Class II or double insulated - Whichever you want to call it, it doesn't look like it to me.
Double insulated? [poll]
- Thread starter RF Lighting
- Start date
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There seems to be a natural assumption that the wires are single insulated,, however it is possible that they are double insulated. Double insulated 1.5mm wire is rare in the UK and I have to import it.
The electrical connections are sealed and the transformers may be classed as class 2 due to the mechanical protection.
I cannot see how the fitments are protected from the main chassis and that may be the only area of contention if the insulation was to fail there providing indeed the wire is double insulated like the wire I have attached in photograph.
The electrical connections are sealed and the transformers may be classed as class 2 due to the mechanical protection.
I cannot see how the fitments are protected from the main chassis and that may be the only area of contention if the insulation was to fail there providing indeed the wire is double insulated like the wire I have attached in photograph.
It's not.
What the photograph or the wires on the light??, I cannot find anyone say the wires on the light were not double insulated
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They weren't.
Twin layers of insulation on a conductor may be thought of as being double insulated wire but it is not. In the wire overheats and melts the insulation then it is no longer insulated. Conductors insulated with one layer of insulation and encased in a non combustable and non conductive sheath such as fibre glass ( but not metal ) can be consdered as being double insulated ( from any adjacent metal or conductive item ).
The wire shown may be a conductor coated with low cost natural colour insulation with a layer of more expensive coloured material added to make the wire coloured.
The Wire shown is tested under IEC 60331 for heat resistance and combustion also tested to conform with UL 1097, This is a major requirement for underfloor heating cold leads. But it is good that people show concern through not knowing 
But is it DI?
UL 1097 standard for double insulated products and the standard in which it bares the markings of double insulated.
The wire is tested and UL, IL, CSA certified.
But that wire is mine not the one in the light
Not sure how it has escaped your attention, but it is the wiring in the lights which is of concern. Knowing that DI single core cables exist, and have standards which apply to them, is of little use when discussing a light which does not use such cable.But that wire is mine not the one in the light
what transformers
surely it can only be called double insulated if a puled wire cannot liven up a part you can touch
so a wire with 2 insulation layers that comes detached and pulled out enough to liven up the case is in fact a single insulation level ??
so a wire with 2 insulation layers that comes detached and pulled out enough to liven up the case is in fact a single insulation level ??
Not in Europe it isn't!
http://slideplayer.com/slide/5885546/ may be worth a flick through as it explains some of the requirements it should be tested against.
To be class II it doesn't have to be double insulated. The wire could be single insulated but providing a level of insulation classed as "reinforced insulation". It would appear that this means it has to pass a 4U + 2000V = 3kV HiPot test between the conductors and chassis.
DVM leads quite often use a single piece of insulation that falls into the reinforced insulation class as it protects you from the shock hazard.
Is there any marking on the cable inside the light? Might it have an insulator capable of passing the 3kV test?
You could always ask the manufacturer of the lamp for a copy of the CE technical file or 60958 safety report and that should break down how it was evaluated to be safe assuming they exist!
To be class II it doesn't have to be double insulated. The wire could be single insulated but providing a level of insulation classed as "reinforced insulation". It would appear that this means it has to pass a 4U + 2000V = 3kV HiPot test between the conductors and chassis.
DVM leads quite often use a single piece of insulation that falls into the reinforced insulation class as it protects you from the shock hazard.
Is there any marking on the cable inside the light? Might it have an insulator capable of passing the 3kV test?
You could always ask the manufacturer of the lamp for a copy of the CE technical file or 60958 safety report and that should break down how it was evaluated to be safe assuming they exist!
To me it looks like it might struggle to pass a 1kV one.
Are they obliged to provide them if they do?
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