[volt-nuts] Availability of 3458A in Europe after the end of 2016.

[Alessandro Saporetti]

Hi all
Just got back from Electronica in Munich where i did have a small conversation with keysight people about 3458A Rohs issue, they have a vague idea about when it will kick-in , but where sure about availability of the meter in the future. 
Probably they have some kind of workaround to avoid shortage on the market. (not that a beast like 3458A goes by the millions)
As an EU member myself and maker/seller of electronics equipment shall I say that EU regulation are at least byzantine and usually you can read it from left to right and reverse , so let’s see what happens.

> Il giorno 29 ott 2016, alle ore 20:13, Dimitrij Klingbeil <dklingb at gmail.com> ha scritto:
> 
> As far as I can interpret the directive, not being an expert on any things legal:
> 
> It looks like they are exploiting the difference in definitions between to "make available on the market" and to "place on the market", where to "place on the market" is defined as to "make available on the market for the first time".
> 
> The legal restriction states that "Member States shall ensure that EEE placed on the market, including cables and ... , does not contain the substances listed in ...". Please note that there is only a "placed on the market" phrase in there, not a "made available on the market" or an equivalent.
> 
> It therefore does not explicitly restrict making equipment available on the market in general, but only the placement of it on the market - that is the "first time" "making it available on the market".
> 
> Therefore it would be allowed NOW (since we don't have 31.12.2016 yet) to sell said equipment to a distributor, a company that is, from a legal perspective, an independent economic operator. This "for the first time" sale, once it has happened inside the EU, would constitute the "placement on the market", and as of now, it's still legal. The distributor may own and stock the items in question for an indefinite time (this is not restricted) and also continue to sell them. Subsequent resale is only "making available on the market", not "placement on the market" as the sale of each item is not happening "for the first time" any more (since this has already been done in the original sale from the manufacturer to the distributor, before the restriction went into effect).
> 
> Dimitrij
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dr. David Kirkby (Kirkby Microwave Ltd)" <drkirkby at kirkbymicrowave.co.uk>
> To: "Discussion of precise voltage measurement" <volt-nuts at febo.com>
> Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2016 6:57 PM
> Subject: [volt-nuts] Availability of 3458A in Europe after the end of 2016.
> 
> 
>> The 3458A page on the Keysight website is interesting.
>> 
>> "Notice for European Union Customers: This product is not updated to EU
>> RoHS compliance and can be ordered via Keysight directly or Keysight
>> Authorized Distributors until 31 December 2016. Beyond this date, the
>> product can still be purchased from Keysight Authorized Distributors.
>> Please contact Keysight Authorized Distributors or your local Keysight
>> sales representative for quotation and ordering."
>> 
>> It seems you can't buy it from Keysight, but you can from their
>> distributors. But most times I've contacted Keysight about buying things,
>> they tell me to get them from their distributors anyway.
>> 
>> If I interpret
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rohs-compliance-and-guidance
>> 
>> correctly, nobody should be stick non-compliant things in the EU market.
>> 
>> I can't be bothered to read in detail the
>> 
>> "DIRECTIVE 2011/65/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 8
>> June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in
>> electrical and electronic equipment (recast)"
>> 
>> http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:174:0088:0110:EN:PDF
>> 
>> as I some paint I want to watch dry. But a cursory glance shows exceptions,
>> but none seem relevant to a 3458A.
>> 
>> Dave
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