Only VAT ? You do know Tom that it's 20% in the UK and that's one of the lower rates in the EU! Still, I shouldn't grumble as I make my living advising businesses on its complexities.
I grew up in Denmark where the VAT is 25%. Taxes are the price you pay to live in a civilized society. I also have absolutely zero influence on your local level of taxation.
Tom
Sorry. I didn't mean to be grumpy, but lately I've been getting a lot of questions about whether I'd be willing to commit customs fraud by declaring a lower value on my shipments. This in spite of my Terms & Conditions being pretty clear on the subject. After a while it just gets to me.
I run an honest business. I don't feel I should have to justify or apologize for that.
And, no, I did not perceive your mention of VAT as such a request. I know you better than that. All is good.
Tom
I run an honest business. I don't feel I should have to justify or apologize for that.
And, no, I did not perceive your mention of VAT as such a request. I know you better than that. All is good.
Tom
Bingo! See below.
I just tried changing my location to an EU country (Denmark) on Mouser's website. I'm not seeing any messages about the supplies not being able to ship. Does this only show up during checkout?
Should Mouser or Digi-Key not be able to deliver the Mean Well supplies outside the US, I suggest contacting your local Mean Well distributor. You can find your distributor here: Distributor Network-MEAN WELL Switching Power Supply Manufacturer
Select "AC/DC enclosed" for the RPS/EPP-series. "Modular Power" for the IRM-series.
It looks like RS-Components carries the Mean Well products as well. That'd be a good option for folks in the EU.
Here's Mouser's response:
Tom
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There is likely a more simple and less cloak-and-dagger explanation as hinted to in Mouser's email. Often sales franchises are to specific geographic areas. For example, I was recently looking at a piece of audiophile gear and reading about it on the web site of an east coast US dealer. If I walked into their store they would sell it to me. If I tried to order it from them via phone or web for shipment to my western US location they would not be able to take my order as a dealer 'close' to me has the franchise for my area.
I'm sure a company like MeanWell have similar distribution agreements for their products.
I'm sure a company like MeanWell have similar distribution agreements for their products.
Whatever the actual cause, it was implemented within the past month or so. I've been using the Mean Well switchers for a few years now and many builders in the EU have completed their builds successfully. Now suddenly Mouser "can't ship" to the EU and will only ship to OEMs/EMSes.
That said, RS-Components does carry the Mean Well IRM and RPS supplies, so EU folks can go there.
Thankfully, I'm both an OEM and an EMS, so if bad comes to worse, I can start buying supplies in bulk and shipping them out. I'm not a fan of inventory, so don't expect that to happen any time soon, though. Inventory is dead money. But should I have to throw in a couple of supplies with my next Mouser order to help a buddy out, I'm certainly willing to do so. I'll have to charge more than the Mouser prices, though.
Tom
That said, RS-Components does carry the Mean Well IRM and RPS supplies, so EU folks can go there.
Thankfully, I'm both an OEM and an EMS, so if bad comes to worse, I can start buying supplies in bulk and shipping them out. I'm not a fan of inventory, so don't expect that to happen any time soon, though. Inventory is dead money. But should I have to throw in a couple of supplies with my next Mouser order to help a buddy out, I'm certainly willing to do so. I'll have to charge more than the Mouser prices, though.
Tom
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Tata... look what the cat dragged in . Ordered last Thursday from Tom and last Friday from Mouser ... this is how a lot of fun work looks like.
Tom thx for the speedy delivery. The boards look wonderful. As usual, the Mouser Project provided by you made ordering a breeze.
The trafos are still on their way - I have chosen the 800VA, 2x25V Amplimo, which are easy to procure in the EU (ship from NL).
Just one hint, possibly add the board mounting hardware to the BOM (same as with the Mod286 BOM) - Mouser No. 534-4332 and -9307. I guess it would simplifiy attaching the boards to the heat sink. The costs are just pennies and people can remove them if they chose a different mounting method. I now have to accumulate 100USD in order value just to avoid paying 20USD shipping for 5USD items.
. Ordered last Thursday from Tom and last Friday from Mouser ... this is how a lot of fun work looks like.Tom thx for the speedy delivery. The boards look wonderful. As usual, the Mouser Project provided by you made ordering a breeze.
The trafos are still on their way - I have chosen the 800VA, 2x25V Amplimo, which are easy to procure in the EU (ship from NL).
Just one hint, possibly add the board mounting hardware to the BOM (same as with the Mod286 BOM) - Mouser No. 534-4332 and -9307. I guess it would simplifiy attaching the boards to the heat sink. The costs are just pennies and people can remove them if they chose a different mounting method. I now have to accumulate 100USD in order value just to avoid paying 20USD shipping for 5USD items.
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Tata... look what the cat dragged in
Sweet!
You're welcome. Thanks for your kind words.
The reason I did not put those on the BOM is that I don't really like that mounting method. First off, you want to support both the front and back edge of the board. Secondly, the brackets aren't perfectly right angle, so sizing the standoffs for the edge away from the heat sink is a pain and even if you get the size right, they still cause some stress on the board. I did put the mounting holes towards the heat sink at the correct distance so that you can use the Keystone 4332 brackets. Just make sure you work out a way to support the opposite edge of the board.
