Hello.
I am in the process of preliminary safety review of a device with an internal battery that will be charged from a charging adapter.
Three of our previous products have passed external 60601-1 safety certification review with Class II AC adapters terminating in a typical AC adapter connector, which has an accessible metal barrel connected to the negative adapter output. The adapters have all been switchers, with listings for 60601-1 for their isolation MOPs, but with leakage current from secondary to ground exceeding 100 microamps, presumably due to Y-capacitors for EMC.
In other words, our testing lab did not test the adapter plug barrel for enclosure leakage / touch current. If they had, we would have failed.
So I'm trying to figure out whether we got a free ride, or whether there is a good rationale for exempting connectors like this from testing. If there is no good rationale, I will think twice about using a connector like this with an adapter that exceeds the 60601-1 leakage limit.
Does anyone else have experience with the question of whether adapter plugs might get exempted from enclosure leakage / touch current testing, and if so, by what rationale?
Best regards,
Eamon Egan
I am in the process of preliminary safety review of a device with an internal battery that will be charged from a charging adapter.
Three of our previous products have passed external 60601-1 safety certification review with Class II AC adapters terminating in a typical AC adapter connector, which has an accessible metal barrel connected to the negative adapter output. The adapters have all been switchers, with listings for 60601-1 for their isolation MOPs, but with leakage current from secondary to ground exceeding 100 microamps, presumably due to Y-capacitors for EMC.
In other words, our testing lab did not test the adapter plug barrel for enclosure leakage / touch current. If they had, we would have failed.
So I'm trying to figure out whether we got a free ride, or whether there is a good rationale for exempting connectors like this from testing. If there is no good rationale, I will think twice about using a connector like this with an adapter that exceeds the 60601-1 leakage limit.
Does anyone else have experience with the question of whether adapter plugs might get exempted from enclosure leakage / touch current testing, and if so, by what rationale?
Best regards,
Eamon Egan
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