Compliance News

New EMC Directive becomes mandatory
The two year transition period of the new EMC Directive released in 2007 will expire in July 2009. At the very minimum, manufacturers should examine their documentation and ensure that their Declaration of Conformity is updated to reflect the changes. The designation of the new Directive is 2004/108/EC.

Products tested and declared compliant within the last two years will almost certainly conform to the new Directive. If you are in any doubt, then you should consult your testing laboratory.

EMC emissions on network cables
Testing on network cables was introduced into the the base standard EN55022 in 2007. This test is not only specific to products that communicate using telephone lines (PSTN) and Ethernet, but also potentially includes RS485, CAN bus and even audio loudspeaker PA systems.
Compliance with the standard becomes mandatory in October 2009.

Low Voltage Directive updated
An update in the Low Voltage Directive has meant a change in the stated number to 2006/95/EC. Declarations of Conformity should be amended to reflect the changes. There are no specific alterations to testing, procedures or legislation associated with this update, which appears to be nothing more than a consolidation of the previous Directives and subsequent amendments.

Microwave Immunity Testing
Radiated immunity testing above 1GHz appears to have been universally adopted. It is expected that any new immunity standards will feature testing at microwave frequencies. The residential, commercial and light industrial generic standard EN61000-6-1 has now introduced testing at microwave frequencies, which will become mandatory later this year.


Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC Introduced
A Directive specifically targeted at batteries was introduced last year. Although much of the Directive is centred around toxic material content and disposal, there are some relevant points for manufacturers of electronic products. In general, any battery operated product must allow the user to replace or remove batteries. Instruction manuals are required to detail the removal and replacement procedures.