Some equipment has small components inside for surge suppression – you know, for lightning strikes and the like. These little devices sit happily on the circuit board of your equipment doing you know, not a lot, until the day the lightning strikes the supply mains. Then they jump into action and divert the surge voltage away from your expensive electronics and therefore saving the day. The problem is, they vary in quality, and being a device that sits directly across the active and neutral or active and earth terminals of your device for many years, a dangerous short-circuit condition is never far away.
The quality of MOV’s has come into question and the standards-writers have come up with new tests for MOV’s fitted into “accessories”. The most common accessory with MOV’s fitted is the humble power board or socket outlet adaptor. (EPOD’s or Electrical Portable Outlet Devices).
The new general requirements come into force on 27th June 2016 and require the manufacturer to use approved components and subject the final article to some new tests. Therefore it is important to respond to our renewal advice early as testing of your product may be required and we need all of the 6 months notice to get it done for you.