I think you might still be able to make a cost argument, but it gets much more difficult now for the reason you state, but still most folks are buying much cheaper systems for home usage. The other item to look at when making the case for class A is the applications that you are selling with this thing. If you gut the O/S and have some application that doesn't lend its self to home users you could be okay. I seem to remember an automatic meter reading system that was allowed class A, even though used on a mobile basis in residential neighbor hoods, and I used to work for some folks that built automating banking equipment that was, for all practical purposes IBM compatible (the old standard for whether or not it was a computer - glad to see that has changed). It could have been used for a personal computer as it ran under MSDOS (okay so I'm old) However, we marketed only in industry rags, and unless you were a bank or savings company then the loaded applications were of no interest, and back then the cost was fairly prohibitive. I even bothered to get a confirmation from the feds before we started and they had no problems with the classification. Other than price, I'm not sure that anything has really changed. But if the PC started out as class B, and you add a card to it, I don't think your task or cost is all that great in maintaining the class B performance, and you avoid the hassle of arguing the point. Unless you own your own lab, then the testing process, cost and time frame are all going to be the same between class A and B anyway. The only disadvantage is that most of us have discovered that because a computer was once class B doesn't mean it stays that way, most often simply because shipping has loosened up stuff. However, even those computers that I have seen that did fail class B still met Class A. Just an opinion Gary
-----Original Message----- From: geor...@lexmark.com [mailto:geor...@lexmark.com] Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 5:37 AM To: p...@tennyson.com.au Cc: wo...@sensormatic.com; emc-p...@majordomo.ieee.org Subject: RE: FCC for PCs I recall from my days of managing EMC that the FCC does not allow a manufacturer to "declare" if an ITE product is Class A or B. They look at the price, and where the product is advertised and sold as well. If the product is within the price range consumers are willing to pay, advertised in consumer publications, and sold through routine consumer outlets, then it is Class B. Note that consumers are far more familiar with PCs now, and many are willing to pay up to $3K or more for a home PC. George prao%tennyson.com...@interlock.lexmark.com on 02/01/2001 07:04:50 PM Please respond to prao%tennyson.com...@interlock.lexmark.com To: woods%sensormatic....@interlock.lexmark.com, emc-pstc%majordomo.ieee....@interlock.lexmark.com cc: (bcc: George Alspaugh/Lex/Lexmark) Subject: RE: FCC for PCs You are right, they should be Class B unless they excusively specify that the PC is not for home use. You will need them to be Class B to start with and when you load them with custom option cards there is a high chance that the EMI characteristics will worsen and you'll at least meet Class A. Praveen -----Original Message----- From: wo...@sensormatic.com [mailto:wo...@sensormatic.com] Sent: Friday, 2 February 2001 2:08 AM To: emc-p...@majordomo.ieee.org Subject: FCC for PCs We are purchasing a PC loaded with custom option cards from a supplier that obtains the PC from a third party. The end unit as sold to us and resold by us is not intended for home use. However, the base PC initially sold by the third party is sized and priced such that it could potentially be used in the home. The computer does not display the FCC mark, but is marked according to Class A requirements. I am concerned that the computer may not be in compliance with FCC marking requirements. What are the current rules that would apply in this case? Richard Woods ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: majord...@ieee.org with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: jim_bac...@mail.monarch.com Michael Garretson: pstc_ad...@garretson.org For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: ri...@ieee.org ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: majord...@ieee.org with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: jim_bac...@mail.monarch.com Michael Garretson: pstc_ad...@garretson.org For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: ri...@ieee.org ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: majord...@ieee.org with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: jim_bac...@mail.monarch.com Michael Garretson: pstc_ad...@garretson.org For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: ri...@ieee.org ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to: majord...@ieee.org with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Jim Bacher: jim_bac...@mail.monarch.com Michael Garretson: pstc_ad...@garretson.org For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: ri...@ieee.org