Icron's Level VI Power Adapter and New Packaging FAQ

Q1. What is this new Level VI energy efficiency standard?

In February 2014, the US Department of Energy issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which requires external power supplies to meet a higher energy conservation standard. This new rule increases the minimum energy efficiency requirement and no-load power requirement for power adapters entering the US from Level IV to Level VI standard.

The existing ExtremeUSB® extension solutions with power adapters have been shipping with Level V in order to meet European requirement and to be globally accepted.

Q2. When does the new Level VI energy standard become effective?

The US Department of Energy has stipulated all external power supplies received at the US border be in compliance with the new Level VI standard by February 10, 2016. To allow for transit time, effective February 3, 2016, all North American (US, Canada, Mexico) bound ExtremeUSB extension solutions with power adapters will ship from Icron with Level VI power adapters. Other regions will continue with Level V power adapters until stock is depleted and then will transition to Level VI.

Q3. Will I see a difference in extender performance using the new Level VI adapters?

The new Level VI power adapters will have the same input voltage, output voltage and maximum output current as our existing Level V adapters. You will not see a difference in the product performance.

Q4. How do I differentiate between the Level VI adapters and your existing Level V adapters?

As specified by the International Efficiency Marking Protocol, power adapter manufacturers are required to indicate the energy efficiency level with a Roman numeral marking on the adapter label. Icron’s new Level VI adapters will show “VI” on the adapter label just as the existing Level V adapters show “V”.

 

Figure 1: Energy Efficiency Level Marking for Level VI

Q5. Which extenders will be impacted and which extenders will not be affected by this change?

ExtremeUSB® extender solutions impacted by this change:

• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2201
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2204
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2211
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2212
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2224
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2244
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2304
• USB 2.0 Ranger® 2304-LAN
• USB 3.0 Spectra™ 3022
• EL5100
• EL5200

ExtremeUSB® extender solution unaffected by this change as these models are bus-powered and do not require a power adapter:

• USB 1.1 Rover® 1850
• USB 1.1 Rover® 2850
• USB 3.0 Spectra™ 3001-15

If you have any questions in regards to the extenders which will be affected by this change, please contact pcn@icron.com or your Account Manager.

Q6. What are the new Level VI adapters’ product specifications?

Power Adapter	ExtremeUSB® Extender Solution	Power Adapter Manufacturer and Part Number	Icron Part Number for Level VI Adapter	Input Voltage	Output Voltage	Maximum Output Current	Product Datasheet
24V	USB 2.0 Ranger® 2211 USB2.0 Ranger® 2212 USB 2.0 Ranger® 2304 USB 2.0 Ranger® 2304-LAN USB 2.0 Ranger® 2304 GE-LAN	Adapter Technology Co Ltd. ATS024T-A240	21-00110	Universal 100-240V AC, single phase. 50 – 60 Hz	+24.0V	1.0A	Available upon request.
24V with Locking DC Jack	USB 3.0 Spectra™ 3022	Adapter Technology Co Ltd. ATS024T-A240-locking	21-00114	Universal 100-240V AC, single phase. 50 – 60 Hz	+24.0V	1.0A	Available upon request.
5V	USB 2.0 Ranger® 2201 USB 2.0 Ranger® 2204 USB 2.0 Ranger® 2224 USB 2.0 Ranger® 2244 EL5100 JP* EL5200 JP*	Adapter Technology Co Ltd. ATS018T-A050	21-00111	Universal 100-240V AC, single phase. 50 – 60 Hz	+5.0V	3.0A	Available upon request.
5V with earth ground	EL5100 EL5200 (except Japan SKU)	Adapter Technology Co Ltd. ATS018T-P050	21-00112	Universal 100-240V AC, single phase. 50 – 60 Hz	+5.0V	3.0A	Available upon request.

Table 1: Product Specifications for Icron’s New Level VI Adapters
* The EL5100 and 5200 Japan SKU KVM extenders will have non-grounded power adapters because grounded electrical outlets are not common in Japan.

Q7. Which safety certificates do the new Level VI power adapters have?

Certification	Country/Region
FCC	USA
UL/CUL	USA/Canada
CE	Europe
GS	Germany
RCM	Australia
PSE	Japan
CCC	China
BSMI	Taiwan

Table 2: Safety Certificates for Icron’s New Level VI Adapters

Q8. What does the new packaging look like?

