Certifications - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PepeChip
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 10:00:13 am
content: Hi all,I am planning on making a device which would be (hopefully) used by professional electronic engineers for test, not for the "general public".I am a bit of a loss because there are a lot of forums and info (not clear enough for me) about required certifications and I have seen that a lot of people say that if the device in question is a kit, one does not need to have it certified. I think my device would fall into this category.If no certification is needed, I don not know how big is the risk that the package will be stopped at customs of some countries.Somebody could help me out a little bit?Thanks

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 11:30:59 am
content: If you're placing the device on the market within the EU then it needs to be CE marked.There are specific EMC and safety standards which apply to laboratory equipment. Your compliance lab should be able to advise on which ones apply to your product.

author: PepeChip
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 09:36:07 pm
content: Thanks for the info. Too bad since the device would only cost 100€ and I do not know how warm the welcome would be. It looks to me too risky to go forward with this if I have to pay for the certification.Another big question is that I have also seen in some forums some people say that one can put the label CE on his product and send it onto the market, even without having it certified by a professional lab. The problems would only come if that device turns out to be hazardous (causes deaths, injuries of any kind, disrupts communications, etc). Is it true or is it just bullshit?Last but not least... open hw must be certified? I know that Arduino got a certification but I am not sure if it was because it was requiered to or because some distributors refused to sell something without the CE marking because they would have got problems in some countries, not the whole EU.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2017, 08:07:31 am
content: You don't have to get a product certified by a lab. The CE mark meansyoudeclare that the product conforms to all applicable EU Directives, and you can apply it yourself.The problem is that you need to be able to produce evidence of compliance if required. In practice, it's virtually impossible to prove EMC compliance unless your product has actually been tested.In terms of safety, you may be OK to self-certify. Get yourself a copy of the applicable standard and work through it; chances are a low voltage product that uses a good quality, isolated mains adapter will be OK - but it's still up to you to go through the standard and check, and ultimately to take full responsibility for it.The CE marking requirement is an EU thing, though some countries may enforce it more strictly than others.

author: Brianf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2017, 05:32:18 pm
content: The other thing to consider is that if your market is professional engineers then they may well not buy your product if it doesn't have the proper paperwork.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2017, 08:39:03 pm
content: Quote from: Brianf on January 21, 2017, 05:32:18 pmProducts don't come with any more paperwork than the CE mark and declaration of conformity.A lot depends on the nature of the product. If it's the sort of thing that isn't likely to cause problems then the risk is very low.Bear in mind that the enforcement system is generally complaints based ( except possibly Germany), i.e. the product actually has to cause a problem, and someone has to lodge a complaint, so chances are the manufacturer will be able to resolve issues with the customer before any of that happens.Also bear in mind that the people in charge of enforcement in most countries ( except possibly Germany) are very under-funded and also responsible for stuff like dangerous kids' toys and freezers that set houses on fire, and so will be 99.99% focussed on volume consumer goods.Unless you have a vexatious competitor that may want to cause trouble, the risks selling to a specialist market are pretty much limited to customer dissatisfaction if your product causes problems.

author: PepeChip
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2017, 05:45:44 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on January 21, 2017, 08:39:03 pmWhat do you mean excluding Germany? Do you think I would get problems there even if the product does not cause any problem?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2017, 07:18:25 pm
content: Quote from: PepeChip on January 22, 2017, 05:45:44 pmIt used to be the case that German authorities would reportedly purchase items at random and test them. I don't know if this is still the case, or ever actually was, and even so, chances are they will be much more interested in consumer items than specialist niche products.