Can the CB scheme help your wireless product to market?

CB or not CB: that is the question. When you have worked in the telecoms and electronics approvals industry for many years, I think you tend to forget that to some people the compliance and approvals process can appear to be very complex. That's usually because it can be!

Take the manufacturer of a Bluetooth or ZigBee product. These radio modules are now incorporated into thousands of different product types, with a truly global market reach. So when it comes to compliance testing, the manufacturer usually knows that it needs to go through EMC and radio testing, but the safety aspect of the testing can often be overlooked; and when it comes to marketing the product in various countries around the world the proverbial brick wall can be encountered. This can be particularly frustrating as many different countries around the world have varying requirements for the safety testing of products which are to be allowed in their territory.

However, all is not lost!

Enter the "IECEE CB Scheme" for safety. The IECEE CB Scheme is an international system which applies to the safety of electrical and electronic products so that they can be readily accepted in international markets. It is essentially a Passport for safety compliance, and can be used in support of applications for National Marks such as UL or CSA. It provides an excellent conformity assessment platform for manufacturers wanting to trade in global markets and whose products need to demonstrate third party conformity to relevant standards. It consists of 54 member bodies whose aim is to promote mutual recognition of the testing process. It is also possible for some countries which are not part of the CB scheme to accept CB certified reports as a demonstration of compliance.

So how does it

TRaC extends vibration testing with low-frequency test rig

TRaC, the environmental and standards-compliance test house, has extended its capabilities in low-frequency mechanical vibration testing by commissioning a new low-frequency test rig at its Warwick laboratory. The new rig  is one of the few commercially available systems that can apply a wide range of vibration tests, such as the demanding European Naval specifications, to large and/or heavy products and systems.

The test system comprises a vibration platform measuring 1.3 x 1.3m, that can carry a test-piece load of up to 2 tonnes. The system is single-axis; that is, the platform's actuator moves it back-and-forth in one plane or direction, subjecting a unit-under-test (UUT) to vibration over a calibrated frequency range that extends as low as 0.1Hz, and up to 150Hz. UUTs can be subjected to a maximum acceleration of 5g at a frequency of 150Hz, and maximum displacement is 150 mm full-scale.

Movement of the table is under the control of a closed-loop system that employs electro-hydraulic actuators to generate the motion, and a combination of displacement transducers and capacitance-type accelerometers to give high-accuracy feedback in position and acceleration, respectively.  The level of precision of which the control system is capable means that it can apply either sinusoidal or random vibration, or pre-defined profiles of shock and vibration over specified intervals. These scenarios include the marine and sub-sea low-frequency environments that the original specification set out to meet.

Existing test facilities that generate low-frequency mechanical vibration use electromagnetic actuation ("electrodynamic" systems) which creates stray magnetic fields, meaning that UUTs sensitive to such fields cannot be tested. TRaC's electro-hydraulic system completely avoids this limitation, as well as going far beyond the lower frequency limit of electrodynamic systems.

Robust construction also means that TRaC's test platform can carry

TRaC North West Open Day - FREE CE Compliance Workshop

Open Day: CE Mark and Compliance Workshop - Presenting different aspects of compliance and regulatory applications in order to meet the CE marking requirements to your products. The workshop will include information about your legal obligations with an overview of the ATEX, EMC and R&TTE Directives. Individual topics will also address the worldwide requirements for global product approval outside of the European Union.

Join us on Wednesday 14th July 2010 at TRaC North West, Unit 1, Pendle Place, Skelmersdale, West Lancs, WN8 9PN.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to obtain free advice from leading industry experts, and notified bodies for electromagnetic compatibility, radio and explosive atmosphere approvals.

We will start at 09.30 (registration) and finish at 15.00. Delegates will also get an opportunity to take a tour of TRaC's new test facilities which opens its doors in July 2010. The workshop is FREE and includes Tea, Coffee & Buffet Lunch.

To register your free place at our seminar, please It's FREE to Register, email your interest to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or call 01684 571730.

Closing date for registration is Friday 9th July 2010, and places are strictly first come, first served (be quick to avoid disappointment).

Get a feel for some of the recent seminars that have taken place by viewing our short video coverage click here »

And you thought your EMC tests were difficult!

All electronics engineers are familiar with EMC testing, generally viewing it as yet another challenge to be overcome by good design.

However,it's not just small electronic products that are affected: EMC is becoming an increasingly important element of large infrastructure projects.

In industries such as transportation infrastructure and power generation, the equipment can be physically large, the regulations stringent and the cost of failure pretty terrifying.

