Necessary safety features

[Structo]

How do small time amp builders or builders of other audio equipment sell their stuff in Europe?

I know here the way around some of it was to build things that are powered by an outboard power supply like a wall wart.
That way you can use a UL approved wallwart to power the device.
I believe if it is DC battery powered it doesn't have to pass any safety specs?
But if it plugs into the wall then yes, it has to be approved.

So say for instance, the boutique builders (counting a few that post here) that build the D style amps or other knockoffs, how do they sell their amps in Europe?

Take for instance Bludotone, are his amps CE approved?
Can they still be used in Europe? Like if Larry Carlton takes his Bludo to Denmark, can he bring that amp in with him and use it?

Because I don't notice any UL or CE on the back of any of our commercial brothers amps.

[Aurora]

I don't know about US regulations i detail, but here in Europe commercial sale of non-CE marked devices are just simply forbidden. The CE marker is the makers warrant that the appliance is made in conformance to the relevant regulations. God behold, if something happens, and this should prove not to be the case.............
Before CE times, here in Norway we had the NEMKO - Norwegian Electrical Control Board. All consumer appliances had to have the Nemko marker ( a cap N within a ring) , - similar for Sweden and Denmark, with their S and D marks. However ,- there was an excemptions to those reg's for laboratories......
A couple of years ago, at work, we were in the market for a lab grade phase meter, and we wanted to buy one from a major US manufacturer, but the norwegian importer declined, as the unit was not CE marked.

[Structo]

Also I forgot about the ROHS standard as well.

Man, I tried some lead free solder a while back and it did not work for me at all.

[Aurora]

Also I forgot about the ROHS standard as well.

just don't get me started!
I just plainly hate the stuff

Luckily , I have enough of the old stuff to last me well past my time....
and I have no intentions of going commercial, as I work in average more than a regular day with electronics in all directions.....

[Cliff Schecht]

During my coop this summer I would occasionally have to swap an IC off a board or 20. The best method I was taught was to heat the board from the bottom and bring hot air over the top (these are QFN power pad parts going on big ground planes). Once the part was off, I would de-ROHS the boards by flowing on a bunch of 63/37 before I put the next part on. The ROHS stuff wouldn't go down right with the lab equipment, but the leaded boards flowed just fine .

[paulster]

So say for instance, the boutique builders (counting a few that post here) that build the D style amps or other knockoffs, how do they sell their amps in Europe?

Illegally, for the most part.

And that includes lots of high end American boutique names that are routinely imported into Europe.

Certain vendors (Gary, Andy and Alan being three that come to mind) do know all about RoHS and CE though, which isn't to say that all of our other posters don't.

You can self-certify for CE so long as you have the documentation to back it up and it will actually pass the testing.

[Gaz]

You can always use silver solder, which is easy to work with.

Of course it's okay to a non-CE amp in Europe, just not import one, and I believe it's okay to import used or vintage equipment. There are many loop holes for small builders, but when you're as big as Dr.Z, that's when you have to buckle down and deal with the regulations.

[flood]

these are various safety features i've done in the past, will probably end up applying them all together:

1. 3 prong cord, chassis to earth pin
2. switch before transformer primaries
3. fuses on both sides of the transformer - primary and HV secondary (in the CT ground path)
4. bleeder resistors across first filter caps, or one large (470k) bleeder on pin 1 (or 6, as the case may be) of V1
5. done this on one amp - LED in series with the bleeder resistor (330k, 5W) to ground to show the remaining charge in the filter caps. fades out on discharge
6. on a smaller amp, a 10 ohm 50W WW resistor to the shorting lug of the speaker jack. it might be prudent to use two in parallel, in case one is faulty or burns out.
7. i think of putting the secondaries on the standby switch as being safer for the switch, since there is only AC on it. for DC-switching standby, i now use a low-capacitance kV cap across the terminals just as a measure against arcing.
8. about 5 cm distance between tubes to help dissipation. don't know if this is really necessary though.

[guitarmike2107]

CE regs is the reason there are allot more small boutique builders in the US than in Europe. They kill business for the small outfit.
Some shops in the UK will not stock an amp/ valve effect pedal if it is not CE marked.

To properly mark as CE there are actually several directives that have to be adhered to.

Low voltage directive - 60065 is the harmonised standard ( you can self certify)
Rohs - Easy enough these days, but you have to prove it and keep records
WEEE Directive - signage on amp is required
EMC Directive – You CAN’T self certify

As you see it becomes almost impossible for one or two people to be an expert in all these areas. I had a company quote me on CE marking an amp the cost was £4500! put an end to that thought.. for the time being.

There are loads of people selling illegal home brewed amps in europe, just have to check out e-bay.

[DonMoose]

Just so we're clear on this - 'illegal' doesn't mean pay a fine and forfeit the amp, it means go to prison for 2 to 5 years if you mark your product CE-compliant and it's not.

[Alexo]

Back safety features:

I''ve noticed just about all new production amps have features to keep people from burning themselves on the tubes. Notice the little metal cage around the power tubes on the Marshall 1974X or the big aluminum bar going across the back of some mesas. I always see these things and take them as an insult to my intelligence, but they are probably not a bad idea.

[FYL]

EMC Directive – You CAN’T self certify

You can self certify under article 10.1 of 89/336/EEC

[paulster]

I''ve noticed just about all new production amps have features to keep people from burning themselves on the tubes. Notice the little metal cage around the power tubes on the Marshall 1974X or the big aluminum bar going across the back of some mesas. I always see these things and take them as an insult to my intelligence, but they are probably not a bad idea.

Consider this - your young child sees one of these pretty glowing EL34s and wraps their hand around it and then needs hospital treatment for the burns they receive.

Now whilst you may accept that you have the common sense not to do this, whose fault is it that this event transpired? And if you have to pay for the hospital treatment then are you (and your family) inclined to blame you or to think that the manufacturer might be to blame here and should cough up some cash to compensate you?

EMC Directive – You CAN’T self certify

You can self certify under article 10.1 of 89/336/EEC

You can indeed, but it had better pass if it's ever tested.

There are plenty of products being sold that wouldn't.

[Alexo]

I''ve noticed just about all new production amps have features to keep people from burning themselves on the tubes. Notice the little metal cage around the power tubes on the Marshall 1974X or the big aluminum bar going across the back of some mesas. I always see these things and take them as an insult to my intelligence, but they are probably not a bad idea.

Consider this - your young child sees one of these pretty glowing EL34s and wraps their hand around it and then needs hospital treatment for the burns they receive.

Oh I agree wholeheartedly, I didn't mean to imply that it was at all rational for me to be insulted by these cages, and now that I have a little one of my own, I'm considering ordering about two dozen of those ridiculously priced Hammond cages for all the little amps around the house.

[guitarmike2107]

EMC Directive – You CAN’T self certify

You can self certify under article 10.1 of 89/336/EEC

Its been updated since then.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex ... 037:en:PDF

But you're right. . and its good to be wrong .. in this case.
But you still have to have your butt covered for the harmonised standard.