New FCC Laws could mean the demise of AW Pancake Slotcars ?

[Ralphthe3rd]

I dunno if any of you guys have been following the NEW '14 Fed. regs, regarding RF Static Noise emitting electric motors in Toys. But the new move to comply with these Regs by Racemasters, in their NEW Mega G+ chassis, shows us the Feds mean business !
In AFX's case, they are gonna use an ALL NEW RF shielded can motor, to meet the new Regs. But how the hell can a Pancake motor shield off it's RF static emissions ? Could this be the final Straw to Break Auto World's Slot Car back ? If they cannot shield the T-Jet500, X-Traction, and 4 Gear motors, then they are doomed to cease production of them for the USA ? :o

[RichD]

The only HO cars that I can recall seeing with RFI filters were the Aurora Magnatraction cars made for sale in Europe, so all of the HO cars will be in the same boat. Hopefully just adding the appriopriate capacitor will bring the cars into compliance. 1/32nd cars have had RFI filters for years, the joke there is that many people remove them.

[Ralphthe3rd]

Below, Posted by someone(on another forum)who is smarter than I.

EMI/RFI is something I have had to deal with for years. Conducted emissions are noise that couples to existing wires and cause interference different than caused by radiated emissions. Conducted emissions can impact a target at a greater range than RF emissions. A simple cap might have met the old rules. It probably will not meet the new tighter standards. With the new rules you will probably have to shield the arc which occurs between brush and armature. In any case you have to test the product and certify that it meets the regs. That cost is not inexpensive. The new regulations do not just impact the pancakes. It hits the in-lines as well. This is why your newer 1/32 and 1/24th motors are totally shielded and not user serviceable. Racemasters new in-line car uses a totally shielded can motor.

[RichD]

Many motors have plastic end bells, so the brushes are not totally shielded. Back in the mid '80s my company had a project to incorporate RFI shielding into plastic enclosures and we had the necessary equipment to determine the effectiveness of the shielding. Eventually the company purchased Pacific Electrodynamics which did research on the effects of high energy electromagnetic pulses.
Hopefully there are testing labs out there that can certify slot cars for RFI emissions at a reasonable cost.
One more thing, I was wondering how it would be possible to shield sparking pickup shoes.