Adherence to International Standards

Directive – Electromagnetic Conformity – EMC

Compliance with the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive 2004/108/EC is mandatory for nearly all electrical and electronic eqiupement imported into the European Union (EU). The EMC Directive requires that all products should comply with the basic protection requirements;

• The electromagnetic disturbance generated by the apparatus does not exceed a level specified in harmonized EMC Standards. This level is that above which radio and telecommunication equipement may not be able to operate as intended.
• It has a level of immunity to the elctromagnetic disturbance to be executed in its intended use, which allows it to operate without unacceptable degradation of its specified performance.
• As a result a large number of manufacturers in the electronics or electrical industries need to ensure that their products are complaint with the requirements of teh Directive and be able to demonstrate that this is the case in order to affix a valid CE Marketing

Directive – Relating to energy efficiency of ballasts for fluorescent lamps
The Directive 2000/55/EC aims at reducing the energy comsumption of ballasts for fluorescent lighting by moving gradually away fromn the less efficient ballasts and towards more efficient ones. The ballasat, however, is only one part of the energy consumption equation. The degree of energy efficiency of flrorescent lighting circuits depends upon the combination of ballast and lamp and represented as EEI.

The corrected total input power of the lamp-ballast circuit is defined as teh “Energy Efficiency Index” (EEI) of the ballast-lamp combination. The grading consists of different classes defined by a limiting value.

There are seven classes of efficiency. The classes have no direct correlation to a specific technology; every class is defined by a limiting value of total input power related to the corresponding ballast lumen factor.

The classes are A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C and D, A1, A2, A3 for electronic ballast & B1, B2, C and D for magnetic (inductive) ballast. C & D for magnetic (inductive) ballasat C & D are not used due to poor efficiency.

Directive – Low Voltage – LVD
The Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2006/95/EC seeks to ensure that electrical equipment within certain voltage rating og between 50 and 1000V for alterning current and between 75 and 1500 V for direct current. It should be noted that these voltage ratings refer to the voltage of the electrical input or output, not to voltages that may appear inside the equipment. For most electrical equipment, the health aspects of emissions of Electromagnetic Field are also under the domain of the Low Voltage Directive.

Directive RoHS Compliance
RoHs Complaince is the EU’s directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment designed for voltage less than 1000V alternating current and 1500V for direct current. RoHS references Annex 1A of WEEE to specift its scoope of coverage. While closely related RoHS and WEEE deal with different parts if product life cycle. RoHS seeks to reduce the amount of hazardous materials entering electronic products while WEEE deals with reducing the amount of electronics entering landfills.

IEC 60968 {Ed.1.2} Self-ballasted lamps for general lighting services – Safety requirements
Specifies the safety and interchangeability requirements, together with the test methods and conditions, required to show compliance of tabular fluorescent and other gas-discharge lamps with integrated means for controlling starting and stable operation (self-ballasted lamps), intended for domestic and similar general lighting purposes having:

• a rated wattage up to 60 W
• a rated voltage of 100V to 250V
• Edison screw or bayonet caps

IEC 60969 Self-ballasted lamps for general lighting services
IEC 60969 specifies the performance requirements together with the test methods and conditions required to show complaince of tabular fluorescent and other gas-discharge lamps with integrated means for controlling starting and stable operation (selfballasted lamps), intended for domestic and similar general lighting purposes.

IEC 60969 specifies aspects such as test conditions, start up, lamp wattage, measurement of luminous flux, color, lumen maintenance and life. The standard does not speciafically cover efficacy, but data on lumen output and total circuit power measured under the standard can be used directly to determine this parameter.