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Safety of…Christmas Crackers?
In my family, we’ve never had a Christmas dinner without Christmas crackers. Every place setting at the dinner table has a cracker placed beside it, and when we sit down to eat the first thing we do...
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New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year when everyone is thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. The whole point of resolutions is for improvement. Improvement of the body (lose weight, stop smoking, etc.) and...
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Christmas tree fires
I know what you’re thinking. Christmas trees? It’s January 4th! Christmas is over! Well, today is garbage day in my neighbourhood and people are starting to put out their trees for collection....
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International Product Safety & Liability Prevention Association
Here’s a group you might want to join: The International Product Safety & Liability Prevention Association (IPSLP). It’s run by Randall Goodden, who is an expert when it comes to product recalls...
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Selling second-hand electronics
This week I sold a couple of electronic devices on ebay’s community website: kijiji. I had an older iPhone and digital tv box that were no longer needed. I had never sold anything online before, so it...
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ESD shoe straps
Recently at a client’s facility I was asked to wear ESD heel shoe straps. I’ve worn them before, and typically have placed the strap (or ribbon as shown in the picture) between my shoe and sock. This...
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Fixing the fridge
Today my nephew is spending part of the day with me. The kids get a day off school and he opted to spend some time with his Aunt Cherie instead of wasting away the day in front of the tv. I on the...
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Factory Production Testing
Production testing comes as a surprise requirement for some manufacturers. After an agency grants you certification, you may be required to conduct some tests on 100% of your product. Typically, these...
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Cycling in Dubai
I love cycling. A few years ago I rode my bike over 200km from Toronto to Niagara Falls to raise money for a cancer research and treatment facility. It was a fun ride, but exhausting with many hills!...
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Data loggers vs manual logging of temperatures
I’ve been working in a lab recently that has a data logger. They use it for temperature testing and it can take measurements every ten seconds for up to 60 thermocouple locations. At first I was...
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March: National Engineering Month
March is here! Goodbye February and some of the nasty weather you sent our way. Hello March – the month that includes the first day of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, the beginning of daylight savings time,...
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Impact test in 61010-1 Third Edition
I’ve been conducting the ball drop/impact test/dynamic test in IEC 61010-1 Second Edition for years. It’s pretty straight-forward: a 500g steel ball is dropped 1 meter onto various surfaces of the...
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Non-detachable power supply cords
Today, many of the products I see use detachable power supply cords. They’re convenient for products, like computers, that are shipped all over the world and require a different type of power plug...
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61010-1 Leakage Current
Most standards have a test requirement for leakage current. Sometimes this test is called touch current, but it’s the same thing, just a different name. The point of the leakage current test is to...
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Bonding Impedance for Permanently Connected Equipment
Protective bonding of permanently connected equipment is found in clause 6.5.2.5 of UL 61010-1-12 (Third Edition). If you are familiar with the test conducted on plug connected equipment, you already...
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60950-1 2nd Edition is now mandatory in North America
It came into effect on March 1, 2013 – The Second Edition of UL 60950-1 (and also CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1) is now in effect. What does this mean for your already certified IT products, to older versions...
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Measurement Categories in IEC 61010-2-030
IEC 61010-1 Third Edition is significantly different from the Second Edition in the sense that they pulled out all the requirements for measurement circuits, and put them into a “Part Two” standard:...
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Do I need a CB report?
Do I need a CB report? This is a common question that I get asked. Many manufacturers don’t understand the value that a CB report can provide. Many get the CB report and don’t use it. Many more...
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LED’s in 60950-1
Flipping through IEC 60950-1 Second Edition I noticed clause 4.3.13.5: Lasers (including LEDs). It states that the standard for compliance is one of three standards, as applicable: IEC 60825-1 (Safety...
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Protection against the spread of fire in 61010-1
IEC 61010-1 Third Edition provides some options when it comes to protection against the spread of fire. While some standards simply state requirements such as “must provide a fire enclosure” or “must...
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