Brief analysis of the key points of LED energy-saving lamp testing technology in North America

5. Insulation requirements

Since the internal space of LED energy-saving lamps is limited, attention should be paid to the insulation requirements between dangerous live parts and accessible metal parts during structural design.
Insulation can be space distance and creepage distance, or insulation sheet. According to standard requirements, the space distance between dangerous live parts and accessible metal parts should reach 3.2 mm, and the creepage distance should reach 6.4 mm. If the distance is not enough, an insulation sheet can be added as additional insulation. The thickness of the insulation sheet should be greater than 0.71 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.71 mm, the product should be able to withstand a 5000V high voltage test.

6. Temperature rise test

Temperature rise test is a must-do item in product safety testing. The standard has certain temperature rise limits for different components. During the product design stage, manufacturers should pay great attention to the heat dissipation of products, especially to certain components (such as insulation sheets, etc.).

If the components work under high temperature conditions for a long time, they are easy to be damaged, which may cause fire or electric shock. The power module inside the lamp is in a closed and narrow space, and the heat dissipation is limited. Therefore, when manufacturers select components, they should pay attention to selecting the appropriate specifications of the components to ensure that the components work under a certain margin, so as to avoid overheating caused by long-term operation under near full load conditions.

7. Structure

The power module of the LED energy-saving lamp is installed inside the shell, and the space is limited. In order to save space, some manufacturers solder the pin-type components on the PCB surface, which is unacceptable. These surface-welded pin-type components are likely to fall off due to cold soldering and other reasons, causing danger. Therefore, socket soldering should be used for these components as much as possible. If surface soldering is unavoidable, additional protection should be provided for this component by fixing it with glue or other methods.

8. Fault testing

Product failure testing is a crucial test item in product certification testing. This test item is to short-circuit or open-circuit some components on the line to simulate the failure that may occur during actual use, so as to evaluate the safety of the product under single fault conditions. In order to meet this safety requirement, when designing the product, it is necessary to consider adding a suitable fuse to the input end of the product to prevent overcurrent from causing fire hazards when the output is short-circuited or the internal components fail.

2. Factory Inspection

North American product certification requires factory inspection, which includes the first factory inspection and subsequent tracking inspection. If the factory is applying for North American product certification for the first time, the first factory inspection is required. The first factory inspection is mainly aimed at the factory's quality assurance system, requiring the factory to have a complete quality assurance system to ensure that the quality of the product is effectively supervised and guaranteed. If the factory has established a quality management system in accordance with ISO9000 standards and passed ISO9000 certification, it can basically meet the management system requirements of the first factory inspection. If the factory has not passed ISO9000 certification, it must have clear procedural documents in raw material procurement, incoming material inspection, inventory management, product design, engineering changes, production line testing, instrument calibration and complaint follow-up, and effectively implement them. Subsequent tracking inspections are mainly aimed at product structure inspections and production line product testing to ensure that the product structure produced by the production line is consistent with the certification sample and passes the relevant production line tests. After the product passes the test certification, the manufacturer must strictly produce the product according to the structure and component list of the certification sample, and any changes that may involve product safety must be notified to the certification body for evaluation. If necessary, retesting and report modification may be required. The product test report has clear requirements for the production line test of the product. Manufacturers must conduct relevant tests in accordance with the requirements, such as high voltage test, ground continuity test, etc.