Already the fourth blog in this series. Now we will talk about the issue of certification. In Zhaga this proces will go through a appointed test lab. This means if you want to use the Zhaga logo, third party testing is required. So lets go through the proces.
First point is to become a member. To be able to have your product Zhaga approved you must become a member. Zhaga has different kinds of membership. There is associate membership and regular membership.as associate member you have access to information, you will be informed but basically are not working on the standardization itself. As regular member your are entitled to visit the meetings and participate in the proces. So it is something to clearly consider. For the membership fees check the website if Zhaga. (See resources page for the link)
Second step is downloading the licensing agreement and signing it. This is a simple proces, when you are member you can simply download this from the website, sign it and return it. It basically is an agreement on when and how you can use the logo.
Third step is to get the product tested. The test lab of your choice (when appointed by Zhaga) can do this testing. You can find the test labs also on the Zhaga website. You should contact them and request a quotation for testing. They will provide you with it and you can agree (or not) to this quotation and testing can start.
The test lab will let you know which and how many samples are needed and you can sent it to the lab. The lab will than do the tests and supply you with a test report. The lab will also notify the organization which takes care of the certification.
Step four is that you certify your product, that has to be done through the Zhaga website and is a mater of entering the correct information and submitting the test data. The product will than be published on the website and you can start using the logo.
So the proces is not that complicated. The logo can be used on luminaires that are build for Zhaga modules, on LLE’s and on holders. Possibly in the future this could be expanded but currently this is the area of application.
On the Zhaga website a list of products can be found that are certified. This is already a long list but it will steadily grow in the years to come. The list will give be a source of selecting Zhaga compatible products, modules and holders.
What are the advantages of using a Zhaga logo? It is the real proof that a product is Zhaga compatible. With the Zhaga logo you can be assured that the component is tested and found to be in conformity with the test specification. This and only this assures that the products remain compatible. Of course there will be manufacturers stating that there products are Zhaga compatible but as long as they are not certified you can not be sure if they also compliant.
Jacob