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From: tech@auvax.UUCP (Richard Loken)
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.micro,net.periphs
Subject: Re: Surge Protectors, Line Filters, and U.L. Ratings
Message-ID: <432@auvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Jul-84 15:52:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: auvax.432
Posted: Thu Jul 26 15:52:30 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 10:31:51 EDT
References: <7816@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Athabasca U, Alberta
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The Underwriters Laboratory is interested in safety not quality - they don't
really care how well it works as long as it doesn't eat small children or 
something.  Their standards are to some degree a matter of opinion - ie in
Canada the usual referance for safety is approval by the Canadian
Standards Association while in the US it is preferred if a device is listed
by the UL.  Note that their acceptance referred to differantly - the UL insists
that they do not approve anything (they list it) while the CSA sticker says
approved whateeveritis but in addition, they have slightly differant require-
ments for approval (the CSA in one case in a Short Wave receiver that I own
requires a 1Mohm resister between the grounded and grounding wires that the
UL listing did not require).

In short, I beleive in the UL with all my heart and all my soul and I wouldn't
take a bakelite surge protector as a gift since it just might explode all 
over the place.

Richard Loken