What happens when IEC 60950-1 is withdrawn?

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 On December 20, 2020, 60950-1 will be officially withdrawn, ending a legacy of this standard that spanned over 30 years covering information technology products. In addition, the 60065 audio video standard will also be withdrawn.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.

Test Probe Kits of Standard UL 60950-1

I. 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.

Test Probe Kits of Standard UL 60950-1 SMT 950K

II. 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.

Test Probe Kits of Standard UL 60950-1

III. 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.