’s second presentation will be discussed later.

Marc Dupuis of Industry Canada gave a presentation on market surveillance. Keying on the recall of a cell phone for non-compliance with Canada’s SAR requirements after a random audit, Marc described that Canada is moving toward collaboration with industry and regulatory bodies, and is seeking to constantly re-evaluate Canada’s surveillance program in the future. It was pointed out that the method of informing the public would be a joint collaboration between the various stakeholders, and that the consumer, with respect to enforcement efforts, would be key.

Scott Pietan, of the Office of the U.S. trade Representative, indicated that while tariff barriers are being reduced, non-tariff barriers are becoming more important factors to be dealt with. One example is the non-uniformity of various technical requirements. Mutual Recognition Agreements are a means to reduce some non-tariff barriers. He indicated that the discussion so far of an MRA with China was “positive” and that at this time, China’s interest is in “understanding the process”, but gave no indication of an imminent MRA with China.

Mark Boger’s second presentation focused on R&TTE. New Legislative Framework (NLF) includes market surveillance as one of the main elements. It would organize surveillance and require member states to notify the commission on enforcement actions. Other requirements include notified bodies be accredited, and adhere to the same criteria. Mark indicated the need for clarification of terms and indicated that definitions would be clarified in the NLF. Revision of the R&TTE is imminent based on public consultation in 2007, and the draft has been shared with the member states. 2010 is the expected date of the adoption of new policy; however it does not necessarily mean change for the method of conformity assessment. Registration of equipment has been discussed, and that it may require an equipment identifier. The point of which would be non-registered, or product with fake IDs can directly be removed from the market.

To download the presentations from this workshop, visit the NIST 2009 workshop website

Day 2 Highlights (5/6/09)

George Tannahill gave a presentation on the structure of the APEC MRA and detailed information on the expansion of the MRA including equivalence of technical requirements (MRA-ETR), which does not necessarily equate to technical harmonization of requirements but can lead to that.

Melinda Tan gave information on the ATRC (ASEAN Telecommunication Regulators Council) MRA and detailed phase II-Bis with respect to technical equivalence, limited to EMC and Safety. Singapore has an MRA with India, and CAB designation is pending.

Korea to introduce interim approval, technical requirements are yet to be determined. Documents required will be user’s manual, technical description, test reports, internal and external photos and parts list. Current DoC for ITE, until 2012, will require test report from designated lab. It is expected that in 2012, a manufacturer can self-test, or testing at a non-designated lab. In 2011, DoC will be open for wired equipment, and by 2012, certain wireless device approvals.

Kit module test method IEC61967 for new VCCI kit module allows integrators to select low noise modules. New measurement probes are specified in the IEC standard, VCCI has preference to the Magnetic Probe method in part 6 of the specification.

To download the presentations from this workshop, visit the NIST 2009 workshop website

Day 3 Highlights (5/7/09)

ANSI speakers covered the changes to ISO Guide 65 (ISO/IEC 17065), and the US-India Standards and Conformance Cooperation Program (SCCP). Detailed a new web site www.StandardsPortal.org, that would provide a database of Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), trade associations, and Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs).

Donald Heirman gave a presentation on the structure, and some changes to, CISPR, in particular, testing above 1GHz, measurement uncertainty, and reverb chambers.

Mr. Haroldo Pazzini Motta, Operational Manager, Management Process of ANATEL gave a presentation on product approvals and homologation in Brazil. Indicated the requirements for testing prioritize local test labs.

Hazim Dawood of Canada pointed out, that at the time of this presentation, DC-01, Issue 3 had not been released, but was expected soon. DC-01 is the requirements of DoC, and the new issue specifically outlines the Canadian authorized representative letter requirement.

FCC wrapped up the day with three presentations, which can be downloaded from the NIST website below.

To download the presentations from this workshop, visit the NIST 2009 workshop website