Safety , regulations, retailing a product ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2013, 09:32:35 pm
content: In the past I have worked on products that are then further refined and developed for retail but I have never done those steps myself. It was basically I design the circuits and parts required and someone else implements the PCB, casing, certifications, etc.I know that Dave talks about cutouts on the pcb used to isolate high voltage parts on the board and I would like to know where documentation like this can be found as to how far the cutouts need to be, distances from parts, etc.I am looking for a book or site that will provide information on things like:How AC mains should be connected internally , fuse locations, strain reliefs , wire routing to the PCB and spacing used once connected to the PCB.What is the required stand off of the bottom of a PCB from the casing ?What determines the fuse type and rating that should be used ?Does the product have to be grounded to the mains ?Do I need to place mica or plastic sheets between sections of the power supply to prevent arcing in the event of failure ?What determines when a part needs to be glued in place , like tall capacitors, how tall qualifies for the glue ?I am considering selling a product that I would basically have to assemble myself , quantity probably about 25-50 total . The product relies on interfacing directly with AC mains for things like current measurement as well as controlling other AC devices and while I can come up with what I know to be safe based on the electronics , it is the physical implementation that I want more information about.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2013, 11:05:13 pm
content: It depends what sort of product you are looking to make. In Europe, anything that is on sale has to meet the various EU safety directives, for example the machinery directive or the low voltage directive (which includes mains).In order to meet these directives, they call up various international standards that will allow a manufacturer to say that if they meet the applicable standards, they meet the directive and the unit is safe for sale.Unfortunately there are literally thousands of standards and a product might have to meet several of them to be safe. For example, a multimeter would have to meet IEC61010 (and there are several different parts to it), if it had rechargeable batteries they would have to meet IEC62133.Assuming that you are only planning on selling them locally, I would recommend looking on your government website and possibly talking to local test houses who should be able to steer you in the right directionNeil

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2013, 12:58:13 pm
content: I contacted testing agencies but was told that I should refer my request to my companies compliance departments , which is no help.I am not interested in receiving any certifications or submitting a product to testing but in finding out what are the proper ways to implement AC mains connections , something similar to the USA NEC books are what I am trying to find.I don't want to sell something to people that 2 years from now causes a fire because I didn't allow an extra 5mm clearance on a connection and then have someone say why didn't I do it the proper way .