A much better solution is to use the angle bracket I had made. The only drawback is cost. I'm exploring some options for reducing that cost, but fact is that custom mechanical work is expensive, so I won't make any promises.
Tom
Last time I tried to order something from rs-online they cancelled my order because I don't have a VAT number. From the big ones mouser seems the only one willing to sell to private buyers....
That surprises me. When I lived in Europe, I ordered from RS on occasion. I didn't have a VAT number. Of course, that was a while ago so their policies could have changed. I've bought from Farnell as well. Most of my purchases came from Aarhus Radio Lager and Vejle RC Elektronik, both in Denmark. Aarhus Radio Lager was bought by Elfa in 2006, but to my knowledge they're still around.
Mouser, Digi-Key, Newark, and Jameco to name a few will happily sell to private buyers.
Tom
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See your point. It worked fine for me though in the 286 build with a little bending to mount them stress free including the standoffs to support the board. See pictures in the 286 thread.
I saw that. Nice build. In my case, I have to provide a solution that comes together easily for a group of people with varying technical skills and tools. There's a big difference between doing that and building a one-off.
Tom
A start....
All came together perfectly. And by the way I am so happy that the Mod686 features the preassembled SMD parts - after all the nitty gritty work on the Mod268, where I got the self solder version.
Also the prewound inductors from Tom, although not cheap, are really a work saver. It’s not only the winding which is cumbersome but even more the removal of the wire coating is quite tedious.
All came together perfectly. And by the way I am so happy that the Mod686 features the preassembled SMD parts - after all the nitty gritty work on the Mod268, where I got the self solder version.
Also the prewound inductors from Tom, although not cheap, are really a work saver. It’s not only the winding which is cumbersome but even more the removal of the wire coating is quite tedious.
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Fantastic! A good start so far.
That was exactly my reaction when I received the quote from the inductor manufacturer. It seems like a lot of money for bent wire (even at QTY = 250!), but man... I don't miss winding inductors. I'd usually spend an hour winding inductors for a stereo pair of MOD686 (or MOD286) boards.
Tom
" ... The Mean Well switching bricks feature the seals of approval from a plethora of international organizations, including CE, so there really shouldn't be any issue there. ..."
CE is self-certifying; ie there is no testing body or outside certification procedure. If the manufacturer says it meets CE, it does, basically, so it's not a robust certification, like, say TUV, CSA, UL, etc where the device must be tested to comply and a number is issued that can be verified by the body.
There is, of course, the so-called "China Export" CE mark, where even items that do not require CE standard compliance are marked with the CE symbol out of China. Not suggesting Meanwell is a suspect, but broadly speaking the mark alone doesn't necessarily mean anything on Asian manufactured products.
With other standards bodies requiring compliance and testing of samples of the product, counterfeit compliance marks are a problem also with some China-manufactured goods, but at least the certificate compliance number can be referenced to reveal the fake label.
I subscribe to Canada's safety and health authority eMail notifications. It's a bit of a nuisance as there are near daily recalls of one to sometimes five different products, and by far the majority of items are children's clothing (fire and choking hazards, mostly), toys, jewelry with lead or cadmium coatings, etc.
Of the remainder there are some recalls by responsible manufacturers, some label compliance recalls of imported products etc but the remainder include counterfeit CSA / ULc / cULus compliance markings on products sold by major retailers, such as electric lamps, lithium batteries improperly manufactured without the safety electronics (there's a flex PCB in every one) that create a fire hazard, etc.
Consumer Product Safety - Canada.ca
The UK, EU, USA, etc have similar programs.
CE is self-certifying; ie there is no testing body or outside certification procedure. If the manufacturer says it meets CE, it does, basically, so it's not a robust certification, like, say TUV, CSA, UL, etc where the device must be tested to comply and a number is issued that can be verified by the body.
There is, of course, the so-called "China Export" CE mark, where even items that do not require CE standard compliance are marked with the CE symbol out of China. Not suggesting Meanwell is a suspect, but broadly speaking the mark alone doesn't necessarily mean anything on Asian manufactured products.
With other standards bodies requiring compliance and testing of samples of the product, counterfeit compliance marks are a problem also with some China-manufactured goods, but at least the certificate compliance number can be referenced to reveal the fake label.
I subscribe to Canada's safety and health authority eMail notifications. It's a bit of a nuisance as there are near daily recalls of one to sometimes five different products, and by far the majority of items are children's clothing (fire and choking hazards, mostly), toys, jewelry with lead or cadmium coatings, etc.
Of the remainder there are some recalls by responsible manufacturers, some label compliance recalls of imported products etc but the remainder include counterfeit CSA / ULc / cULus compliance markings on products sold by major retailers, such as electric lamps, lithium batteries improperly manufactured without the safety electronics (there's a flex PCB in every one) that create a fire hazard, etc.
Consumer Product Safety - Canada.ca
The UK, EU, USA, etc have similar programs.
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