
A
6/96
AN-15
5
The European International Electrotechnical Commission
Standard IEC950 entitled “Safety of Information Technology
Equipment Including Electrical Business Equipment” provides
detailed requirements for safe equipment design.  Application
of IEC950 is intended to prevent injury or damage due to
hazards including electric shock, energy hazards, fire hazards,
fire, mechanical and heat hazards, radiation hazards, and
chemical hazards. IEC950 specifies the following definitions
and requirements applicable to 
TOPSwitch
 power supplies.
(This is only a partial list of the key requirements targeted
specifically at typical 
TOPSwitch
 power supply
implementations. The appropriate IEC950 section is identified
by parentheses.)
IEC950 Definitions (Applicable to 
TOPSwitch Power
Supplies
):
(Introduction): Electric shock is due to current passing through
the human body.  Currents of approximately 1 mA can cause a
reaction in persons of good health and may cause indirect
danger due to involuntary reaction.  Higher currents can have
more damaging effects.  Voltages up to about 40 V peak, or 60
VDC are not generally regarded as dangerous under dry
conditions, but parts which have to be touched or handled
should be at earth ground potential or properly insulated.
(1.2.4.1):  Class I Equipment:  equipment where protection
against electric shock is achieved by:
a)  using basic insulation, and also
b)  providing a means of connecting to the protective
earthing conductor in the building wiring those conductive
parts that are otherwise capable of assuming hazardous
voltages if the basic insulation fails.
(1.2.4.2):  Class II Equipment:  equipment in which protection
against electric shock does not rely on basic insulation only, but
in which additional safety precautions, such as double insulation
or reinforced insulation, are provided, there being no provision
for protective earthing or reliance upon installation conditions.
(1.2.8.1):  Primary circuit:  An internal circuit which is directly
connected to the external supply mains or other equivalent
source.  In a 
TOPSwitch
 power supply, this includes the EMI
filter, discrete or common mode chokes, bridge rectifier,
transformer primary, 
TOPSwitch
, and any components
connected to 
TOPSwitch
 such as primary bias windings and
optocoupler output transistors.
(1.2.8.2):  Secondary circuit:  A circuit which has no direct
connection to primary power (except through properly selected
Y-capacitors) and derives its power from a transformer.
(1.2.8.5):  Safety extra-low voltage (SELV) circuit:  A secondary
circuit which is so designed and protected that under normal and
single fault conditions, the voltage between any two accessible
parts, or between one accessible part and the equipment protective
earthing terminal for class I equipment, does not exceed a safe
value.
(1.2.9.2):  Basic Insulation:  insulation to provide basic protection
against electric shock.
(1.2.9.3):  Supplementary Insulation:  Independent insulation
applied in addition to basic insulation in order to ensure protection
against electric shock in the event of a failure of the basic
insulation.
(1.2.9.4):  Double Insulation:  Insulation comprising both basic
insulation and supplementary insulation.
(1.2.9.5):  Reinforced Insulation:  A single insulation system
which provides a degree of protection against electric shock
equivalent to double insulation.
(1.2.9.6):  Working voltage:  The highest voltage to which the
insulation under consideration is, or can be, subjected when the
equipment is operating at its rated voltage under conditions of
normal use.
(1.2.9.7):  Tracking:  the progressive formation of conducting
paths on the surface of a solid insulating material (such as PC
board or transformer bobbin) due to the combined effects of
electric stress and electrolytic contamination on this surface.
(1.2.10.1):  Creepage distance:  the shortest path between two
conductive parts, or between a conductive part and the bounding
surface of the equipment, measured along the surface of the
insulation.  In a 
TOPSwitch
 power supply, the most important
creepage distance is between all primary circuits and all
secondary circuits (typically 5mm to 6 mm).
(1.2.10.2):  Clearance:  the shortest distance between two
conductive parts, or between a conductive part and the bounding
surface of the equipment, measured through air.
(1.2.11.1):  Safety Isolating Transformer:  the power transformer
in which windings supplying SELV circuits are isolated from
other windings (such as primary and primary bias windings)
such that an insulation breakdown either is unlikely or does not
cause a hazardous condition on SELV windings.