Technical Guidance Note 19

TOPIC: Battery Powered Instruments

ISSUE: 2

REVISION DATE: 27.1.98

PREVIOUS REVISION DATE: 23.3.95

BACKGROUND: A manufacturer of laboratory instruments has been advised by an accredited test house that battery powered instruments operating on less than 12v fall outside of the scope of the EMC Directive.

PROBLEM: Is this advice correct?

GUIDELINES: The test lab that gave the advice is wrong. The only thing in the UK regulations that indicates that an instrument may not have to be certified is if the manufacturer is convinced that the apparatus is benign. The instrument would then come under regulation 17. Only the manufacturer can decide this.

However, there is absolutely nothing that refers to battery powered instruments. Indeed many such instruments have very powerful microprocessors embedded and could not, in the least, be described as benign. As they are not part of any formal exceptions either in the directive or the UK regulations they should not be considered to be outside the scope of the directive

Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability can be accepted by the EMC Test Laboratories Association or any of its officers or members for the contents, specifications and/or advice referred to or contained in this Technical Memorandum and/or action taken as a result of information contained in this Technical Memorandum. Note that:
1. The Association is not by supplying this Technical Memorandum providing professional advice or guidance to any specific party on any specific matter and no legal relationship is created by the provision of this Technical Memorandum.
2. Parties should take specific advice when dealing with specific situations and consult their own professional advisors in this regard.
3. Members are free to deviate from the above guidelines where they think it appropriate, unworkable, or not commercially viable. Under these circumstances, the EMCTLA Secretariat should be informed of the reasons for the deviation so that the matter can be reviewed.