Technical Guidance Note 26

Technical Guidance Note 21

TOPIC: Credit Cards/Wrist Watches/Hand Held Calculators

ISSUE: 2

REVISION DATE: 27.1.98

PREVIOUS REVISION DATE: 30.3.95

BACKGROUND: In a paper presented by Dag Bjoklof at the ACB meeting in Brussels, he questions whether the following should be tested:

Credit Cards
Wrist Watches
Hand Held Calculators

PROBLEM: EMCTLA opinion

GUIDELINES: The UK Regulations make provision for benign apparatus which does not require certification. A credit card with a magnetic strip may be benign but smart cards, wrist watches and calculators are not.

In order to ensure that a product satisfies the requirements of the EMC directive it is necessary to address the issue of immunity as well as emission. Whilst low power devices are unlikely to generate appreciable levels of interference they may well be very susceptible.

However, the Commission Guidance Document states that the Member States have agreed to exempt quartz wrist watches from the requirements of the directive.

Neither the EMC directive nor the UK EMC Regulations state that a manufacturer must test. The applicability clauses in the class 1 Generic Standards make it quite clear that it is not necessary to carry out any measurements which are thought to be inappropriate.

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.