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Safe Handling of AC/DC Power Adapter Part 4 "Do Not Drop"
What happens if you drop an AC/DC Power Adapter, a precision device? We introduce how to safely handle an AC/DC Power Adapter. In the fourth installment, we present the theme "Do Not Drop."
AC/DC Power Adapter“Do Not!” Series Part 4: “Do Not Drop!”
In investigations requested by customers, there have been cases where failures were believed to have been caused by customers dropping the Products during use.
Unless otherwise specified by the customer, the mechanical strength of our AC/DC Power Adapter against product drops complies with IEC60950-4.2.6.
An overview of our drop test based on IEC60950-4.2.6 is as follows:
- Height: 75cm for desktop type equipment (INLET), 100cm for direct plug-in type (PLUG)
- Floor: A 51~53mm thick board made of three stacked plywood sheets fixed to the floor
- Pass criteria: After the drop, "the case must not be open," "withstand voltage test must be passed," "output must be normal," and "no peeling or cracking of PCB patterns," etc.
Previously, defects believed to be caused by impact due to drops occurred consecutively in the same Products for the same customer. When we asked again about the usage environment, it turned out that our AC/DC Power Adapter were being set up and put away each time they were used as power supplies for equipment at a school... That explained most of it.
Classroom floors these days are generally covered with P-tiles (vinyl flooring), which are harder than the plywood used in drop tests. If they were slipping from children's hands repeatedly onto such a surface... even for children, the height would exceed 100cm, suggesting the possibility of drops under conditions more severe than those required by the standard.
Saying, "Since they are being used under conditions exceeding the drop test standard, failure is unavoidable..." would solve nothing! Therefore, we implemented measures to improve the strength of the areas where failures frequently occurred. As a result, the occurrence of similar problems has drastically decreased since then.
Pass or fail in drop test standards is judged based only on the damage at the time of testing. However, in actual usage, stress exceeding the conditions and number of times specified in the drop test standard may be applied. Therefore, we recommend that customers evaluate our AC/DC Power Adapter in advance under their actual usage environment, including electrical aspects, before use.
More importantly, needless to say, it is essential to take care not to drop the AC/DC Power Adapter...