Policy Clarification and Testing
Guidance for Third-Party Testing Labs
Chris Goslin
D+R International
DLC Technical Support
Haibi Lu, CEM
D+R International
DLC Technical Support
Topics
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Laboratory Role Clarification
Test Report Revisions
LM-80 TMP Location vs. ISTMT Tc Point
Retrofit Kits Testing Guidance
Replacement Lamp Testing Guidance
Testing Ballast-Compatible Linear Replacement
Lamps
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Laboratory Role
• DLC assumes labs are acting on behalf of their clients
(manufacturer or distributor)
• DLC expects information and documentation
provided by the lab to be the same as if it were
submitted directly from the manufacturer
• Lab-fabricated documentation for DLC purposes
(spec sheets, images, etc.) will not be accepted by
the DLC
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Laboratory Role
• Work with your clients to consolidate the number of
applications needed to cover the products requesting
DLC qualification
• Family applications tend to be less expensive than
submitting each product via Single Product
applications
– Reduces application costs and testing burden
– Reduces administrative burden
– DLC will review test plans for Family Grouping applications
if requested by the applicant
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Test Report Revisions
• Please document any corrections/revisions to your
report according to the rules of your accreditation
body
• A typo on the report can be accepted with
appropriate explanation, but simply noting “Typo” is
not sufficient
• Unless a design change has been made to the
product, the DLC will not accept additional test data
if the manufacturer claims that the first round of
data provided is not an accurate representation of
the product
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LM-80 TMP Location ss. ISTMT Tc Point
• The purpose of the ISTMT is to relate the LM-80 test
conditions to how the LED is actually being used, so the TMP
must be consistent from LM-80 to ISTMT.
• In ISTMT reports, provide a “zoomed-in” picture that clarifies
the thermocouple location and a “bird’s-eye view” picture
that demonstrates which chip(s) were tested
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LM-80 TMP Location vs. ISTMT Tc Point
• Be able to justify that the hottest LED is measured
– Reviewers will request justification
– If you don’t know which is the hottest, measure multiple LEDs
– Additional images showing which LED is selected within the luminaire
are helpful
• TMP location verification
– Please ensure images are clear
• If image(s) are resized for the test report, please send the
original(s) as separate attachments
– Providing multiple images of the TMP is helpful
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Retrofit Kits Testing Guidance
• DLC-Approved Housing
– All retrofit kits are required to be tested in a DLC-approved housing
– Test reports (LM-79, ISTMT, IES file) must include the housing model
number(s) used for testing and images of the kit installed in the
housing
• Pre-approved Equivalents
– Alternative fixtures must be commonly used in the application
category for which the manufacturer intends to apply
– Alternative fixtures must provide similar thermal environments
• Testing in a Manufacturer-Selected Housing
– DLC will determine if a retrofit kit is designed for a specific housing by
reviewing the marketing material
– Product is considered qualified only when installed in the specific
housing used for testing
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Replacement Lamp Testing Guidance
• Bare lamp LM-79 test:
– From the bare lamp LM-79 report, the DLC will review lamp-level light
output, efficacy, Color Temperature, CRI, Power Factor, and THD
• Fixture-Level LM-79 and ISTMT test:
– All linear replacement lamp products are required to be tested in a DLCapproved housing
– Type A, Type B, and dual mode four-foot lamps shall test with two (2)
lamps installed in an appropriate reference troffer and two-foot lamps
shall test with three (3) lamps
– Type C lamps shall test with the appropriate number of lamps as are
intended to be operated on the external driver included in that Type C
system; 2-, 3-, and 4-lamp Type C systems are eligible
– From the fixture-level tests, the DLC will review the system light output,
efficacy, zonal lumen distribution, and in-situ temperature
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Testing Ballast-Compatible Linear Replacement Lamps
• Products must be tested with standard 0.88 ballast factor (BF)
instant-start electronic ballast(s)
– For T5 ballast-compatible linear replacement lamps, the requirement
for reference ballasts remains the same. If the T5 product cannot
operate off a 0.88BF instant-start electronic ballast, it is currently not
eligible for DLC qualification
• Ballast wattage must be included in efficacy calculations (for
bare lamp and in-troffer testing)
• Ballast specification sheet(s) must be provided
• Test reports (LM-79, ISTMT, IES file) must include the ballast
model number(s) used for testing
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Thank you!
Phone: 301-588-9387
Email: info@designlights.org
Website: http://designlights.org/
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