UL certification is not required by any law, at least in the US.  Europe is
different.  You can legally sell anything you want in the US without UL
certification of any kind....  (now read the fine print)

BUT...

Reputable distributors will not touch your product with a ten foot pole if
it is not UL certified.  Also, when someone dies or is injured within ten
feet of your product, even if it is not your fault, YOU will be up there on
the witness stand trying to explain why you decided not to get UL
certification, while the attourney is saying  +ACI-You knew+ACE-  YOU KNEW+ACE- You Knew
that your product did not meet minimum safety standards, and yet you SOLD IT
ANYWAY to my innocent client and her  8 month old triplets+ACEAIQAi-  The jury is
not going to be very sympathetic to your blubbering and stuttering answer.

Your liability insurance carrier is not going to be very sympathetic either.

UL certification is required, therefore, by the market and by the liability
industry.

If you are selling a one-off custom control, there would be no need to get
UL certification I suppose. Especially if it is all constructed of UL listed
parts, and you pay attention to minimum clearances, etc.

UL listing is +ACI-recommended+ACI- for any product which uses mains electric power,
not just motorized products.  This includes heaters, cooking appliances,
extension cords, and what have you.

If a product is just operated by low power batteries  (AA's and the like) I
don't believe UL would even look at it.

-- Lawrence Lile

----- Original Message -----
From: +ACI-Micro Eng+ACI- +ADw-micro+AF8-eng+AEA-HOTMAIL.COM+AD4-
To: +ADw-PICLIST+AEA-MITVMA.MIT.EDU+AD4-
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 7:35 AM
Subject: +AFs-OT+AF0-: UL certification really required?


+AD4- If I have something that drives a motor, destined to be installed in a
+AD4- comsumer enviroment, must it be UL certified?  This will be behind a
panel,
+AD4- no exposed wiring, etc.
+AD4-
+AD4-
+AD4- I heard once that UL certification meant...it was tested not to explode or
+AD4- burn up due to normal idiot operation, but never meant as a total safety
+AD4- certification.
+AD4-
+AD4- Comments?
+AD4-
+AD4- +AF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXwBfAF8AXw-
+AD4- Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
+AD4-
+AD4- --
+AD4- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
+AD4- ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/+ACM-archives for details.
+AD4-
+AD4-

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