Our last post focused on a standard for gesture-based user interfaces, which are common in the wide selection of information and communications technology (ICT) devices that are available today. In a time when access to so much is readily available, people have a great attachment to the electronic devices that did not exist in the recent past. This has been viewed as a negative thing, having the assumption that people never go outside and are becoming simple and strange recluses who cannot function in the world. However, this accusation is not grounded in reality. Technology has changed the way we live, but it is neither good nor bad. As for home amusement, advanced technology is something that can only enhance a user’s experience. With all these appliances, however, there should be concern placed on the threat of human misuse. IEC 60335-2-82 ED. 2.2 B:2015: Household and similar electrical appliances - Safety - Part 2-82: Particular requirements for amusement machines and personal service machines recommends guidelines for the construction and design of these home entertainment appliances to ensure that they are safe for their intended purposes.
IEC 60335-2-82 ED. 2.1 B:2015 includes some devices that use ICT software, but it is not limited to that technology. It also includes different home amusement devices, including billiard tables, bowling machines, electronic dartboards, driving simulators, kiddie rides, pinball machines, and laser shooting applications. Similar electric appliances that are covered by the standard are personal service machines, which include currency dispensers, luggage lockers, weighing machines, and shoe-shining appliances. A major concern with the safety of amusement and personal service machines is their voltage. The standard recommends that the rated voltage of these appliances does not exceed 250 V for single-phase appliances and 480 V for other appliances. During initial construction, the appliances should be properly labeled by their voltage. Water can also be a threat to the proper care of these machines. To test this, appliances with accessible openings less than 2 meters from the ground, such as slots for coins and cards, should have a saline solution rapidly poured into them during initial design. This substance should also be tested on parts liable to be cleaned with a sponge at some point in the product’s lifetime. Appliances that have specific uses for water should have directions for them in their instructions. The standard calls for maintenance operations involving the use of liquids to be performed three times to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Full moisture control methods are laid out in IEC 60335-2-82 ED. 2.1 B:2015.
Amusement appliances provide great forms of entertainment in the home and in other locations. Securing the safety of the people who choose to enjoy them is certainly important to maintain their use.
IEC 60335-2-82 ED. 2.1 B:2015 is the most recent revision of IEC 60335-2-82, a standard by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that has been updated several times in the past fifteen years. The IEC has many other standards dedicated to the safe use of electronics.