Achieving certification for countries that don't have a strong test infrastructure

Many countries have their own specific requirements for certification of products, but don't always have the infrastructure to test to these standards. This presents a problem - how can you get certified if no one in the country can test your product?

One example is Brazil, where telecommunication equipment is subject to Anatel (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes) certification in Brazil. These regulations state that telecommunication products should be tested by a suitable Brazilian third party test laboratory, but the services offered by these laboratories are limited.

What's the difference between the UL and MET Listed Marks?

The UL and MET marks both indicate that the product has met the minimum requirements of the applicable [USA] safety standards. Additionally, both marks validate the product's continued compliance to these standards as evidenced by periodic factory follow-up inspections.

TRaC Opens Largest Test Facility in North West of England

TRaC announces a major expansion of its operations in the North West of England. The company today opened a new 15,000 sq. ft. centre of excellence in Up Holland, Lancashire, making it the largest commercial facility in the North.

The test facility is the only one of its kind in the North West of England that places a comprehensive testing service within easy travelling range for customers in the region. TRaC is already the biggest British test and certification company and the new facility strengthens the company's presence in the North, complementing the existing Hull facility that is the largest in the North East.

TRaC has invested more than £1 million in the new Lancashire location which has been supported by the North West Regional Development Agency. The company is currently hiring for key positions and plans a second wave of recruitment later this year to support the anticipated growth of its existing business in the region.

TRaC provides a testing service that ensures and certifies that its clients' products comply with EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) regulations; wireless, radio and telecoms standards; and environmental and safety requirements. TRaC holds a comprehensive range of accreditations to issue product approvals to national and international standards: through a combination of its own facilities and worldwide partnerships, the company offers global reach.

In today's regulatory climate, few products achieve certification in a single visit to a test laboratory; in contrast, TRaC’s involvement with many of its clients' projects begins early in the design process. Support that begins with design analysis, and continues through pre-certification testing, ensures that projects stay on track at the final certification stage. Local, quick and easy

TRaC completes testing programs with Realtek

Less than a year after moving its US test operation to its UK headquarters, TRaC has completed a comprehensive testing program for Realtek Semiconductor.

TRaC is accredited by the USA's two largest broadband service providers to carry out DSL testing. This latest set of testing demonstrates that a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) containing Realtek's ADSL2+ chipset has successfully completed the TR-067 and TR-100 test program requirements for the multiple DSLAMs deployed in North America.

Jessy Chen, vice president from Realtek Semiconductor Corp, commented: "Passing these TRaC testing programs and receiving this accreditation has proved valuable for our business. By successfully completing these tests, our devices may be qualified by major telco carriers to further expand our broadband business in North America. We have worked with TRaC for a number of years and have always had a quick and efficient service from them."

TRaC opened its expanded flagship DSL test facility at its Hull, UK headquarters in November last year following a re-location from its Santa Clara operation. The laboratory is now the most advanced and comprehensive independent DSL testing facility anywhere in the world.

Paul Russell, managing director of TRaC Telecoms & Radio, commented: "Our testing programs are held in very high esteem in the telecommunications industry and we work hard to maintain that high level of commitment to our customers and will continue to offer influential industry accreditations."

Jessy added: "We are pleased with the service from TRaC and its commitment to maintaining the North American test suite, and we look forward to working with them on other worldwide telco networks and regions."

TRaC is accredited by a number of the USA's top broadband communications providers. It also assists telecoms operators and vendors worldwide with interoperability testing, test plan development

TRaC celebrates top femtocell award

Karim Sharf, chief operating officer for TRaC Telecoms and Radio, has been awarded the Chairman's Awtard at the Femto Forum Femtocell Industry Awards 2010 in recognition of his work in driving forward the development of open and interoperable femtocell technology.

The Chairman's Award is presented to the individual that Simon Saunders, chair of the Femto Forum, feels has made the biggest contribution to the Forum and the wider femtocell industry. Simon commented: "Most of the Femto Forum’s work is driven by the efforts of individuals from within our member organisations and a huge number have contributed their time and skills to the Forum in the past year and all deserve my considerable thanks.

"However, one of our key goals we had in the last year was to make tangible progress towards our vision of an open, interoperable ecosystem for femtocells. To that end, in March we ran the first plugfest for UMTS femtocells, which was widely supported by over 20 vendors.  Karim Sharf was instrumental in supporting and coordinating that process and his level of contribution to the Forum's aims has been outstanding."

