IEC 60068

Key takeaways

IEC 60068 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEC 60068 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEC 60068 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IEC 60068 is an international standard for the environmental testing of electrotechnical products that is published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IEC 60068 is a collection of methods for environmental testing of electronic equipment and products to assess their ability to perform under environmental conditions including extreme cold and dry heat. IEC 60068 offers appropriate severities and prescribes various environmental conditions for measurements and tests. IEC 60068 has three parts:

IEC 60068-1: General and guidance IEC 60068-2: Tests IEC 60068-3: Supporting documentation and guidance

Tests Some of the tests have been withdrawn, replaced, or merged with other documents or standards. IEC 60068-2-1 - Test A: Cold IEC 60068-2-2 - Test B: Dry heat IEC 60068-2-5 - Test S: Simulated solar radiation at ground level and guidance for solar radiation testing and weathering IEC 60068-2-6 - Test Fc: Vibration (sinusoidal) IEC 60068-2-7 - Test Ga and guidance: Acceleration, steady state IEC 60068-2-10 - Test J and guidance: Mould growth IEC 60068-2-11 - Test Ka: Salt mist IEC 60068-2-13 - Test M: Low air pressure IEC 60068-2-14 - Test N: Change of temperature IEC 60068-2-17 - Test Q: Sealing IEC 60068-2-18 - Test R and guidance: Water IEC 60068-2-20 - Test Ta and Tb: Test methods for solderability and resistance to soldering heat of devices with leads IEC 60068-2-21 - Test U: Robustness of terminations and integral mounting devices IEC 60068-2-27 - Test Ea and guidance: Shock IEC 60068-2-30 - Test Db: Damp heat, cyclic (12 h + 12 h cycle) IEC 60068-2-31 - Test Ec: Rough handling shocks, primarily for equipment-type specimens IEC 60068-2-32 - Test Ed: Free Fall (withdrawn) IEC 60068-2-38 - Test Z/AD: Composite temperature/humidity cyclic test IEC 60068-2-39 - Tests and guidance: Combined temperature or temperature and humidity with low air pressure tests IEC 60068-2-42 - Test Kc: Sulphur dioxide test for contacts and connections IEC 60068-2-43 - Test Kd: Hydrogen sulphide test for contacts and connections IEC 60068-2-45 - Test XA and guidance: Immersion in cleaning solvents IEC 60068-2-46 - Guidance to test Kd: Hydrogen sulphide test for contacts and connections IEC 60068-2-47 - Mounting of specimens for vibration, impact and similar dynamic tests IEC 60068-2-49 - Guidance to test Kc: Sulphur dioxide test for contacts and connections IEC 60068-2-52 - Test Kb: Salt mist, cyclic (sodium chloride solution) IEC 60068-2-53 - Combined climatic (temperature/humidity) and dynamic (vibration/shock) tests IEC 60068-2-55 - Test Ee and guidance - Loose cargo testing including bounce IEC 60068-2-57 - Test Ff: Vibration - Time-history and sine-beat method IEC 60068-2-58 - Test Td: Test methods for solderability, resistance to dissolution of metallization and to soldering heat of surface mounting devices (SMD) IEC 60068-2-60 - Test Ke: Flowing mixed gas corrosion test IEC 60068-2-61 - Test Z/ABDM:Climatic sequence IEC 60068-2-64 - Test Fh: Vibration, broadband random and guidance IEC 60068-2-65 - Test Fg: Vibration - Acoustically induced method IEC 60068-2-66 - Test Cx: Damp heat, steady state (unsaturated pressurized vapour) IEC 60068-2-67 - Test Cy: Damp heat, steady state, accelerated test primarily intended for components IEC 60068-2-68 - Test L: Dust and sand IEC 60068-2-69 - Test Te/Tc: Solderability testing of electronic components and printed boards by the wetting balance (force measurement) method IEC 60068-2-70 - Test Xb: Abrasion of markings and letterings caused by rubbing of fingers and hands IEC 60068-2-74 - Test Xc: Fluid contamination IEC 60068-2-75 - Test Eh: Hammer tests IEC 60068-2-77 - Test 77: Body strength and impact shock IEC 60068-2-78 - Test Cab: Damp heat, steady state IEC 60068-2-80 - Test Fi: Vibration - Mixed mode IEC 60068-2-81 - Test Ei: Shock - Shock response spectrum synthesis IEC 60068-2-82 - Test Xw1: Whisker test methods for components and parts used in electronic assemblies IEC 60068-2-83 - Test Tf: Solderability testing of electronic components for surface mounting devices (SMD) by the wetting balance method using solder paste IEC 60068-2-85 - Test Fj: Vibration - Long time history replication

Supporting documentation and guidance IEC 60068-3-1 - Cold and dry heat tests IEC 60068-3-3 - Seismic test methods for equipment IEC 60068-3-4 - Damp heat tests IEC 60068-3-5 - Confirmation of the performance of temperature chambers IEC 60068-3-6 - Confirmation of the performance of temperature/ humidity chambers IEC 60068-3-7 - Measurements in temperature chambers for tests A (Cold) and B (Dry heat) (with load) IEC 60068-3-8 - Selecting amongst vibration tests IEC 60068-3-11 - Calculation of uncertainty of conditions in climatic test chambers IEC TR 60068-3-12 - Method to evaluate a possible lead-free solder reflow temperature profile IEC 60068-3-13 - Supporting documentation and guidance on Test T - Soldering

Other supporting documentation and guidance IEC 60068-5-2 - Guide to drafting of test methods - Terms and definitions

See also List of International Electrotechnical Commission standards MIL-STD-810, "Test Method Standard for Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests" MIL-HDBK-2036, "Preparation of Electronic Equipment Specifications" IEC 60945, "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – General requirements – Methods of testing and required test results" RTCA DO-160, "Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment" MIL-STD-461, "Department of Defense Interface Standard: Requirements for the Control of Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Subsystems and Equipment"

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEC 60068

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEC 60068 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEC 60068 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEC 60068 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEC 60068

In research: IEC 60068 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEC 60068 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEC 60068 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Environmental testing, IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEC 60068 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study IEC 60068 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEC 60068 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEC 60068 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEC 60068 in simple terms?

IEC 60068 is an international standard for the environmental testing of electrotechnical products that is published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IEC 60068 is a collection of methods for environmental testing of electronic equipment and products to assess their ability to…

Why does IEC 60068 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEC 60068?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEC 60068.