1

Typically they say stuff like...

... shall not be directly or indirectly assembled as a part or subassembly in any finished product.

I have found on a number of occasions it would have been very convenient just to include one in a small run product

Dirk Bruere
  • 13,723
  • 9
  • 54
  • 115
  • 1
    Did that board have the necessary certifications for being included? – PlasmaHH May 04 '16 at 10:29
  • @PlasmaHH Well, ROHS, LVD I assume. Typically they connect to USB. However, RFI stuff is potentially fixable by using suitable enclosures and ferrites etc. – Dirk Bruere May 04 '16 at 10:46
  • 2
    I suspect product liability; it's the same reason that Java has that huge disclaimer about what applications you're not supposed to use it for. – pjc50 May 04 '16 at 10:47
  • @pjc50 Yet they also supply circuit diagrams and invite you to make your own (with the usual disclaimers). – Dirk Bruere May 04 '16 at 10:49
  • .. but then it's your board and your responsibility. – pjc50 May 04 '16 at 10:53
  • 3
    FCC and comparable EMC regulations can be much looser for an engineering tool compared to a product. They want the potential penalties to accrue to you, not them. – Spehro Pefhany May 04 '16 at 10:55
  • 2
    Eval board possibly sold cheaply (at a loss) in order to achieve more design wins for the part. – Tut May 04 '16 at 11:24
  • @Tut That sounds plausible - they are remarkably cheap – Dirk Bruere May 04 '16 at 11:28
  • 1
    The same reason why their software libraries also contain disclaimers. lawsuits. If you then end up using their product in yours and something goes bad, because of those disclaimers, you are legally responsible, not them. Or at least they have a fighting chance in court. – old_timer May 04 '16 at 13:57

2 Answers2

4

There could be many reasons why an evaluation board is not fit to be used in a final product.

1) An eval board is expected to be used at lab temperatures. A product would typically be expected to work over a significant temperature range.

2) An eval board is expected to be used under the supervision of an experienced engineer, and so crashes and hangs may not necessarily render it useless. That's not the case for a product.

3) An eval board need not meet RoHS guidelines on nasty chemicals used in manufacture, lead-bearing solder is a typical infringement, or RFI emissions or susceptibility. They typically get dispensation on the basis that they are not for resale, and very few will be made. Product cannot be sold with these problems.

Neil_UK
  • 166,079
  • 3
  • 185
  • 408
0

There is no regulatory limitation for using Eval board beyond materials. It has to be made with ROHS components but it's actually hard to source poison components anymore.

You'd be responsive for getting it certified for CE marking of course.

Plus, as suggested in comments, these are sold at cost or even at loss to promote given vendor products. I'm sure you might be able to negotiate a deal if you really were desperate to do it and had financial means but most likely it'd make more sense to have something outsourced that's tailored for your application.

Barleyman
  • 3,646
  • 14
  • 27