Product Box
The Icron branded extenders will be using an environmentally friendly brown box with the ExtremeUSB® logo centered on the front flap. The dimensions of these new product boxes will not change from the existing boxes.

Figure 2: New Box for Icron Branded Extenders with ExtremeUSB® Logo on the Front Flap

Figure 3: Side View of the New Box with ExtremeUSB® Logo and Product Info Label

Labels

The country of origin information will be updated. The label on the bottom of the extender units will show “Designed in Canada – Made in China” or in some cases, only “Made in China” will be stated due to space constraints. The updated label will impact all extender SKUs as of Feb 3, 2016.

Product Info Label

The box sleeve will be replaced by a product information label located on the right side of the box. The product information label will show the product name, description and an image of the product.

Figure 4: Product information label for the USB 2.0 Ranger 2304

Box Insert

Certain product box inserts will be modified to accommodate the slightly larger Level VI power adapter.

Q9. I purchase European/United Kingdom/Australian/Japanese extender SKUs. When will I see these changes?

The transition to the Level VI adapters and the new packaging for SKUs other than North American will be a rolling change based on sell-through of existing power supplies and packaging materials. Therefore, at this time, there is no specific transition date for extenders SKUs other than North America.

Q10. Is there a pricing difference in the products with the new Level VI adapters?

No, there is no pricing difference between extenders with existing Level V adapters and Level VI adapters.

Q11. Is Level VI the globally accepted energy efficiency level?

Yes, Level VI is a globally accepted energy efficiency level. Currently, Level VI is the most stringent and highest level of energy efficiency standard. Regions which require a lower energy efficiency level (e.g. Europe) will accept Level VI power supplies.

Q12. Who is your Level VI power adapter supplier and where are the adapters made?

Icron’s Level VI adapters are supplied by Adapter Technology Co., Ltd, a Taiwan based manufacturer of power adapters. The new Level VI power adapters are made in China.

Q13. Who do I contact if I have a question about the new Level VI adapter or the new packaging?

Please contact pcn@icron.com.

Q14. Can I request non-North American SKUs to be shipped with the new Level VI adapters sooner?

As of February 10, 2016, only the US requires Level VI compliance for power adapters. Due to the fact that Level V adapters are still accepted in all other regions and there are no differences in product performance, non-North American SKUs will transition to Level VI adapters once our current inventory of Level V adapters are exhausted or if other regions increase their compliance standard to Level VI. However, if you would like to have Level VI adapters sooner, you can purchase the Level VI adapters separately. For more information on ordering the Level VI adapters as a stand-alone item, please contact orders@icron.com.

Q15. What is the part number, description and price for ordering the Level VI adapters individually?

Icron Part Number	Icron Name	Icron Description
21-00110	24V 1A Level VI Power Adapter	24V 1A, Lvl6, Intnl, 2.1mm (ID) plug, IEC320-C7/C8 2-pin
21-00111	5V 3A Level VI Power Adapter	5V 3A, Lvl6, Intnl, 1.7mm (ID) plug, IEC320-C7/C8 2-pin
21-00112	5V 3A Level VI Power Adapter with Earth Ground	5V 3A (GND), Lvl6, Intnl, 1.7mm (ID) plug, IEC320-C13/C14 3-pin
21-00114	24V 1A Level VI Power Adapter with Locking DC Jack	24V 1A, Lvl6, Intnl, 2.0mm (Locking) plug, IEC320-C7/C8 2-pin

For more information on ordering the Level VI adapters, please contact orders@icron.com.

Q16. Did you make any changes to the ExtremeUSB extenders in order to comply to the new Level VI adapters?

No, we did not make any hardware change to Icron’s products in order to transition to Level VI adapters.

Q17. Are the existing Level V and new Level VI power adapters interchangeable?

Yes, you can use your extenders which were shipped with the Level V adapters with the new Level VI adapters.   

Q18. Do North American customers have to swap out existing Level V power adapters either in inventory or deployed with Level VI?

No. Any extender received in the US prior to February 10, 2016 can continue to use the existing Level V power adapter. Only new extenders received after this date must have Level VI.

Q19. What about Repairs/RMAs? How will they be impacted by the change?

The existing RMA policy still applies. For repairs which will be sent back to the US, extenders with an external power supply will be shipped with a Level VI adapter starting February 3, 2016. For other regions, the repaired unit will be sent back to customers with the same power adapter which was received by our RMA technician unless the power adapter is faulty.