UL4200A

---

We test to the requirements laid out in UL4200A section 6.2 and 6.3.2-6.3.5

We Cook It: Products are heated for 7 hours to pre-set temperatures in a laboratory oven to relieve stresses in (and possibly weaken) thermoplastics. This test must come first. For garage remotes we have averaged hot car data (Summer only) from 8 separate studies across three continents (including Brisbane, Australia) over the last 40 years.  Car keys and most other products are not normally left in locked cars in the hot sun, so a minimum prescribed temp of 70 degrees is used.

We Screw It: We use certified torque drivers to apply the prescribed torque force dependant on the nominal diameter of the screw. Failure to reach the required torque (stripped head or stripped female thread) does not result in product failure, rather it weakens the product for the subsequent torture tests. Products with no battery compartment screws simply require the battery compartment to be opened and closed and the battery removed and replaced 10 times. Products that are sealed (must be destroyed to access the battery) are exempt.

We Drop It: We drop it on a laminated hard surface. Many times. 

We Smash It: We hit it with steel balls with precisely 2 joules of kinetic energy 

We Crush It: We apply a vice-like crushing force of exactly 330N (remote control devices only)

Finally…We Give It The Finger: We use an internationally accepted rigid mechanical finger to apply force at the worst possible spot to check if the case pops open to reveal the battery. This is the final test on products that may have been weakened during the previous abuse. 

For a more in-depth discussion of this and other topics please drop in to our blog.