If you have products certified to 60950-1, you may have questions about what happens after the withdrawal date. On December 20, 2020, 60950-1 will be officially withdrawn, ending a legacy of this standard that spanned over 30 years covering information technology products. In addition, the 60065 audio video standard will also be withdrawn. Prior to the introduction of IEC 60950 (or its brief predecessor IEC 950), manufacturers were often faced with country based standards that were not harmonized, which made it difficult to design a global product. The introduction of harmonized standards was welcomed by manufacturers, as it simplified developing products for a global marketplace.
IEC 62368-1 2nd edition has received wide acceptance, and most countries have adopted national versions of the standard such as UL/CSA 62368-1 2nd ed. The withdrawal of 60950-1 and 60065 will result in the discontinuance of testing and certifications to these standards. So what is going to happen when IEC 60950 ad 60065 are withdrawn? Unfortunately there is not just a simple answer and there are several questions to consider.
Let’s look at some common questions for US and Canada.
What standard will be used to evaluate ITE or audio/video products after December 20, 2020?
All current editions of 60950-1 and 60065 are being withdrawn on December 20, 2020. This means no new NRTL Listings or modifications to 60950-1 or 60065 will be done after that date. All new Listings will need to be done to IEC 62368-1 2nd or 62368-1 3rd edition.
Can I apply an NRTL mark on my 60950-1 approved product after December 20, 2020?
While the 60950-1 and 60065 standards will be withdrawn, most NRTL’s are not withdrawing the certification or Listing of products done to 60950-1or 60065. If your certification is still valid, then you can still produce your product after December 20, 2020, and apply the NRTL mark as long as the NRTL allows.
So why do I care about the standard withdrawal on an existing 60950-1 or 60065 NRTL marked product?
With the standard withdrawn, no updates or revisions will be made to existing certifications done to 60950-1 or 60065 reports. This means you could continue to produce your product with an NRTL mark to 60950-1 or 60065, but if you need to make a change, you will be forced to have the product evaluated to 62368-1. Also keep in mind that many components used in ITE products have component approvals to 60950-1 that may be discontinued by their manufacturers as they replace those parts with new components designed to 62368-1.
What happens if a component recognized to 60950-1 is discontinued and no longer available after December 20, 2020 for my product?
If you need to make a change of a critical safety component to an end product certified to 60950-1 or 60065 after December 20, 2020, the product will require evaluation to 62368-1.
What are the differences between 62368-1 2nd edition and 62368-1 3rd edition?
The US and Canada adopted the 3rd edition of 62368-1 in late 2019. The standard incorporates several additional considerations and integrates the requirements for outdoor products that were formerly under 60950-22. The updates to 3rd edition include:
- Integration of requirements for outdoor equipment;
- New requirements for optical radiation;
- Addition of requirements for insulating liquids; wireless power transmitters; fully insulated winding wire (FIW);
- Alternative method for determination of top, bottom and side openings for fire enclosures;
- Alternative requirements for sound pressure.
- Removed the provision for acceptance of 60950-1 components
Should I use 62368-1 2nd edition or 62368 3rd edition?
The U.S. and Canada have formally adopted 62368-1 3rd edition as UL/CSA 62368-1:2019. The EU has not yet adopted 3rd edition. If your product is solely marketed in the US, then using 3rd edition may be a good choice. If you are going global, then it may be better to use 2nd edition until the EU formally adopts the standard. Other countries may have differing adoption timelines for 3rd edition.
Here are a few questions that pertain to international users of the standard
How does the withdrawal of EN 60950-1 and EN 60065 impact presumption of conformity for the European Union?
After December 20, 2020 products produced to 60950-1 will no longer have presumption of conformity for compliance with the Low Voltage Directive in the EU. In order to have presumption of conformity to a harmonized standard, you must use a standard listed in the Official Journal. One option is to migrate to EN 62368-1 2nd edition.
How does the withdrawal of EN 60950-1 and EN 60065 impact the presumption of conformity of components for CE?
62368-1 2nd edition allows for components evaluated to 60950-1 to be used in the end product. However, after December 20, 2020 the presumption of conformity of those products ends, meaning that you may no longer rely on the CE marking of the component for your end product. You will need to replace those components with parts that comply with 62368-1 2nd edition and update your report. It may be necessary to retest the end product with the new components in order to properly support your technical construction file.
What are some challenges in migrating from 60950-1 or 60065 to 62368 2nd edition?
While many of the tests have a familiar IEC approach and many of the methods are similar to other IEC based standards, there are some nuances that stand out. 62368-1 takes a different approach from 60950-1 or 60065 in that it is a hazard based standard. As such, it defines levels of safeguards for differing users and defines hazards based on potential for injury. Due to this change, some additional testing is necessary to define power and shock hazards. In addition, there is a requirement for batteries to be approved to relevant standards. Lithium secondary batteries can be particularly problematic, as they will need conformity to an IEC based standard such as IEC 62133-2. Determination of PS (Power Sources) may require additional testing. Other considerations covered by the standard include transients on Ethernet connections and power levels from audio amplifiers.
How and when should I migrate a product from 60950-1 to 62368-1 2nd or 3rd?
If your product will continue beyond December 20, 2020 and you anticipate making updates to the product, you should consider migrating to 62368-1. Manufacturers shipping product into the EU should do so as soon as possible to maintain presumption of conformity. Your product will be reviewed and differences from 62368-1 will be considered. A test plan will be drawn up and those tests unique to 62368-1 will be conducted. In many cases, NRTL’s will leverage data from existing 60950-1 or 60065 reports to reduce the testing time. A new technical report will be created documenting the compliance with 62368-1.
What is 62368-2 and when does it become effective?
62368-2 is an interpretive guide to 62368-1. It helps explain the rational of many paragraphs in 62368-1. It does not contain additional requirements or replace 62368-1.
Can I use my 60950-1 CB Scheme report after December 20, 2020?
Most countries are following the December 20, 2020 withdrawal date for 60950-1 and requiring compliance with 62368-1. Approval bodies in some countries like the US will not withdraw your NRTL report that was obtained with a CB report, but also may not allow you to update that report unless you migrate to 62368-1. We recommend checking into specific country requirements for acceptance of withdrawn standards.
Professional Testing is ready to help you if you have any questions on how the withdrawal of 60950-1 or 60065-1 may impact your business or end products. If you are uncertain about how the withdrawal will impact you, contact one of our engineers and we will be glad to review and discuss a strategy for ensuring your continued compliance. Contact us at info@ptitest.com