Signs of the Times - January 2014 - (Page 30)
Lig hti n g T e c hn i ques
By Marcus Thielen
UL's Mandated Hazards
Marcus Thielen
is a physicist and
lighting-industry
consultant from
Duisburg, Germany
Technological advances make testing dangerous.
H
ere's some sobering irony.
Allegedly, the entire purpose of
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is
to ensure safety. However, due to
technological advances, UL 48's
mandated testing procedures
(Parts 31-37) have now become
dangerous in some cases. As often
stated, the road to hell is paved
with good intentions.
Because most hazards presented
by electricity and electrical equipment are not obvious or easily
visible, early in the history of
society's electrification, groups
of specialists - like UL and the
National Fire Protection Assn.
(NFPA) - appropriately established
regulations for making electrical
equipment safe. The National Electrical Code (NEC) and the UL document series would follow.
To make newly built electrical
equipment safe, it must be inspected
and tested before being put in use
(and in the hands of "dumb" users).
This also applies to electric signs.
For the electric signshop, it's
mainly "UL 48 - Electric Signs"
Photo 1: An electronic fluorescent lamp ballast. The red circle indicates the capacitors across the line, and the blue circle shows the capacitors to ground of the RF
line filter. The schematics are similar to those in Fig. 1.
(ISBN 1-55989-974-3). The first
edition was published in November
1917, 11 years after the first edition
of ST.
Still today, even if construction
sections are observed, performance
Fig. 1: Typical input circuit of an electronic, fluorescent lamp ballast. Note the
rated voltages for the capacitors across-the-line and to ground (red circles).
30 SIGNS OF THE TIMES January 2014
tests (Parts 31-38) must be carried
out. Especially with large or unique
signs that are built onsite, admin-
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2014
Signs of the Times - January 2014
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Large-Format Design Strategies
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review - Agfa’s Jeti Titan X
Technology Review - Polytype’s NQ32 UV hybrid printer
Design Matters
New Products
Industry News
GableSigns’ Casino Signs
Dynamic Digital Signage Made Simple
Building Street Cred
Modern Sign Engineering
Advertising index
Editorially speaking
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