Karim Sharf is the vice chair of the interoperability testing special interest group (IOT SIG) and is editor for the interoperability test specifications document being used as the basis for the ongoing Femto Forum plugfest program, which TRaC facilitates.

TRaC has been a member of the Femto Forum since its inception three years ago and works closely with the Forum to ensure effective interoperability and the successful uptake of femtocells. Paul Russell, managing director of TRaC Telecoms and Radio, commented: "I'm delighted that Karim and TRaC are being recognized for the work we have been doing to drive forward the industry adoption of femtocells."

The Femto Forum Femtocell Industry Awards 2010 recognize outstanding achievement within, and contributions to,

HALT / HASS Seminar - Tuesday 5^th Oct 2010

To guide you in your product development, TRaC are hosting a Technology Insight Briefing that will both explain the concept, and provide a practical demonstration of HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) and HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screening).

Mr. Bob Page of Reliability Plus, an industry expert in this field, will lead the presentation being held at the TRaC Environmental & Analysis facility in Warwick on Tuesday 5^th Oct 2010 from 9am to 4pm. This seminar will be particularly useful to Engineers who are managing new product development programmes.

HALT is rapidly emerging as a recognised means to dramatically cut development timescales through a process of accelerated aging. This is achieved by employing high levels of multi-axial vibration and rapid temperature cycling, either separately or in combination. Whilst the test does not mimic a particular reality, it very effectively employs environmental conditions commonly experienced in service, and so exposes design features and manufacturing defects which could lead to premature failure.

The registration fee (including lunch, refreshments, and set of seminar notes) is £110 (excl. VAT) per delegate. Attending delegates will also benefit from a 25% discount on HALT chamber hire for their company’s next HALT order at TRaC Warwick.

Places on the seminar are strictly limited to enable the interests of the individual delegates to be satisfied, so early registration is recommended. To register your interest, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 01926 478478.

We look forward to seeing you at TRaC Warwick on the 5^th Oct 2010.

Seismic Vibration Qualification - Friday 10th September 2010

Confidence in product reliability and functionality during and after an earthquake event is critical for many aspects of the Nuclear and Telecommunications Industries, particularly with respect to safety related equipment.

This seminar provides an overview of the Seismic Qualification process, including its objectives, commonly adopted standards and key technical issues to be aware of.  The seminar will include a demonstration of a full seismic qualification test programme on the Earthquake Shaking Table at Bristol University.

In conjunction with the University of Bristol, TRaC carries out a broad range of seismic qualification programmes each year.  This seminar will be of interest to engineers from across the mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, energy and related engineering fields and will be particularly useful to those tendering for, or embarking on projects that require seismic qualification.

The seminar will be lead by Colin Taylor, Professor of Earthquake Engineering, University of Bristol, with independent industry and academic experts giving presentations on the fundamental aspects of the Seismic Qualification Process.

The seminar will take place at The Earthquake Engineering Centre, Queens Building, University on Friday 10th September 2010 from 8.45am to 16.45pm.

The registration fee (including lunch and refreshments) is £150 (excl. VAT) per delegate.

Please click here to download the Seismic Qualification Seminar Programme »

Places on the seminar are strictly limited to enable the interests of the individual delegates to be satisfied, so early registration is recommended. To register your interest, please contact the ICE SW Conference Co-ordinator Charlotte Snooks:

Tel: 01752 896749

email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

web: www.ice-southwest.org.uk

Shock announcement; TRaC extends environmental test services

New investment adds Drop-test Shock Machine to extensive product test facilities. TRaC has further extended its environmental test capabilities with the installation of a Lansmont 95 shock test machine.

The investment, at TRaC's Warwick facility, augments a shock, impact and vibration test installation that already comprises 14 electromagnetic "shakers" and an alternative design of drop test machine.

The Lansmont 95 is a vertical free-fall drop shock test unit, with a square table size of 950 x 950 mm and a payload capacity (mass of the unit to be tested) of 1000 kg.  It provides a carefully-controlled environment for drop-testing, in which shock pulses have a known profile and are fully repeatable.  The test machine will apply half sine, final peak sawtooth and trapezoidal waveforms, at acceleration levels of up to 800g. It allows shock testing with the device-under-test energised, and has the facility to acquire up to ten channels of data from the shock test.

TRaC's environmental test laboratory is fully UKAS accredited; the area in which the new machine has been installed is purpose-built, with all appropriate safety features, and can carry out testing on both commercial and defence equipment.