Anyone have experience getting CE labeling on pedals.

[Brian Marshall]

I have tried googling all over, and seem to have found a lot of conflicting information regarding how to get CE certification.

I have read in places that you can do the testing your self. 

I have found places that do testing, but of the four i have emailed only one has gotten back to me, and basically told me that I was too 'small potatoes' for them to want to deal with.

Anyone have a quick explaination of what i need to do...

thanks in advacne.

Brian

[R.G.]

1. Get yourself a copy of the Low Voltage Directive
2. Buy several books on satisfying the Low Voltage Directive
3. Buy a few standards from the standards houses which publish standards that they then sell. There are no free copies.
4. Figure out from the standards what tests, if any, to run. By the way, compliance with standards is no longer presumptively safe - just because you complied doesn't mean you're not liable.
5. Gather a Technical Documentation File proving your stuff's safety and keep it ready just in case they look
6. Sign the CE declaration of liability, indicating that your product is safe according to the guidelines of the LVD and will not harm people, property, domestic animals, or emit harmful or interfering radiation, and that you accept full legal liability for it doing so.
7. Ship off a copy of that to your distributors or sellers. They'll likely have to sign liabilty forms too.
8. Enjoy the aroma.

[nelson]

8. Enjoy the aroma.

[MartyMart]

I asked a similar question of Martin Owen ( www.owenelectronics.co.uk ) who produces about
3 or 4 very nice pedals, some with valves, but only running at 12v/ PSU ( just out of interest )
He told me that a full "proper" testing procedure, costs around £2000.00 per item !!
A bit rediculous for a small outfit, selling perhaps fifty units a month !
He "self certificates" and has read the required papers to do so.
He seemed to be suggesting that with low voltage products that have no emitions, it
wasn't a "big deal" at all.
Once you get into "amps/Radio mics etc" and large current/voltages ... it's a different matter !

BTW : Not sure if it's any "tighter" in specs for UK or US  ?

MM.

[mangonjb]

If you are going to get one book, it must be "Electrical Product Safety - A step-by-step Guide to LDV Self-Assesment" by Jimmy Tzimenakis and Dave Holland. Its a bit expensive but indispensible bedtime reading for anyone thinking of self-assessing any product. Things get much more stringent with mains operated equipment or equipment operating on voltages greater than 50v AC or 75v DC.

[TELEFUNKON]

weren`t there some recent threads about this issue somewhere here?

[gez]

http://www.cemarking.net/ce-mark/frequently_asked_questions/ce_marking/what_is_ce_marking?_2005051412.html

[gez]

Out of the 22 categories most of what gets built in the FX world would probably fall into the "Low Voltage Electrical Equipment" section.

Overview from one website reports:

The "Electrical Equipment" means any equipment designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000 V for alternating current (A.C.) and between 75 and 1500 V for direct current (D.C.). Therefore, it is called often "Low Voltage Electrical Equipment" which includes the vast majority of electrical equipment in everyday use.

But not 9V boxes run from a battery?  Even if there's a jack for a PSU (though arguably once your box is wired up to the PSU it's then 240V AC powered?), the manufacturers of the PSU have this headache to deal with, not you...yes?

Someone will probably tell me the above is complete rubbish now! 

[MartyMart]

Out of the 22 categories most of what gets built in the FX world would probably fall into the "Low Voltage Electrical Equipment" section.

Overview from one website reports:

The "Electrical Equipment" means any equipment designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000 V for alternating current (A.C.) and between 75 and 1500 V for direct current (D.C.). Therefore, it is called often "Low Voltage Electrical Equipment" which includes the vast majority of electrical equipment in everyday use.

But not 9V boxes run from a battery?  Even if there's a jack for a PSU (though arguably once your box is wired up to the PSU it's then 240V AC powered?), the manufacturers of the PSU have this headache to deal with, not you...yes?

Someone will probably tell me the above is complete rubbish now! 

I think that's correct gez, and is what Martin Owen was saying, he supplies his 9v - 12v pedals with CE approved
PSU's ( bought in ) so he's "off the hook" on that score, but has to "self certificate" as far as emitions go.
You see "CE" markings on kids 1.5v battery powered toys,( costing £2.99 ) do you think that each one had £2000 spent on the
testing ... ??

MM.

[gez]

You see "CE" markings on kids 1.5v battery powered toys,( costing £2.99 ) do you think that each one had £2000 spent on the
testing ... ??

One of the 22 categories is specifically for toys, so yes.  I don't think you could get round this in any way, not when kids safety is involved (it's not the voltage that's the risk, but the materials the toys are made from).

[A.S.P.]

CE is long on order, already.
the new thing is RoHS & WEEE,
to take care of...

more complicated (RoHS) starting july,
and expensive (WEE), starting 3 weeks from now...

[MartyMart]

You see "CE" markings on kids 1.5v battery powered toys,( costing £2.99 ) do you think that each one had £2000 spent on the
testing ... ??

One of the 22 categories is specifically for toys, so yes.  I don't think you could get round this in any way, not when kids safety is involved (it's not the voltage that's the risk, but the materials the toys are made from).

OK, that was indeed a "bad" example  !  kid's toy safety is very important.
What I'm trying to say is, there are not the thousands of labs/testers available and
the cost is prohibitive, so most products ( just think how many that is !!) are released after "self certification"

Is that done "responsibly" and "to the letter" ??    did I say "loophole"
Makes you think, how safe is that 100 watt amp and that kids plastic toy  ??

MM

[JHS]

Put the CE-label on the box and don't worry about it like those men from China or Japan. If your FX is not conform to the CE-standard and someone will find it out (I have never heard of such a case or that anybody ever cared about it)  the worst thing that can happen is that you will be informed to update the FX to match the CE-standard. You only need to label the box if you want to sell it in EU-Countries.

If it is not CE-labeled than you can get in serious trouble. In most cases you have to pay a amount of money as penalty, so I think to label the box is the better way to go.

JHS

[Brian Marshall]

CE is long on order, already.
the new thing is RoHS & WEEE,
to take care of...

more complicated (RoHS) starting july,
and expensive (WEE), starting 3 weeks from now...

I've got RoHS taken care of, or at least will have it taken care of by next month.  .  I know nothing of WEEE.... but i actually have people bitching about CE right now

[bensoniski]

I may be a bit late replying, but this website looks like the place to go for registration etc.

The downside is that it sets you back $99 per item!

http://www.ce-id.org/

[puretube]

ripoff/easyprofit unneccesary org...

[R.G.]

Wow. Lotsa nerve there. That's a lot like a web site named "UL-Registry" or "OSHA-Registry" and saying that they make it easy to register your compliance. They don't actually DO anything except register that you claim to comply. Kind of like the International Star Registry "naming" a star for you for a fee. Their ads note that the name is recorded in copyrighted book form and registered with the US Copyright Office. That's the equivalent of "For $100.00, I'll print your name in my book!"

The CE-ID folks do say:

Please note: if you register a product in CE-ID, you are declaring under your own responsibility that the products you specify comply with the regulations and standards you select during the registration process. Registration in our on-line register does not imply CE-ID's approval of the products or technical files.

... probably to avoid lawsuits.

[bensoniski]

Hmmm....on closer inspection it does seem a bit fishy. This seems to be the problem with legislation. Nobody knows how to go about it so someone comes along, doesn't help at all and rips folk off. I suppose the fee in USD and not Euro should have been a warning sign.

Sorry for posting a dodgy link!