Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!deccrl!news.crl.dec.com!shlump.nac.dec.com!regent.enet.dec.com!gettys
From: gettys@regent.enet.dec.com (Bob Gettys N1BRM)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Tower vs. Desktop
Message-ID: <21826@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 7 Apr 91 03:56:04 GMT
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 38


In article <11563@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, jokim@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (John H. Kim) writes...
>In article <1162@gistdev.gist.com> flint@gistdev.gist.com (Flint Pellett) writes:
>>
>>I use my tower at home sitting on the desk top and prefer it that
>>way.
> 
>When I was shopping for mail order firms, the last person I talked
>to said you couldn't get an FCC B rating on a tower.  Can anyone
>verify or dismiss this?  If it's true, it's technically illegal to
>have a tower at home.
>-- 
>John H. Kim                 | (This space to be filled when I
>jokim@jarthur.claremont.edu | think of something very clever 
>uunet!jarthur!jokim         | to use as a disclaimer)



	I have also noticed that most (all?) towers don't have an FFC class B
rating, but I don't know of any reason for this. As someone who must deal with
this sort of thing (I'm a hardware designer for DEC) I know of no restriction
on packaging other than that of passing the emmissions tests mandated by the
class levels. If you don't exceed the emmissions that the FCC allows, then they
don't care what kind of a package you are in (or even if you are packaged at
all!). What I suspect has been happening is that the towers are considered a
commercial type of unit by the people who make them, and as such, they only
need to pass class A. There is no reason they couldn't (or aren't) made to pass
class B except for the tighter construction and (probably the most important
reason) the more expensive testing.

	Second point - it is NOT ileagle to have a class A system at home. It
merely changes what you must do if there is interference. You become
responsible for making it go away. If you have class B equipment, your
responsibility is much! less.

	/s/	Bob Gettys

standard disclaimer goes here-----------