HP Forum Archive 08

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What do all the symbols mean? Message #1 Posted by Paul Brogger on 11 June 2002, 1:06 a.m. On the back of my new HP-42S, there are several logo-like symbols molded into the case. Can anyone tell me what they mean? 1. There's a "C E", in a stylized font built up from circular arcs; 2. There's an "NOM" with horizontal lines above and below; 3. There's an "NYCE" below a box with arrows pointing out from its middle, left, right and upward; 4. The previous two are separated by " . 1 . " (the dots are actually mid-level separators, not periods); 5. There's a symbol of a "check" mark in a circular field; 6. On lots of other electrical stuff I've seen what looks like "UR", but reversed, as if seen in a mirror; 7. I've also seen "SA" inscribed inside a circular "C". Just curious . . .

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #2 Posted by John K. (US) on 11 June 2002, 1:31 a.m., in response to message #1 by Paul Brogger Most of them certify that the device complies with safety and EMI regulations in various parts of the world. I'm not exactly sure how they map, but I think "CE" is a European Community cert.

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #3 Posted by thibaut.be on 11 June 2002, 3:04 a.m., in response to message #2 by John K. (US) yes, CE is definitely the European Community (now called European Union, but the logo remained the same) certificatio.

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #4 Posted by Ellis Easley on 11 June 2002, 3:23 a.m., in response to message #2 by John K. (US) I think you're right about the "CE". The compliance guys I worked with had to deal with each European country separately and I understand the "CE" mark implies a set of standards that encompasses all of them. Look closely at a power line filter capacitor or an equipment AC receptacle of a few years ago and you will see all the different European marks crowded in. The mirror image looking "UR" is the newer official Underwriters Laboratories symbol and "CSA" is the Canadian Standards Association. UL and CSA work pretty closely to keep their standards compatible. I remember once a compliance engineer was trying to explain to me why it is impossible to make a fuse that meets both UL and the European standards (as they were then). I wonder if "CE" has solved this paradox? UL and CSA usually only get involved with equipment that plugs into the mains because their primary interest is safety (they are called "Underwriters Labs" because they got started providing reliable information for insurance purposes). The FCC and a similar organization in Canada regulate RF emissions and calculators have been required to meet these ("FCC Class B"). The European countries had their own, separate emissions requirements. This is why so many computer equipment manuals have a page of German. The CE mark, as I understand it, covers safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC, essentially RF emissions and immunity to electrostatic discharge, as far as calculators are concerned) and possible other regulated matters.

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #5 Posted by Ellis Easley on 11 June 2002, 6:13 a.m., in response to message #1 by Paul Brogger I looked on a website called "How Stuff Works" and found this link about the "CE" mark - I learned that by law, it is called the "CE marking", perhaps to avoid an inferiority complex for the Euro - and this link about UL. Nothing for "NOM" or "NYCE". At the NIST website I found an enormous glossary of comformity-assessment-related acronyms, but no "NOM" or "NYCE". From there I did a general web search for "NOM" and found such things as an organization that promotes economic development in the northern Netherlands, an Italian website called "Never on Moon" (I think it's about conspiracy theories or the European space program, I can't tell), and a Japanese website with MIDI files of classical music. I was downloading some when my computer crashed.

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #6 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 11 June 2002, 6:34 a.m., in response to message #5 by Ellis Easley an Italian website called "Never on Moon" (I think it's about conspiracy theories or the European space program, I can't tell) Ellis, I checked, it's the usual bulls**t... The man never landed on the moon. Kinda like "Capricorn One" but with the Moon instead of Mars. Massimo

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #7 Posted by JR(Italy) on 11 June 2002, 6:42 a.m., in response to message #5 by Ellis Easley NOM-1-NYCE is Mexico's equivalent to UR or CE. Regards

Re: What do all the symbols mean? Message #8 Posted by Ellis Easley on 11 June 2002, 6:45 a.m., in response to message #1 by Paul Brogger I did a little more prowling on the NIST website. The following is from an NIST document which is a guide to the EU EMC directive which is one of the components of the CE marking program: II. Essential Requirements Following are the essential requirements of the EMC Directive, as taken directly from Article 4 of the Directive: “The apparatus…shall be so constructed that: (a) the electromagnetic disturbance it generates does not exceed a level allowing radio and telecommunications equipment and other apparatus to operate as intended; (b) the apparatus has an adequate level of intrinsic immunity to electromagnetic disturbance to enable it to operate as intended.” This is basically what the FCC requirements are about, you see almost this same thing printed in manuals for, and on equipment that meets FCC Class B. There is also a "low voltage directive" which I thought might cover safety aspects of calculators, but it covers equipment operating from 50VAC or more, 75VDC or more.

Re: What do all the symbols mean? -- Thanks! Message #9 Posted by Paul Brogger on 11 June 2002, 11:34 a.m., in response to message #1 by Paul Brogger That covers 'em all but the "check mark in the circle" symbol. (It's a very minimalist and reassuring stamp of someone's approval of something, but I'm still curious!) The "backwards UR" and "SA in C" are indeed both on the in-line power switch on the cord of my desk lamp -- but I'd seem 'em so many times before I thought I'd throw them in, too. (Thanks again for the answers.) I notice that on two old TI LED calculators I have on my desk (TI-30 and -55) there are no such symbols -- just the TI logo and LOTS of patent numbers. (I don't have any LED HP's at hand just this moment -- do the patent numbers betray yet another difference in corporate culture, or did HP do the same?) On the back of a Sharp EL-5100S (lanscape-layout LCD Scientific) there's a very curvy-looking "B" (or beta) "m" hybrid -- the middle leg of a round-topped lower-case "m" is curled back to the left twice to form a beta-looking character. And, on the back of an American-made HP 32S (2817A00183) is a complex symbol -- several concentric circles with a "propeller blade" oriented vertically in the middle and the code "871 B". All very weird and mysterious -- something for the archaeologists to puzzle over . . .

Re: What do all the symbols mean? -- Thanks! Message #10 Posted by John K. (US) on 11 June 2002, 7:31 p.m., in response to message #9 by Paul Brogger That covers 'em all but the "check mark in the circle" symbol. Since it's part of the same panel as the "NOM-1-NYCE," perhaps it's related?

Re: What do all the symbols mean? -- Thanks! Message #11 Posted by Ellis Easley on 12 June 2002, 6:57 a.m., in response to message #9 by Paul Brogger Regarding patent numbers on TI calculators - I understand that after TI settled some patent lawsuits and started collecting royalties from some Japanese companies and others, TI was getting more income from royalties than from manufacturing. I don't think putting the numbers on items is necessary to protect the patents. Maybe it's just a matter of pride. The check mark reminds me of "Quality Checked Milk". Could it have something to do with ISO 9000? The circle and propeller symbol is on the back of some Voyagers too.

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