Charles,
With regard to UL 60950-1 compliance, when we have had equipment, such as small outdoor telecom equipment that is not intended to be used in an ITE room per Article 645 of the NEC, we have been able to disregard the flexible cord length restrictions (mostly the 1.5 meter minimum rather than the 4.5 meter maximum), after negotiation with the NRTL. As Ted mentioned, we based our argument on the fact that Article 400, applying to flexible cords, does not have a length restriction, but only Article 645 does. Best regards, DON GIES ALCATEL-LUCENT SENIOR PRODUCT COMPLIANCE ENGINEER GLOBAL PRODUCT COMPLIANCE LABORATORY 600-700 Mountain Avenue Room 5B-104 Murray Hill, NJ 07974-0636 USA Phone: +1 908 582 5978 Fax: +1 908 582 0582 <mailto:don.g...@alcatel-lucent.com> don.g...@alcatel-lucent.com From: Ted Eckert [mailto:ted.eck...@microsoft.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 9:57 PM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Subject: Re: [PSES] Question on power cord length Hi Charles, UL 60950-1 Annex NAE 3.2.5 states that the power cord length must be between 1.5 and 4.5 meters. The 4.5 meter maximum is from NFPA 70 Article 645.5(B). Although Annex NAE states that the 1.5 meter minimum also comes from the NEC, I can't find it. I may just be missing it. I realize that I'm not answering your question well, or at all. I've only pushed the question back from UL to the NEC. The historic reason for having a minimum cord length is to reduce the risk of the end user connecting products through extension cords. The intention is that the cord should be long enough to reach an outlet on its own. Generally, NRTLs will not allow a shorter cord. However, there are some exceptions. If your product has an external power supply, UL will consider the length of the AC cord and DC cord together. Most laptop computers now ship with an AC cord far shorter than 1.5 meters for this reason. If the specific use of a product is such that a shorter cord would improve safety, you can try to argue your point. However, this will be a tough process. You may have to work with a senior engineer at your NRTL to find a rationale that they will accept. NRTLs will accept shorter cords for specialized equipment that is intended to be mounted near a receptacle. Regards, Ted Eckert Compliance Engineer Microsoft Corporation ted.eck...@microsoft.com The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. From: Grasso, Charles [mailto:charles.gra...@echostar.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 6:22 PM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Subject: [PSES] Question on power cord length Hello all, UL6950 and UL60065 both restrict the power cord length to 1.5m.Does anyone know the reason for this length restriction and (more importantly) does anyone know of exceptions that will allow for a shorter cord? Thanks in advance Carles Grasso - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. 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