Important Information about Australian Approvals for LED Drivers

Product News

Not all LED drivers manufactured by MEAN WELL have Australian electrical safety approvals. This is one of the reasons why not every single model of MEAN WELL LED driver is listed on the ADM website.

In Australia power supplies fall into one of two categories:

Level 1 In-Scope Electrical Equipment
Level 3 In-Scope Electrical Equipment (most MEAN WELL LED drivers)

Level 3 power supplies are identified on the ADM website in 2 ways:

Firstly, in the specifications table the LED driver will be identified as a ‘prescribed electrical equipment’, whereas Level 1 power supplies are classed as ‘non-prescribed electrical equipment’.

Secondly, at the top of the product information page you will see the following:

Australian approved power supply identifier

Level 1 power supplies will show the word ‘No’ highlighted in green.

Before a Level 3 power supply, such as a LED driver can be imported into Australia, it must first of all have been submitted to an authorised test laboratory to ensure it complies with Australia’s electrical safety regulations. If it passes the required tests, the importer then needs to apply for an electrical safety certificate from one of the state based electrical safety regulators. Once this has been issued the item must be listed on the government ERAC website by the registered responsible seller.

It is important to note that if you buy your MEAN WELL LED drivers from an online seller, who is either based overseas, or holds stock overseas then it is you as the importer, who is responsible for ensuring that the power supply you buy fully complies with Australia’s electrical safety regulations. There is no obligation on the supplier to do so.

ADM is an Australian owned business, which holds stock in Australia.

All the LED drivers we offer for sale have been tested and certified in accordance with Australia’s electrical safety regulations.

In some cases we have collaborated with MEAN WELL to have the design of the power supply modified, which then enables us to both have the LED driver tested and to apply for the required certification.

The part number of the modified LED drivers is the same as the standard model offered by overseas MEAN WELL resellers and distributors, but it will have a different set of approval markings on the product label. Most importantly, the RCM mark.

Below is a comparison of the MEAN WELL PWM-120-24 that is sold by ADM and the standard model that is offered by overseas stockist and some other online sellers.

The top image shows the standard version of the PWM-120-24 offered by MEAN WELL distributors globally. You can see in place of the RCM mark, there are other compliance markings. These are not shown on the version stocked by ADM because the design modifications required to ensure this power supply meets Australian electrical safety standards, are not compatible with North American standards.

The second image shows the model stocked by ADM, with the Australian RCM mark clearly displayed on the product label.

Australian approved MEAN WELL LED drivers

Level 1 power supplies are also required to show the RCM mark.

This is because the RCM mark not only denotes compliance with Australia’s electrical safety standards, it also indicates compliance with Australia’s EMC regulations, which all importers of power supplies must adhere to.

Again, it is important to stress that it is the importer who is responsible for ensuring that a power supply complies with Australia’s EMC regulations.

If you have any questions about power supply approvals then please contact ADM.